Having read the other reviews here on Amazon, i decided first on buyinhg the Sony KDL26S3000 as the best bet for a wall mounted TV in our kitchen.
The plan was to run it on the HDMI output of our SKY HD box from the lounge via a HDMI distribution system in the loft (consisting of a HDMI splitter and 4 HDMI cable runs to different rooms).

Unfortunately, the Sony could not hold down a proper picture from the HDMI cable at all.. it seemed to be continually scanning but only occasionally locking onto a picture, before losing it again.

Because i have a few other TVs (Pioneer 43" plasma, and Toshiba 32" LCD) to test with, i was able to isolate the problem to the Sony implementation of HDMI interface on this TV. It may well be fine on a much shorter run HDMI cable, but is definitely more fussy than some other manufacturers' technology.

It was sent straight back and i bought the Toshiba 26" lcd instead (Toshiba 26AV505D), which works perfectly on the same cable setup.

It has a very glossy black fascia, in the style of the more common Samsungs you see everywhere. It has a nice straightforward setup procedure. The Digital freeview implementation seems solid enough.
I had to adjust the standard settings quite a bit (to tone down the default colour and brightness settings).

But the main reason i bought this TV is because i have an earlier 32" Toshiba which i knew to be fine on a long HDMI cable which goes via a HDMI splitter in the loft (it is 20m + 15m : 35M total). And the new 26" toshiba is equally at home with this long HDMI cable setup.

This means we get Sky HD in another room in the house which is a far more important issue for us than the relatively minor comparative differences that distinguish LCD TVs from different manufacturers these days.

I thought i would add this review for any buyers who are also interested in the HDMI input, possibly on a long cable run, or via a splitter or coupler like me.