From the time we know about TVs, Panasonic has been one of the favourite ones. They have dominated this area with high quality styles and finishes. The model we are discussing here is the TX -L32G10 series, belongs to LCD TVs category and with its subtle, sneaky design it is sure to capture the masses. This review is about this 32″ beauty which comes with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels offering you a stunning picture quality.

Design:

Display:
The Viera TX-L32G10 LCD TV comes with a 32″ inch display. It supports full HD including 780p, 1080i and 1080p formats. Set to use the IPS panel, it has a wide viewing angle making those sitting at the corners to see a picture with fewer colours and contrast loss. For movies to be played to its maximum clarity from a blu ray disc or PS3 support, it could be achieved by using this 1080p resolution which is the maximum. High definition broadcasting is supported in the 1080i resolution. Hence this display satisfies with excellent delivery of images you could wish for. With this system comes the Eco mode through which the panel responds to ambient light surrounding the screen, brightening or dimming the picture according to the environment.

V 4 real:
V4 real is the new form that Panasonic’s V real picture processing engine has taken. With this, the screens inner circuitry has been designed such that, the incoming Standard Definition source is filtered so as to improve the High Definition presentation. Pictures that this G10 series delivers are much more presentable. The HD pictures whether it is from your favourite DVD player or from your satellite tuner, they are exceptionally sharp on its full HD screen.  The IFC helps the motion look sharp and fluid provided it is placed to its low levels. With the alpha screen design watching it from a really wide angle would never be a problem. The black level is certainly good to give pictures a mixture of dark and light shades.

Ports:
As with the ports and connectivity there are 4 HDMI ports, an SD card slot which allows JPEG to be played in TVs and a D Sub PC port. There is also an Ethernet port for broadband connection through router or other freesat services. The HDMI interfaces could be used to control similarly enabled devices through a remote control. The Viera link could be used to support digital cameras.

Features:

100Hz Motion:
This is one important feature that would stick into your minds when you think of this TX L32G10 32″ LCD Television. The 100Hz motion improves the rate at which the scenes appear on the plat panel screen.  Earlier the flat panels had a problem in display which was the loss of detail or the motion blur during fast moving scenes like a sports or action sequence. 100Hz is aimed to remove this flaw by increasing the number of frames, thereby improving the appearance of motion in the screen.

Processor:
Processor is the main master brain behind processing pictures. As we just mentioned, this Panasonic Viera LCD has a 100 MHz processor. It is amazing to think of technology that has incorporated processors in Television. The processor helps in blending the pictures smoothly and making it lucid giving the users a wonderful experience. This comes to action while you watch High definition movies or pictures through satellites. Hence, no jarring or blurring of pictures would be observed.

Contrast Ratio:
Contrast ratio is a fact that determines the clarity of the picture on your TV. What makes you spellbound is the humungous contrast ratio of 50000:1 offered here. It implies that pictures are quite sharp and you would never experience the conventional problems you have with low quality LCD TVs.  So what is more? It gives you a superb home theatre experience; just enjoy your weekend with your latest Blu ray movie or with the new high definition satellite channels.

24P True Cinema:
Imagine yourself watching a movie resting in a cosy bed rest with your favourite drink and popcorn by your side. There is nothing so relishing as enjoying your favourite film in your home cinema system. Provided, if you are a fan of movies, make sure you have this 24 p True cinema that comes along with this TXL32G10 package. Interestingly, with the 24P true cinema the TV works in sync with your movie player and shows each frame without any delay, meaning that, the frames are shown the same rate at which it was filmed. This is a big leap over the technology considering the fact that earlier TVs were unable to handle the speed and had to adjust the speed of movies to match with that of TVs. This means that 24P shows films at the same rate you would get in a movie theatre. And that is why it is called the true cinema experience.

Energy saver:
One reason any person would opt for an LCD despite its cost is due to its energy efficiency.  The upper hand these displays hold over their CRT predecessors are due to the chemical properties of the Liquid Crystals. This Panasonic Viera TX-L32G10 Full HD LCD TV model has all the necessary energy saving features which are designed to cut down the E bills and protect the environment.

Freeview:
One of the major concerns that consumers had was the absence of free view and free sat in LCDs since it was restricted only among plasmas. But finally, they have their prayers answered, as of now they can enjoy the access to digital television stations without a set top box.  This freeview is the UK standard version to access the free TV stations like ITV, BBC, E4 and many others. Unlike the Sky or many others, there were no subscription charges and no need for a dish. The G20 series allows you full access to all stations through the television antenna or Ariel. Though built-in, it never affects the TVs ability to work with any TV provider. Overall, the free view has simply rocked.

World of Games:
No matter what type of gamer you are and what you like to play, playing a game in this TX-L32G10’s 32 inch screen makes it a wonderful experience. Whether you are paying DOOM 3 or if it is the Punisher this screen simply enhances the dark areas and sharpens the picture. Given its high speed of frame rate it lets you speed up image processing. Whether you perform a combo move in Ninja turtles or choose a weapon from the inventory the frame rate gives you a honey smooth experience. The game mode in this model optimises the image and sound quality giving you a chunky and sweet experience.

Freesat tuner:
With Freesat service and the availability of 140 digital channels all you need to do is buy a dish on your home and connect the dish feed to the rear of our device and then run the auto tune mode. A perfect HD TV requires channels which are of high digital quality. Only this can improve the film experience. With an inbuilt freesat tuner you have an easy way to view around 140 digital channels and radio channels, some brilliant HD programmes from BBC and ITV free of cost or without paying the rent. In addition to these free services the free sat feature provides super fast digital text, subtitles, audio description and ensures expansion of services to maximum limit. It guarantees undaunted picture clarity and surround sound on every channel. It has a single remote that allows interconnected operations of various devices which are connected through the HDMI cable.

SD Memory card:
Connect the camera’s HDMI output to VIERA to control the playback of images stored in it using the remote. Alternatively, you have an SD card reader that allows you watch and show the stills and video just after a superior picture quality is taken. The procedures are quite simple: Just insert the SD memory card into VIERA TXL32G10 and watch them in full HD coming live on this magnificent screen. Also you could choose among the 3 background types and 4 display effects while you playback your media.

Audio Connectivity and Accessories:
The audio delivery is taken care by the V Audio Surround system which gives depth sound image effect by actual measurement of the room based on the reflection data generated from a digital signal processor. Connectors are responsible for the flexibility and versatility. Some of the connectivity included are 1 x PC Input, 2 x SCART, 4 x HDMI, 1 x Composite, 1 x S video, 1 x RF and 1 x Coaxial Cable Digital audio. The accessories that come with the package include Remote control, batteries for the remote control, camper, cleaning cloth, 4 x assembly screws for pedestal.

Performance:

Picture quality:
The 100 Hz technology has been the latest innovation, the result of years of toil by manufacturers. Addition of this new technology to the LCD TVs has been eyed to deliver smoother motion and also to get some major benefits. Set it to high, this along with the Intelligent Frame Creation gives an over processed look with pictures with fast motion sequence. Whether set to strong or medium better performance, it can be recorded overall with IFC turned off.  The TX L32G10 produces a picture which is free of external influences and is clean and sharp. HD broadcast renders absolutely stunning quality on the sets coupled with superb sharpness. With the extra 1080 P resolution you could separate each and every minute detail in the picture even in the case of a long range shots.

Display performance:
High Definition on the 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution screen is simply awesome. The picture drawn on this screen rarely misses any details making it an engrossing home experience.  Along with a good black level response and with the processing abilities of V real 4 facial tones are presented with full realism that remains a Herculean challenge for other LCD TVs to beat.  With a glorious vibrancy scenes comes alive and never appears over saturated.  But still it is unfortunate that the black levels cannot be matched with V real 4 engine. Though good the black levels appear grey in darker scenes with subtle fine details. One problem that disappoints you irrespective of the display is with the sound. Its short comings are realised once it is pushed to its limits. The basic problem with the sound is that the bass it delivers is simply not up to the mark.

Along with free-view broadcast, you could also have some terrestrial broadcast which would be handy incase we are peculiar about a particular channel.

When it comes to Standard definition, the TVs the performance falls well below the mark that its predecessors managed to surpass. The set features of the Ethernet located at the rear is currently unused and the other fact is that, this would not media stream from a PC. With an HD signal and additional freesat HD tuner, this show stopper allows you to access widest possible range of free channel without any box.  The prices are a bit unfriendly and the performance of SD is not quite as impressive.

Verdict:

Customers face a dilemma while making a decision between Plasma and LCD TVs. These two Flat panels available in the market have their own pros and cons.  Though, the pros over-weigh the cons, the TX L32G10 leans towards the expensive side which could reduce this market value of this flamboyant product. Added to this comes the fact that, Standard definition falls short of the expected level. The Black level is just close to average and the sound quality is typically poor. But, if you consider the other side, the resolution is one thing that pulls you to it. Along with it, comes the HDMI and umpteen connectives that comes with it. Built-in with a freesat HD tuner, the performance it delivers is top notch. Overall, we would say that if you are adamant to have an LCD with a freesat and you have the budget required, then do not wait, the new Panasonic VIERA TX-L32G10 is the one you are looking for.

Check other Panasonic LCD TV Reviews, Daewoo LCD TV Reviews in this website.

Panasonic Viera TX-L32G10 Specification Table

Design:

Ultra Slim!
The 40 inch 40PFL8664H LCD television uses exclusive technology that makes it ultra slim. It has a frame of 2.8 cm enabling it to fit into compact spaces. The thin profile of 3.9 cm gives it a minimalist appearance that goes well with any interior.

Attractive:
It is human tendency to get attracted to things are that are slimmer. The televisions are no exception. The Philips PFL8664 LED LCD TV sports a black stylish bezel with a black narrow panel frame and a transparent finish. The entire television is upheld on a glass stand with a curvaceous V shaped shaft.  The Philips logo is embossed on the bottom part of the bezel.

Rather Awkward Controls:
The TV controls present on the right side of the television are non backlit push buttons. There is a USB port present on the left.  While these are at the right places, we had issues with the location of the auxiliary AV inputs and headphone jack. They were present at the rear placing them at a rather inconvenient location to use.

Stylish Remote:
The remote is a long candy bar like device with an arched bottom.  It has a black matte and glossy finish making it a great counterpart for the television. It has a brushed metal surface and has no multifunctional controls. There is a pretty chrome directional pad available that did look rather odd initially. On the remote are keys such as Home to access the Main menu and Options to access the important AV settings. However, the remote could have been better if there was room for video switching with only a source and TV buttons for toggling external inputs and digital TV channels.

Connectivity:
When it comes to connectivity, Philips scores points as well as loses points here. There are four 24p ready HD inputs and 1080p support for component video. Six PC sockets are present to support high definition sources. The 2 SCART terminals and a component video socket are also available. We would also want an optical version of the coaxial audio output.

Interface:
The Philips 40PFL8664 Full HD LED LCD TV features an activity based menu that is coloured and caters well to people who are new to such interfaces as well as the tech savvy ones. The Interface has options like WatchTV, User Manual, Setup and Browse USB. The Setup has a plethora of basic as well as advanced AV configurations within six picture (Standard, Vivid, Natural, Cinema, Game and Personal) modes.  However, we did not find any options to adjust the backlight or white balance.  There is a Personal mode as well which allows one to save presets according to their choice by using a wizard.

Features:

100MHz processing:
The Philips 40PFL8664H TV runs on 100MHz processing that makes viewing fast on screen motion pictures even better. The high refresh rate increases the sharpness of motion to more than twice that of the conventional LCD. So, the images of objects in motion such as racing cars are clearer. We put on a football match and the players in motion were far clearer than an ordinary LCD TV. Even those advertising sign boards that are usually blurred were more readable.

Pixel Precise:
The award winning feature of Pixel Precise HD improves picture quality by allowing reproduction for over 4 trillion colours. This combined along with HD motion makes movies sharper and more fluent. While the Pixel Precise HD system does not make SD pictures look as sharp as they do on Pixel Perfect HD TVs, they still manage to hold up pretty well considering its competition in the price range. The motion handling does not remove blur completely but its fluidity and motion sharpness are pretty good.

Ambilight Spectra:
This is a feature that is unique to only Philips televisions. Around the television are present in built LED lights that emit coloured light in sympathy with the colour of the image shown. Since there is a new timing delay present, the light reproduction is more pleasant emphasising the movement. It is capable of automatically adjusting the colour and brightness of the light to create an immersive experience. However, more than relaxing, it seems to be just an aesthetic add.

Net TV:
Net TV is another prime proposition offered on the PFL8664. It allows one to stream Web content and services such as YouTube and Internet radio via the inbuilt Ethernet port. One can navigate throught the web and select whatever wanted with the remote. It has charged marginally ever since the previous model. The television is also capable of playing multimedia files from USB devices and DLNA compatible PCs on a home network.

Performance:

SD content:
The overtly sharpened pictures even on analog TV had to be toned down. The hues were too saturated and that resulted in pinker skin tones. The graininess and mosquito noise were reduced to minimum. When we switched to digital broadcast, image clarity as well as stability increased. DVD movies were reproduced aptly with mostly clear visuals. Even greyscale tracking was well maintained.

HD content:
The 40PFL8664H 1070p Digital TV surpassed our expectations when it comes to HD content. Even subtle details were very sharp and clear during playback of television shows. When we played Pixar’s UP, the model was able to deliver extremely sharp and fluid images. The resolution is flawless except for some slight flickering.

Multimedia Performance:
The 40PFL8664 delivers smooth and stunning graphics. It had time lag issues like the earlier 4PFL9704. We checked out a couple of games both on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 and graphics were prominent on the former. While the JPEG playback and audio streaming were great, the MP3 audio quality was rather mediocre and fast paced music lacked fidelity and rhythm.

Audio:
The speakers being located at the rear deprived the TV of audible stereo. The light bass extension and a decent treble range were able to fill an average room with no sound distortion. So, most users would have no issues with audio here.

Energy Efficient:
The Philips 40PFL8664 is a whopping 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional flat TVs. Thanks to the LED Backlight technology, the model consumes lesser energy as well as lasts longer. Also like CCFL, LED LCD TVs do not use mercury in their manufacture making them more environmental friendly.

Warranty:

There is a warranty of one year on the Philips PFL8664 for its parts and labour.

Verdict:

We absolutely loved the stunning design of the Philips PFL8664. It looked gorgeous and is easily one of the best looking televisions in the market. Its decent connectivity bundled along with a host of features such as NetTV and web browsing are sure to attract a lot of people out there. The Ambilight Spectra was a great aesthetic add and makes viewing even more pleasurable. The performance of the television was above average and will suit to the tastes of most people. If you are looking for a stylish television with a decent performance, this is a must buy.

Check Latest LCD TV Reviews, other Philips LCD Television Reviews, Specs in this website.


Philips 40PFL8664H 40″ LCD TV - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Enamouring:
Sony has not stopped the unremitting production of very good designs. The trend seems to be continuing since the KDL-32EX403U LCD Television is a wonderful piece of workmanship and looks quite attractive from all angles. It has a very rectangular shape, that gives a perfect look and moreover, the curvaceous body makes it more adaptive to almost any kind of background. The glossy black finish, as always with the TVs from Sony, has been a great attraction. Measuring about 80 x 53.2 x 22 cm (W x H x D), and weighing about 11 kg, this has to be one of the sleekest TVs in the current market. Wall mounting is supported, and this is the best way of placing this TV; it would look stunning to your neighbour’s envy. Overall, hopes are high this time round on this captivating series of Bravia TVs.

Display: Cannot quit staring
Since the display part of the TV is the most important of all, Sony has taken utmost care in providing display technology that provides epic pictures. This particular KDL-32EX403 TV has a 32 inch screen that uses the TFT active matrix technology. Now, with this, you will get a 1080p output, which is pretty much ideal for watching sports, HD movies or any other videos. Another important thing to notice here is that, the screen aspect ratio is made to be 16:9 and this will make sure that the display is perfectly rectangular, and also more of a comfortable perfect landscape view for watching movies. Hence, with all these supplements, the EX403 has no other go but to provide you a wonderful visual experience.

Features: A list as long as the Nile

After reading this section, you will understand how amazing the Sony Bravia KDL-32EX403 is. A staggering number of features reveal the exact arsenal of the new TV. This is not hyperbolism, but so many features in a single TV are unforeseen. But, you may wonder if all of them are really of any literal use to the average user. Well, why doubt? Have a look at the features as we reveal them one by one.

Bravia Engine 3:
This very special engine or processor that is brought to you by Sony, has a great deal of technology involved in it. This engine provides you pictures that are of optimum clarity. The main function of Bravia engine 3 is to make the pictures clearer and increase the detail, so that they look more natural. In other words, problems such as tailing and also improper illumination are also greatly reduced.  The contrast of the pictures is also altered according to the conditions and also according to the signals that the TV is receiving so that you always get the same excellent visual experience. Another important feature of this very engine is that, it has the capacity to produce true colours. This means that, there is no change in the colour spectrum of the images and you will receive optimum coloured pictures.

DLNA:
DLNA is a wireless service offered by Sony that makes your TV stream movies from any other electronic device in your house and that too, without the use of any cables. Just like a Wi-Fi network, the DLNA network searches and syncs with compatible devices in its vicinity such as, a music player, mobile phone, iPod, laptop, etc., and searches for media in them. You can just open the files in your TV just as if they are connected and the files can be played just as usual. No matter where in your home these devices are, the DLNA feature finds them and connects to them. This is a wonderful feature and you will not see such a thing in any other similar range TV in the market. The elimination of wires also ends up being a very satisfying feature, as the last thing you want is a chaos created by the connection wires.

Wi-Fi Ready:
Another wireless feature of the EX403 is its Wi-Fi Readiness. This is nothing but the fact that your TV can work like a laptop, when it comes to wireless internet connectivity. All you need to do is, attach a wireless adapter or USB dongle and this will be enough for your TV to connect to the internet and then, you can stream movies and music through the internet. This is also possible if you have a Wi-Fi port in your home. This feature also eliminates the use of wires. Although there is an Ethernet port provided, more often than not, the Wi-Fi Ready is preferred because of the positives that are aforementioned.

Bravia Internet Video:
This is one of special features you will only find on high end televisions. All you need here is an internet connection, wire or wireless. After your TV is connected to the internet, you can open the Bravia menu and select the Bravia Internet Video option. This will take you directly to the web and there you are; you will have a set of videos to choose from. You can select your favourite ones and play them. Hence, if not all, this option allows you to browse for photos, music, videos and movies. As mentioned earlier, this feature is only available on the highly priced TVs from Sony and Samsung.

Ambient Sensor:
One of the technological incorporation of the Sony EX403U 32-inch LCD TV is this newly sounding Ambient Sensor. There is a sensor inside the TV that receives the light that is inside the room where the TV is, and this sensor estimates the luminosity of the room and then decides the brightness and contrast of the pictures that are displayed on the screen. This feature comes in as an aid as the TV automatically alters the picture settings, so that the eyes of the viewer are not affected much. Hence, it keeps the eye a little healthier. Now, this time around, Sony has taken the same technology to another level. This very sensor is now able to detect the colour of light in the room, in addition to the intensity and hence alters the pictures accordingly. Hence, the sensor only got better.

Live Colour:
Many of you might have already felt that the so called high definition LCD TVs are not very good at presenting pictures with their natural colour. A natural change in the colour spectrum occurs because of the use of the liquid crystals. Hence, Sony has introduced a new dynamic system, which is known as the Live Colour system that enables you to view almost all the colours visible to the naked eye. This system comprises an engine that reciprocates the signals without adding noise so that the colour pretty much remains the same. This facility really makes the EX403 a very interesting TV as lively pictures are brought home.

24p True Cinema:
Watching normal TV programs is always different from watching HD movies on your TV. These high definition movies always require a speedy processing of pictures so that there is no lagging or dragging. Especially, the action packed movies always require a faster frame rate so that it looks more dynamic than normal. Hence, the 24p True Cinema feature has been introduced by Sony. This particular feature enables you to watch dynamic and free flowing movies whose pictures blend smoothly into each other. You must set this option for yourself whenever you want to play a movie. This will greatly improve the quality of the pictures. Hence, you can ease on to your couch and watch great action movies and never worry about picture quality.

Photo TV HD:
Now, since the TV has come with a lot of connectivity options, it must also be able to play various contents like, for example, photos. Hence, the Photo TV HD feature comes into play if you want to play photos from your camera on you TV screen. All the photos from the synced camcorder or the inserted USB or memory card will be read by the TVs processor automatically, and they are played in a slideshow manner by default. This will be a great way of looking at your pictures as there are very few other better ways than watching your photos on a screen that is as good as this one and also as big.

Now you can see why the EX403 is considered as one of the best TVs in the market. With features as many as these, you will have scores of options for entertaining yourself and through its features, Sony has shown it to the world how technology can be used to make your lives better.

Performance:

A True Performer:
‘Why leave the performance aspect of the EX403 when all the others are exceptionally good? Let us take care of it.’ This must have been in the minds of Sony because, it has put in a great deal of effort in providing a wonderfully performing television and its performance, as always, complemented the already attractive features.

Video Performance of KDL32EX403U:
Regarding the video quality of the TV, Sony has taken care of three aspects, namely; Resolution, Picture and Contrast.

Full HD 1080:
For the first time ever in the market, Sony has introduced the 1080p or the 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution for its pictures. Hence, from now, you can enjoy high resolution pictures even from your favourite cable TV channels. Such High Definition pictures are really possible, and they are very good for watching high quality Blu Ray movies or for playing games. Now, with this particular feature, it is also possible for you to make the TV as a monitor for your Xbox or PlayStation, so that your games look even more fantastic.

Intelligent Picture:
Intelligent picture chooses the picture modes and settings automatically for you so that the pictures are always adjusted according to the conditions in which the TV is in. It automatically adjusts the colour and contrast of the pictures so that they always look the same, with the same quality and contrast, which in turn keeps the eye from straining.

Dynamic Contrast:
The mega dynamic contrast of the Sony KDL-32EX403 Full HD LCD Televison allows a spectacular distinction of pictures so that you experience digital clarity. Of late, the contrast ratio of the LCD TVs has been increasing gradually and Sony has continued that trend. Therefore, there is more clarity along with depth in the pictures and also, there is no over pixilation of some of the HD channels. This means that the pictures on the EX403 are not only smooth, but there are also very lucid.

Thus, the picture quality is upgraded and is top notch now.

Audio Performance:
Invisible Speakers:
Yes, it is now possible to make the speakers invisible. The speakers are placed under the outer bezel so that they remain inconspicuous but still produce good quality sounds. The reason behind hiding the speakers is that, a little bit of space can be avoided. They are also positioned in a very special manner, so that the sounds are elevated wherever necessary. This helps you in giving a perfect sound and image fusion, which is ideally necessary for movie watching and high end gaming. Thus, even though the speakers are physically invisible, they can still make their presence felt.

S-Force Front Surround:
In order to produce real and virtual 3D surround sounds, a special feature is available with the Sony Bravia KDL-EX403. This is a combination a special speaker technology and a very unique software that gives out a three dimensional digital sound effect. Again, this arrangement is ideal for watching action packed movies.

Clear Voice:
Clear voice is one of those unique features that make the EX403 a most wanted TV. Now, what this feature means to you is that whenever you are watching TV and especially movies, of all sounds that are emitted out, the voice sounds will be the ones with the best clarity. This makes the speech understandable and this is possible by reducing the noise and also sometimes the background music. This is indeed a very good idea and it works quite well.

Connectivity:
There are many connectivity options with the EX403, just like any other HD TV. Though most of them are very common, like the cable TV/ satellite TV connection port and the Ethernet port, there are also a few ports that may be very new to many. The three most significant of these are the HDMI ports, USB media player port and Bravia Sync.

HDMI:
There are four HDMI ports provided at the rear side of the KDL-EX403. With these, you can connect various HDMI supporting devices like your camcorder or the Blu Ray Player and play videos or movies that are of the finest quality.

USB Media Player:
Of late, this feature has been one of those that are very popular among almost all the devices. As with the Sony EX403, the USB media player helps you on reading pictures, music and also videos from your USB flash drive and they can be played on the screen at your will. The facility for playing videos is a recent addition and it is not seen in most of the previous Bravia TVs. Hence, now enjoy all the action by just plugging in your USB.

Bravia Sync:
This is the most influential part of the Connectivity of the Bravia TVs. The Bravia Sync allows you to sync your TV to almost all the entertainment devices at your home and also allows you to control them all devices with a single universal remote that is provided along with the 32EX403. This makes connection to any other device very easy and it also saves time, as all the devices can be synced at a time so that you will have multiple options for entertainment.

If all the above aspects are true and are really working, then any such TV is be one of the best. For heaven’s sake, they are true and the fact that the EX403 performs wonderfully also turns out to be true.

Power Consumption:

After having provided many options in each section of the Bravia KDL-32EX403 Wi-Fi Ready LCD TV, Sony seems to have not left the power consumption section aloof. You will have three different modes to which the TV can be set depending upon the energy requirements. When the TV is in the standby mode, you can play slideshows of your photos and this will need only about 0.2 W. For the normal functioning of the TV as well, there are two different modes of operation namely, Home and Shop, which take in 66 and 114 W of power respectively. The former is a minimal setting of features and settings while the latter is a condition where the settings and options are set to the maximum.

Warranty and service:

The Sony KDL-32EX403 LCD TV comes with a parts and labour warranty for a period of 12 months from the original date of purchase. Sony has introduced a new option for all its users. After you buy the television, you will be allowed to register yourself to ‘My Sony’. From that minute onwards, you will be provided free tutorials, and will be given special offers such as extension of the warranty period or may be even discount on the prices. This is such a welcoming offer and it could even help boost up the sales for Sony.

Verdict:

You can say that there is certainly no other TV in the market that is better than the one from the Bravia series, and particularly the KDL-32EX403. If ever there was one, it must be from Sony itself.  The EX403 has got it all regarding each and every aspect of a high end HD TV. Attractive design, Great features and very good performance, they all make this TV one of the best in the world. Though the price tag may seem to be a little heavy, you can still afford to buy this one after looking at the options that it provides.

Check other Sony LCD TV Models, Reviews, Specs in this website.

Sony KDL-32EX403 32″ LCD TV - Technical Specification Table

Simple Design:

Panasonic has always tried not to overwhelm the design part of its TVs and particularly the LCD TVs. Probably the reason is that you would always want your TV to look great when it is switched on rather than when it is switched off. Hence, as always the design is quite simple but superb nevertheless. The special feature of the TVs from Panasonic is that they look quite different from others. The screen is not perfectly rectangular, but slightly hyperbolic in shape on its sides. This makes it look very cute in most of the conditions. It also looks great with the statistics. The TX-L37G10 37 inch television measures about (H x W x D) 831 x 579 x 225 mm and weighs about 18Kgs. The glossy black finish is always pretty and the overall compilation has been simple and neat. This makes sure that the TV fits into any kind of atmosphere, be it on the wall or on the table or anywhere else.

Display:

This has to be deciding factor when one wishes to buy any TV. However good a TV is on the outside, it has to prove its mettle when it comes to the display. The Viera TX has not at all compromised in giving a great detail of pictures. There is a range of display sizes available in the Viera TX range such as 32 in, 36 in, 40 in, 42 in, and so on. The Viera TX’s brilliant display makes it a tough competitor. With a resolution of 1080p, the picture clarity has been excellent especially in the HD channels. Added to that, this TV uses an IPS panel, a panel that has a wonderful backlight system. With the help of this panel, the TV has increased its viewing angles to greater extents and they are better than ever. Normally, LCD TVs have poor viewing angles, but this technology made it a little better. The viewing angles go up to 178 degrees with the help of this panel, which is really great. Overall, the display of the Viera TX has been quite good.

Features:

Like many other manufacturers, Panasonic also always tries its best in providing a good range of features in its appliances. Since the television market has a stiff competition and also one of the most profitable one, any good manufacturer is supposed to do that; bring out something new. Even though there are not many new features in the TV, they are good enough to make it a very good choice if you are in a dilemma.

Processor:
The primary function of the processor is to process the pictures. Particularly in the LCD TVs, this processor plays an instrumental role in producing smooth pictures. The Viera TX-L37G10 LCD TV comes with the usually seen 100 MHz processor or engine. This is the best available engine in the market and almost all the best televisions in the market feature this. This special processor helps in blending the pictures pretty smoothly and gives lucid pictures, which give the viewers a wonderful spectacle. Especially, while viewing the HD movies or the pictures through the satellite, you will definitely notice vast difference as the processor makes its presence count. Therefore, no more jarring or blurring of pictures as you will enjoy a high definition experience.

Contrast Ratio:
The contrast ratio decides the clarity of the pictures on your TV. The Viera TX boasts a contrast ratio of 50000:1. This is above the average contrast ratio of the LCD TVs at present. It means that your pictures are quite sharp and you will not see the conventional auras around the pictures, like the ones that you will see on most low quality LCD TVs. This means that even though the pictures are blended smoothly and also at a pretty fast rate, they are still sharp enough to give you a cinematic experience. But for unknown reasons, Panasonic has stopped at this ratio and had not increased it further. Some of the LED televisions that are released of late have a staggering contrast ratio of 200000:1. But, nonetheless this ratio is quite good enough to play your Blu Ray movies or watch the high definition satellite channels.

Freesat:
Another telling feature that has appeared on the Viera TX is the built in Freesat service, which helps you connect your TV to the satellite dish. If you already have a dish at your home, all you need to do is just connect the dish feed to the input port on the back side of the TV. After that, you need to select the auto tune option and all the channels will be auto tuned within seconds. This is actually a new trial from Panasonic and it came out to be very utile. HD channels like BBC HD and ITV HD look really great, thanks to the Freesat service. Before the inclusion of this feature, it used to be a little difficult to set up the connection to the satellite dish but now, it has become a lot easier.

Ethernet Connectivity:
This has been one of the latest advents in television technology. The Ethernet connection has now extended its empire from computers to the televisions. In fact, today, all the finer HD TVs in the market are featuring this option as it will aid in enhancing the TVs potential. Now, regarding the Viera TX, all you need to do is simply plug in the Ethernet cable to the TV and there you are, you are connected to the internet. From there, you can search and browse for movies and stuff and play them according to your own taste. This will really be fun and also very useful as it is a lot easier to watch movies online rather than playing them from storage devices. May be for a very good HD TV like the Viera TX, there must have been Wi-Fi, so that it would be great browsing without the messy wires, but nevertheless, there is an option to connect to the internet, which few other HD TVs do not have.

Viera Image Viewer:
If you ever wished to see a 37 inch photo frame, then your wish has been fulfilled by Panasonic. The Viera Image Viewer is a special option that allows you to play all the pictures, either from the DVDs or from the cameras or mobile phones. You can play slideshows of all the pictures and make your TV a huge photo frame. If you have your TV fixed to the wall and then if you let the photos play, you will be amazed by the quality of the pictures as you will wonder whether if it is your own camera that has clicked all of them. Such is the clarity of the Viera TX.

Performance:

Panasonic has had a wonderful reputation of being a loyal producer of televisions over the years and it has lived up to the expectations once again by producing one of the finer quality televisions that you will ever see. Regarding the performance of a television, the main aspects that one would like to check are the video or picture quality, audio quality and the interfaces or the connectivity of the TV with other hardware. Let us have a look at all these aspects to know more about the Viera TX’s performance.

Picture Quality:
As we have already seen above, the Panasonic Viera TX-L37G10 combines a great display technology and a wonderful processor. So, expect high quality pictures from the TV.  Normally you see unclear pictures on the LCD TVs without powerful processors. But since this TV has one of the best processor, the clarity is increased. As discussed earlier, the satellite channels will be of the highest quality and a lot better than the normal channels. The Viera TX also plays movies with wondrous clarity. Especially, it is quite suitable for watching HD movies and Blu Ray movies. They are played at a pretty high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. You can also enjoy high end gaming with this TV as can also feature as display for gaming consoles like Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PlayStation 3. The 1080p resolution means that your games look even more realistic than ever. Hence you really have got a solid display mechanism and your pictures will be played with the highest of claritiy.

Audio Quality:
Normally, in many of the LCD televisions you will find out an important flaw. This has been common many of the LCD and LED TVs. This is the audio quality. It is an evident fact that the sounds on these TVs are not as impelling as those on the conventional CRT or plasma TVs. The main reason behind this is that there is not enough space in these TVs in order to embed qualitative speakers. Not only this TV, but any TV faces the same problem. But nevertheless, Panasonic has tried its level best to provide one of the best speakers so that the difference can be bridged at least to some extent. Even then, if you are used to the woofing sounds of your old TV and cannot adjust to the comparatively passive sounds of this TV, it is better that you connect the audio output to a set of external speakers such as the home theatre. This will completely solve the problem. Even if they are not there, there is nothing to lose. They are only a luxury but not a necessity.

Interfaces:
Interfaces decide the connectivity of the TV with the other hardware. Quite surprisingly, The Panasonic Viera TX-L37G10 LCD TV has a lot of connectivity ports. When you have a glance at the back side of the TV, you will find that it is not smooth. Almost all of the back side is filled with ports. Hence you have scores of opportunities to connect your TV to almost any other hardware. Here is a complete list of all the ports available: A set of three HDMI cable slots and a fourth on the side of the TV, a PC connector, so that it can act as monitor for your computer, Audio out, Audio in components, Ethernet port, Digital Audio Out, AV 1 and AV 2 components, S Video ports, SD card reader, and a common interface. That really is a huge list of interfaces. Hence with the help of all these, you can connect to any hardware and therefore, entertainment is at its best with the Viera TX.
Now, after considering the above three aspects of performance, one can conclude that this is one of the better performing LCD televisions on the market today. If you are looking for a consistently good performance from your TV at a mid range cost, then you will be happy to have the Viera TX.

Power Consumption:

The Viera TX-L37G10 consumes about 138 W of power at normal mode. This is good news as this value is below the average power consumption ratings for LCD TVs. There is also a power saving option, called the Eco Mode. When the Eco Mode is switched on, then the TV changes the settings for itself. This means that all the features and options will be minimised, such as brightness, virtual surround sound, and others, so that minimum power is consumed. This setting is not suitable for normal viewing because it makes you feel uncomfortable as the pictures are darker. This option can be set when you wish to play just music from the discs so that you can not only save your money, but also help save the environment from pollution so that you contribute to making a better world.

Warranty:

The Viera TX comes with a warranty for parts and labour for a period of twelve months from the original date of purchase. This warranty is officially announced by Panasonic. But you can visit a few websites that are offering warranty for a period of up to five years. Just Google it and find out more details regarding the extension of warranty, both with Panasonic and with other dealers. This parts and labour warranty is valid until there is any physical damage. If one of the parts is really completely defective or malfunctioning, then it will either be replaced or be rectified depending upon its condition. All the other information is provided either in the warranty leaflet or on the website of Panasonic.

Verdict:

Hence, the Viera TX is one of the better LCD televisions you will find in the market. At a mid range cost, it is almost affordable to everyone and that too, the cost is pretty reasonable for such a good performer with great display and fantastic features. Therefore, if you are really in need of a very good LCD TV and you are planning to buy a reasonable one, then is one of the options for you to choose. But if you are going for the best of the TVs with more and more features and TVs using better technology and if you are also ready to bear great costs, then you can go for Sony Bravia LCD Televisions or other equivalent products.

Panasonic Viera TX-L37G10 LCD TV - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Glossy and curvy:
The LE40B650 40″ LCD Television has an impressive design with a slim line frame. The 40 inch television TV is surrounded by a thick bezel that makes it look larger than it actually is.

This model retains the Ultra Clear Panel screen which is surrounded the glossy black finish bezel. It has the layer of clear plastic extending beyond the frame on all the sides and the polished rear surface was something previously found on A646 series.  It has a curved lower edge of Samsung’s Le40B650 that provides relief from the more rectangular flat TV’s on the market. This horse shoe shaped droop is designed as an aesthetic add and makes it look better off than the usual rectangular LCD displays.

The table top stand is separately packed and assembly is not a tedious task. All you need to do is to lower the LE40B650 onto the translucent pedestal that There is a matching swivel stand provided along with the television. The slim and the perfectly rectangular pedestal joining the TV with a conical translucent column is another stunningly silent aspect of the design.

There are touch panels on the bezel that are almost invisible and allow you to change the channels or the volume and switch off or on the television.

Infra Red Remote Control:
The LE40B650 Full HD LCD TV sports a bulky bottom remote with a well sized buttons and a glossy black coating on its front surface and resembles the one provided with the A656 series.  Apart from the usual bunch of keys, there are a couple of new keys so that you can take advantage of the networking prowess of the television. There is the Internet@ and Media Play keys that give access to those respective functions on the model. Another welcome feature is the backlighting function that allows users to be able to use the remote even in dark conditions and this can be toggled on and off as required.

Connections:
On the side of the television is present the twin USBs and an HDMI. The back side has 3 more HDMI ports, PC D Sub, component video input, two SCARTs and analogue optical in/outs.  The most important of the lot is the DLNA LAN socket that allows one to connect the TV to the home network that is directly to the internet or a PC and be able to play multimedia files. The USB ports allow one to play JPEG, MP3 and other movie files on USB sticks or USB HDDs as well. One can even connect an optional wireless connectivity USB dongle to the port and use it.

User Interface:
The user menu on the Samsung LE40B650 100hz LCD Internet TV is more comprehensive than ever.  The main menus are not only clear, unfussy and react fast, but also are jazzed up with loads of animated icons and contextual explanations at the bottom of the screen.  The navigation was however slower than that of the A656 series perhaps due to all the bling.  Like the rest of the Samsung HDTVs the settings on the LE40B650 can be saved independently per input. In the Picture menu, there exists an Advanced Settings submenu which has options to alter the white balance controls and colour management system. The White balance controls allows one to adjust the RGB cuts and gains for grayscale calibration.  By setting the Colour space to custom one can tweak the hue of each of the primary and secondary colours by adjusting the amount of red, blue and green components that make up each colour.  To attain a 1:1 pixel mapping one can set the Size to screen fit in the Picture options sub menu.

There are 3 presets available for the important 100MHz motion plus: Clear, Standard and Smooth. There is also a custom setting that allows one to fine tune the amount of motion interpolation to be applied specifically for blur vs. judder reduction.  When you engage the Game mode on the television, the options are restricted to Standard mode and feature such as 100 Hz Motion Plus are disabled. But one still has access to basic picture settings such as brightness, sharpness and contrast. But the Application Menu is where one can unleash the networking potential of the TV.  The Media play allows one to play music, video and view photos.

Features:

Internet@TV Feature:
Amongst the several features of the LE40B650, the one that caught the attention of most users is the Internet TV.  This is not “actual” internet access but is access to Samsung’s special portal that allows one to access online content. Samsung has incorporated the widget platform of Yahoo! on to the LE40B650.  By plugging either an Ethernet cable or a USB dongle and configuring the network settings, one can launch the selected widget applications such as Flickr, YouTube, news, stock quotes and weather from a taskbar at the bottom of the screen. The only widgets we found useful were the ones that were already installed. There is an option to sign into a Yahoo account so we can presume that basic emailing could be soon possible. There were a few problems with content such as YouTube.  Though the fact that a Yahoo centric platform restricts the feature from becoming a major USP, it is better than rival applications found on other televisions.

Electronic Programming guide (EPG):
Samsung has retained the same layout that it had on the A656 series. The only notable exception was that the programme time progress bar found on the previous models has been omitted. There is a small live window on the top left of the screen which looks fantastic and offers a glimpse on what the new scaling chip on the LE40B650 is capable of.

Content Library:
Another innovation from Samsung is the Content Library concept where the TV comes with a host of preloaded interactive content such as screensavers, kitchen recipes, children’s stories and songs and even a game as well.  The Content Library flash allows one to view content ranging from children games to fitness stored right inside the TV’s 189 MB inbuilt memory. There is the Content Management option in the Interface that allows one to delete existing contents or even add new contents that can be downloaded from the Samsung site to the TV via a USB device.

100 Hz:
The Television also features a 100 Hz Motion plus processing that enhances video quality in fast paced scenes. Thanks to the processing one can see minute details even when the game is at full pace as every frame is analyzed and adjusted so as to prevent even the tiniest of blurs. This feature actually inserts extra frames to produce a smoother viewing experience by eliminating on screen flicker. Unlike most 100 Hz systems one can actually adjust the working of the 100 Hz processing with Clear, Standard, Smooth and a Custom option. Though this huge level of flexibility does not solve all motion/processing issues it still gives a sense of control that one misses on most other TVs.

Ultra Clear Panel:
Another design marvel is the Ultra Clear Panel on the Samsung LE40B650 which optimizes the light’s phase and increases transparency ratio. With an innovative mix of high and low reflection layers, it is capable of creating deep rich blacks which enhance the entire spectrum of colour.  It features a polarizer that reflects even room light to enable the better reproduction of deeper blacks depending on the ambient conditions. An evolution of the Super Clear Panel, this enables the television set to resolve even the darkest of film scenes that can put most plasma screens to shame. Only LED based LCD TVs can deliver deeper black levels. The fact that black levels hold up better than most other televisions when viewed from an angle was a pleasant surprise.

Performance:

High Definition:
After calibrating, we were able to obtain a black level of 0.04 cd/m2  which is the lowest we have ever got on a non LED LCD TV. This when combined with the depth offered by the Ultra clear panel gives an excellent black level performance that only perhaps the LED backlit LCDs could surpass. Watching The Incredible Hulk on the LCD TV had a wonderful quality of pop and was pure viewing pleasure.  At Screen fit settings, all minute details on the movie were flawlessly depicted without any unnecessary edge enhancement.  Given that in spite of the depth and width of the television, high levels of detail were astounding.  After calibrating, some shots of greenery were utterly convincing and the television handled 1080p/24 video signal from the Sony PS3 without any judder. We did experiment with the 100 Hz Settings and checked out which option was best for film viewing. Standard and Smooth seemed to cause judder and whereas the Clear did not seem not seem to do so.

FreeView TV Picture Quality:
The quality of broadcasts varies from channel to channel and sometimes from programme to programme depending on the transmission bandwidth and compression rate.  Assuming that the broadcast quality is standard, and one views the television from a standard viewing distance, the LE40B650 HD LCD TV is capable of delivering an amazing SD picture thanks to its sharp upscaling and excellent deinterlacing. Sports with fast action such as football matches were benefited from adopting the 100MHz Motion Plus. Engaging the 100 Hz processing made the individual figures in the crowd, the running players and the words on the advertising boards less blurry.  Though there were a few instances of tearing interpolation artefacts even in the least aggressive Clear mode, they were far and fair and do not pose much of a problem.

Gaming:
The impressive video processing is not good news for hardcore gamers. The input lag on the television is a whopping 84ms to 100ms slower than the Samsung F96 LED backlit LCD TV and is as bad as the Philips 37PFL9632D. Most high detailed games were unplayable unless one compensated for the input lag via the in game calibration menu.  Engaging the game mode or using a VGA connection helped in reducing the input lag to between 17ms and 34ms.  Though the input lag is still high, whether this affects you or not will be dependent on your individual sensitivity and the reflexes the game demands.

Sound Quality:
Though the down firing position of the TV speakers was acoustically disadvantageous, the speech clarity on the Samsung was surprisingly clear.  Home speakers are no match for its stereo separation, soundstage or base extension. However, the overall sonic performance was acceptable for regular usage. Enabling the SRS TruSurround HD did expand the sound stage and dynamic range, but it came at the cost of midrange tonality.

Background Noise:
The Television emitted a high pitched buzz from the back of its panel while switched on. However, sitting at a distance of 4-5 feet will ensure that the noise would be masked by the TV volume.

Energy Saving Features:
The launch of the Philips ECO TV in 2008 marked the increasing number of televisions that have been focusing on eco friendly features such as low power consumption etc. Ever since then Samsung has been focusing on incorporating a host of features to cut down on non recyclable material used as well as power consumption.

Crystal TV:
The Samsung LE40B650 Television uses the Crystal TV™ technology that involves the usage of dual injection technology instead of spray paint reducing their impact on the ecosystem.  This method usage produces no Volatile Organic Compounds and the set is 90 percent recyclable. Something that is to be appreciated about.

Low Power Consumption:
Lower Energy does not have to come at the cost of picture quality. The Samsung LE40B650 features an Energy saving mode that adjusts backlight which gives a richer picture while consuming lesser energy.  In the default Standard mode, the television consumed a meager 140 watts.  In a more calibrated Movie mode , 92 watts were burned to produce high definition images.  When on standby mode the television consumed energy lesser than a watt.

Warranty:

There is a warranty period of one year provided on the Samsung LE40B650.

Verdict:

You might assume that the Samsung LE40B650 is just an aesthetic update to the A656 series, but there is so much more to it than that. It easily could list amongst the most accomplished flat panel LCD TVs in the price range.  The design and HD picture performance are outstanding considering its price whereas its SD pictures are reasonably good if not great. Unlike its earlier series, one can use custom settings to activate the 100 Hz processing, adjust picture settings in the Game Mode and play MKV and other online content using Internet function. The Internet@TV function is a bit slow for regular usage and perhaps this is a small hiccup Samsung will take care of soon.   There are probably better and slimmer TVs than this but not without high price tags. With so many features bundled into it, it is hard not to consider the Samsung Le40B650 LCD HDTV as a terrific value for money buy.

Check other Samsung LCD TV Reviews, Latest 40″ LCD Televisions in our website.

Samsung LE40B650 LCD HDTV - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Its good look:

The 32PFL7404 LCD Television is definitely going to wow you when it comes to the design. Its design has created a great first impression in the minds of even the greatest of critics. It measures about (H x W x D) 953 x 604 x 199 mm in dimensions and also weighs just about 9.8 kg, without the stand. The screen is absolutely flat and the front part of the TV marvels you. The edges are not overly curved and they look almost perfect. It almost appears like an LED monitor for your computer. To get such a design for such a relatively cheap rate is very commendable on the part of Philips.

An art piece:

Exploring deeper into the details of the 32PFL 32-inch LCD TV, it looks very rectangular in shape and would certainly be ideal for your living room. The outer translucent covering over the actual TV makes it look more wondrous. It has a small but sturdy stand so that you can erect it on a table. Coming to the back panel, it is made of plastic and looks quite good. Here is where all the terminals and the ports reside. We will discuss about them in detail in the coming paragraphs. Overall, it is a wonderful design and it also stands as one of the best ones produced by Philips.

Display:

This is the most significant aspect of any TV in the world. In fact, many people skip all the other parts of the reviews and come directly to this one, because it so crucial in deciding for or against any television. But one has to be really insane in order to go against this TV after looking at its display facets. First of all, the 32 inch wide screen is wonderful for watching movies and it is an ideal TV for making a home theatre system. It also has great viewing angles in addition to it and hence you are comfortable watching it because there is no reduction in the picture quality or intensity even if you are at the corner of your room. All these are ideal qualities of a TV that is good for family viewing.

Connectivity:

First up, there are three HDMI connections available. The other connectivity ports that are featured in the 32PFL include  HDMI v1.3, S-video in, CVBS in, Audio L/R in, Headphone out, USB 2.0. Other common connections include PC Audio in, Analogue audio Left/Right out, PC-In VGA, S/PDIF out (coaxial), Common Interface Plus (CI+), Common Interface RGB, Ext Scart: Audio L/R, CVBS in, RGB, Ext 3: YPbPr, Audio L/R in, Scart: Audio L/R, CVBS in. So, you have scores of opportunities to get your TV connected to external devices or sources and easily transfer and play the files.

Features:

With such a fabulous design and a very good display mechanism, it would be great if you are bestowed with some of the best features. This statement seems to be true when it comes to the Philips 32PFL7404 Wide screen LCD TV. It has provided one of the better features you will see, so that there is more value for your money. Here is a list of the features available on the 32PFL and their details.

Pixel Precise HD:

This is one of the latest technologies that are being used as of now in many of the TVs. With the Pixel Precise HD technology, the picture quality is enhanced to a greater extent and also the pictures are more candid with minimal disturbances. Particularly from the Blu Ray discs, the pictures are so well read and well projected by this new technology. There is an updated and a more advanced version of this picture technology, called the Perfect Pixel HD technology. But the TV consumes a lot more power than normal; in fact double than normal, with this new technology. This is the reason why Philips has stuck to the older one. The main function of this feature is that it minimises all the sundry activities in the TV and uses all the power to amplify the picture quality and thereby producing great pictures for you. It is like the power saver option that gives much attention to the most important activity. So, this feature has a valid reason for its presence and is also one of the pluses to the Philips 32PFL.

Customisation:

This means that you have an array of options that allows you to customise the picture quality and other aspects of TV, all by yourself. Although the TV can automatically set itself for the optimum performance, you are given the opportunity of improvising all the picture features using the different options. So, you can fine tune almost all the pictures that belong to the picture processing engine. This is happy news to those who love to set the performance of the TV in their own style.

Memory Stick Slot:

This is one of the most common features of the TVs today. You can just insert a memory stick into the port that you will find at one of the sides of the TV and then all the files will be read. This feature is particularly useful when it comes to playing the music files. The 32PFL is engrafted with a special kind of software that reads files such as mp3 music, AVI and mp4 videos and JPEG pictures. This is one of those cool features that you will see on the 32PFL and it is really a useful feature.

Hence these features are obviously unique in their own terms and are also pretty useful to many. As the features section of any gadget is very vital, Philips has taken all the care in the world in order to produce great results.

Performance:

As this is the most important aspect anyone would look at while buying any TV, Philips seems to have taken some care in improving the performance and also the quality of its TVs. When you relate the 32PFL with its precursors, you will definitely find that there is a lot of improvement. While everything inside a TV is important, the three main aspects that are more or less the prime factors in completely deciding the quality of a TV are the video and the audio performances of the TV and the connectivity of it as well. Let us see whether these two are as good as expected and also whether or not they maintain the reputation of Philips in producing qualitative products.

Video Performance:

There are lots of things that you need to know when it comes to the video performance of the 32PFL. Many new features that are included in the 32PFL are intended to mainly improve the video or picture quality. The high quality video outputs that you get from the very good LCD display of the TV are the main attraction in the 32PFL. With this TV, you get 720p, 1080p, 1080i type of high quality outputs. The brightness of the TV is also pretty good with 500 cd / m2. The 100 Hz picture engine avoids all kinds of blurs and optimises the picture clarity. There is also the option called FreeView, that makes the videos smoother and the pictures blend so well and unnoticed. The contrast levels are also great along with excellent viewing angles that are already discussed earlier.

The picture detail is almost perfect and you will be admiring the ability of the TV to provide pictures with such good depth in detail. The cinematic realism is also seen on the 32PFL so that you feel that you are watching HD movies even if you are watching satellite or cable TV. The only thing that worries you is that the pictures flicker a bit when the frame rate is too high. But this is not such a big problem when compared to the surplus pluses that enhance the video performance.

Audio Performance:

The audio on the 32PFL is not as great as expected. But as a matter of fact, you do not expect great surround sounds or the so called three dimensional sound effects on the LCD televisions. The reason is that these new LCD TVs are so lean that there is not enough space in order to place good quality speakers. So, although not substandard, the speakers that feature on the LCD TVs are not as good as the speakers you see on the normal TVs. But even then, Philips has tried to improvise on the sound quality by providing few features like the Pretend Surround Sound and some sundry sound effects. These sound effects make you feel comfortable while watching movies and all stuff. Particularly, the Pretend Surround sound effect, as the name suggests, gives you an apparent surround sound effect so that there is good support for the videos, which already look great on the 32PFL.

So, to conclude precisely, the Philips 32PFL7404 is expected to give you more than reasonable performance, which is very satisfactory because it is very economical when it comes to the cost. But the only that disappoints many is the fact that there is no kind of facility for internet connection. As we already know, many of the present day TVs from Sony, Samsung and other stalwarts of television market, had the facility for internet connection. Even if there no WLAN connector, there should have been Wi-Fi in order to easily watch videos online. But never mind as this is the only negative aspect of performance. Otherwise, the Philips 32PFL is very good.

Power Consumption:

The Philips 32PFL consumes power at the rate of 88 watts when in the normal mode. This is slightly below the average power ratings of the LCD TVs nowadays and so it saves you more money even while producing fine performance. In the standby mode, however the TV consumes only 0.15 watts of power, which is also, by any standards, on the lower side. So, it saves your money and also the environment.

Warranty:

Philips guarantees the 32PFL with a warranty period of two years. This is good news since most of the TVs from the other prime companies in the market have got only one year of warranty period.

Verdict:

The 32PFL7404 is one of the better LCD TVs from Philips. Philips has ensured that there are lot of pluses and minimum minuses in this TV. The design part of it is definitely a great plus to it. Added to this is the display. The features that are included in it are pretty useful and also unique. The video part of its performance is very good but the audio is just about okay. Coming to the negative aspects, one of the solid weak points of the 32PFL is that there is no Wi-Fi or internet connection facility. This may cost many customers to Philips.

With all the fine aspects that are discussed above, it would have been great if the TV also included a wireless internet connection feature. But nevertheless, the TV is fine. In fact it is a pretty good cost for such a low cost when compared to the other similar TVs is   the market. This TV is recommended over many others if you plan to spend less on your TV. If you have other ideas, then it is better that you choose a TV that also has Wi-Fi. You can go with the latest TVs from Sony or LG.

Check other 32″ LCD TV Reviews, Latest Philips LCD Television Models in this website.


Philips 32″ 32PFL7404 LCD TV - Technical Specification Table

Sanyo has been one of such companies that are striving to keep their positions in this great tussle of producing the latest and the most qualitative televisions. It has been one of those who have been underrated and its potential has remained undiscovered for a long time. To put an end to all this and in a view of renovating the reputation it has had in the past, Sanyo has announced that its well equipped LCD television, the CE22LD90DV-B is all in readiness to hit the LCD TV market. This has popped up a few questions from the critics in the beginning relating to its consistency in its performance and its ability to attract the public, but it has managed quite well to answer almost all of them. It also came up with new features like Built-in DVD and the Digital Tuner. Here is a thematic description that may give you a bird’s eye view of this TV from Sanyo.

Design:

Neatly Designed:
The overall design of the CE22LD90DV-B is quite normal for an LCD TV. Looking at it on the outset, it gives you an impression that there is nothing so special about it. But if you take a closer look and examine it, you will find that it has been engineered quite well and that there is something special. It is perfectly sleek for an LCD television. The piano black colour makes it more attractive to look at. The edges are not perfectly smooth but they do not slew as well. An important thing here is that the Sanyo  CE22LD90DV-B LCD TV has a removable stand. So, you can stand the TV on the table as usual. But if you want to affix it to your wall, you can always do so by manually removing the stands. This removal process is as easy as chewing a candy. So you do not need to wait for an expert.

It measures about 532 mm in width, 347 mm in height and 60 mm in depth (without the stands) and so, you can hang it to the wall as if it is a photo frame and comfortably watch it sitting in the couch in your living room or while cooking in the kitchen. But when you put in on the TV stand, its support stands increase its dimensions. Another important feature when it comes to the design part of it is that it looks perfect for a monitor of your computer. Overall, the design is very estimable.

The LCD Screen:
This is the most important part of the TV as the first thing anybody expects from their TV is more than good display. The CE22LD90DV-B’s 22 inch widescreen HD Liquid Crystal Display is very commendable and Sanyo has particularly attended to the viewing angles of the display. The CE22 has very good viewing angles and this means that your pictures are very candid even if you are watching from different angles. This is sweet news for the big families. It means that all of them can sit and watch the TV without any complaints regarding the disruption of the pictures. The 1366 x 768 pixel screen resolution and 400 cd/m2 brightness level gives you an excellent picture quality. In addition to these, the 8000:1 contrast ratio helps you in giving crisp and vivid pictures, almost equal to those you see in the HD movies. When you try to compare the display of the CE22 with the other contenders in the market, you will find that this one is not behind many, as it is as good as any other TV, except the Sony and Samsung LCDs which are on the top of the list. So, it is guaranteed that you always experience digital video performance from the CE22’s Display.

Features:

Since Sanyo started the production of televisions, it has always introduced new features every time a new one is released. Each one of them has been very well appreciated by its customers and they are also interesting. Though in the past, Sanyo has introduced some features that are of no big use, it is now using a lot of technology in its features and hence receiving compliments from its users. This time around, Sanyo has tried few new features that really made the CE22 more utile than ever before.

DVD Player:
When the news broke out that the Sanyo CE22LD90DV-B is coming with an in-built DVD player, it has surprised many. It was thought that a TV with an in-built DVD player may look awkward and that the DVD player may also not work well and ultimately you will have to use an external DVD player to play your movies and videos. But every remark of this sort turned to be wrong as Sanyo has managed very well in placing an in-built DVD player inside the TV. This player is positioned at the top on the left hand side of the TV. All you need to do is just place the disc you want to play into the slot provided there and, just enjoy watching your favourite movies or videos or pictures. It is a good thing that a slot is provided instead of the conventional system. This ensures that the discs do not fall off while inserting. Since you do not need an external DVD player, it means that you do not need any connections and wires. So, you can save a lot of space and also make the TV more portable. You can also carry this TV anywhere and then you can play your favourite videos wherever you want; be it in the bedroom or at the backyard. Hence, this ends up being the best, most surprising and the most attractive feature of all.

Digital Tuner:
The new Digital tuner introduced by Sanyo helps you in tuning the channels digitally. The previous TVs from Sanyo have analogue versions of it, but as the world knows, digital always has an edge over the analogue. So, from now onwards, you can tune your channels easily. This one is also simple and very easy to set up and then to use.

FreeView:
The FreeView menu is candid and also user friendly. This menu has all the options in it for you to choose from. All the functions of the TV are displayed in this FreeView menu. It enables you to choose between the features and options that are needed to be function. The very look of this menu attracts the users and the way it functions also makes it a good feature.

Picture in Picture:
This is one of the most common and illustrious features nowadays. You will see this feature on most of the TVs at present because it has proved its importance. This one first featured in computers and video games but of late, it has been imbibed by the televisions also. It certainly enhances the performance of the TV owing to the reason that it can play multiple channels on the screen at a time. So, while watching sports, you can also simultaneously view the headlines in the news channels. In a way it allows the option for multi viewing.

Broadcast:
The Sanyo CE22LD90DV-B Widescreen LCD TV has both the digital and the analogue broadcasting facilities. They both have the option for full auto tuning. This means that everything is tuned automatically by the TV itself and it leaves out nothing for you to attend to. All you need to do is select the option for auto tuning and then watch all your favourite channels. The channel swap feature does not need any introduction as it is not a very uncommon feature now because you see it every TV in the market. The Auto Logical Channel sort function is there to sort the channels on your TV and then arrange them in a nice order. You can also select the option for manual sorting of the channels so that you can choose the order of the channels according to your wish. The TV can sort out about 200 analogue channels and at the same time, 100 digital channels. In the end, you have three hundred channels in all to watch.

Picture Options:
The colour temperature control feature enables you to choose between the four options available. The temperature of the colour refers to the shades that add to the picture colour. Other than the normal temperature, you can choose the colour tone of the pictures you see on the TV. If the option is set to warm, then the pictures appear as if they are captured in sunny conditions. If the option is set to cold, then it means that the pictures look as if they are captured in a rather cool and cloudy atmosphere. These options are there to correct the colour intensity of a particular channel because sometimes the colour of the pictures in a particular channel may not seem good to the eyes. The less the temperature of the pictures, the better they are to your eyes. There is no wide picture mode but there is the Auto Wide Picture selection feature so that you have the option to choose the width of the picture, either normal or wide. The Picture selection mode allows you to choose between the four options that change the modes of watching the pictures on your TV. These four options, namely; Eco, Dynamic, Natural and Cinema, change the screen colour and picture options accordingly.

Miscellaneous:
The Timer is a very common feature of the modern TVs. This is helpful in saving power and is also similar to the sleep mode that is featured in televisions and computers. There are two options; namely the off timer and the on timer. This means that you can set the time after which the TV is switched off and on automatically. The Child Lock option is another feature that helps in locking the channels so that the children cannot access them. There is a USB terminal in the TV so that you can watch media by just plugging in the USB drive. There are also slots for the HDMI cables.
Overall, the features section of the TV is hunky dory and will certainly attract many a customer.

Performance:

Video Performance:
However great are the features, the first and the foremost thing anyone would expect from a TV is a very good performance, because the basic element of a TV is its performance. Otherwise, if this aspect is not taken care of, any TV under the sun will not be a complete one. Sanyo has kept this in mind and it also seemed to have corrected the subtle errors that were seen in its previous TVs. This time around, everything seems to be almost perfect from Sanyo. The pictures on the CE22 are great. Every picture is of DVD quality and is crystal clear. The pictures on the other LCDs are not as qualitative as on this one. The 3D Comb filter and the SD definition features sharpen the pictures and give you digital video output. Although there are not many options, the picture quality of the CE22 is absolutely fine. When you play HD movies on your TV, it gives you stupefying video performance, making you feel that you are watching the movies in the cinema.

Audio Performance:
To make the videos look greater, you need a good audio performance too. The sounds are great from the Sanyo CE22LD90DV-B 22-inch HD Ready LCD TV. They back up the pictures very well. The Digital Audio performance gives you sound outputs that are of high definition quality. There are two speakers in all, each of 6 W. There are two stereo systems that help in enhancing the audio performance. They are the A2 stereo and the NICAM stereo. These two features make up for the absence of the subwoofer and the Bass Enhancer. There is also a headphone jack that is provided in case if you want to hear the sounds through a headphone. The automatic volume controller automatically manipulates the loudness of the sounds of a particular channel because all the channels may not have the same sound levels. The sound systems that are used are BG-DK-II’, BG-DK-LL’. The quality of the sounds is so good that the TV can be used as a radio all day. So, on the whole, the audio performance of the CE22 is fantabulous.

Talking about a few other miscellaneous points, the response time of the CE22 is very commendable. The plug and play option, the EPG and the OFDM Demodulation only enhance the performance of the Sanyo CE22. So, with these and also with also the features and the options that are discussed above, you are assured of an excellent performance from it.

Power Consumption:
A power supply of 220-240 V and 70 W is required. There is a standby mode that will be automatically on if the TV is not used for a long time after it is switched on. In this mode, only 1 W of power is consumed, hence saving power and also your money. When verified with the other TVs in the market, the power consumed by the CE22 is considerably less.

Warranty:

Sanyo offers parts and labour warranty for a period of 1 year. You can also extend this warranty period by visiting the official website and then subscribing there.

Verdict:

The CE22 has been one of the dazing TVs in the recent past. It has come out with good design and its customisability makes it a tailor made TV for any place. The removable stands make it much more customisable. The easy options also make it very user friendly. The display has been one of the prime features of the CE22. The Widescreen HD LCD display is very good and the viewing angles are pretty much the best from Sanyo. This is a TV that suits family viewing better than many others. Then there come the features that are so unique and exhilarating. The best of the features is the built in DVD player. It is sure that this feature is definitely going to allure many customers. All the remaining features were also very good. The performance levels of the CE22 are excellent. With all the exciting features that are there, you would expect the performance to be below par but it is not the case with the CE22. The features add to the performance of the TV. Both the picture quality and the sound quality are great and you will experience a theatrical experience with the HD pictures and the digital sounds. Taking these and everything else into consideration, the CE22 is a very good and a buyable TV that makes your home more lively and turns your home into a cinema.

Check other 22-inch LCD TV Reviews, Best Selling LCD Television Reviews, Specs, Ratings in this website.


Sanyo CE22LD90DV-B LCD HDTV - Technical Specification Table

Design:

Appealing Design:
The LG LH 3000 is a stunningly beautiful television with a slim line frame. The 32 inch TV is surrounded with a bezel of almost 2 inches width making it look large.  The external part has the medium width shining black on the top and sides with the bottom being thickest.  And The LG logo bulges out and there is the power indicator button on the panel.

Few Buttons on the LH 3000:
The front side of the 32LH3000 HD Ready LCD TV has no buttons and looks too big and empty.  The only buttons present on the TV are on the back of the right side of the TV. Though it looks well built, it feels cheap. But with a remote control in our hands, who would use the buttons anyways?

Invisible Speakers:
On the sides of the smooth and stylish frame there are “invisible” speakers that provides a wide field to get optimum sound quality from the TV. Designed by the renowned audio expert Mark Levinson they are deemed invisible because the speakers are actually hidden under the bottom of the panel. Perfect for watching action packed scenes and the league finals.

Infrared Remote control:
Included with the LG 32LH3000 32″ LCD Television is a remote set that works on Infrared rays. Like most other remote controls it features the usual set of buttons and is easy to get used to. The Menu button is oddly placed on the lower left of the big cursor control and the prominent Energy saving button (the green coloured button with the leaf on it) is another key present on the remote.  The rubbery feel of the buttons and the relatively well designed remote make it attractive.

Connectivity:

Once you are done appreciating the design, just look at its rear, you would be pleasantly surprised to see the solid set of connections provided. The 32LH 3000 LCD HDTV has all the ports you need without you having to spend extra money to connect all devices. There are 3 HDMI input ports sufficient to satisfy the digital demands of a budget TV. There are also a PC port and a component video input that should be able to satisfy most users. The third HDMI port and the second AV output with composite video present on the left side.  There is also an Audio Line in, 2 SCART 21 pins, a VGA port and a Common Interface slot provided as well. A pity considering that there are no multimedia facilities beyond the PC jack.

On the rear side of the LH 3000 there is a USB port, a component output port, 2 SCART ports, I RGB port, a component output port and three HDMI ports

The USB port only for service:
The USB port located on the rear of the TV is only for service upgrades rather than letting one play music, photo and DIvX files on the LH 3000. A minor disappointment considering the price you are buying the television at.

LG’s Onscreen Simple Manual:
The Interface of the LH 3000 is large and yet simple to use. It retains the same excellent graphics menu system used by the brand’s flagship TVs. It is highly legible and so organized that one would have no problems finding their way out of it.  There are buttons such as new easy access Quick menu for access ratio, pictures and images. The Simple Manual button provides access to the basic setup of the TV and function information about the keys.

Options to tweak using the Interface:
Despite having a large number of features the TV has one of the most easy to use interfaces in the market. Apart from that once can tinker with the dynamic color and contrast systems, gamma adjustment and several others.

Features:

High Resolution:
This 32-inch LCD TV has a 1080p Resolution - the highest resolution in the market, meaning one can enjoy the full HD experience. It provides 5 times more picture clarity and detail in comparison to standard detail and twice more detail than the HD Ready 720p. The high resolution means that it is now possible to view movies with maximum detail from Blu- ray discs and DVDs. One more interesting aspect of the LH 3000 is unlike most other budget LCD TVs, the innate sharpness of the High Def Image is not blighted by the motion blur.

Freeview:
Like all LG TVs, the 32LH 3000 also comes built in with Freeview making sure that you are prepared for the switch over to digital signals from analog in 2012.  There are also 40 Freeview TV and radio channels along with 8 day on screen guide and digital interactive services provided.

Dynamic Contrast:
The 32LH3000 Freeview LCD TV uses a Contrast Ratio of 50000: 1 ensuring one can enjoy films and games that use extreme colours and contrast. Even in cases where the scenes have limited colours such as the infamous Joker scenes in the Dark Knight, one can pick apart the colours .All the colours are displayed without loss of detail or depth of field and of course, that is applicable to vibrant bright scenes as well.  The colours are vigorous and yet seldom tip over onto looking cartoonish. They are given some extra dynamism by some respectable black levels that are achieved in spite of being one of the brightest TVs in the market. The incorrect contrast which leads to burnout does not happen in this case.

Scaling:
The 1980 x 1020 resolution TV has several scaling modes such as the Just Scan, Original, 4:3, 14:9, 16:9, Zoom and Cinema Zoom.  The Just scan mode makes the image look as it supposed to look like. The Original mode makes the picture look larger without any signs of stretching.  The Zoom mode allows zooming in to the picture that is the image is stretched vertically and once can see it a bit less or more. However, the image horizontally will remain same. The Cinema Zoom allows you to zoom to approximately 65 percent of the original image.

Amazing Audio:
The 32LH 3000 from LG has SRS TruSurround XT which is capable of producing HD sound that complements the HD images. The Audio is crisp and one can immerse themselves in the action easily. The in built Surround mode and the 2 way speaker are the other add ons to the model. The speakers are pretty loud and the sound is outstanding for its price.

Viewing Angles and Response time:
The Viewing angles are about 178 degrees and colours seem to change from different angles. When viewed from a different angle, the darker places became darker and hence the best position to watch the Television is direct. The response time of the Television is about 5 ms and hence ghosting of images was not noticed either.

Performance:

Amazing Picture Quality:
LG has always had an uncanny knock for winning the hearts of its buyers with aggressive displays of brightness and colour on its TVs.  The LH 3000 is equally adept at it and side steps the familiar dull muted cheap rivals. The television also outperforms its price point when it comes to the sharpness of the HD pictures. Despite the lack of the 100MHz the picture does not succumb to motion blur.  There are minor issues with noise exaggeration, colour tone slippage and softness. Performance wise, the TV has not broken any new grounds, but it is way better than what one expects from its wise.

Great Black level Response:
Another area where the 32LH 3000 side steps all other televisions is in terms of its black level performance. The dark scenes look greyer and less detailed than they do on high end TVs, but they are deep enough to make day to day images look dynamic and predominantly dark scenes look way more natural looking than what is expected from budget level televisions.

Great Audio:
For the great price it is being sold, the audio was equally good. The Invisible speakers are loud, clear and have great quality. The TruSurround XT made listening to loud music a pleasant treat.  LG has set new standards in the audio segment in budget level television with the 32 LH 3000.

Energy Efficient:
The 32LH300 is another of the energy efficient Televisions form LG that also saves money and the environment. The company also claims that the television consumes up to 20 percent lesser power than its contemporaries. The presence of the Energy Saving mode is another feather in its hat. The Energy saving mode cuts down brightness without compromising on quality and consumes lower power. When operation the television consumes 150 watts of power and when the energy saving mode is activated it consumes just 75 watts.

Box contents:

The 32 inch LG LCD TV, Remote Control, batteries, user manual and power cable are the components included in the package of LG 32LH3000 Full HD LCD TV.

Warranty:

The LG 32LH3000 full HD LCD TV is provided with one year of service warranty from the date of purchase.

Verdict:

There are very few TVs in the market that can do things slightly better than the 32LH3000.  The Television offers everything that users want: HD quality images, great audio and amazing interface.  But perhaps the USP of the television is its great price.  There are some minor issues with the television such as the USB port’s limited use. Apart from that, how many TVs have been able to offer such killer features with a competitive price? Not many.  LG has proved its mettle once again with the 32LH 3000.  But if you are willing to shell out more , we would advise you to go for the 47 inches version of the LH 3000 – The LG 47LH3000.  All in all, the 32LH 3000 is definitely recommended.

Check other LG LCD Television Models, 32 inch LCD TV Reviews, Specs in our website.

LG 32LH3000 Widescreen LCD TV - Technical Specification Table

Polaroid has recently launched the Polaroid TLU-51943WU a small set TV with great picture quality thanks to DLTi and DCTi technology that brings true to life and high definition images.  Polaroid claims that its 5ms response time makes viewing action scenes a sheer pleasure.  Read the review to find out if it is really worth all the money.

Design:

Budget TVs are often designed ergonomically to cut down costs. Not many budget TVs in the market can even claim to be stylishly designed. Adding to that is the fact that the foray into LCD TVs is new for Polaroid and hence we were a bit skeptical about the design. Housed in a plain white case and with the speaker beneath, this model is sleek and stylish. Underneath the Display is the speaker and just beside the speaker is the power LED. The TLU 51943WU LCD TV model is Vesa compatible which means you can mount the TV on your wall and hence is great, especially if you would want a television in your bedroom. On the right side of the TV are present the large power button, the smaller menu button and the ‘+’ and ‘-’ buttons.

Ports:

The left side of the Polaroid TLU-51943WU 19″ Widescreen LCD TV sports the audio/video ports and a USB port. Apart from that, on the back of the device are present a HDMI port, a VGA (D-Sub) port and a CI Slot.

Remote Control:

The TLU 51943WU HD Ready LCD Television has a versatile remote control that has easy access buttons with one touch control. There are the usual buttons present, the power button at the top and the usual buttons to change your channels and volume.  At about 8 inches, the remote is bulky and yet it has a durable feel to it. It makes initial setup and fine tuning adjustments easy compared to trying them out on the television itself.

Setup and Installation:

Like most LCD TVs in the market these days, the Polaroid TLU-51943WU has a reasonable easy set up. In fact to start watching TV, all you need do to is to plug in the TV to a power source. The Integrated Digital Tuner will automatically detect channels and un-complicates things.

Features:

As expected, the Polaroid is not loaded with features. Nevertheless, there are the standard useful features such as Small picture mode, Good resolution and Integrated Digital tuner

Integrated Digital Tuner:

The TV has an Integrated Digital tuner which means that you would no longer need a set top box for converting the TV signals as the device itself would convert the signals. Digital signals offered have are clearer than the outdated analogue signals and also the tuner means you can get a wide spectrum of channels.  Also note that, if you are in the UK, Analog signal tuners will be off and all signal will turn digital in 2012. Hence, if you want to switch without any hassle, try out a TV with a digital tuner.

High Resolution:

The TLU 51943WU LCD TV is a HD ready 1080i screen with a 16:9 ratio and a contrast ratio of 800:1 . Wait, did we forget to mention that the TV has a resolution of 1440 x 900 ? HD 1080i enables one to enjoy the high definition brilliance when connected to a HD source. For maximum realism, there is the 1080i picture which takes movie viewing to a whole new level. Features such as the Digital Colour Transient Improvement, Digital Luminance Transition improvement enhance the already good picture quality.

Other Features:

The Polaroid LCD TV has a response time of just 5ms which means you can watch super fast action screens without the usual haziness and with crystal clarity. There is the Digital noise reduction feature which reduces irregularities in the audio and compresses them to minimize them.

Performance:

When tested for video after lowering the colour to a balanced level and reducing sharpness, we saw fairly decent images with reasonable detail. The blacks were not as deep as they could be, but this is a budget TV we are talking about. But nevertheless, the content had high definition and picture quality was good. When used as a PC monitor, we noticed that the wide screen image cannot be used. Let’s hope Polaroid rectifies it.  The stereo speakers were pretty decent as the Audio leveling was being done appropriately.

Low power consumption:

The Polaroid LCD TV TLU-51943WU has a brightness of just 300cd/m which means lower consumption than the average CRT TVs. The TV has the Energy Star rating and hence we can safely assume that the TV is efficient and would save not only energy but also money.

Warranty:

Polaroid offers its TLU-51943WU LCD TV one year limited warranty.

Verdict:

Despite Polaroid’s inexperience in the LCD segment, they have managed to release a decent product. Like most other 19 inch LCD TVs in the budget category, the Polaroid TLU-51943WU has features like 1080p resolution, Scaling up DVD content etc. However, there have been innumerable reports questioning the quality of the TV as there have been complaints of the video crashing within months of purchasing the TV. Polaroid should work on improving its Customer service and try including better features and maybe then it would strike gold.

Polaroid TLU 51943WU Television - Technical Specification Table

Sony has released its latest LCD TV, the Sony Bravia KDL, mainly for the purpose of movies and gaming. Bravia stands for ‘Best Resolution Audio Visual Integrated Architecture’. This is considered as one of the best LCD TVs in the market, with Samsung and LG being the other serious contenders. To over score these two, Sony has included many new features in its latest product, keeping in mind its misfires in the past.

Design:

Sony not at its best:
The design of the Bravia is not as attractive as expected from Sony, mainly due to its sharp corners. Its design is good but certainly not as eye-catching as those of LG and Samsung. Its 40 inch screen is large enough to give a theatrical experience to the viewers. Its dimensions being (W x H x D) 987 x 686 x 303 mm and weighing just 20.5 kg, the TV looks very sleek. It is so designed, that it occupies very little space and it can, if necessary, be hung to the wall as well. All the buttons are to the side of it and it is neatly tailored and hence looks very neat.

HD Display:
With a superb High Definition detail and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, the Bravia KDL-40W5500 is a great player for movies and especially games. Its LCD screen with an S-IPS type panel gives you stunning pictures. The screen is also not a reflective type and hence no reflections appear on the screen, which gives you an optimum display quality.

Features:

Sony has introduced a few additional features in the Bravia KDL40W5500 to make it more valuable.

100MHz Processing Engine:
The best of them is the Motionflow system, which is the name given by Sony to its 100 MHz engine, which also has an Image Blur Reduction Technology. With this system, the pictures are more lucid and are also sharper than ever, even for fast moving objects. This feature minimises the side effects during play and it alters the newly calculated frames for better visual experience. With these technologies, the fast- moving objects or images, like action movies or sports and others, can be viewed without any blur or any other problem. Also, pictures are vibrant with good depth and clarity, and high contrast with the Bravia Engine 3.

AppliCast:
The AppliCast software is another feature that you will find very useful in the Sony Bravia. When the AppliCast option is on, then it gives you all the details of the movies and the music files while they are being played. A brief data of the movie or the song is displayed on the screen. The AppliCast gets the information from the internet. So, to make use of this option, you must connect to the internet.

Options available for the tweakers:
Another feature of  Sony Bravia KDL-40W5500 40 inch LCD TV is that there is an adjustable option for Standard and MPEG noise reduction. Other options include the gamma correction to give you good colour contrast, a black correction option to sharpen the darken images, Clear White processing and Sony Live Colour System, which help in boosting the colour response of the images. You have four options to choose from. They are High, Mid, Low and off, and are used to adjust colour clarity and picture vividness. The Bravia features can be done with the built- in software, known as the DLNA enabled PC, which can store a few movies and music files and plays them whenever required. There are a variety of options like the Eco settings and the Light sensor that can automatically adjust the brightness of the TV.

Additional Features:
The 24p True Cinema feature in KDL-40W5500 enables you to watch the movies with excellent picture quality and without any blur. The Intelligent Picture feature enabled in the TV gives you crisp images even when you are playing with an analogue signal. Another excellent feature is that when you are not watching the TV, you can turn on the Picture Frame mode, to turn the TV into a photo frame and you can have your pictures displayed on it just like a photo frame. This is a very unique feature of its kind. With the Voice Zoom feature, you can always change the volume of voices with actually changing the background volume. The USB Media Player feature allows you an easy access to your photos, music and videos. The DLNA Ethernet port helps you sync the TV with your PC. This is a very appreciable feature.

Many of these features are unique and are very useful. They are certainly helpful in sufficing all your needs and all of these make a perfect high end TV.

Performance of KDL40W5500:

When it comes to performance, the Sony Bravia KDL-40W5500 Full HD LCD Television deserves full marks. With all the features discussed above, it gives you an excellent performance and very few problems.

Picture Quality:
The 40 inch screen is big enough to turn your TV into a home theatre. The picture quality is excellent and the depth, the details and the colour of the pictures are outstanding. Even the high definition pictures and movies are played with stunning quality and you can least expect a blur while playing your favourites. Even if there is an analogue connection, there is no need to worry at all, as there is Intelligent Picture. The Dynamic Contrast Ratio of the Bravia KDL-40W5500 is 100000:1, which gives you a very good picture clarity and great contrast.

HDMI Cables:
The four HDMI cable connections are very useful and with these, you can get the pictures with the highest quality possible. With the help of these cables you can connect your TV to any high definition devices such as a Blu-Ray Disc and the Playstation3. Hence, you can also play games with these digital cable connections.

Experience of games:
The MPEG Noise Reduction enhances the performance of the surround sound as it reduces the noise and gives out the optimum output. With its HD sharpness, it gives you wonderful footage, be it from your Blu-Ray Discs for Microsoft Xbox 360 games or be it a Cricket match from the cable TV network. Everything looks very dynamic on you TV and most importantly without noise or blurring. Its response time has been very good.

Picture in Picture:
The picture in picture facility allows you to have a great experience of watching multiple channels at the same time. So, you can, at a single point in time, watch both the news and a movie. Even while performing this task, there are no considerable problems and the output is pretty smooth.

Sound:
The Bravia has only two front speakers on the front. The sound quality is a bit low considering the expectations from Sony. This is because, even though the treble and the mid range sounds are picked up well by its speakers, its ability to pick up the bass sounds is on the lower side. This is not uncommon with the flat LCD TVs since they do not have enough depth to provide a good audio system. But the presence of Dolby Digital makes it fine for movie watching. You can experience digital surround sound effect with these speakers and also the S-Force technology for front surround sound. There is also a sound booster technology to enhance the sound performance. Even then if you need a better sound output, then you can always connect the analogue stereo and the digital optical outputs to any external speakers.

Networking:
With the DLNA home networking technology, you can connect your TV to your computer and then play pictures, music and movies. With the integrated Standard Definition Digital Terrestrial tuner, you can watch high definition pictures on the digital TV. With this, you can easily receive Digital Terrestrial TV channels and Radio channels. Sony also allows you to watch Cable TV with the help of a digital cable tuner. But this feature is subject to country and also only with the supported operators.

Power Consumption:

The Sony Bravia KDL-40W5500 is an energy efficient TV and hence consumes minimum power. Its power consumption is about 110 watts in the normal mode and just 60 watts in the power saver mode. It is a very low consumption rate for a TV. You can avail this opportunity to save some bugs by just depressing the Energy Saver button. After you do this, the light sensor in the TV senses the intensity of the light outside and then cuts down the power consumption. You can also turn off the monitor while listening to the radio, and hence reduce the power consumption.

Warranty:

Sony offers a warranty for about 1 year from the date of purchase. You can extend the period by registering on the Sony’s website.

Conclusion:

The Sony Bravia KDL is an excellent LCD TV series and is considered as the best one in the market for gaming purpose. Its price is also a reasonable one when compared to the others. Its design may not be the best and its rugged looks only attract men and particularly the youth. An average customer would rather want a curve- edged TV, which looks more dynamic. But there are many other things in it that make it very valuable. The features discussed above, add immense value to the Bravia, as there are many of them that are very unique and most importantly, very useful. The best ones are that of the Internet connection and the Ethernet port for streaming music and movies. However great the features are, at the end of the day, all that counts is the performance and Sony Bravia is second to none, when it comes to performance. The picture delivery is fantastic with all the options to customise the way you want your TV to perform.  It is particularly the best one for the gamers who use Wii, Microsoft Xbox and Playstation3. Sony itself agrees that the audio output is not up to the mark and it can be considered as an average audio output. This is true but Sony has made this up by producing an excellent picture quality. It has also managed quite well to maintain the balance between the price, features, performance and usability.

Verdict:

No TV is perfect and every TV has its own drawbacks. But when it comes to the Sony Bravia, these drawbacks are very few in number. So, considering everything that is discussed above, the Sony Bravia KDL-40W5500 is an excellent and affordable choice that makes your living room really lively.

Bravia KDL-40W5500 40″ LCD TV - Technical Specification Table