HDTV Reviews

The 32R74BDX’s features are pleasingly numerous, and it’s looks are amazing, one of the best, if not the best looking HDTVs out there. As with all the TVs we’re covering in our World Cup run-up it’s fully HD Ready, adding to its HD connectivity a suitably high native resolution of 1,366 x 768 and compatibility with the key 720p and 1080i HD formats. Early word from Samsung had suggested the 32R74BDX might also handle the new 1080p HD format, but experiments with our resident 1080p-upscaling Marantz DV9600 DVD player suggest this is not actually the case.

The 32R74BDX’s pictures aren’t perfect. First, although they’re decent, black levels don’t plummet quite as deep as one or two LCD rivals these days. Read more

HP markets the LP2465as a high-end 24-inch LCD monitor for power users, but gamers and home entertainment enthusiasts will also love its performance and features. It offers excellent digital performance (though its analog performance had some issues) and has both integrated USB ports and dual DVI inputs.

Movies looked amazing on the HP LP2465 widescreen display. During a viewing of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King on DVD, the colors were vivid and the picture was sharp, with only a few motion artifacts popping up occasionally. The picture remained sharp from nearly any angle, but there was some loss of color definition at the extreme end of the horizontal viewing plane.

If you’re ready to graduate to a big widescreen for your desktop, the HP LP2465 is more than capable of handling your work and entertainment needs. Read more

The Sharp LC-32D40U Aquos isn’t the cheapest 32-inch liquid crystal widescreen television out there, but it provided the most natural, realistic picture I’ve seen among similar displays. Add to this a stylish design and plenty of quality video connections, and the LC-32D40U is a top notch HDTV.

The LC-32D40U provides a near-ideal set of video inputs, including two HDMI ports, two component-video connections, and a single RF input that feeds the TV’s analog (NTSC), digital (ATSC), and Clear QAM (unencrypted digital cable) tuners. The LC-32D40U’s native resolution is 1,366 by 768 pixels, which slightly exceeds the resolution of a 720p HD signal. The display lacks a DVI or VGA input for PC use, but I found that PC resolutions up to 1,280-by-720 (720p) are supported via the HDMI inputs.

‘m admittedly biased toward the excellent color representation possible with modern plasma displays, but the LC-32D40U proved to me that a well-made LCD can Read more

Westinghouse LTV-32w3 HDis a bargin priced 32-inch HDTV ($800 list) is among the least-expensive high-definition LCD TVs we have seen to date. Equally impressive are the LTV-32w3 selection of video inputs and its ease of use.

I have yet to see a Westinghouse display that requires assembly, and the LTV-32w3 HD continues this trend with its factory-attached table stand and two integrated stereo speakers (10 watts each) set below the screen. The charcoal-gray bezel and matching stand are matte-finished to minimize reflections, and thin silver-colored trim outlines the TV, creating a well-contrasted border. The 34-pound HDTV (with its stand) measures 24.2 by 32.3 by 8.1 inches (HWD), and the display panel itself is 4.4 inches deep.

The LTV-32w3 has a great selection of HD-compatible A/V inputs, which includes two sets of component-video inputs, one HDMI port, a DVI-D connector, and a VGA input for PC use.
Read more

The Toshiba C2000 REGZA LCD is the more basic line of the REGZA series, compared to the Z2000, and the H2000. The C2000 line are still very nice sets, and are going to save you some money over the more advanced models if you don’t mind not having all the latest top notch features.
The C2000 feature a 1,366×768 resolution, and is available in a variety of sizes, the 42-inch 42C2000, the 37-inch 37C2000, 32-inch 32C2000, 26-inch 26C2000 and the 23-inch 23C2000.
The C2000 REGZA has very similar connections as the H2000, with two HDMI inputs, a single D4 input, two s-video, three composite, and an optical output. Unlike the H2000, the C2000 does not feature Toshiba’s iNet programing guide information software.

The Toshiba H2000 REGZA series does not have the same high resolution as the Z2000 but still has a respectable 1366 x 768 resolution. The H2000 LCDs are available in 42-inch 42H2000, 37-inch 37H2000, and 32-inch 32H2000.
The H2000 REGZA line feature two HDMI inputs, a single D4 input, two s-video, three composite, and an optical output. These sets can get their programming guide information via the Internet from Toshiba’s iNet system. There is also a 300GB Hard drive loaded into the H2000 line internally, and can record up to 30 hours.

The H2000 range should be out late October.

The Toshiba Z2000 line is 1080p and does not disappoint. The 47-inch (47Z2000), 42-inch(42Z2000), and the 37-inch (37Z2000) have a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, while the smaller 32-inch(32Z2000) Z2000 has a resolution of 1366 x 768. The Z2000 has some interesting differences regarding connection over most other HDTV’s out there. The Z2000 REGZA is equipped with three DMI ports, two D4 inputs, two S-Video, four composites, two IEEE 1394, three RF inputs and three Ethernet ports, yes three!
The Z2000 line has had a new electronic programming guide installed which looks great, and can also play files from a PC or from the new RAID-5 equipped media server, via the Ethernet connections.

NuVision is proud to announce that it will feature its 2006 line of critically acclaimed 23-, 26-, 32-, and 37-inch Deep Blackâ„¢ LCD televisions at the 2006 CEDIA Expo, held in Denver from September 14-17 at the Colorado Convention Center, booth 2200 (Ballroom level). The 2006 line of NuVision’s acclaimed LCD televisions feature several improvements over its previous generation models and are all either currently shipping or scheduled to ship by September.

In addition to the new 2006 models, NuVision will also preview two new larger screen 1080p LCD monitors at CEDIA that are planned for shipment in Q4 2006.
The 42-inch model and the 47-inch model are monitors that will feature new cabinet designs with bottom mounted detachable speakers.

“In NuVision’s relatively short lifetime, we have already garnered tremendous industry accolades as well as media reviews that credited us with the highest rating of any LCD television on the market,” explained Scott Deley, NuVision CEO. “Our 2006 generation builds upon our previous models, and all NuVision models feature a simple-to-use remote control that features discrete input and picture formatting selection rather than the usual industry practice of forcing the consumer to go through a menu system for these commonly used features.”
Read more

The Samsung LE40R73BD is the 40-inch LCD from the R73 subsection of the great R7 range from Samsung.

The LE40R73BD has an impressive 5000:1 contrast ratio, 1366×768 resolution, a very snappy 8ms response time, and 178°/178° viewing angle. The LE40R73BD features DNIeâ„¢ (Digital Natural Image engine), Samsung LCD TVs revolutionary technology, offers digital perfection in the form of crystal clear images in which even the smallest details are captured. Images appear as close to real life as they can possibly be.

Among the numerous features, the LE40R73BD has the screen size control, the teletext and Picture-in-Picture-function. There is also a very complete connectivity including a HDMi-input and a PC-input.

The Philips 32PF7521D kick off nicely with twin HDMIs, but these receive handsome support from component video and PC jacks, a digital audio output, and the usual SCART/S-Video/composite video standards. What makes us particularly happy about all this is that unlike many previous Philips LCD TVs, you’re not expected to input digital video, component and PC signals through the same, single connector. Hallelujah.

The 32PF7521D has a digital audio output as the set has a built-in digital tuner, so the digital audio output is there to permit the export of Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks should the Freeview service start broadcasting them.

The 32PF7521D isn’t without its good points. For one thing, Pixel Plus’ talent for making standard definition pictures look massively sharper and more detailed than they would normally is clearly apparent. HD sources also look very sharp, suggesting that the HD ‘downscaling/upscaling’ process we described earlier isn’t causing quite as much nastiness as we might have feared.
Read more