Gadget of the Year 08 - HD Ready TVs

OK, I know the title is a misnomer, as the LCD TV really should not be termed as a gadget, at least not in the contemporary meaning of things. Anyways, let’s just go with the flow, and for this article we are concentrating on HD ready TVs (720p resolution). This means 32-inchers and 37-inchers were scanned. It just so happens that this category yielded only LCD models as winners; though all the plasma freaks be rest assured, we are giving rightful awards to well deserving nominees in the next article (strictly meant for full HD, full on, big screen TVs.) Getting back to the subject of this article, here we have 3 best HD Ready LCD models covered by us throughout the year 2008. There is a budget model, a runner up, and the overall best.

HD Ready TV of the year - Hitachi UT32-MH700A

This one was reviewed very recently, and it has all the attributes of a winner. Designwise, it is touted as the thinnest LCD TV, and seriously, it oozes class due to its well contoured , almost smug posture. It is very thin no doubt, but not the slightest bit flimsy. There is an external control pod that needs to be connected, which provides numerous inputs like HDMI etc, this is done to keep the body that thin. Though the good thing is that a single HDMI is available on the TV itself, along with a component in, so you can connect the basics like your PS3 and XBOX straightaway. The HD Ready LCD panel (1366 x 768 pixels) is the latest generation IPS-pro, which is from the IPS family, claiming best in the business viewing angles, brightness etc. Speaking of image, the vibrancy in the image was spectacular. I remember  in the review, we had singled out color points being a little too away from 6500K, though it still looks better overall than any other.

Runner Up - Sony Bravia KLV-32V400A

Before anything, let me state that this TV came VERY close to winning the overall, and the main plus point is that is it cheap too. I have found a lowest price of Rs. 40K, which is almost ten thousand lesser than the price during time of the review. The model is from their latest releases, and I feel the V series of Sony is a good cross between value and performance. This model has 1800:1 native contrast, and 450 cd/m2 brightness. The design is where I feel Sony lost out, as it has too many elements in the bottom panel, plus a loud looking, silver speaker grille at the bottom. Image quality wise the TV performs thouroughly, with the black levels being very deep, and moreover the greyscale is commendably neutral. No over-saturation, unnecessary extra warmth, nothing.  The detail levels were also very nice, with tolerable amounts of artifacts.

Best Value - Samsung LA 32A450 Series 4 LCD TV

Samsung also had a blast this year with the release of its 4, 5 and 6 series models in India. The 6 series had awesome design aspect, which Samsung called Touch of Color. This comprises of injection molded red streaks in the bezel, which really looked awesome without gimmicks. Alas in the 4 series there is no red anywhere, though I’m still giving this one the best value LCD TV, as the 32 incher only costs 34,500 now. The specs are healthy at  10,000:1 contrast, and the response time is 6ms. The 81cm (32 inch) panel is Samsung’s popular SPVA LCD with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The main positive about  the image were the neutral colors, and an accurate tint control that gives desired offsets in color. The blacks were decent enough for a budget TV, and overall, the image yielded a nice level of vibrancy that we desire, off course after a little tweaking on the menu.