Review: The Big Picture: Choosing The Best LCD TV

When it comes to flat-panel televisions, especially the new breed of LCD displays hitting the market, integrators have to see the big picture.

Even with all of the different components attached to today's home networks--including surround-sound home entertainment systems, media-centric PCs, external storage and DVRs, to name a few--the flat-panel display is still one of the most important elements of a home or office solution. Despite the falling prices and widespread availability of cheap displays from big-box retailers, integrators should press their clients to buy the display best suited to their needs and environments.

And why not? Not only is it the cornerstone of any living room or office, but the display is the object that literally receives the most stares. It's something all clients want to show off. That's something to keep in mind, especially since most home business is generated by word of mouth.

To get an idea of what's available to today's integrators, Digital Connect Lab engineers sent a request to the top display vendors, asking them to send for review their LCD TV displays between 30 and 42 inches. In the end, the Lab received five high definition-ready LCD TVs, which range in price, size and features. All are worthy of a spot in most customers' homes or offices.

Engineers evaluated ViewSonic's 40-inch LCD TV (N4060w), LG Electronics' 42-inch LCD Integrated HDTV (42LP1D), Philips Electronics' 42-inch LCD with Ambilight 2 (42PF9830A), Westinghouse's 42-inch LVM-42W2 and SOYO Group's Onyx Series 32-inch HD-Ready LCD TV (DYLTO32D).

VIEWSONIC N4060W

At first, what stands out most about ViewSonic's wide-screen N4060w 40-inch LCD television is the sound that emanates from the 20-watt speakers when the unit is pumped up to maximum volume. For stock speakers, the sound is quite impressive.

The ViewSonic unit offers a 1,366 x 768 resolution, the same as the other units reviewed. It has similar connectivity through S-Video, VGA, composite video, component video and HDMI connections, and a similar feature set including 8ms response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 170-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles, and Picture In Picture (PIP).

What sets this unit apart is how well ViewSonic brings all the pieces together. If integrators take price, screen size, feature set, channel play, ease of use and display output into consideration, the ViewSonic unit shines above the rest. With a pleasing appearance and sound, the total cost is less than $2,000.

LG ELECTRONICS 42LP1D

If Lab engineers chose a unit on aesthetic value alone, the LG would be the most impressive. The largest unit of the bunch, its design is unmatched by any other unit in the group. At $4,299, it also is the most expensive.

The display comes with a 1,366 x 768 native resolution and has an 8ms response time. The unit features a split-screen option, PIP, two integrated 15-watt audio speakers, which offer a nice sound considering they are stock speakers, and all the functionality found in any television.

The unit also features a plethora of ports for connecting other devices. The 42LP1D is digital-cable-ready so owners do not need a set-top box to access cable or the interactive programming guide built into the TV. To access such features, integrators would usually need a set-top box or a Media Center PC for the guide functionality. In this instance, integrators need to insert a CableCard directly into the TV. Not all cable providers offer CableCards, so integrators should check before installation.

The LG unit also includes a DVI port and HDMI, as well as component outs for HDTV.

PHILIPS ELECTRONICS 42PF9830A

The Philips Ambilight 42PF9830A 42-inch HDTV LCD TV monitor with table stand, built-in speakers and tuner is beautiful to look at and offers one of the best HD outputs. The unit is very similar to the others but costs $3,999. If money is not an issue, integrators will be receiving rave reviews from their clients for a long time.

WESTINGHOUSE LVM-42W2

Westinghouse's LVM-42W2 has many of the same features as the LG unit--but price isn't one of them. The Westinghouse unit retails for $2,799, a substantial difference in price between two units that are fairly comparable in performance and feature set.

For instance, both are 42 inches. They're also digital-cable-ready with CableCard slots, have 8ms response time and come with a plethora of ports for connectivity, including DVI and HDMI ports.

The Westinghouse unit also offers a true high-definition resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, which provided the best HD output of the entire group.

The LVM-42W2 is lighter than the LG unit, making it easier to hang on a wall. Both look slick, but the LG's exterior design is unmatched, which is why the customer will be spending the extra money.

One gripe about the Westinghouse unit is that the audio in--via the mini connecter--was spotty and failed to work a few times. Granted, it has integrated speakers, but engineers wanted to hear the sound through external speakers.

SOYO GROUP ONYX DYLT032D

SOYO Group's Onyx unit is the least expensive of the group--the price is so low, in fact, that integrators will laugh when they see what they get for their dollar.

The Onyx flat-panel, HD-ready 32-inch LCD TV offers a good-quality picture in a compact design. Besides being the lowest-priced unit at less than $1,400, it is dimensionally the smallest in the group. It also is the one unit out of the group that integrators will not hang on a wall, since it comes attached to a cradle.

The Onyx brings everything together with 1,366 x 768 resolution, 1,200:1 contrast ratio, 32-inch screen, two 10-watt speakers and an 8ms response time. If these specifications sound familiar, they are. It is very comparable to the LG and Westinghouse units, but for a fraction of the price. Conversely, its all-around display performance is a notch lower than that of the more expensive units.

SETUP TIPS AND TRICKS

All of the LCD TVs were set up side-by-side for comparative, continuous viewing. The best method for evaluating image quality is to test the units next to each other under similar conditions and in a dark room.

The TVs displayed the same high-quality content in native resolutions and 780p or 1,080i HDTV resolutions.

To giveLab engineers the same experience as an integrator would have on the job, the units were evaluated directly out of the box, under the default or manufacturer settings. The displays are often set for the bright-light conditions of retail stores, which greatly differ from home and office environments. Integrators usually need to customize the display settings for the particular installation site.

Engineers continued the testing by separately connecting each LCD TV to a Media Center PC. Engineers used DisplayMate 2.1 Multimedia Edition to test display output. The utility analyzes the performance of a display by feeding it a series of specially constructed test pattern images, which challenges the unit in a specific and controlled way. The test was executed on each display to get insight into what each had to offer.

For example, engineers used The Master Test Pattern, a utility deployed by many television stations to test color patterns. In this case, it was specifically designed for computer displays. See the chart on this page for the DisplayMate results.

DisplayMate 2.1 also provides expert online advice and guidance for setting up, adjusting, calibrating and tuning picture quality on any LCD TV or wide-screen HDTV. DisplayMate Multimedia Edition costs $495 and is a useful tool to help integrators improve image quality.

For integrators to be successful in the digital home and small-office space, image quality must be the No. 1 concern. No matter how much customers spend, they'll never be satisfied if picture quality is lacking.

Another trick that wise old home integrators learned after a week on the job is that images that sound better look better. If a sound system is part of the sale, make sure it's hooked up before the client sees the installed display.

The key is to sell your customers an experience, not a stand-alone product.

When selecting an LCD for a customer, integrators must take the same approach they would if choosing a car: look under the hood or inside the box, take it for a drive, run some tests and finally, make sure the customer is not paying for a Mercedes and getting a Yugo.

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