Top 3 22-inch LCD TVs

The price brackets have been getting narrower by the day since the R word happened last year. Thus we at tech2, caring as we are have decided to turn the dials of our focus to a smaller screen size for LCD TVs, that is the humble 22 incher. The thing is that these TVs have not fared badly in our reviews, and price wise they make sense, thus this is a list of the top 3 22-inch LCD TVs that we think you can buy.

LG M237WA LCD TV MonitorRs. 16,000

This one needs mention first as it is very reasonable and, let’s face it, LG markets their stuff well. This one is an LCD monitor cum TV according to them, which technically is not that different barring the built in tuner , but we will go with the flow. Why? Because I love the red streak at the bottom panel, as I mentioned in the review. Ok, not just that, the TV comes with healthy enough specs(LG is famous for their infinity:1 contrast ratios) and a neat little package of a LCD TV. The bezel is smooth and sleek, with a piano gloss finish, and highly curvaceous edges. 2 HDMIs, cable Tuner in (that’s what makes this a TV) one DVI-D, audio in (3.5 mm miniplug) and a composite, S-video and component video connection are also present.

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The model is a 23-inch screen, of perfect 16:9 aspect ratio. Native resolution is 1920 x 1080. The brightness is 300 cd/m2 and contrast is 20,000:1 dynamic. Response time is 5 ms (GTG). The performance held some disappointment. Extreme whites and blacks do not pass the grayscale test, as they all merge into blocks, and there is not much separation and detail in near black and near white zones. A purist might need to look at our second option on the next page for better visuals. There is not much backlight bleed and subjectively speaking the colors looked good actually, though not without a little saturation on the high white levels.

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Samsung LA22A480 LCD TVRs. 20,900

The 22-inchers’ bezel is very broad, thus this A480 model goes out the slim category LCD. The finish is still the same - Samsung glossy piano black, which comes with its eternal guarantee for fingerprint-magnetism. The bottom panel has an inward sloping speaker grille attached as the bottom edge. The stand is a broad rectangular one, with a similar finish, and as is the norm, the Samsung logo is printed on the center of the bottom panel. As I remember when we reviewed it, the stand does not easily join to the TV.

This is a 22-inch screen with an HD ready resolution of 1366 x 768. The Dynamic contrast mentioned is 10,000:1. The brightness is not rated anywhere, but we are assuming it is around 400 cd/m2. The connections included are 1 HDMI, 2 components and one each of headphone, composite, PC (D-sub) and finally an input for FM radio antennae. Yes, this is the unique feature of the TV. It comes with an FM radio built in.

With a typical looking OSD menu, there are not too many presets and control in the menu. We were very impressed at the performance, except of course low black level accuracy and depth, which we were not even expecting from such low priced LCD. The entire grayscale can be plotted around 6500 K. There was no blooming and impurities in the whites even at high contrast levels of 95. Since its smaller size of 22-inches, the native res of 1366 x 768 was really crisp and high end looking when we played 720p footage.

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Onida Xaria Model LO22VTSRs. 15000/-

One of the most reasonable options out there, thus making the list. This 22 incher looks pretty good with a gloss black bezel all over, with 2 white logo prints of Onida on the bottom panel and Xaria on the top left. The gloss does get to me sometimes, plus it will be a finger print magnet for sure. The gloss aesthetic extends till the rectangular stand. The build is sturdy enough even for the low price, so up until now there is no compromise.

The resolution is the PC familiar 1680 x 1050, contrast is 10000:1. The response time is 5 ms, with one HDMI 1.2 connector available beside a single component, S-video and. Once turned on we have an OK menu, not so much tweakability to calibrate. The good thing here is the colors track well; they are nicely accurate in their saturation levels too. The same cannot be said about blacks, the black levels one will have to compensate a bit, as they are not as deep as the other two mentioned. I will be reviewing the TV next week.