Top 3 HDTVs Under Rs. 45,000

It’s recession time, everyone knows that, and the value of articles on cheaper and reasonable alternatives can never be underestimated, as everyone is on a saving drive. But, in the world of consumer electronics, prices seldom can be justified, and just because something is priced high doesn’t mean it’s good. In fact on the contrary, we have seen some really nice TVs in the market release in the last year, which are reasonably priced, but perform well. They obviously have some flaws, which we have tried to fully mention. This is not a shootout, just a round up.

Samsung LA32A550P1 32” Full-HD LCD TV Rs. 43,000

This one is very good at around Rs. 43,000 bucks, purely for the reasons that the panel is not from Samsung’s entry level, rather it’s a mid range 5 series model. The resolution is Full HD, which means you get 1920 x 1080 pixels in a 32 inch panel, which will appeal to the enthusiast who simply requires a sharp and clear high def image. The design is not like Samsung’s flagship touch of color bezel, there is no red tinge in the TV’s frames.

The contrast ratio is 35,000:1 which must be the Dynamic rating. Brightness is healthy at 500 cd/m2. The backlight is made of CCFL, which is what is regularly used in LCD TVs. It does not have the famous 100 Hz feature that Samsung claims to make video smoother, plus there are 3 HDMI inputs, which is good. The response time is 5 ms. The proprietary features available are Wide Color Enhancer 2, which claims to create a dynamic display of on-screen color and reinforce traditionally weak colors such as green and blue, so that they appear vivid and deep. Then we have Samsung’s famous Dnie engine, which is a video optimizer that makes the images more precise and vivid.

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LG Scarlet 32LG60UR 32" LCD TVRs. 40,990.00

The next TV is by LG. These guys have a souped up lineup with IPS panels, something they have started advertising about quite blatantly. The model is a 32 incher from their design fancy Scarlet range. This series has a bright red back; accurately speaking the color can be described as glossy finished, deep blood red. The finish is definitely very smooth and chic, though I do have reservations with the fact that if we wall mount this unit, then the beauty of the back panel is gone, it’s hidden. The power button on the bottom panel is well designed to, it’s a round cut out with glass adorning the rim - a touch sensitive surface to turn the TV on.

This model is not Full HD like the Previous Sammy, rather the regular HD ready resolution which measures 1366 x 768. LG always rates their contrast the highest, and it gets a little funny at times, though this model has 50,000:1 contrast ratio (dynamic), while the brightness is at 500 cd/m2. As for proprietary features LG has its famous XD engine, which this model incorporates. Plus this Scarlet does have some very impressive features like an automatic sensor preset which LG calls intelligent sensor. It sets the brightness, color etc. of the TV automatically according to the surrounding ambience in your room. We have reviewed this; it works pretty well no doubt. And last but definitely not the least, the USB slot plays DivX movies too besides MP3s and JPEGs, this is a first in our market, and LG deserves the credit.

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Sony BRAVIA KLV-32V400A Rs. 42,900

The V series is right in the center of Sony’s LCD TV range, and it has value for money for sure. This model comes in two colors, brown and black, and has a bezel design that is unique; The bezel is a tad thinner on the sides, with all the action happening on the bottom panel. The edges of the other three sides are simply curved back, while the bottom panel has a horizontal groove carved out. This groove holds a transparent glass/plastic plate centrally, which houses four indicators towards the right end. These are small LEDs that glow in response to the remote, while the main buttons are positioned top side, accessible in the top view.

There is a new MPEG Noise Reduction, Advanced Contrast Engine, and the new Bravia Engine 2, which is Sony’s proprietary image quality booster engine. Connections wise we have 3 HDMIs, PC (VGA) in, headphone out, component and composite ins, and last and also the least, a digital media port. There is no USB port, so that’s a downer. Honestly speaking , the number of features that LG offers are more, but Sony has one solid performance. As for the rated specs, the contrast is 1800:1 (native) and 15000:1 (dynamic), while the screen’s native resolution is 1366 x 768 pixels. Brightness is 450cd/m2.