An HDTV you can actually afford
Looking for a great Father’s Day gift that won’t break the bank? How about brand new, flat-screen HDTV?
I’m not kidding. You just need to know where to look.
Personally, I would look toward a brand named Sceptre. They are now selling new, affordable flat-screen LED TV’s in places like Walmart, Sears, Target, Costco, New Egg and Tiger Direct.
What do I consider affordable? The TV set I’ve had the pleasure of testing for the past few weeks (Model X195BV-HD) has a 19-inch screen (measured diagonally) and is capable of providing your eyes with full 720p resolution, a contrast ratio of 1,000-to-1 and 4 ms response time.
The Sceptre has dual HDMI and USB ports (in case you want to use it as a computer monitor too) and is Energy Star 3.0 compliant. That last one means it uses something like 40% less electricity than a TV not Energy Star 3.0 complaint.
OK. So far, what’s so exciting about this that would make it worth your while to check out? It sports a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $199. I’m not kidding. And that $199 is the suggested. You might find it selling for less.
Some things you should know. Since this is an HDTV, and since it the screen is the standard 16:9 aspect ratio, this TV screen is smaller than a 19-inch screen on an old-fashioned, 4:3 aspect ratio TV set with a cathode ray tube inside. Both types of TVs are perfect for small rooms, or desktop – but the new-fangled HDTV 19-inch screen is wider and a little less tall.
I’ve been watching this Sceptre for a few weeks now and can tell you that it’s a pretty good TV. In addition to feeding it from the HDMI output from my Cable TV box as well as using the Sceptre’s built-in over-the-air tuner. Both produce a sharp, moderately bright, very watchable picture. Quality is very good. I found that keeping the TV next to my bed the optimal viewing distance was 4-to-9 feet away. Any closer and my TV stand placed the image too high for good color rendition. Any further and you quickly realize just how small as 19-inch HDTV can look.
The only two items I can fault the set on is the Blue indicator light when the TV is on (it’s way too bright in a darkened room) and the sound (there are small internal speakers inside and even though they can go very loud they can sometimes sound tinny.)
Remember, we’re talking about a $199 HDTV. At that price it’s a best buy.
A wall mounting bracket is optional.
And, if you think a “19″ is too small for your needs, Sceptre also makes 23-inch LED models selling for $269, a 27-inch LCD model for $399 and 42-inch LCD models for $699.