PowerSpec MCE410 and WinBook LC32 LCD HDTV Review

A Talented TV

The 32-inch WinBook LC32 is the second HDTV-ready LCD TV set to wear the brand, following the 30-inch, 15:9-aspect-ratio model LC30D now priced at $899. We're not as expert at reviewing TVs as we are PCs, but the LC32 -- made in Mexico using an LG Philips LCD panel -- impressed us as a pretty good set even without considering its bargain price.

Like all LCD rather than plasma screens, its always-on backlight showed faintly through even dark colors, making black areas just a bit grayish rather than jet black, but most colors were bright and clear.

The display offers a 16:9 aspect ratio with 1,366 by 768 resolution, so it's able to show native 720p (1,280 by 720) progressive-scan HDTV as well as standard-resolution TV formats; it also accepts 1080i (1,920 by 1,080) interlaced HDTV, downscaling it to fit on the fly. Like the majority of sets on the market today, it can't show the ultimate and still rare 1080p progressive HDTV format.

WinBook's specs say the LC32 has a 550:1 contrast ratio with 0.51mm pixel pitch, 10ms response time, and 500 nits of brightness. The last is respectable but not enough to see if the screen's in direct sunlight, so fighting glare might be one reason our test unit stood slightly tilted forward instead of vertically on its tabletop stand (it also supports a VESA-standard wall mount, not included). We had no trouble seeing the screen from fairly wide angles, though as with most LCD monitors we'll stop short of accepting the vendor's claimed 170-degree viewing angles.

The display itself is just 4.3 inches deep; the set measures 39 by 11 by 23 inches and weighs 49 pounds counting the base. It draws 180 watts of power including the 10-watt stereo speakers on either side of the LCD.

Ports Galore

As a computer monitor, the LC32 offers both 15-pin analog VGA and DVI-I inputs. The latter also works with some cable boxes, but our Cablevision (Connecticut) box refused the DVI connection because it doesn't support HDCP, the high-bandwidth digital copy protection beloved of Hollywood studios.

A growing number of HDTV sets and set-top boxes are supplanting or replacing DVI with HDMI (or, see above, HDMI/HDCP), a high-definition multimedia interface that carries audio as well as video signals. The LC32 has no HDMI connector, making it that much less desirable for forward-looking or future-proofing consumers.

Otherwise, there's a plethora of I/O ports -- two sets of component (YPbPr) video inputs, the HDTV standard until recently; two sets of S-Video plus left and right audio inputs; two sets of composite video plus left and right audio inputs; a coaxial cable feed or antenna input; the abovementioned DVI and VGA plus PC audio inputs; a composite video output; and left, right, and subwoofer audio outputs. The remote control and on-screen menus are more navigable than most monitors', including a button on the remote to cycle through aspect-ratio settings for standard-definition TV (normally centered or stretched or zoomed to fill the wide screen).

Bottom line: The LC32 is just OK with standard TV, but a genuinely good-looking as well as economical way to join the HDTV generation. Both high-definition network programming and downloaded Windows Media Video clips were sunny and sharp, with live sports coverage in particular seeming as crisp as a color photo. No, it's not as good as a $3,000 or $4,000 set, but it's surprisingly good for one-third or one-fourth of that.

Laptop shoppers have known for some time that the WinBook name often means famous-brand performance at off-brand prices; the company's PowerSpec desktop label offers similar value, but has hitherto stuck to fairly generic PC clones. Now there's a PowerSpec PC that fits in the first rank of candidates for media-center customers, and a WinBook flat-screen set that jumps to the head of the line for HDTV bargain hunters.

Pros:

• An affordable, likable Media Center PC with living-room/rackmount home-electronics instead of minitower case
• A pretty darn good 32-inch, HDTV-ready widescreen LCD TV at a jaw-droppingly low price

Cons:

• PC graphics and audio not up to hardcore game and home-theater levels
• HDTV lacks HDCP, HDMI, and 1080p support; standard-resolution programming looks good but not great

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