WinBook LC32 32" Wide-Screen LCD TV

About.com Rating 3.5 Star Rating

Be the first to write a review

From Matthew Torres, former About.com Guide

Winbook LC32 32" LCD TV

www.winbook.com

See More About

The Bottom Line

Trying to build on the success of their 30" LCD TV, WinBook comes up a little short with the LC32. However, that doesn't mean this 32" flat panel is a dud. It demonstrates a nice picture with DVD and video game play. It performs well in bright and lowlight environments, has good on-screen menu and is light enough for anyone to move around with ease. On the downside, it has a fixed tabletop stand and a well-intentioned but poorly designed back panel with plastic cover.

Manufacturer's Site

Pros

On-screen menu well-designed and easy to use
Remote control bulky, but has all necessary functions
Good picture with DVD and video game play
Connections on back panel labeled clearly
Affordable - priced at $1099 at time of review

Cons

Monitor stand is fixed - incapable of horizontal/vertical adjustment
Plastic panel protecting inputs comes off, and has breakable connectors
Ghosting on text crawls
Images have soft edges

Description

HD-ready - requires an external HD tuner to receive and decode HD signals
Has all needed input types - Composite(2), Component(2), S-Video(2), Analog RGB, RF antenna
Inputs on back panel are protected by a plastic shield
550:1 contrast ratio and 10m/s typical response time
16x9 aspect ratio, 170-degree viewing angles, and maximum resolution of 1366 x 768
Two non-removable 10W speakers built-in front panel - one subwoofer audio output on back panel
Slim design - (WxDxH) 39" x 11.02" x 22.85"
weighs about 49 lbs

Guide Review - WinBook LC32 32" Wide-Screen LCD TV

Like other flat panel LCD TVs, the LC32 is thin, light, and wall-mountable. All connections are located on the back panel and face down except for RF, which is on the side. They're hidden behind a detachable plastic panel, which is a nice feature but I had problems keeping it on because the plastic snaps didn't lock in place all the time.

The remote control is bulky, but well-designed and good for those with large hands. It has convenient buttons for switching input types between TV, composite, PC, etc. The audio is good, and all functions on the television are easy to adjust through the on-screen menu.

The picture is average - 550:1 contrast ratio. I was disappointed with the sharpness, and how the screen pixilated when trying to improve it. This was only a problem with digital satellite, not with DVD and video game play. I imagine the picture issues are partially due to a combination of the picture size and lack of a picture enhancer plus the low 550:1 contrast ratio. I also noticed ghosting/blurring of moving text.

As for DVD and video game play, the LC32 performed well. The picture lagged a couple of times on fast moving images, but it wasn't a major issue. Overall, the picture looked pretty good from a distance of over 5 feet away on the digital satellite.

FINAL WORD: When considering WinBook's MSRP of $1099, the LC32 is a good TV for the bargain shopper wanting a flat panel LCD TV for half the cost. It has its limitations, but for the money it's a pretty good buy.