Some televisions are just too big: You can't convince your friends that you watch only PBS and nature shows when your TV looks like it comes with an ice maker. But no one likes having to squint to see the names on the backs of Super Bowl players' jerseys, either. A moderate-size set will blend in with the decor without making you feel like you're sitting in the back row of your own home theater.
Our review includes five of the newest 32-inch direct-view LCD TV sets on the market (Sony and Toshiba declined to send us their latest models). The five sets we tested are tightly bunched in price from $1799 to $2000 and have similar specifications. Nevertheless, we observed several important differences that may affect how the sets work with your home theater setup.
The Dell W3201C, for example, has two tuners--one analog and one digital--but it offers no CableCard slot, so you can use the digital tuner only to bring in over-the-air digital broadcasts, not cable- or satellite-based ones. The Sharp Aquos LC-32D6U and the HP LC3200N share many components (including LCD glass manufactured by Sharp), but the HP has more ports and more-extensive color controls. And though all five models carry speakers, you can't remove the ones on the JVC or the Samsung LN-R328W; that constitutes an aesthetic drawback if, for instance, you want to route audio through your home theater's speakers instead of the built-in ones.
Choosing the top set wasn't easy: Dell's W3201C has the best cabinet design and by far the best speakers. Compared with the others, Samsung's no-frills LN-R328W scored highest in our image-quality tests. And HP's LC3200N has the best selection of ports and extensive on-screen controls. Ultimately, those features plus solid image quality won the HP our Best Buy award.
See our chart, Top 32-inch LCD TVs for more information.
High Scores for HDAs they have on practically every TV we've evaluated recently, our high-definition test programs looked best on these sets, DVD movies looked fairly good, and standard-definition content looked pretty bad. The TVs we examined earned similar scores in our tests for high-def and standard-def content, but the Samsung LN-R328W got markedly better scores for its display of DVD movies. Among the five sets, its color-accurate picture stood out.
Sharp's Aquos LC-32D6U earned the top mark in our high-definition tests (albeit by a razor-thin margin over the Samsung and HP), and it beat the field by a good margin in tests involving standard-def content. The HP LC3200N and the JVC LT-32X776, respectively, ranked third and fourth overall in image quality, with consistently average scores; some images were a tad dull on both sets. Dell's W3201C scored somewhat lower on high-definition and DVD content, mainly because its picture looked oversaturated and dark, even after calibration.
We calibrate and test sets in their standard picture modes (so as to establish a level testing field). However, each set provides additional modes, and some of these improved the picture dramatically, depending on the type of content. The Sharp Aquos LC-32D6U exhibited the most benefit; facial tones were far more natural in the set's dynamic mode than in its default standard mode.
Both Sharp's Aquos LC-32D6U and HP's LC3200N offer the same basic color controls, but the HP also lets users tweak hue, saturation, and image-value settings for six different colors. You could drive yourself nuts trying to get a perfect picture using such fine controls, but you can save settings you like to different picture modes and then automatically apply them to different inputs.
The JVC has relatively few color controls, which it presents in a large, old-fashioned opaque-background menu that hides much of the picture you are trying to adjust. The Dell W3201C's menus, in contrast, are far more attractive; though they, too, overlay the picture, you can change their transparency to make more of what you're adjusting visible. Meanwhile, the Samsung set has a mode in which you can see on one side of the screen how the picture looks before adjustments and on the other side how it looks afterward; that's easily the best arrangement.
All of these sets use LCD panels, so you need to be concerned about viewing angle. We observed definite color shifts depending on where we sat in front of every one of the sets; some of our judges even preferred the image quality that they got when seated at a slightly off-center angle.
HP Has More Ports
To obtain the best image quality, you must use the best available port. Unfortunately, only the Dell W3021C has two HDMI ports, for accommodating connections to both a cable set-top box and a DVD player, for example. Of the models we tested, the prize for the largest number of ports went to HP's LC3200N; the back panel even has FireWire ports so you can display video from a DV camcorder or export high-definition content to a digital VHS deck. (For a full breakdown of each set's ports, see find.pcworld.com/50980.) Despite having the smallest number of ports, the Samsung LN-R328W has all of the most important connectors, including one HDMI port and two sets of component inputs.
The HP, JVC, and Sharp sets offer CableCard slots for tuning in digital broadcasts without your having to use an external set-top box. (Read about CableCard's limitations in "CableCards Let You Lose Your Cable Box.")
Dell's W3201c has the most attractive and functional cabinet in our test group: It's surrounded by a thin silver bezel, so most of what you see is the screen. The HP LC3200N's speakers mount on the sides of the panel--giving its long, dark cabinet an even longer look--but a huge, ungainly base supports everything.
JVC's and Sharp's panels tilt and swivel; but both tilt very awkwardly, and moving them to a desired angle takes effort. The base accompanying the Sharp Aquos LC-32D6U that we tested wasn't very stable; we had to place magazines under the legs to keep it from wobbling. The Samsung's stand doesn't adjust at all. Although the Dell's included stand doesn't tilt, it's by far the most stable of the group.
Dell includes a pair of tall, thin speakers with the W3201C that sound great, delivering generous power, plenty of separation, and very nice clarity. Dell also tosses in speaker stands so you can spread the speakers out for even better audio separation; alternatively, you can mount them to the sides of the display. It has an output for connecting a powered subwoofer, too, but you'll have to supply that component yourself. The other sets' speakers are merely adequate.
HP's remote control is long and thin with large, flat buttons, but it looks and feels a little cheap. While Dell's remote looks flashy, and the buttons feel nice, they're so shiny and reflective that I had trouble seeing the button labels under strong light. The Sharp's remote seems unnecessarily long, and its tiny, recessed buttons require a firm press. JVC and Samsung provide large, gray, bland-looking remotes with their TVs; the buttons on both work well.
You'll have to make compromises with any of these sets, but the HP LC3200N qualifies as the best-equipped of the group. Its extensive array of ports and color controls gives you the best shot at getting a good picture from multiple sources. I'd remove its stand and hang it on a wall, though.
Alan Stafford
