The most recent articles from Computeract!ve

Review: Mirai DTL-722P302 monitor

Paul Monckton — 2008-06-16T11:30:00.000Z

Paul Monckton, Computeract!ve, Monday 16 June 2008 at 11:30:00

A monitor and high-definition TV in one

The Mirai DTL-722P302 monitor is something of a hybrid. It’s a fully functional high-definition LCD television with all the basic features you’d expect, but it’s also a PC display with the same high resolution – 1,680x1,050 pixels – that you'd get from a standard 22in PC monitor.

More than just a monitor that can receive TV, it has dual digital and analogue tuners with Teletext, freeze frame, picture-in-picture controls and a full-size remote control.

It also has a full complement of inputs including two Scart sockets, VGA (which can also be used to hook up component video using an adapter), PC audio input and HDMI. This means you should be able to hook up just about any type of equipment, including Blu-ray players and games consoles.

PC displays are slightly taller and narrower than TVs, so a small proportion of the edges of the picture are cropped off when viewing widescreen broadcasts to avoid displaying black bars at the top and bottom of the screen.

Despite the range of aspect-ratio controls provided, none enabled us to view the full widescreen image, and Mirai has confirmed that this is by design. You only get a very small amount of cropping, however, so if you’re less fussy than we are you probably won’t find this too much of an issue.

If you’re planning to use this display primarily as a PC monitor you may be a little disappointed. The swivel stand has no tilt adjustment and the screen itself is set quite low, making comfortable desktop positioning a little tricky.

While its high brightness makes it a great choice for watching TV from the other side of the room, its deficiencies can become apparent when close up. It has rather poor contrast ratio, due to light leaking through what should be dark pixels leaving them somewhat washed out and grey – especially at the top and bottom edges of the picture. You’ll only really notice this, though, when you’re viewing dark images.

Given that this is a good-looking and very capable TV, it’s a shame it is proportioned like a PC monitor – a role it doesn’t pull off quite so convincingly.

Review: Bush LCD15W008HD television

Anthony Dhanendran — 2007-07-16T00:00:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Monday 16 July 2007 at 00:00:00

HD comes to the small screen

This 15in flat screen television has an aerial input, plus Scart, composite, VGA (for a computer monitor) and HDMI for a high-definition DVD player or similar device.

Anything connected to the VGA or HDMI ports (as long as it's sending HD signals) shows up far clearer than the other inputs, or even the TV channels. That's because the unweildily named LCD15W008HD only has an analogue tuner, not Freeview, so it can only pick up the basic five stations.

The quality from these, as it will be on all LCD screens, is not great, although it is perfectly watchable. Attach a HD input, though, and it gets a lot better. Images are sharper and better defined, and colour reproduction improves as well. It's not as impressive an improvement as you'll see on a 32in HDTV, but it's still an improvement.

High definition on such a small screen is an interesting idea, and while it works here, it's perhaps not quite enough of an improvement to justify the price premium.

Review: Hannspree Hannsvaas LCD TV

Anthony Dhanendran — 2007-06-11T00:00:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Monday 11 June 2007 at 00:00:00

Recreate the 1950s with a veneer of class

Those who find modern LCD TVs just a little bit samey will find something to interest them in this television from Hannspree.

The Hannsvaas looks like something out of an early sitcom or a 1950s drama, its veneered wood look harking back to the days when television sets were large boxes that came in wooden (or wood-effect) cabinets. It's actually designed to look like a cello, we're told.

It's quite a distracting look, although you get over it quickly. The 15in LCD display is mounted in the centre of the front panel, and the only other things that appear in the front panel are the infra-red receiver, which is fairly tastefully done, a couple of small logos and the stereo speakers which sit on either side of the screen.

It stands up by resting on an extremely well designed metal stand, reminiscent of the aforementioned cello's kick-stand. The rear panel is also done out in lacquer. There are control buttons along the top for power, switching between modes, menu controls and other functions. All the connections come in beneath the screen, through a recess in the back of the unit.

It can take both s-video and composite connections, and it has an aerial input for the built-in TV tuner. There are also line-in and line-out connections for audio, as well as a VGA connector for a PC. It doesn't have any component or HDMI ports – while it's technically a high-definition screen, as all computer monitors are, it's too small for HDTV pictures to make a difference, so it's no great loss that no such connectors are available.

The screen is clear and colourful, and the sound from the built-in speakers is likewise very impressive. The remote control is used to navigate through the well-laid-out menus, although the controls are a bit slow to respond.

In all, while the Hannsvaas is expensive for a 15in television/monitor, it is extremely well built, and comes with plenty of features.

Review: Hannspree HANNSz.elephant LCD TV

Simon Williams — 2007-03-15T00:00:00.000Z

Simon Williams, Computeract!ve, Thursday 15 March 2007 at 00:00:00

How many LCD TVs are shaped like an elephant?

On a list of ideas for a killer piece of technology, a novelty TV would probably not rank highly.

Hannspree, however, makes a living out of unusually shaped televisions, its latest range being designed to look like cuddly toys.

Aimed primarily at the children’s market, they’ve also proved popular, according to the manufacturer, with students.

The HANNSz.elephant is a 9.6in (24cm) LCD television with a blue cuddly-toy surrounding and four screw-in feet. That’s quite a small size, but for the bedrooms and even nurseries it's aimed at, it shouldn’t be a problem.

At the back are sockets for a TV aerial, headphones and a 4-in-1 connector that enables other devices to be connected through Scart, S-Video or composite.

Controls on the front of the TV are big and easy to use, with a four-way dial for channel and volume settings, a single button to select the input and another for the on-screen menu.

The menu is particularly well laid-out, though possibly a bit complicated for younger users. It offers options that aren't often found on TVs, such as a graphic equaliser for the sound, a surround sound option and a sleep timer to power the TV off after a certain time. Hannspree supplies a remote control with the TV, which is presumably intended for older users or for parents.

The fluffy surrounding can be unzipped, so it can be washed either in a machine or by hand, but it's a little tricky to remove and reattach, as the surround is a close and fiddly fit around many of the controls.

The TV tuner in the HANNSz.elephant is an analogue one, which means none of the Freeview channels are directly available. This will become more of an issue as the UK’s analogue transmitters are switched off region by region, with the first areas due to make the change this year. You can always hook up a set-top box, of course, but this will be an extra expense.

There’s no doubt the elephant television is a novelty item, and quite a pricey one, but apart from the lack of digital channels, there’s a well-featured TV inside.

Review: Evesham 32in Alqemi SX LCD TV

Anthony Dhanendran — 2007-01-16T00:00:00.000Z

Anthony Dhanendran, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 16 January 2007 at 00:00:00

All the latest digital connections in an HD-ready screen for under £600

Evesham's original collection of flat-screen televisions, released last year, was budget-priced but with picture quality to match. The range has been revamped, redesigned and renamed, with the bigger screens now carrying the HD-Ready badge meaning they're capable of displaying high-definition images from Sky HD, Xbox 360 or compatible up-scaling DVD player.

With the Evesham 32in Alqemi SX, the main inputs of interest are the HDMI connector and component sockets, both of which can be used for displaying high-definition content.

There are also two Scart inputs, s-video and composite sockets. None of these lower-quality connections result in a particularly good picture, though.

The Alqemi SX comes with a digital tuner (or rather, both analogue and digital tuners) for picking up Freeview broadcasts.

The interface and programme guide for digital television are both well designed and easy to use, unlike those on many cheaper TVs. Freeview is not high-definition, however, so on this screen both analogue and digital television look pretty poor because they're enlarged so much. The answer is to plug in a high definition set-top box, such as Sky HD, the forthcoming NTL/Telewest V box or the Evesham iPlayer.

As with all such screens, the Alqemi SX can be used as a computer monitor, by connecting a PC to the VGA port of the display. Picture quality is good, although our test PC found it hard to select the correct resolution for the screen. Over the HDMI and component connections, however, the display quality is excellent, considering the price of the screen.

Compared to a Sony Bravia (at twice the price), picture quality doesn't really compare, but the Evesham is still very good for the price. The only qualm we have in recommending it is that, with the speed at which LCD prices are dropping, it's becoming possible to pick up similar sets with two HDMI ports or better features, at the same price.

Also consider

Sony Bravia KDL-40V2000

Sony’s latest Bravia range rolls into town with its best 40in LCD TV yet

Sharp Aquos LC-32P70E

An interesting alternative to the high definition ready route

Evesham V27DMCX-ZE3

Is Evesham’s latest HDTV guilty of stretching the definition?

All LCD TV reviews

Tevion MD 30132

Luke Peters — 2005-07-26T00:00:00.000Z

Luke Peters, Computeract!ve, Tuesday 26 July 2005 at 00:00:00

It's cheap but what sacrifices have been made to keep costs down?

The arrival of affordable large-screen flat-panel televisions has caused a stir in the home entertainment market, with most technology manufacturers now offering their own spin on the thin TV.

The difference between LCD TVs and flat-screen TFT computer monitors is the inclusion of a television tuner which is built into the display and, as the name suggests, allows you to connect a standard TV aerial and watch television programmes.

Tevion's MD 30132 is a 32in widescreen model selling for £750, the lowest-priced LCDTV at this size we've seen. The cheapest competing 32in models we could find were about £100 more expensive from independent retailers and £250 more expensive from high-street shops.

The price sounds great, but it sent alarm bells ringing as to what corners may have been cut to keep the costs down.

On paper Tevion's offering is loaded with some topnotch specifications. First to mention are the input connections. Even though it lacks HDMI, there are two Scart sockets for analogue input and one digital DVi, which means you can get a pure digital picture from a DVI-equipped DVD player, set-top or satellite box. You can also connect a PC if the graphics card has a DVI socket.

The MD 30132 is also fully compatible with High Definition TV (HDTV). Although the UK won't have access to this new and improved broadcast format until next year, this TV will be ready for it when it arrives.

There will be two versions and the Tevion can display one type with no adjustments while the other will require only a minor change to its resolution setting. Our test HD DVD showed that the Tevion coped well at both resolutions.

Another key inclusion where DVI is concerned is the MD 30132's support for HDCP, which again shows that this LCD TV has been built for the future.

It will also display picture-in-picture (two channels at the same time) and has a good viewing angle, which means you don't have to be right in front of the screen to see the picture.

There are S-Video and Composite inputs hidden behind a panel on the front that can be used to attach other devices, such as games consoles and digital camcorders.

For the most part, image quality was reasonably good. The colours are rich, it's bright without being overbearing and the black is very solid, all of which help to produce a decent picture.

However, we did notice some blurring, or 'smearing', with fast-moving images and the edges of some objects were quite jaggy, even when using the DVI connection. Of course, you can't expect too much from such a cheap LCD TV but these negative points reaffirm our suspicion that something had to give at this price.

The sound quality is comparable to that of a basic television set, so if you're a movie fan you'll need to hook up a 5.1 sound system to your DVD player. It can be wall-mounted but no bracket is supplied.

It's an affordable way to get a big screen LCD into your home and will be equipped for HDTV when it hits these shores. Picture quality isn't the best we've seen but, considering the rest of the specifications for this price, it's hard to complain too much.