There are not many branded 19 inch LCD TV available in the market locally. I suppose the profit margin is lower and the demand is less for this size so the retailers and manufacturers are pushing their bigger 32 inch and above sets for better profits. There is a small market for these small LCD TV as in my case where I needed the small size to fit on my desktop for personal viewing or maybe you need this size for the kitchen or even in the bathroom!
Apart from the Sharp LC-19A35M that I bought, I found two other branded 19 inch LCD TV locally and they are the Sony KLV19T400A and the Toshiba 19AV550E. The Sharp and the Toshiba are very similar in the main specifications as both have resolution of 1366 x 768 (aspect ratio of 16:9) while the Sony has a higher resolution of 1680 x 1050 (aspect ratio of 16:10). Though the Sony has the higher resolution, I'm not sure if there is any distortion when showing movies that uses the 16:9 ratio. The Sony also has FM radio and all three models have RGB input for connecting a PC. (These models may not be available in all parts of the world or may have different model names.)
You may want to check out the detail specification here for the Sharp, Toshiba and the Sony. I've seen all these three models at Harvey Norman so you may want to do some live comparison down there before your purchase. Both the Sharp and the Toshiba are selling at RM999 while the Sony is at RM1299 (but prices will change over time). The Sharp is also available in Best Denki at the same price currently.
Since all these models have plenty of adjustable items, the differences that you see may be due to these adjustments which may not be set optimally. One of the most important item to check will be the different screen display modes to see how it handles the various aspect ratios of movies that are been produced. A set may be great in all the features and produces wonderful colors but all these come to nought if the display is distorted.
I believe all these branded LCD TV may show some differences when they are compared side by side but when they are viewed on their own, any one will look OK since the technology is more or less the same despite what fanciful terms they use in the advertisement (Aquos, Regza and Bravia; wonder what they really mean). Some of the technical figures they quote will show up only in a lab measurement but to the naked eye, they don't mean much, in my layman opinion; especially for a small 19 inch model.
In my next post I'll talk more about the Sharp LCD TV since that is the one that I have. Readers who own other 19 inch LCD TV are welcome to give their opinions of their sets. Happy viewing.
Ronald Kwok
http://ronaldkwok.atomicblog.hop.clickbank.net/
This is a post imported from my other Blog, The Mind of Ronald Kwok. Since there will be more posts on this subject in the future, I feel it would be easier for viewers interested in this subject if I start this new Blog. So here goes.I took the plunge last weekend and bought myself my first LCD TV. No, it is not one of those giant screen monster or even the usual entry level 32" LCD TV. It is just a modest 19" Sharp, LC-19A35M that suits my purpose perfectly. Nowadays LCD TV makers are pushing for bigger and bigger screen size just like digital camera are giving you more and more megapixels but do you really need all these extra inches and megapixels?
For some of us, the answer is no but how else can the manufacturer come out with new models every now and then to push up their sales and satisfy customers who wants bigger and more to be one up on their friends? Maybe with the current economic situation, customers are thinking twice. Anyway, you should only get what you really need and not pay for something that does not add to its value. (Of course having plenty of money helps but that's another story.)
OK, back to my new toy. Even since my wife bought me the Samsung micro HiFI MMDA25, I've been longing for a display unit so that I can play my large collection of DVD's. As I spent a lot of my time in my library (den to my wife), I just need something small to fit into the "hole" in my desktop. So I looked around the hypermarkets and even Pasar Road. There were many local brands in the small size segment in Pasar Road but for the major brands, they were mainly in the 32" and above category which is too big for me.
I almost bought a local 15" (Audio Phonar?) which was going for RM499, the cheapest LCD TV that I could find. There were brands like E-View (19" for RM650), Wina, and others with similar pricing. Then I saw an ad for a Sharp 19" going for RM799 at Desa Home Theatre and so I did some googling and found that this is the smallest screen in their Aquos range. Not that I do not trust those call-what-you-want local brands but looking at their prices, I feel that this must be a good buy. So I went down to Desa Home Theatre at Low Yat Plaza and took the plunge.
To cut the long story short (so that I can post this early for those PC Fair visitors), I was initially disappointed but later I was very happy with my purchase. It is a definitely a recommended value buy for those of you looking for this screen size and a reputable brand. I will give more details and a full review in my next post. Later I saw the same model going for RM999 at Harvey Norman and a 19" Pensonic also going for RM999 as well so you can see why I say the Sharp is a good buy. (I mean, if you can have Rinko Kikuchi, why pick Amber Chia?) So for those of you going to the PC Fair this weekend, check out the prices of the LCD TV (not LCD monitor) on display there and use this price (RM799) as a baseline for your comparison before you make your purchase.
(The actual screen size of the Sharp LCD TV is 18.5" and the Desa Home Theatre HQ is in Kompleks Desa, Kepong while the branch is in Plaza Low Yat, in case you want this offer.)
Ronald Kwok
http://cbpirate.com/s/cbp/ronaldkwok
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