If looks could kill, you’d better be careful when shopping for flat-panel TVs nowadays. Improvements in cosmetic design have come along faster than you can say, “Where’s the Chanel counter?” This issue’s threesome is no exception. All of them look great on the outside; but while they share similar specs (720p resolution, number of inputs, brightness, etc.), each has its own unique blemishes. Go ahead and be judgmental because, as with any TV, beauty is ultimately in the eye of the beholder.
Look and Feel -ViewSonic N3250w The ViewSonic almost nudges out the Vizio L32 as the classiest looking set with its seductive all-black cabinet and svelte I-beam-style foot stand. The top-mounted control buttons are large and nicely spaced apart, too, but there’s a slight wobble in each button when pressed. As a result, the buttons feel cheaper than you would expect from this otherwise solid set—although they work great. The universal remote control is marginal at best, giving the overall lead to Vizio.
Winner: Vizio L32
Sound - ViewSonic N3250w
The ViewSonic comes in second in
sound behind the Soyo. With only bass and treble controls, it’s hard to
accurately compensate for the accentuated midrange of the N3250w. The
high-frequency output sounds more muted and not as piercing as many TVs that
have small built-in speakers.
Winner: Soyo DYLTO32A
Picture - ViewSonic N3250w
The N3250w wins the overall picture quality
contest. Diagonal lines are the smoothest while the resolved detail is the
highest of the three. The noise reduction is judicious and causes minimal
smearing. While it doesn’t lock into film mode as quickly as the Vizio, the
minimal noise reduction artifacts make it by far the best TV of the three for
watching analog NTSC content. The set’s accurate color balance and gray scale
make it great for HD.
Winner: ViewSonic N3250w
Ergonomics - ViewSonic N3250w
The shallow-depth design of
the N3250w’s stand means it will fit closer to a wall than the others. The
included universal remote is uncomfortable to hold and pedestrian in appearance.
Control buttons are located at the top of the cabinet except for the power
on/off button, which is located on the lower front. But what was ViewSonic
thinking when they failed to include a source select button on the TV itself?
The clunky, user-unfriendly menu structure could use a bit of rethinking,
too.
Winner: Vizio L32)
ViewSonic N3250w
$1,299
www.viewsonic.com
800.888.8583
RATING: ELEVATED
Look & Feel - V Inc. Vizio L32
If you’re
not into the all-black
look, the L32 wins the style contest for its
combination of a black screen frame
that floats in front of the set’s
silver chassis. The large, rounded foot stand
doesn’t look reliable,
but it’s surprisingly stable and secure. The hidden front
panel buttons
feel very solid, perhaps because they’re fairly small. The
crowning
glory, however, is the substantial, comfortable, and well laid out
universal remote control.
Winner: Vizio
L32
Picture - V Inc. Vizio
L32
The Vizio scores the best in detecting
3:2
pull-down, or the ability to recognize and compensate for film-based
material. This helps the image resolve a lot of detail. There are
numerous
artifacts around scrolling text, though, and the L32 scores at
the bottom when
it comes to reproducing diagonal lines. Noise reduction
is heavily applied to
NTSC video and results in a lot of artifacts.
Unfortunately, the only time you
have the ability to adjust the color
temperature is when using the RGB input.
Winner: ViewSonic N3250w
Sound - V Inc. Vizio L32
While not intolerable,
the L32 comes in last
in the sound category. The high frequency is soft
and the bass is a little weak.
You can, however, turn off the internal
speakers and use the variable audio out
with external amplified
speakers or a receiver. The sound quality won’t keep you
from buying
this set, but it won’t be a reason to buy it, either.
Winner:
Soyo
DYLTO32A
Ergonomics - V Inc. Vizio L32
Vizio’s universal
remote control is what
most other TV remotes can only dream of being.
It’s comfortable to hold and well
laid out, although the volume and
channel up/down buttons should be larger and
trade places on the face
of the remote. The L32’s owner’s manual is another
example of how
things should be with detailed instructions, explanations, and
color
images of the jack packs and menu screens.
Winner:
Vizio L32
V, Inc. VIZIO L32; $1,199
www.vinc.com,
714.668.0588
RATING:
ELEVATED
Picture - Soyo DYLTO32A
The DYLTO32A does well displaying diagonal lines without a preponderance of jagged edges, or jaggies, but there’s too much edge enhancement in the image, which creates ringing, or ghost edges that obscure finer details. The motion-adaptive noise reduction is good but not great, so noise is definitely noticeable in the background areas of solid color. Scrolling text is clean and crisp. In addition to three color temperature presets, RGB values can be adjusted individually.
Winner: ViewSonic N3250w
Sound - Soyo DYLTO32A
Maybe side speakers are the way to go since the
Soyo has the best overall audio balance—but don’t expect it to fill an entire
living room with sound. It’s also the only TV of the three to include a
five-band equalizer with one user-selectable and four factory presets plus an
adjustable level setting for the audio line output.
Winner: Soyo
DYLTO32A
Ergonomics - Soyo DYLTO32A
Although the menu looks great and is
exceptionally easy to use, the remote control’s tiny buttons and labeling knock
the DYLTO32A out of the top spot. The side-mounted speakers reduce the height
while increasing the width, so this one is probably best to use on a shelf or
tabletop rather than as a replacement for an old 4:3 TV in an armoire. Small
control buttons—including source select—are discretely located and easily
reachable on the front as is the large, centrally located, illuminated power
on/off button.
Winner: Vizio L32
Look and Feel - Soyo DYLTO32A
There’s nothing wrong with the
cosmetics of the DYLTO32A; it’s just not a standout. The remote control, on the
other hand, does a disservice to this fine set visually because it looks like
something you’d get with a cheap VCR. The truth is that it’s actually built
well. The on-screen menu is one of the best looking and most well designed that
you’ll find in any TV for twice the money.
Winner: Vizio L32
Soyo DYLTO32A, $1,599
www.soyogroup.com
909.292.2500
RATING: SOLID