Once restricted to the small-size flat-screen realm, LCD TVs are bulking up and giving plasma TVs a run for the larger size money. Although still a tad small for the average plasma TV, 32 inches is close to being the sweet spot for LCD flat-panel TVs in terms of price, performance, and range of uses. We rounded up the Westinghouse LTV-32w1, WinBook LC32, and the Proton LX-32 to compare. Each contender offers a 1366 by 768 pixel resolution, includes component and DVI inputs, and exhibits similarly moderate amounts of pixelization across color gradations as well as surprisingly minimal smearing during rapid on-screen motion. They all feature integrated analog NTSC tuners but lack digital TV tuners. Let the battle begin.
Look & Feel - Westinghouse LTV-32w1
It’s mostly a matter of taste and space whether or not the bottom-mounted speaker design will appeal to you, but the fact is the LTV-32w1 is solid and looks sleek. The quarter-moon-shaped blue LED located beneath the center of the screen—which can be turned off by remote if you find it distracting—is a nice aesthetic element. The Westinghouse’s sharp and sophisticated, easy-to-follow menu system absolutely crushes what the other two have to offer (and blows away the menu look and layout of most any other TV on the market, too).
Winner: Proton LX-32
Picture - Westinghouse LTV-32w1
The picture on the LTV-32w1 is the softest of these three, although not so much that it’s annoying or detrimental to the image. In fact, some TV viewers may prefer its softer, “smoother” picture for video, but most won’t like it as much as the WinBook for use with a PC or the Proton with video. The set also loses detail in the brightest white and the darkest black portions of the image.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Ergonomics - Westinghouse LTV-32w1
With speakers located at the bottom of the TV, the Westinghouse display is the narrowest of the three, meaning it fits in more armoires and other tight places than the competitors. The shallow depth of the tabletop stand’s base plate was another advantage that will allow it to be placed close to a back wall. The LTV-32w1’s remote control is the smallest and least impressive of the bunch, though, with small buttons and labels that are hard to read. The back panel’s input labeling is similarly hard to see.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Sound - Westinghouse LTV-32w1
Speakers located beneath the screen receive a bit of a bass boost thanks to their proximity to a floor or tabletop boundary, but it’s no substitute for the real thing. The sound is equivalent to a small, inexpensive bookshelf speaker, which is about what you’d expect from the average-size TV (but you wish for more … )
Winner: WinBook LC32
Westinghouse LTV-32w1; $1,599
www.westinghousedigital.com;
562.236.9800
RATING: SOLIDPicture - WinBook LC32
With a solid dark
background on the WinBook’s screen you can see a slight variation in brightness,
but it is never noticeable when viewing video or still images. The set’s gray
scale tracking is good and sharpness is excellent, with a lot of detail in dark
areas. The result is an image with a great sense of depth. Regardless of the
color/tint settings, however, there is a slight greenish hue that can’t be
eliminated without dramatically affecting picture quality. Without a doubt, the
LC32 is the best of this bunch when used as a computer monitor and despite the
greenish hue, is probably the best value with video signals of those
tested.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Sound - WinBook LC32
If you’re going to rely on a TV as your sole
sound system, the LC32 is the best overall performer in this group. In addition
to having the widest and smoothest frequency response, the set includes a
five-band equalizer and a subwoofer output with a level control. It is no
substitute for a full-blown audio system, but it’s adequate for casual
viewing.
Winner: WinBook LC32
Look & Feel - WinBook LC32
Although you won’t find it in the
Museum of Modern Art, the Spartan cosmetic style of the LC32 is appealing in a
way that says “It ain’t cheap, but it ain’t overpriced, either.” Perforated
speaker grilles that extend from top to bottom along the sides of the screen
don’t distract from the most important part of the TV––the picture. The
two-legged stand looks attractive and is solid, too.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Ergonomics - WinBook LC32
The LC32’s remote control is big, with most
of the buttons—especially the power and volume/ channel change
buttons—correspondingly large and easy to find. The tabletop stand’s foot is
narrow enough to leave room for remote controls and DVDs to fit underneath the
TV’s frame. AV inputs are located separately from the digital inputs, and
although the WinBook’s inputs are clearly marked, the Proton is far easier to
hook up.
Winner: Proton LX-32
WinBook LC32; $1,099
www.winbook.com;
888.480.9183
RATING: ELEVATEDPicture - Proton LX-32
The depth in the
image and the color is fantastic although the Proton LX-32 offers slightly less
detail in the blacks than the WinBook does. Proton’s TV exhibits the least
amount of overscan by a large margin, so subtitles, text crawls, and news/scores
banners are always visible. Although not the best for computer use and though it
does cost more than the competition, the LX-32 is the clear favorite for video.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Ergonomics - Proton LX-32
The Proton remote control stands out as
the best built and most visually impressive. The remote’s curved back, large
buttons, and even larger arc of volume and channel change controls make it the
easiest to hold and use. All of the input jacks are located in a narrow strip
near the bottom of the back panel, and Proton prints a nice, color-coded map of
the connection layout with easy-to-read labels that make it exceptionally easy
to hook up the TV to multiple sources.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Sound - Proton LX-32
If you add a subwoofer, the Proton would be
the best sounding of the bunch. Unfortunately, as a singular sensation, the
LX-32’s sound is all tweet and no woof. Minimal audio adjustments include bass,
treble, and “surround” (off, stereo, and music), but nothing short of external
bass augmentation or low expectations can save the set’s sonic
performance.
Winner: WinBook LC32
Look & Feel - Proton LX-32
It is hard not to like the Proton’s
extruded speaker grilles, the black outer chassis frame that matches the black
frame surrounding the screen, and the see-through glass support that suspends
the panel over the base of the tabletop stand. Combined with the LX-32’s
multicolored, sturdy remote control, this one is the clear favorite.
Winner: Proton LX-32
Proton LX-32; $2,999
www.proton-usa.com; 310.787.8960
RATING: EXCELLENT