PROTRON PLTV-32CM — 16:9 WIDESCREEN —UPDATED 2008 —
Written: Jul 21 '06 (Updated Oct 06 '08)
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Pros: Excellent picture, good sound, easy setup and use.
Cons: Remote key lay out needs redesign.
The Bottom Line: Buy it! You won't be disappointed with this tv. It's a gem waiting to be discovered.
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| GaryD's Full Review: Proton PLTV-32 32 in. Plasma TV |
This tv is still going strong for my parents that run it at least 12 hours a day. It will soon be two years old. I know several people were not happy with their purchase of the brand and model of lcd tv--either I lucked out with an improve unit or they had improved on their tvs by the time I made my purchase. In any event I believe Protron is no longer in business. I'm sorry to read so many experienced issues with their purchase.
WHY THE PURCHASE
Another holiday season is rolling around and what to buy people for gifts gets more difficult each year. Especially for your parents that have collected so much over the years with their own purchases etc. . . . When I realized, they were still watching a 25-inch RCA floor console television from 1985. It's indeed time to upgrade them and bring them current with the 21st century. Change is something they don't take to easily so my selection had to be well thought out.
I had researched on-line, sales circulars, and tv — covering the variety of technologies out there — LCD, PLASMA, DLP, PROJECTION as the list goes on and on.
THE DELIVERY WAIT
A little over a week ago, I was unable to sleep and was surfing the channels when I saw ShopNBC.com boosting a 32 inches LCD television. Falling back to the channel I watched and listened, grabbed my notebook and surfed on-line. No one was touching the price or features they continued to praise. So — I ordered it— within one week it arrived at my parent’s doorstep via UPS. The television arrived five days earlier then expected but the on-line tracking enabled me to keep tabs on its arrival. Staying informed as to UPS rescheduling I knew when I needed my parents away for the installation. Christmas came in July this year.
IS THE LCD ALL THAT
A Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel with a (class A panel), 33 inches long, 26 inches tall and merely 4 inches thick, weighting at only 39 pounds. It was sleek, stylish, contemporary, modern and Mom and Dad would love it. The tv would fit well in the space of their present tv, it would go well with the room’s decor, and all their audio and video equipment.
THE CONNECTIONS
The Protron sports two component RCA inputs with audio, three composite inputs with audio, one super video input, one sub-D 15-pin VGA connector, one pc audio in, one coaxial in for cable/sat/ant, one audio out to connect a stereo or receiver, one powered sub woofer output. More connectivity then my parents will need but there should the need arise.
THE RESOLUTION
Video formats supported by this tv are SDTV: 480i, EDTV: 480i, HDTV: 720p, 1080i (i = interlace, p = progressive). An interlace scan odd the lines in the first frame scan and then the even lines to accommodate a broadcasting bandwidth set-up in 1924. A progressive scans like is used in computer monitor’s scan both odd and even lines in one scan, which provides a cleaner, sharper image. You will see tvs listed as 1080p in the next months but most do not accept a 1080p signal, it merely takes a lower signal and up scans it to the 1080p level. Though you may see true 1080p tvs about mid 2007 — just have your wallets open to the high prices these new 1080p LCD tvs will be sporting.
WHAT SOUND, WHAT EXTRAS
The Protron on this model offers tv audio: Mono, Stereo, SAP, a V-chip for parental control, eight settings for closed captioning, and two 10W speakers, and is plug-in-play ready for pcs with windows me and higher.
RECAP
The Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV arrived double boxed. The outer box took some serious wear and tear getting here but the retail box the tv comes in was in excellent shape, plus the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV was delivery by UPS on time.
From the initial opening of the boxes to making all the connections and setting the features of the tv took about one hour. I was able to do everything while my parents were away shopping for a couple of hours.
The Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV weights in around 39 pounds so one person can easily unbox the unit and move the tv about without additional aid. Everything was straight forward— I placed the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV into position (after removing all of the packing, plastic bagging, and screen protector sheet. Then I opened the accessary box that was packaged with the tv. This box included: a quick setup guide, the manual, one AC power cord, one remote control and two triple 'A' batteries, one VGA PC cable, one AV cable, and one audio PC cable.
Once the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV had power I ran the channel scan to insure good picture quality. Although the picture quality was good on the display using the coaxial cabling from the DishNetwork receiver, I opted for the composite AV out to the LCD screen — it provided a much better image — as soon as I can obtain a S-video cable I will use it instead.
After connecting the DVD recorder to the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV in progressive scan mode on a 16:9 widescreen setting the image is breathtaking. The colors are crisp, vivid, rich, and extremely crisp. Since this tv is HD ready, I believe my parents will live at the screen once a HD signal is attached where they can enjoy the true essence of the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV.
LCD's still have an issue when it comes to displaying a letterbox image on a screen. The black bars at the top and bottom are not true black due to some bleeding through of the backlight. This is a characteristic of LCD panels and not a defect and this model handles the problem better then higher priced LCD's.
What I like most about this Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel, TV is the full screen feature. A tv show broadcast in the old square box format of 4:3 fills the entire screen to a full 16:9. Still there are some broadcasts where letterbox images are expanded from side to side but not top to bottom. This is not a defect of the tv but of the information being provided.
This particular model offers PIP (Picture-In-Picture) and PBP (Picture-Box-Picture) enabling you to watch two programs at once, or watch a program and surf the internet concurrently. This can be a very useful feature and if you are interested in a tv with PIP capability you should seriously consider buying this unit. Word has it that future models of LCD televisions regardless of manufacture are discontinuing PIP inclusion due to cost cutting. At this price range I don't think you will find a better deal or LCD tv for the money.
I like that the remote control allows you to control all functions of the tv from your setting position. But I'm not all too pleased with the layout of the remote keys. There is a small learning curve.
The on-screen menus are simple and straight forward, it's 123 eZ, a child could setup and navigate the Protron PLTV-32CM 32" LCD flat panel TV without any serious difficulty. It is almost plug-in-play ease.
The native resolution (which is the resolution all images look best on this tv) is 1366 x 768, 24 bits (16.7 million colors), Active Matrix TFT LCD, with an actual viewing area of 32 inches. The contract ratio is 1200:1 and brightness of 500 cd/m, with a wide viewing angels of 176 degrees vertical and horizontal, the LCD response time is stated by the manufacture to be 12ms.
The television also allows you to rename your favorite channels which can be a huge deal for more mature individuals. Sometimes the electronic TV guides can be daunting with the ability to rename channels one can locate their favorite most watch channels with ease.
WHY PURCHASE A LCD TV
LCD televisions consume one third the power of a typical television — that's good for our environment, energy conservation and your wallet. LCD televisions are thinner, lighter, and be placed just about anywhere using its include stand or an optional wall or ceiling mount. LCD televisions do not have the burnin issues prevalent in Plasma and traditional tvs. LCD televisions run cooler, screens tend to be larger at lower pricing levels, and they work well as a tv, computer monitor or xbox display for gaming. Best of all LCDs are dropping below the $1000 mark and more people can buy and enjoy them.
UPDATE ONE LCD TV SIZE MATTERS
With traditional televisions their sheer bulk limited the size screen you could own if space was an issue. But with the advancements of LCD technology — larger is better. I've heard lots of people declare they would have gone with a larger screen if they had only knew how well the LCD images pop. Thirty-two inches is a good size television for most rooms in today's homes. I like the Protron so well I plan on purchasing another 32 inch for the bedroom and 45 inch to use as computer monitor. Then I can fly through those spread sheets.
WHY HD READY and NOT HD BUILT-IN
Several people I've spoken with have asked why I didn't buy a LCD TV that has HD tuners’ built-in instead of a HD ready LCD TV. It's logical if you think about it for a moment. But before I explain my reasoning I'll differentiate the difference between HD Ready and HD built-in: First, HD Ready means the television is capable of receiving a HD signal but requires a HD receiver — Yes the receiver is a separate purchase. Since my parents subscribe to Dish Network and will be using the satellite receiver I saw no reason to pay for a built-in tuner that they would never use. Even when the HD turner is built-in most companies still require you to use their set-top receiver (especially with premium programing). When my parent elect to upgrade their Dish Network service to HD, the satellite company will provide the receiver. This is basically the difference between HD Ready and HD built-in, with HD built-in the turner is integrated inside the television set. If you are not subscribing to premium channels then it would be advantageous for you to consider a TV with the HD turner built-in. This would eliminate some wiring and clear off some of the electronic hardware you may feel is cluttering up your area. Personally, I prefer HD Ready would the TV is essentially a monitor that can be easily and quickly upgraded with the latest HD receivers.
THE DISAPPOINTMENT
A number of individuals have voiced displeasure with their LCD TV (any brand). The truth is one needs to set the LCD TV's up properly. The signal coming into the device is important too. It's true some programming will actually look worse on the newer HD screens, but there are DVD players on the market that feature up-conversion to near HD quality. I own a Sony CD/DVD Player model DVP-CX95V (a 400-disk changer) with up-conversion and it does an excellent job. If you want to know more about this DVD player check out my review on it. And before you decide on returning your latest LCD TV because of image quality — remember newer programs are entering the market every day and they look fantastic on these screens. Your LCD TV will automatically adjust to the broadcast resolution. LCD TV's with progressive or up-conversation built in will take a 480i and upscale it very close to HD quality.
Before you go with the less expensive LCD TV on the market be fore warned. Not all LCD panels are the same. The LCD manufacture rate panels from Class A to Class E with 'A' being the best and 'E' not as good. With ShopNBC.com all of their LCD TV's use Class A panels with an expected life of 25 years running at 6 hours a day. Longevity is determined by a number of factors but assuming the best scenario there is no reason why and LCD TV can't last at least the life span of a traditional television set.
The adage that you get what you pay for is true. You are going to be living with a LCD TV for a long time. Don't make a rushed decision and don't skimp on the features or quality you want.
HIGHLIGHTS
Features:
16:9 wide screen aspect ratio for a truer cinematic experience
1366 x 768 native resolution for a bright display and sharp colors
1200:1 dynamic contrast ratio for crisp, clear colors
Brightness: 500 cd/m
Response time: 12ms
Viewing angle: 170 degrees
HDTV ready for the best picture quality
Built-in bottom speakers
Great picture quality
Picture-in-picture so you can watch a show while playing a video game – or just watch two shows at the same time
Includes:
Two AAA/UM-4 batteries
One power adaptor
One remote control
One power cord
User manual
Dimensions:
Without stand: 33"L x 5"D x 23"H
With stand: 33"L x 9"D x 26"H
PS
ShopNBC.com has sung the praises of the PROTRON PLTV-32CM — 16:9 WIDESCREEN. At present, I must concur, I have been dazzled by this tv and my parents for whom it was purchased for love it. As time passes I will update this review to reflect the experiences associated with this purchase so you will be better informed when considering your purchase.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $999.95
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Epinions.com ID:
GaryD
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Location: Kentucky
Reviews written: 275
Trusted by: 80 members
About Me:
My books R N bookstores, on-line ,Percentage of royalties donated to my favorite charities.
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