The Second TV Challenge

While there is no shortage of great TV's for the focal point of the den, the toughest decision is often a plasma or an LCD. Contrast that with the second class treatment that the smaller digital TV's get. You know, the ones that typically end up in the bedrooms.

Getting down to specifics, once we get below 26", the choices narrow considerably. Sure, there are some sets that are 19", but at that size they are just too darn small. In between 20" and 26" there just are too few sets. And of the ones that I find, they are overpriced for the size they're delivering.
One such set is from Samsung. For 23", it's currently $545, which is expensive when I've seen 26 inch sets for less than that price point. Still, Samsung is a respected name in LCD sets, and I am pleased with the one I own already, so I am still tempted to consider paying the price.

Surely, there must be some other choices. Amazon has another 23" set from LG. I've never owned anything from LG, and have never been that impressed with their stuff. While their set is going for a better priced $485, the $31 in shipping brings us within a stone's throw of the Samsung set, so it's hardly compelling to try the unknown.

For the even more adventurous, there is a Sceptre brand set that is a cool $349 with $29 in shipping. Then again, I've not heard of them before, and I don't go for "no name" big ticket items. Also, the set can hardly be described as sleek, and looks more like it came out of a retooled Russian tractor factory. I'm also hardly impressed at a 700:1 contrast ratio (Samsung claims 4000:1) for a current LCD, so if these were directly comparable (they're not, but that's another story) we're somewhere between lackluster and mediocre.


I mentioned this in the recent NudgeCast, and perhaps the best route is to go for a Viewsonic LCD monitor that has a built in TV tuner. I'm finding it for $396, with a more reasonable $7 in shipping. Reportedly, it does have a remote control, and plenty of the right connections, including an HDMI port, as well as composite, component, and S-video inputs. You can get all the stats first hand here.

Now you get the idea of not too many sets in this size point? The point of this is that consider an LCD monitor with a TV tuner as it makes a more compelling deal for the price. Also, you could always use it as a monitor for the computer.

Jonas