292wv01 Philips 28PW6518

7/2/05

11:13 am

Page 88

FACT FILE

q q q q
50Hz pictures 28in CRT system Noise reduction Contrast booster

Philips 28PW6518

FEATURES 28in 50Hz CRT TV; flat screen; contrast booster; Virtual Dolby; Spatial sound mode; pic and sound presets; noise reduction; teletext; multiple aspect ratios; auto volume levelling; delta volume; picture rotation; autotuning SOCKETS 2 Scarts (1 RGB); composite video input; stereo audio input; headphone jack; stereo audio output; RF jack CONTACT 9070 www.philips.co.uk TEST DATA Colour:very good minimal bleed, excellent saturations, hard edges, only traces of noise Convergence: good minor red bleed along bottom corners Geometry: very good only minor distortions. Frequency response: very good traces of fine detail to 5.8MHz For a full explanation of test data, please see p 124

28in CRT TV 400

The 28PW6518s sonics stand out rather less than its picture, with its speakers failing to serve up anything like the bass levels necessary to really make a sound mix sing. Voices can sound weedy and explosions a bit forced and distorted. There is, at least, enough treble subtlety to give the soundstage a sense of space and clarity, however. And theres certainly nothing remotely bad enough about the 28PW6518s sound to stop it from being a true budget TV star overall. Really, its just not cricket for Philips to go making pictures this good available for just 400. After all, how is anyone else meant to compete?! John Archer
he raison dtre behind Philips latest TV is to offer 28in pictures from a big-name brand for as little hard cash as possible. A laudable aim, providing not too many corners have been cut to meet the price. Theres nothing cheap about the 28PW6518s looks, at any rate. While were not particularly big fans of its largewinged, grille-finished design, theres no denying that the solid build quality and angular sculpting are reasonably smart. Connectivity fits the budget mould perfectly, however, comprising just a couple of Scarts on top and front AV jacks. In fact, its slightly worse than normal as theres no four-pin S-video option. The 28PW6518s operating system is utterly foolproof, with fuss-free, sensibly organised onscreen menus and a clear, helpful, if unglamorous remote control. Inevitably for this money, part of the reason the 28PW6518 is so easy to use is that there arent exactly piles of features to wade your way through. We got some joy out of a contrast booster, noise reduction system, Dolby Virtual audio and a picture rotator for correcting distortions caused by the earths magnetic field, but thats about it.

PERFORMANCE

Where the 28PW6518 suddenly becomes hugely more likeable, however, is with its picture quality. This is a considerable cut above what weve come to expect at this sort of price point. The most unexpected treasure is the vibrancy of the colours. Compared to even
Dull, yes, but handy? Definitely
the eminently respectable same-price Sony KV-28HX15 elsewhere in this issue, the Philips colours are outstandingly rich. The flattening dullness that afflicts so many budget TVs is almost completely side-stepped especially as the 28PW6518 backs up the colour radiance with some exceptionally solid black levels. Its rare, indeed, to find such an accomplished contrast range and resulting depth of field for under 500. The colours arent merely noteworthy for their vibrancy, either. They also look wonderfully natural in tone particularly during brighter scenes and stay immaculately contained within their proper boundaries. The 28PW6518 also scores over the Sony with its fine detail response. The Philips picture looks sharper and more textured a feeling borne out by our laboratory tests. Also confirmed by our lab tests is the fact that the 28PW6518s screen geometry is very accurate, with next to no curvature even in its extreme corners. There are, of course, one or two niggles with the 28PW6518s picture. Theres some evidence of the 50Hz flicker, for starters, especially with tuner broadcasts. Also, tuner broadcasts look noticeably more noisy than RGB Sky or DVD feeds to a greater extent, in fact, than with the Sony 28HX15. Finally, edges can look a bit untidy thanks to a slight over-emphasis of peak whites and sporadic moiring interference. But come on, if the 28PW6518s pictures were perfect, there wouldnt be any point in anyone building a more expensive TV, would there?!

WHATS GOOD

Picture; price

WHATS BAD

Slightly compressed sound; only one RGB Scart
PICTURE SOUND FEATURES EASE OF USE VALUE ALSO CONSIDER.
PANASONIC TX-28PM1 Not quite such an accomplished performer, but its starting to be discounted to some crazy prices Reviewed: Oct 04 SONY KV-28HX15 Adds a helpful subwoofer to the audio scene, but its picture, while less noisy, is softer and less vibrant Tested: this issue

OVERALL VERDICT

As fine a picture performer as weve seen this side of 500
88 Issue 292 s WHAT VIDEO AND WIDESCREEN TV

293wv10 Toshiba 28Z44

8/3/05

5:09 pm

Page 067
28in CRT TV G Approx price: 430

On test

Also Consider >>
PHILIPS 28PW6518 Superior pictures at a similar price but no picture frame design Not yet reviewed SONY KV-28HX15 Similar picture performance and slightly better sound thanks to a built-in subwoofer but again, no picture frame design Reviewed: Issue 292

Fact file

I 28in CRT TV I 50Hz pictures I Contrast booster I Bass booster I 1 RGB Scart

Toshiba 28Z44

Details

FEATURES

28in 16:9 CRT TV; 50Hz pictures; autotuning; teletext; noise reduction; black stretch; dynamic sub bass; Spatial surround mode; volume correction; on/off timers; horizontal position adjust; width adjust; panel lock; blue screen; multiple aspect ratios

SOCKETS

2 Scarts (1 RGB); RF jack; stereo audio input; composite video input; headphone jack

CONTACT

www.toshiba.co.uk

TEST DATA

For a full explanation of test data, please see page 124
any of the traditional quality brands are now trying to get a bit of the ber-budget action, with Toshiba being the latest to give it a go with the 430 28Z44. Surprisingly, the 28Z44s low price hasnt prevented Toshiba from gracing it with a variant of its hugely popular Picture Frame design, whereby the exceptionally skinny screen frame allows a 28in TV to occupy the same sort of space usually taken up by a 24in TV.The fact that this svelte bodywork also wears an eye-catching near-white colour doesnt do any harm either. Connectivity is almost scarily basic, though.Toshiba has managed to run to a pair of Scarts, but only one of these can take RGB, and theres no sign of other mainstream favourites like stereo audio outputs or a four-pin S-video jack. At least the features list isnt quite so basic. Slightly unusual (for this money) touches include a contrast booster, a slightly bizarre facility for adjusting the pictures width, a multi-level bass booster and noise reduction.

performance

The really great news about the 28Z44, though, is the fact that its pictures are surprisingly enjoyable. Not in the sense that they excel in any particular department, but in that they manage to avoid practically all of the nasty stuff that
Test Colour Geometry Convergence Frequency response
Rating Average Good Good Average
usually characterises the ultra budget end of the market. Take contrast, for instance.Where many really cheap and even some mid-range TVs fail to deliver anything like a deep black level, the 28Z44 goes really quite dark before the familiar grey mist sets in. The picture is also surprisingly free of noise.Fine details are affected by impressively little moiring,edges are generally free of tizzing,ghosting or haloing,and of grain or dot crawl theres nary a trace. Next, colours stay neatly contained within their proper boundaries, which helps the picture in general look a touch more sharp than that of many low-rent rivals. Theres really only one area where the 28Z44 betrays its cheap and cheerful position, and thats with its colour saturations. Compared with the similarly priced, similarly specified Philips 28PW6518 we looked at recently, the 28Z44s colours look a little muted and flat, so that the picture tends not to engross your eye so fully. The 28Z44s sound is better than anticipated.The Picture Frame design requires the TVs speakers be tucked under the screen, but this doesnt prevent them sounding reasonably potent and the soundstage appearing decently wide.Theres even a pretty solid amount of bass to underpin proceedings.Yes, the mid-range can

get overloaded and treble subtleties are conspicuous by their absence but again, we have no complaints for the money. As a total package,the 28Z44 is a very attractive proposition.To be fair, its not the last word in performance quality the Philips 28PW6518 delivers better pictures for the same sort of money,for instance.But dont forget the 28Z44s space-saving Picture Frame design or the fact that weve found it online for actually quite a bit less than its Philips rival I John Archer

Ratings

WHATS GOOD

Price; design; pictures

WHATS BAD
Colours slightly muted; minimal connectivity
Picture Sound Features Ease of use Value
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OVERALL VERDICT

A very decent budget performer given extra appeal by its space-saving design
Issue 293 I What Video and Widescreen TV I 067