WinBook 46D1 LCD HDTV

Normally, when we shop for a high-end high-definition television, we usually go for the one with the biggest screen that will fit in our available space. Of course, the cost will definitely play a certain factor. But if you look really close, you’ll find that some big screens are what you would say perfect deal for your money. The 46-inch WinBook 46D1 is the least-expensive LCD HDTV in this size that delivers an impressive picture quality. If you can make do with its limited selection of digital video inputs, the 46D1 is a great deal.

The 46D1 comes in with its flat and narrow base stand attached. The 46D1’s exterior measures 32.7 by 46.1 by 8.9 inches (HWD) and has a matte-finish black bezel set within a perforated black background that conceals the TV’s fixed bottom-mounted stereo speakers (2 x 9W). Outlining the 46D1 is a strip of silver-colored trim that blends nicely into the TV’s matching base.

The 46D1’s widescreen LCD provides a native resolution of 1,366 by 768 pixels progressively scanned (768p). Video input options include a single HDMI connection, two component-video inputs, a VGA port for PC use, and an RF input for digital reception of terrestrial stations or unscrambled analog-cable TV reception. The 46D1’s single HDMI input is a limitation in an increasingly digital home-theater environment, but the TV’s component and HDMI inputs are compatible with 720p/1080i HD signals. PC input via VGA or HDMI allowed for easy configuration of the common 1,360 by 768 computer resolution with no image overscan. Image overscan with HD video sources was a minimal 2 percent.

First impressions n the 46D1’s image quality is quite disappointing. The picture appeared slightly washed-out, although very bright. But slight tweaking on its picture-control menu solved this problem. Setting the TV’s backlight to minimum levels improved dark grays and blacks while giving colors a more saturated appearance. Viewing angles with the 46D1 were normal for an LCD screen, with the first signs of decreasing color saturation occurring at 30 degrees. But its picture remained legible out to the 178 degrees claimed in the specs.

The set is adept at suppressing jagged edge artifacts, but the detection of 24-frame-per-second content (film transfers/digital cinema) was a little slow. On high-definition programming the 46D1’s full-screen image quality was quite appealing, with natural-looking colors that reminds you of other higher end products.

With HD movies on Blu-ray and HD DVD formats, the 46D1’s 768p screen resolution is half that of the source material, but the TV’s terrific color quality and image contrast made viewing this high-quality content a pleasure.

The image quality of the WinBook 46D1 exceeded expectations for a value-priced HDTV. The addition of one or two more HDMI ports would certainly boost the 46D1’s usability factor, especially considering that most modern A/V components are moving toward digital (and frequently encrypted) output. Its impressive contrast-ratio results were slightly subdued by the slight loss of the finest image details, but this softening was preferable to the results of the 32-inch WinBook 32M0, which did nothing to hide video-noise artifacts. If natural-looking picture quality at a good price sounds appealing to you, the WinBook 46D1 is definitely a winner.

Sources:
http://tv.about.com
http://review.zdnet.com
http://www.geek.com