The Pros and Cons of Cheap LCD TVs

Image Quality – While the price of LCD flat panels continues to drop, the image quality of LCD HDTVs in the 26-in or below size has diminished somewhat also. In earlier years, top of the line panels were available in this size range. However, today’s pricing pressures force some set makers to step down performance to screen resolutions of 1024 x 768 to keep the price low. If you want the best LCD glass within an LCD HDTV—one that features superior contrast ratios, off-axis viewing, signal processing and 10 bit color (1024 shades of gray versus 256)—you need to consider a name brand. In screen sizes of 32-in. and below, compare off center viewing, color, upconversion of standard definition sources and motion smear. You will find the range in performance from fair to really poor.