Kreisen KR-321T 32-Inch Widescreen Flat-Panel HDTV-Ready LCD TV
If you are looking for an HDTV LCD, look no further...
I saw an interesting commercial the other day on TV for Circuit City about a guy who's looking to buy a television set but doesn't know which one to get.  It starts out with him saying that there is a lot of acronyms around these days, like HDTV, EDTV, etc. and one can easily get confused and end up with NO TV.  I thought that was pretty funny, but I also know that it's right - technology goes forward at such a pace, that it is impossible for an average person to keep up with it.  I am not going to give you a lecture here, but I do want to explain a few things first (you can skip them and go directly to Pros and Cons list if you already know all of this) before I get to the actual rating of the product: <br /> <br />1. HDTV vs EDTV - High Definition TV versus Enhanced Definition TV.  What is the difference here one might ask?  Well, regular, or standard output of the television set is 480 lines.  It's sometimes referred to as 480i, where \\"i\\" stands for interlacing, meaning that every frame of video is split into two fields and each field is shown alternately.  EDTV is a step forward - it displays the same 480 lines, but at the same time, and called 480p, where \\"p\\" is for progressive.  You might have heard of a term \\"progressive scan\\".  This is exactly what it is.  Most of the DVD players on the market these days produce progressive scan output, but your TV has to support it.  EDTV does.  HDTV does that, and more... HDTV is another step above.  First, it increases the number of scan lines on the screen. Second, it widens the aspect ratio of the screen from the standard 4:3 which is what most televisions are today, to 16:9. The wider screen format has a more theatrical look.  So, if you have a high definition cable or satellite provider; if you are planning on buying a tuner to receive free off the air high definition broadcasting; if you plan on using it for playing video games and/or use it as a computer monitor; then it is definitely worth to spend a \\"few\\" extra dollars and buy an HDTV.  And if you are still thinking about \\"saving\\" money and getting an EDTV - Don't - you're going to end up getting an HDTV anyway in a couple of years. <br /> <br />2.  LCD vs Plasma - Another \\"hot\\" topic of conversation.  LCD TV's are better than Plasma TV's.  Here is why: <br /> <br />- Better viewing angle - LCD's have 170 degree viewing angle, where as Plasma only has 160; <br /> <br />- Burn-in - LCD's don't suffer from pixel burn-in, Plasma TV's do.  If you watch a lot of programs with a static image (like CNN Headline News, for example, where there is always a bar on the bottom of the screen) on a Plasma TV, you will have a burn-in, meaning that the pixels in that area will fade and will be of different shade and color than the other ones; <br /> <br />- Brightness - LCD's are brighter and display colors better.  This is a known fact as well.  Especially pure black and white colors are much more brighter and vivid on an LCD than Plasma.  Also, if you play computer games, you will notice a difference as well; <br /> <br />- Product Life - LCD's have a life span of 60,000 hours.  Plasma TV's between 20,000 and 30,000.  Notice the difference? <br /> <br />- Power Consumption - LCD's consume about half the power of what Plasma TV's do.  Once again, the difference is very noticeable. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />I know I promised not to \\"lecture\\" you, but those are essential things to consider when choosing your TV.  Now that we've determined that LCD's are better than Plasma TV's, and that HDTV is better than EDTV, let's get back to Kreisen.  I am not an \\"impulsive\\" buyer by any means.  Usually, I do want something right away, however, I know that if I hurry things, I'm going to end up \\"loosing\\" in the end.  That is why, especially when it comes to electronics, I take my time, do my research, read reviews, compare, and ONLY then make a decision.  This was also the case with Kreisen.  I already knew all the stuff that I've explained here before,so I knew I was going to get an HDTV LCD, but I still didn't know which one to get.  It took me about 2 months to make a final decision.  So, why did I get Kreisen 321T and why do I recommend it to other people?  Let me try explain.  I hope my Pros and Cons list will be helpful and will help someone else to make the right choice. <br /> <br />PROS: <br />Price - Go ahead, I dare you to find a cheaper one with the same specifications. <br /> <br />Design - Very smooth.  Has both silver and black colors, which coordinates nicely with any piece of furniture.  It's also nice to have speakers on the sides, and not at the bottom like some other TV's. <br /> <br />Specifications - I've already mentioned that it's going to be hard, if not impossible, to find a cheaper TV with the same specifications.  So, what does make Kreisen stand above the competition?  Contrast ratio of 1200:1.  Response time of 8ms.  Resolution of 1366 x 768.  Do I need to say more? <br /> <br />Display/Colors - It is a known fact that the leading manufacturer of video equipment is Sony.  However, in the past couple of years, Samsung and Philips became leading manufacturers in the LCD industry.  I'm not telling you to take my word for it.  Do your own research if you don't believe me.  Sony LCD's are good, but they are not as good as Samsung and/or Philips, and they cost twice as much.  You might want to ask what is the relevance of all this information. Well, Kreisen uses both Samsung and Philips panels.  If you check, the model 320T uses Samsung, and the 321T uses Philips.  In my opinion, Philips is slightly better (check the specifications for both models), and after doing some research, I found out that Philips is significantly better than Samsung displaying black and white colors.  I can't talk for 320T model, but I can say that the colors on my TV are simply brilliant.  The picture is crystal clear.  The colors are so vivid, it's almost unreal.  I hooked up a DVD player to it to watch Lion Kingwith my daughter, and I was absolutely blown away.  Truly amazing experience. <br /> <br />CONS: <br />At first, I was going to say that there are no Cons for this TV.  However, there is one thing that I find somewhat annoying - input selection.  For example, after I watched a DVD, and want to switch to a regular cable broadcasting, it takes 5 clicks of a button on the remote control to do that.  And, there is a delay between every input, so it takes about 10 seconds to achieve the desired goal.  Not a big deal, but I think it's something Kreisen should address in future LCD models.  A friend of mine has a 37\\" Syntax Olevia HDTV LCD, and I love the way you can select input on it.  You press the button, the list of available inputs pops-up, and you just navigate to the one you want.  Very cool.  But overall, I still like my Kreisen better. <br /> <br />Summary: <br />Besides minor annoyance explained above, I would still recommend this TV to anyone.  Great picture quality, nice design, and unbeatable price make this TV a perfect buy.