Some time ago I did a feature on lesser known LCD TV manufacturers, and ended by mentioning the name of a brand called VU. Not much is known about VU in India; not even in the AV market. I did hear that a friend picked up a full-HD LCD TV of this make for under 80 K during Diwali, but that of course was the festive price. Anyway, I now have a higher end model in the Tech2 lab – the LC-47R27.
So does this baby win the best debutant award? I should check if it's speech-ready or something; it definitely looks poised enough to impress! But first I need to highlight one point: VU's website needs to be made more comprehensive, with more info available. But then that’s part of my job, so here’s my bit towards greater media exposure...
Design and Features
The LC-47R27 is big, but not too cumbersome. When compared to other 47-inchers it's sort of like a macho man’s TV. This is probably thanks to the broad, black bezel. The back panel and speaker are black too, with a smooth finish, as is the simple rectangular stand. The stand has to be screwed in, and so does the massive horizontal speaker, which needs to be wired. In the unit I got they came already fixed, which saved me a bit of fiddling around.
The TV looks like some 70s film noir detective with its all-black finish. Perhaps the only thing that occasions a bit of contrast is a thin column of round silver buttons on the right panel. These are for basic operations such as power, volume etc.
A unique thing is the bare and flat back panel, with connections concealed facing downwards on the bottom half. So there’s some exercise involved in connecting the wires, and as the TV is big and heavy, even rotating it takes a few more Newtons. The last sentence is straight from "Memoirs of a Couch Potato", the latest video on Tech2. Check it out; it shows you different ways to not do anything at all.
Speaking of connections, there is one HDMI, a VGA in, 2 composite ins, 2 component ins and a composite AV out, so you'll not run into any problem there. Maybe I'm thinking of the fact that multiple HDMI-ins are the in thing these days. The surprise jolt, however, comes in the form of a USB 2.0 input on the left panel.
The panel is 16:9, full HD at 1920 x 1080 pixels, with quite a high brightness rating of 100 cd/m2. The contrast is 3600:1 (dynamic) while the response time is a surprisingly impressive 6.5 ms. The speakers deliver 20 watts total. That wraps up the specs of this newcomer. Let me remind you that some of these values are very good.
I just brought in a week ago.
