Tatung 23-inch Widescreen HDTV LCD - ~16 ms!!! $1,248 HOT

[seanbigdealer]

For those looking at the Dell 16ms 20" monitor unit, this may be a good option. 3" bigger, 16ms, only 1280x768 but if you need an HDTV as well not too shabby! Also, several hundred cheaper than the Dell 23" LCD TV and this includes VGA in (no DVI but not too bad) and the Dell TV is 25 anyways!

Tatung 23-inch Widescreen HDTV LCD TV with TV Tuner

23-inch TFT LCD screen
16:9 ratio for wide screen proportions
1280 x 768 (WXGA) resolution
High brightness (450 cd/m2)
400:1 contrast ratio
Inputs: PC Audio Stereo Mini-jack, Component Video, Composit (RCA Jacks), S-Video, RF (Cable TV), 15-Pin D-SUB
Outputs: Left & Right Audio (RCA-Jack), Subwoofer Out (RCA-Jack), Composit Video (RCA-Jack), Headphone Stereo Mini-jack
Includes a 15-pin VESA connector for use as an extra-large computer monitor
Built-in TV/cable tuner
HDTV 720p / 1080i
Picture-in-Picture, VOV
Motion-adaptive de-interlacing
3-D comb-filtering
V-chip/closed-caption settings
Swivel base
Wall or arm VESA standard mounting holes
Works as a computer monitor too (1280 x 768 @ 60Hz Recommended)
Response Time Tr + Tf = 16ms

 

[toant103]

not bad

 

[lispsux]

one must realise

dell 20" lcd = 4:3
this 23" lcd = 16:9

much cheaper to produce the same number of pixels while calling it a larger screen.

then again this one is 23", but uh, it is $1250

could get a pair of 19" 3:4 for this, or close to a pair of 20"

 

[Heifetz]

I can't think of any reason why anyone would want to get a hdtv lcd monitor. First, you can't use it as a computer lcd, because it has rediculously low resolution. The dell 20" is 1600x1200, which is the ideal resolution for that size. 1280x768 is just way too low for regular use from a computer. Second, this has a pathetically low contrast ratio for hdtv viewing. Typical rear projection DLP, LCD or Plasmas have 10x higher ratio, and probably brightness too. Not to mention, those tvs also support much higher resolution as well. So as a result, it won't hold a handle to the quality of image produced by a real TV. So if you can't use this as a computer lcd and it doesn't make a great tv, why would anyone pay 1k for it?


Heifetz

 

[Stefan2000]

those tvs also support much higher resolution as well. So as a result

I don't know about the contrast and brightness, of other types of HDTV compared to this LCD, but I think your defintely wrong about that as most of those "other" HDTVs you talk about won't even do 720p natively. They may accept a 720p signals but they convert it down to either 480p or 1080i (which is really just 540p). So, while I agree that the resolution of this LCD falls short for use as a computer monitor, I think it's comparable and perhaps even a bit better than most TVs. When you use an HDTV as a computer monitor you usually always have to sacrafice resolution compared to what you normally get with a regular computer monitor.

Anyway, has anyone seen this TV in action? Is there any ghosting with fast moving objects on the screen. That's usually the biggest weakness of LCDs.

 

[seanbigdealer]

I have not seen the unit, but at 16ms it hopefully will not ghost at all.

The Dell 20" 16ms screen is $999 normally, so for those wanting a TV and monitor this really does not look bad. Many LCD TVs have 400:1 contrast, and still again many have at most EDTV resolutions for the same cost.

Example of Zenith 20" from BB

Compared to other 23" HDTV LCD with VGA in, this it hot from what I can tell.

 

[treasurehunter]

>but they convert it down to either 480p or 1080i (which is really just 540p)

Why do people keep making this mistake? 1080i is NOT 540p. Not even close. Maybe one can say that it is essentially 1080p at half the frame rate. But it has 1080 lines of resolution as discernable by the human eye, so it is vastly superior to 540p (if that existed). . . .

 

[GRIFFIN1]

Originally posted by: treasurehunter
>but they convert it down to either 480p or 1080i (which is really just 540p)

Why do people keep making this mistake? 1080i is NOT 540p. Not even close. Maybe one can say that it is essentially 1080p at half the frame rate. But it has 1080 lines of resolution as discernable by the human eye, so it is vastly superior to 540p (if that existed). . . .

How can it have 1080 lines? The reolution of the LCD is 1280 x 768. 768<1080

 

[Stefan2000]

How can it have 1080 lines? The reolution of the LCD is 1280 x 768. 768<1080

Remember that with 1080i your only getting 540 lines with each frame. So the LCD has more than enough lines to resolve this resolution.

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: Stefan2000

How can it have 1080 lines? The reolution of the LCD is 1280 x 768. 768<1080

Remember that with 1080i your only getting 540 lines with each frame. So the LCD has more than enough lines to resolve this resolution.

1080i is 1920x1080, with the 1080 part being shown 1/2 at a time.

So how does 1280 fit 1920?

 

[grandeCC]

Try this 22" LCD widescreen at: Linky - $999 bucks!!!

 

[DarkNephree]

Try this 22" LCD widescreen at: Linky - $999 bucks!!!

Not a bad deal! I'm considering this one for the office.

 

[seanbigdealer]

The Real Digital is even hotter - has DVI in and supposedly 1600x1200 and 16 ms! Dang...

 

[seanbigdealer]

I checked out the Real Digital a bit further, not sure how good it will be as a monitor.

Short Amazon Review

"Real Digital's RD2200 monitor boasts a detailed, 22-inch TFT LCD screen with razor-sharp images and a 864 x 480-resolution picture. The RD2200 scan-converts from source inputs up to 1,600 x 1,200, letting you use it with PC and Macintosh computers (VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA) as well as with high-resolution home theater equipment like satellite receivers and DTV set-top boxes (625p, 625i, 1080i, and 720p). "

 

[edplayer]

Originally posted by: Heifetz
1280x768 is just way too low for regular use from a computer.
Heifetz

drugs are bad, mmmkay!

 

[Apex]

The RD2200 is good for EDTV & DVD, but higher resolution stuff (HDTV, computer use), is probably not great (or at least not as good as the Tatung). 864x480 isn't very high resolution for computer use.

 

[deeznuts]

Originally posted by: GRIFFIN1

Originally posted by: treasurehunter
>but they convert it down to either 480p or 1080i (which is really just 540p)

Why do people keep making this mistake? 1080i is NOT 540p. Not even close. Maybe one can say that it is essentially 1080p at half the frame rate. But it has 1080 lines of resolution as discernable by the human eye, so it is vastly superior to 540p (if that existed). . . .

How can it have 1080 lines? The reolution of the LCD is 1280 x 768. 768<1080

he was talking about 1080i resolution in general, not about this lcd.

Remember that with 1080i your only getting 540 lines with each frame. So the LCD has more than enough lines to resolve this resolution.

uh, just because you get 540 lines with each frame, doesn't mean it'll fit. they don't use the same lines, or else the picture would shift up and down one line each frame. that might make you dizzy.

1080i is 1920x1080, with the 1080 part being shown 1/2 at a time.

So how does 1280 fit 1920?

it's called scaling. how do plasmas, which normally have a resolution of 852x480 show hdtv images? scaling. image quality depends greatly on the scaler of the display.

you guys have to remember that fabulous pictures can be had even when the monitor has to scale down. a prime example is the fabulous picture you get when watching HDTV on a panasonic EDTV plasma. it is even more breathtaking than watching progressive scan dvds. how can this be, since the dvd is native resolution? it all depends on the scaler, if done right, the image is better.

 

[allmotor]

so which is the better deal for home theater, say living room?

 

[Apex]

Originally posted by: deeznuts

Remember that with 1080i your only getting 540 lines with each frame. So the LCD has more than enough lines to resolve this resolution.

uh, just because you get 540 lines with each frame, doesn't mean it'll fit. they don't use the same lines, or else the picture would shift up and down one line each frame. that might make you dizzy.

1080i is 1920x1080, with the 1080 part being shown 1/2 at a time.

So how does 1280 fit 1920?

it's called scaling. how do plasmas, which normally have a resolution of 852x480 show hdtv images? scaling. image quality depends greatly on the scaler of the display.

you guys have to remember that fabulous pictures can be had even when the monitor has to scale down. a prime example is the fabulous picture you get when watching HDTV on a panasonic EDTV plasma. it is even more breathtaking than watching progressive scan dvds. how can this be, since the dvd is native resolution? it all depends on the scaler, if done right, the image is better.

You're not reading what is written. Read it again:

Remember that with 1080i your only getting 540 lines with each frame. So the LCD has more than enough lines to resolve this resolution.

That's wrong. It cannot fully resolve 1080i, it doesn't have enough pixels. It has to scale it down to 1280x720.

Originally posted by: allmotor
so which is the better deal for home theater, say living room?

It depends mainly on your source material, but the Tatung will probably be better.

 

[allmotor]

mostly tv and dvd, no need for hdtv

 

[hans007]

my dad works for tatung.


they have been around since the late 70s and make a whole lot of stuff. its just usually not under their name. they build hps, compaqs, viewsonics, emachines computers/ monitors what have you. used to build a lot of apple things as well.


this is a tv, and as a tv is fairly cheap. and hdtv tuner is already pretty expensive as is. i'd like to have seen 1600x1050 but yeah what can you do.


it doesntreally support 1080i, it will probably be downsampled. by comparison most 42" plasmas only support 480p, and well that is with much larger lines, so as a smaller tv this will definitely look sharper.

the other thing that wide screen LCDs designed for movie watchng have over monitors is their brightness is much much higher.


that 20" dell some of you mention has a brightness rating of 250 nits, which is perfectly fine when you are a foot away. but when you are 8 feet away, it will need more brightness or the colors will look washed out etc.

 

[rthefley]

Well, I wanted to respond to some of the questions raised here and give a brief review as I've been the very proud owner of the Tatung 23" LCD TV / HDTV / PC monitor for the last few days. I picked it up at Sams Club for 1,100+ something, came to $1,214.00 or so with tax, that amount also included the $35 Sams Club membership fee I had to pay.

First off, the quality is TOP NOTCH, it is up there with Panasonic, Sony, etc. There is nothing I can see that raises a red flag. No plastic flashing, all joints / seems are tight and not even the slightest off. No blemishes whatsoever, even the sticker tags on back and lettering are dead on and exact. All very professional looking. This is not a hack job like you would find with some of those $39 DVD players or VCRs that are mass produced in China somewhere.

Before taking this home, I was very careful to ask what the return policy was with them ( Sams Club ) and what my options were if I was to not like this product. I was told that I had 1 year to return it opened or unopened as long as I had the ticket. Had it been a computer, or computer item such as a harddrive, video card etc, I would only have 90 days. There was some discussion as to if this was a computer item rather than a "TV" I quickly ended that converstation with, "well, this product is in the tv area" and that was that. 1 year? Not bad. I felt safe making the purchase. I did have my doubts. After all, no DVI and this was supposed to be a 23" HDTV LCD first and a PC monitor second. Also, the native rez of the product had me a little on edge. Being a gamer, I know that most games, save Quake do not have a 1280 x 768 setting. I did however think to myself, that ... wow, 1280 x 768 or WXGA 16:9 would be awesome for a desktop. I should also note, 1280 x 768 is a much higher rez than most of the 30" - 42" + LCD and Plasmas out there.

So I paid the $1,200.00+ in cash out to one of the girls, take it to the exit, show my ticket and carefully wheel this thing out to my truck in the basket. Believe me, I was wearing a huge grin. I get it home, unpack it, nothing too exciting inside, warranty card, remote, product manual and a rather large poster showing you in detail what plugs in where and how and of course, why. Then, I pull the great beast of an LCD out, god is it huge. It is also heavier than one would think. As stated earlier, the first thing I noticed is the quaility of the product. Flawless I thought to myself and this was the first time I really was able to relax. $1,200+ is not a small amount of money.

So I set it aside and walk to the computer room and clear my desk of the Sony 21" G520P I have there. After a few minutes, all is clear and I bring in the 23" LCD. After a few seconds, the 15-Pin D-SUB is connected and I adjust the LCD to where it's centered and I sit down. Now the moment of truth. Did I waste my time, my money? Am I about to have my feelings hurt? Pointing the remote at the Tatung, I press power and it finds the PC signal right away, a second later, I am looking at a somewhat streched screen, BUT, I'm thinking to myself, wow .. so far, so good. A few adjustments and 20 seconds later, a HUGE SMILE crawls across my face. Razor sharp, clear, brite! It looks perfect. I'm sitting in front of this thing thinking, damn, I did good. 1280 x 768 @ 60Hz. 16:9, damn again. I quickly load of some ripped dvd's, again, wow. etc etc etc. I did not sleep that night. I ended up in bed around 5am.

Things I love about this LCD:

Picture perfect, great color, very brite and razor sharp. I love the additional desktop space I have now with 16:9. Not a lot of room but enough to where I can place a few apps side by side along with yahoo IM and AOL IM up, Winamp as well. Most of the times It's just easier to alt-tab. Still getting used to it. Another great thing I love about this LCD is it's gaming performance. One of the reasons I have a 21" Sony CRT is that I HATED the ghosting in my old Dell 19" LCD, yes the new model from the end of last year and also my 19" Planar, along with the 19" Sceptre I owned before that. This thing DOES NOT GHOST period. I play a lot of COD and Need For Speed Underground, along with MOHAA and Dark Age of Camelot. This LCD is extremely fast on the pixel response. I'm shocked but extremely pleased.

In regards to the HDTV, I have Cox cable here in N.E. Kansas, Topeka that is and I do have their HDTV service, I get inhd1 and 2, hdtv hbo, espn hdtv, discovery hdtv theatre and a few others. A day after I had a chance to play with it on my PC, I decided to take it out to the living room and see what the picture looked like under HDTV. I quickly un-hooked my Pany 47" HDTV widescreen and hooked in the Tatung. Again, shock and awe. A very clear and hidef picture. I thought that glass blowing stuff looked good on the 47", it looked fantastic on the 23". The old Jerry Lewis movie they are running now, The Bellboy? That is in black and white and up-converted to 1080i looked mind blowing. I think I lay there on the floor in front of the sofa for a few hours just watching whatever hdtv contect I could find. Boy so I wish I had another hdtv box in the computer room.

I also hooked up an X-Box to the Tatung, again, I was very pleased, the 480p and new 720p stuff looked great. Razor shop.

I did end up running a line off a splitter that was in the computer room to the Tatung to get a taste of what TV looks and sounds like. It wasnt bad at all. BUT, you can clearly see the low rez tv offers and so-so fuzzy picture you get, especially on the Tatung. The stero sound is good and all in all, I am again very pleased. This is a very LCD, TV, HDTV, PC Monitor, Widescreen to boot that does many jobs extremely well. The few friends who have seen it basically dropped the jaws.

Something I would like to point out about the native rez. All LCD owners know that if you do not run your LCD in its native rez, it looks fuzzy. That is one thing that has kept me from buying the 21" Samsung LCD's or even the 23" or 24" I think it is they have. Being a gamer first and Windows desk jockey second is the major turn-off I have toward that. I think this 23" Tatung with its 1280x768 rez is perfect for games. I have a Radeon 9800 XT along with a Pentium 4 3.2GHz running at 3.7GHz air-cooled still does not push 1600 x 1200 as smooth as I like. Just my two cents.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, R

 

[ikSardarG]

rthefley:

That was one of the best posts I have seen on here (other than 'Hot' Deals). your review was exceptional and I think you answered all my own questions.

Thanks for testing the waters and giving us an honest review of the unit. To me, it seems that this is the best choice for an LCD / TV in the bedroom.

Anyone else have any info?

 

[Atrac]

I'd like to thank rthefley for a thorough and top notch review. His experience was very similar to mine (Joined Sam's Club, quoted a killer return policy) but unfortunately I didn't go so lucky with my LCD. Although the picture quality was overall really good, I noticed with mine in dark scenes or in movies that were 16x9 Widescreen, I could see the backlight shining through in the top right corner and bottom left corner. The effect was as if someone was shining a dim flashlight on the screen. I have seen this on a lot of LCD's in the past, but it was never an issue because I never watched movies on them.

So I ended up returning it.

But I have to agree with everything rthefley said, except for my little problem. I probably had a defective one..but Sam's didn't have any more so I ended up passing.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: lispsux
one must realise

dell 20" lcd = 4:3
this 23" lcd = 16:9

much cheaper to produce the same number of pixels while calling it a larger screen.

then again this one is 23", but uh, it is $1250

could get a pair of 19" 3:4 for this, or close to a pair of 20"

You could get a Dell 20" LCD for $750, and a TV tuner for another $100 or $200. Bam 1600x1200!