Featured Brands
Other TV Brands
Most Popular TVs
Hisense LCD TV LHD3207EU
The Hisense LCD TV LHD3207EU TV is a 32" (81 cm) LCD display and made its debut in summer 2008 at a price point of around 350 GBP.
Florian Friedrich, August 13, 2008
- Good DVB-T picture.
- Works well as a PC monitor.
- Suffers from the infamous 60 Hertz bug.
- Will not work with all devices if connected by HDMI.
- The headphone socket is on the back.
- Weak contrast.
- Cold-looking picture.
The Hisense LHD3207EU is cheap to acquire and offers acceptable sound and DVB-T picture, but otherwise just has too many weaknesses. The digital video and audio input is finicky, and during our test refused to work with two first-class DVD/Blu-ray players from Denon and Pioneer. No problems surfaced when we tested it with two other players, however.
Furthermore, PAL signals at 50 Hertz are forcibly played back at 60 Hertz, creating a bothersome stutter, particularly on scrolling texts, and causes smooth motion to judder. The discerning customer simply would not tolerate these two errors. The unit might be suitable for use as a second DVB-T set or as a PC monitor, but the Hisense differs vastly in quality from its established-brand competitors.
At just about 350 GBP, the Hisense LHD3207EU is a very fairly priced LCD model in the 32-inch (81 cm) class. We tested the device and are reporting whether 350 GBP will buy you a set that is satisfactory for everyday use.
2x 
2x 
1x
Digg
del.icio.us
Reddit
GoogleFeatures
With just two HDMI sockets, the Hisense is not exactly lavishly equipped. There are also two Scart sockets, two YUV inputs, and a VGA input. The built-in receiver processes analog cable TV as well as DVB-T and can provide power to active DVB-T antennas that do not have their own power supply.
In terms of sound, the set offers both a headphone and an audio output. The connections are found on the side of the device and are easily accessible. We consider the workmanship decent for a set in this price class. There are no sharp edges, and the plastic casing holds firm around the inputs.
The Hisense comes supplied with a pedestal but, unfortunately, not a swivel stand. The rather oversized logo is something of a question of taste, as is the chrome-colored ornamental frame and the large, bright LED power indicator.
Operation
Remote Control:
The remote control is neatly constructed and feels comfortable in the hand. The usability and the pressure point of the buttons are also pleasant. Unfortunately the layout takes some getting used to, and the buttons for changing channel and volume could have been a tad bigger.
TV and DVD Picture Quality
The presets on the Hisense are largely shipshape. Image enhancement options were switched off right from the outset. The preset "Soft" and the color temperature "Warm" proved useful and provided the least doctored-looking picture.
Unfortunately though, the picture offers little detail during analog reception and reveals some nasty false edges if viewed close-up. Scrolling texts - like finance tickers - judder because of the 60 Hertz problem. While the picture improves with DVB-T reception, it suffers from this error.
Pictures fed in via Scart-RGB show significant false edges even at a neutral sharpness setting, as well as over-sharpening of both horizontal and vertical picture details, and some rather rough scaling. Because of that 60 Hertz error, movement also judders here and is joined by the blurring effect typical of LCDs when displaying fast motion. The de-interlacer, on the other hand, works rather well.
HDTV Picture Quality
The HDTV picture looks tolerable, if, of course, you ignore the weak contrast and cool colors. In a test with the Blu-ray version of "Casino Royale", the picture was pretty good throughout. The sharpness and resolution get the go-ahead in terms of the display resolution, but the picture looks slightly over-sharpened. The Hisense cannot play back 24p format, but otherwise no big problems in terms of signal technology exist.
Computer Operation
Here, the device recovers some ground. At a resolution of 1360 x 768 pixels and a refresh rate of 60 Hertz, the Hisense shows a great picture. It is nearly pixel-perfect, although most will notice some slight phasing. Full HD comes with overscan and light scaling effects.
Settings for the best home-theatre performance*
Brightness: 45
Contrast: 50
Color: 50
Sharpness: 3
Color Temperature: Warm
Image Enhancement Settings: All turned off
* applied to realistic playback from HDTV/Blu-ray material through the HDMI interface in a darkened environment. Manufacturing and HDMI playback device deviations may necessitate slight adjustment.
