Astar LTV-2701 27" LCD HDTV
By: Astar/KDX Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 3
More Information
 On: 2006-04-30
Ive had this tv for over 6 months. The panel looks gorgeous, it is probably the best looking lcd (esthetically.) However, there is a trade-off, while it looks beautiful, the large speakers on the side plus all the glass and this 27-inch lcd takes more space than my mothers 32-inch Westinghouse LCD (which has speakers on the bottom)
Here are the all the important things about the panel.
Video:
2 component inputs: ONLY ONE OF THEM is High-Def (accepts 480 through 1080i). The second component input only accepts 480i.
DVI - very important, I called the technical support and they are clueless, they just say the DVI only supports up to 720p. What I believe after experimenting with numerous HD-boxes and DVD-players, that 1) This DVD player is not HDCP compliant and I also would not be surprised if this is a Analog DVI (yes there is such a thing) not a Digital DVI. And yes, it wont go above 720p , it will show "Out of Range" if you try to connect a 1080i source. However, it will accept 1024X768 source, it will also accept various PAL sources (500some lines). So be aware, the HDCP problem: you may have handshake problem with some sources; Ive been fortunate to have no problems with all my sources.
VGA input: works as advertised
Audio: very good with lots of different options and surround sound modes and these speakers are large but good on the sides of this set.
On certain inputs during certain times, the unit makes noise, like a loud fan noise. It is hard to say when it happens.
Remote is really nice but weak: you have to point it directly at the set. Sometimes I have to hit the power off button twice to turn it off.
Picture is excellent: this panel is really dark, comparing to many other lcds, so blacks are pretty good (obviously not plasma-good) but pretty good for $600 LCD. Lots of various screen modes: however, you cannot adjust screen in any HD mode, except 1024X768, where you can alternate between 4:3 and 16:9. In 480i mode and Composite mode, there are numerous screen ratio adjustments.
So I gave it 3 stars because 1) DVI does not upconvert to 1080i, 2) Weak remote, 3)noise, 4) about 10-15 times over the life of the set, the picture froze and I had to turn the unit on and off.
On: 2006-03-27
The TV has three main flaws:
* Ripple when using the analog inputs
* Buzzing in the speakers
* Hairline cracks in the glass border
The picture quality is good when using the HD inputs, but the speaker buzzing can only be eliminated by setting the backlight to bright. The cracks are cosmetic, but annoying for a newly purchased product. Tech support attempts to be helpful, but cannot speak english well and starts converstaions with "... but the manual says..."
Bottom line: If you want a 27" LCD for a low price, plan on using HD inputs and do not care about cosmetic imperfections than this is the TV for you .. otherwise you will be dissapointed
 On: 2005-10-17
This TV has styling and functionality usually only found on products costing at least half again as much. The picture is clear, sharp and bright with excellent contrast and great performance displaying action scenes. There is no noticeable "ghosting" of images so commonly found on cheaper LCD displays. The styling is phenomenal, a real thing of beauty. It adds a touch of class to our wall. The included wall mount (a big deal when wall mounts bought separately can cost $100 and up) is of excellent quality and simple to install. It took us 15 minutes. The software in this unit is higher-end as well, incorporating a "smart" setting to adapt 4:3 broadcasts to widescreen with minimal "fattening" of the image. It supports every I/0 interface you could want, including a full set of audio/video out, which is lacking on many TVs. We only have two minor gripes: The closed caption settings do not include a cc1-when-muted option and the remote is a bit cheap and less sensitive than it could be. You have to aim it right at the receptor. Except for those two items we would have given it a wholehearted 5 stars.
*** UPDATE *** Exactly one year and one week after we bought this thing it started acting up. It became slow to start, often going into some software neverland, you had to power it off and try again. It got more and more difficult, to the point where we just had to leave it on all the time to avoid trying to start it. That worked for about 2 weeks, and then it failed completely and now it does NOTHING AT ALL. Thrilling to spend $1000 on a TV and have it die in one year. Weve got 15-year-old tvs that we paid a lot less for. WHAT A PIECE OF JUNK
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