Element 32LE30Q Review
The Element 32LE30Q: A Good HDTV Marred By A Lack Of Inputs
With a list price of under $400, the Element 32LE30Q 32 inch HDTV will certainly draw many buyers. There are lots of families out there who have been waiting to buy their first HDTV and, now that the prices have dropped significantly, models like the 32LE30Q will be flying out the doors of the electronics and department stores. So how do this budget model compare to the others?
The resolution of the Element 32LE30Q, 720p, is the industry standard for televisions of this size. There are some who boast that they have resolutions of 1080i or 1080p, but on TVs smaller than 42 inches, there is no real visible difference. The trick to finding an the best looking LCD HDTV is in the contrast ratio, which stands for the difference between the brightest whites and the darkest darks. This is what the human eye will actually see as "quality" in an HDTV, and the 32LE30Q HDTV's contrast ratio of 1200:1 is pretty decent for a budget model. For inputs, it has two HDMI ports, two HD component ports, one composite, one S-Video, and one PC, or VGA input. It's worth mentioning that, compared to most other 32 inch HDTVs, even the budget models, this is pretty skimpy on the inputs. One composite? That's only one place to plug in any pre-HD accessories that use the red, white, and yellow cables that you don't want to plug in to the inferior coaxial input. Definitely take into consideration any VCRs or older video game systems you may want to plug in before you purchase this television. You can always get a switch, but when talking about TVs under $400, an extra $50 purchase can be a real deal breaker. Most 32 inch HDTVs in this price range have three HDMI ports as well, which may or may not be important to you. HDMI switches can be had as well and cost as little as, if not less than, composite switches.
Considering that the Element 32LE30Q is an otherwise decent television, are the lack of inputs really important? That's up to you. One thing you can bet on, though, is that if you look hard enough, there are better HDTVs to be had for around the same amount of money.
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