Emerson LC320EMX Review

The Emerson LC320EMX: Unprecedented Picture Quality For The Price, But With A Few Caveats.

The Emerson LC320EMX is one of the better values currently available for HDTVs, and may be a good name brand alternative for those that do not trust all the newer names in electronics that they do not recognize. The Emerson name has been around for a while, and although it has never really stood for "top of the line", they do tend to make some decent electronics for very low prices, and this television is one of those examples. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find a television with better picture quality for anywhere near this price. However, there are a few drawbacks that should be considered.

The best part about this television, and this really stands out among budget TVs, is the contrast ratio. The contrast ratio tells you how bright your whites and how dark your darks will be, giving you a good idea of which televisions have the best picture quality. The 2500:1 contrast ratio is almost unheard in televisions at this one's price range. The Emerson LC320EMX also includes almost everything one would expect from a modern 32 inch HDTV, including three HDMI inputs, as well as coaxial, HD component, and S-Video in. It is, however, missing VGA in, which is needed by pretty much any computer over three or four years old to interface with the TV. This may not be an issue for you, or it may be a deal breaker. There are plenty of other televisions in this price range that do have VGA in, so if you plan to use a computer with this TV and your computer does not have HDMI out, look elsewhere.

There is one other thing worth considering about this model as well. Reviews around the web for this television are mixed at best, and there seems to be some serious reliability issues. Also, most service providers' universal remotes don't seem to have codes for this TV, and it does not come with a universal. This may put a damper on this unit's plug-and-play capability. However, if you have a universal remote of your own, or do not mind buying one separately, you may not have any problems and, when it comes to reviews, take them with a grain of salt. Still, if you do buy this television, you might want to pick up the extended warranty as well.