Pros & Cons
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- Very inexpensive.
- Decent picture quality and input options.
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- Very limited on-screen image controls.
- Color-temperature calibration far from the usual 6,500-degree target.
- Panel makes an audible buzzing noise when set to component video input.
- No HDMI connector.
WinBook PowerSpec 30-inch HD-ready LCD-TV Specs
| Depth: | 10.5 inches |
| Diagonal Screen Size: | 30 inches |
| Height: | 20.8 inches |
| Individual Settings per Input: | No |
| Type: | HDTV |
| Type: | Plasma |
| Video Inputs: | Component |
| Video Inputs: | Composite |
| Video Inputs: | DVI |
| Video Inputs: | S-Video |
| Video Interfaces: | Component |
| Video Interfaces: | Composite |
| Video Interfaces: | DVI |
| Video Interfaces: | S-Video |
| Weight: | 33 lb |
| Width: | 35 inches |
Flat-panel HDTVs continue to get more affordable, but a 30-inch LCD panel will still cost you close to $2,000. Yet entries like the WinBook PowerSpec 30-inch HD-ready LCD-TV are helping push that average down. Available for just $1,099 direct, the LC30D is the lowest-priced flat-panel HDTV monitor we've seen to date. It doesn't deliver the best image quality we've seen, but its front-of-screen performance is certainly good for the price.
The LC30D has most of the usual input options, save for only a single component video input and no HDMI input. Its two-channel speaker system is built-in and cannot be detached. The PowerSpec's remote exposes most of the settings and includes buttons for each input. The remote also has buttons for the picture-in-picture feature as well as for audio settings, and though these are useful, the number of buttons can be a bit much.
Many inexpensive LCD panels use older panel technology, which tends to have a poor contrast ratio because of subpar black-level performance. The LC30D's average black level, however, was good compared with other low-cost LCD panels we've tested. But its average white level was very low, and as a result the PowerSpec's contrast-ratio performance was unimpressive. The unit's on-screen display controls are minimal and don't have any predefined color-temperature settings. Also missing are individual red, green, and blue intensity settings. The LC30D's color temperature was around 11,000 degrees Kelvin, well off our target of 6,500.
The LC30D looked dim in our initial viewing tests using factory default settings, but after we dialed its brightness setting up to about 75 percent, overall image quality improved noticeably. After making this adjustment, however, we saw some loss of dark-scene details in both HDTV and DVD movie content. We also noticed that both HDTV and DVD video content had a faint bluish tint to them, which is generally how warmer color-temperature settings look. Because the LC30D has only one color-saturation adjustment, we couldn't dial the blue intensity down individually to correct this problem.
Still, if you're looking for an inexpensive flat-panel HDTV, the LC30D delivers decent overall image quality on a 30-inch panel for a good price.
Benchmark test results:
VESA Uniformity (black): 84.1%
VESA Uniformity (white): 88%
Average contrast ratio: 253:1
More HDTV display reviews:
Final Thoughts
WinBook PowerSpec 30-inch HD-ready LCD-TV
WinBook's 30-inch flat-panel HDTV is an inexpensive way to get started with a high-definition display. Its picture quality is good for the price, but overall quality certainly isn't the best we've seen.