Looking for a decent television for your home or office? You remember your friend speaking to you about this new 4K TV that will be the future in TV content, but the price is way too steep for you to even consider. You could be stuck in between two important factors—the latest in technology and lowest in budget.
The present scenario on the display panel technology front is a little too dicey. You may be seeing a lot of 4K TV advertisements, feature-rich with superior audio quality and internet connected content data with smart features and all that jazz. But the reality is — ‘is 4K content even available?’ Well, it may exist, but is far too expensive to download, own or even process on your existing PC or laptop. Downloading a 1-hour 4K video will burn a hole in your pocket. And saving such types of videos might just turn too expensive on storage.
In India, television transmission has not yet advanced to more than 1080i, at least for now. Full HD TV content in India is still to settle down to 1080p and presently 720p has just about become a norm. Full HD content is not available to every home since it is presently expensive and not every home is equipped with the proper Full HD television to give the content some justice. Come 4K, DTH providers in India have just launched some 4K services, but have it limited to just a few channels, including sports. However, that too comes at a steep price.
Now back again to your budget. If your budget is not too high, but still want a larger television for your home, you may not have to look too far. With companies such as Vise, Micromax, Intex, InFocus and a few others selling their televisions at cheaper costs, it is giving higher brands a run for their money. But what do higher brands such as Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and the rest bank on? Quality, features and warranty. While all feature almost similar quality and warranty, the only thing that is left out is features. Higher brands sell you features that you may never use. For example, having a smart TV or Android TV is great, but only till the software on that TV is current. Once the software becomes obsolete, your TV us just a TV again.
InFocus has just launched a series of LED televisions in the market and has aimed it towards those who are looking for a larger television but don’t have a high budget. Where a usual Full HD LED TV retails at Rs 50K+, InFocus has brought the same to the masses, but at a very affordable price—around 30 per cent lower costs.
We received a 50-incher InFocus Full HD LED TV for a review and found that the television is fit for those who want a large screen without compromising on quality or price. For just Rs 34,999, the 50-inch LED TV is one of the cheapest big panel TVs out there. Want a smaller one—for less than half the price, you can get a 32-incher at Rs 15,999.
The 50-incher bears the model number II-50EA800. The TV has been made in India and comes out from the Foxconn factory—so your tensions on quality should now be lower. Foxconn is known for manufacturing quality products, including smartphones for Apple, Xiaomi, and a few well-known brands. The television also consumes just a little more than 100 Watts.
The TV carries a Full HD 1080p (1920x1080 pixel) non-glossy (non-reflective) panel from Innolux. The DLED backlit panel has a refresh rate of 60Hz, sports a brightness of 250cd/m2 and a contrast ratio of 5000:1 with a viewing angle of 178-degrees from any side you see it. On the audio front, it sports two 8W speakers that are bottom facing. As for the features, this TV has a very basic set of connection interfaces which include two HDMI ports, a Composite AV in/out, Component in, a VGA port for PC/laptop, RF antenna, and two USB ports for connecting an external storage for media playback. You can play movies, or music and display photos on the television using the USB port. Lastly, the TV measures 1132.8mm x 711.9mm x 230mm with the stand and weighs just about 11.7Kg. the InFocus TV is wall mountable, but you need to make sure you have a bracket that allows enough space between the wall and the TV or is easily movable for plugging in the necessary connectors.
The TV has a thin bezel which is black and glossy, while the rear panel has a matte-finished surface. The TV comes with two detachable stands/feet, which need to be screwed on if you are planning to keep it standing on a flat surface. Setting up the TV is child’s play, although you can do it yourself, you would need some help with handling the large panel. Mishandling the TV during installation could cause damage to the large screen as you should be aware that the panel is still made of a fragile LCD with no protection, whatsoever (No TV comes with one anyways).
On the rear, you will find all the necessary ports you need for connecting the TV to your media devices. You can connect your STB, local cable, your PC and two media players simultaneously as there are plenty of input ports to accommodate all. Bundled along with the TV is a standard IR remote control which takes complete command over the TV. You also get a set of two AA batteries for the remote. No cables are included for AV or HDMI, but all STBs come with one, so you won’t need it anyways. As for the build quality of the product, we can see that the frame is tough and the stands are rugged. No complaints here. However, the remote seems to be a little below the sun as it feels a bit cheap. The rubber buttons feel a little slack and don’t have sufficient tactility. But given that the TV remote is hardly used for anything these days (since media players and STB boxes have their own remotes), you won’t be using the TV’s remote controller for more than powering it and setting the volume and input modes. Once setup you are good to go. The TV also has its control panel situated on the bottom edge towards the right, in case you need to set up the TV sans remote.
We tested the TV with a few too many videos—from full HD (1080p) and HD (720p) content to standard definition videos and even pirated ones. We have to admit that though full HD was the best to enjoy, 720p and below could annoy you. You will enjoy the TV’s potential only if you have a full HD player connected to the panel—PC, STB or media players. If you are watching some old movies (below HD), you better be aware that the picture quality will be far less appealing. Watching Full HD content too can be a little disappointing if you have a smaller sized room—you have to be at least more than 7 feet away from TV if you want to enjoy it. The main reason is that the 50-inch panel size still does not do justice to Full HD 1080 content because you can still see the pixels from up close. The ideal distance for watching full HD content on a 50-incher panel is 7-feet or higher. It has been researched that your seating position should ideally not be less than twice and not more than five times the size of the panel’s width. This seating position should be in the centre of the screen to enjoy the best video quality from the television.
The InFocus 50-incher has a vibrant display panel—thanks to the DLED backlight and the 5000:1 contrast ratio it can produce. The picture quality is good, vibrant and bright. Viewing angles are also great with absolutely no loss of picture quality from any sides. Top, bottom or sides, you can watch TV from almost any corner with the 178-degree wide viewing angle. However, we did find that the refresh rate for the panel is lower than perfect. Fast motion scenes show lags and jitters, spoiling the experience. However, this can be majorly seen only when you are playing a full HD movie from the USB port via the storage drive. If you connect a media player via HDMI, the problem is far less.
On the built-in media player front, the TV was able to play most of the media content we threw at it. Apart from MKV files, you can playback the regular MP4, and DVD files without any hesitation. We had no complaints from the playback, except that using the control panel for the media player is not as user friendly. It will take a while to know the entire functions of the remote. The remote offers standard features for playback, control and settings, similar to any other televisions out there. Also we could like to comment that the built-in media player has the ability to upgrade the internal firmware via the USB port. It is not yet known when the next update will come in and what feature upgrades it will be available. However, it is nice to know that the user can himself upgrade the firmware of the television.
Lastly for sound quality, we were pretty disappointed. The audio, though loud, lacks proper bass and trebles. Since the TV features just a set of 8W speakers shoved in a tiny space towards the bottom of the TV (rear), it cannot produce a pleasing audio. Watching regular sports or a classic movie is fine, but if you want to enjoy a musical, or a sci-fi or action movie, the audio lacks the punch. You would have to invest in a proper audio system in order to get some theatre-like experience. The TV does have audio out, but again, it is in stereo only. It would have been nice if there was a facility for 5.1-channel audio since the TV has a large display panel and a theatre-like feel would have been an added advantage. Investing in a media receiver could be an added cost. The TV also has a headphone jack, but reaching to the port on the rear panel could be challenging and the audio output is not promising. It is good enough for routing the audio from the TV to an external audio amplifier with larger speakers.
Verdict: If you are looking for a large screen television and want to enjoy full HD media content, the InFocus 50-incher is sure to fit your budget. The overall build quality and the panel’s picture quality is superior and is a true value for the price it demands. However, you would have to invest in an additional audio source to experience better audio quality, especially when you want to enjoy high-definition movies with good audio. Priced at Rs 34,999, the 50-incher LED TV from InFocus is definitely worth investing when switching from regular CRT TVs or small-size LCD televisions until you are sure you are ready for a 4K TV. Best of all, InFocus offers a free home demonstration of the TV panel before you buy it. You can experience the TV in your living room before you finally opt in for a final purchase.
