BenQ DV3250

$2799

www.benq.com.au

Finally, a large screen LCD TV has hit the market at an affordable price. Consumer electronics vendor, BenQ, has set a new low cost benchmark with the release of an 81cm wide screen LCD TV at $2799.

We were initially told by BenQ's publicist that this unit was priced at $2499. Believing this to be the case,  market commentators, such as BeerFile's own technology evangelist Alex Zaharov-Reutt, hailed the release of the BenQ DV3250 at a price point $1000 below rival units as a breakthrough for LCD based entertainment. "The price gap between plasma and LCD has narrowed to the point where it is now up to the consumer to choose which technology to go for," he said.

Despite the outrageous error by BenQ and its publicist, however, the $2799 81cm LCD TV is still at a pretty good price point compared to the competition. We will also note, though, that the new LCD TV does not have a built-in digital tuner.

The DV3250 home theater LCD TV features SRS TruSurround XT, 16:9 aspect ratio and BenQ's proprietary Senseye technology.

Senior product manager Paul Schnell, says BenQ has not only increased the size of its LCD TV display but has also made some excellent advances along the way.

"One of the most outstanding features of the DV3250 aside from its high contrast ratio of 800:1, is its "true 16:9" aspect ratio (a resolution of 1366x768)," Schnell said. "When I looked at our competitors, I found that most only offered a 1280 x 768 (widescreen) resolution which gives only a 15:9 picture – the result is that you get those black bands top and bottom, meaning that customers are paying for screen real estate that they simply aren't using. Not so with the DV3250. With its true 16:9 aspect ratio you will see a full screen edge to edge picture without having to manipulate the image."

The DV3250 also features BenQ's proprietary "Senseye" digital-enhancement technology. Senseye technology optimises the colour, clarity, motion and contrasts of images by using proprietary technology to handle an image's brightness and colour separately. The DV3250 also features 10-bit processing that can handle over 1.07 billion colours.

The DV3250 is also equipped with SRS TruSurround XT, generating deeper audio imaging. The SRS TruSurround XT also allows the dialogue voice to be centralised, making it easier for the sounds to be heard.

The DV3250 also features directional correlational deinterlacing (DCDi), which produces a pure image reducing visible artefacts and jagged edges.

"High end features like this in other brands attract a high price tag – not so if it's a BenQ", Paul Schnell said. "BenQ offers a three year warranty on all LCD Televisions proving the strength of the brand even at such reasonable prices. We are currently offering the best product for by far the best price".

The BenQ DV3250 will be available through selected retail outlets and in coming months more large screen LCD models are on the way, including a 94cm unit and a 117cm widescreen model to be released in late June.