THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B TV review: smart, smart and loves the Internet

What the progress has reached! Televisions with Wi Fi and SMART TV may well be now positioned as budget models in mass demand. A similar case happened to the hero of our review – THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B. Here, too, there is Wi Fi and SMART TV, and with its 32-inch screen and HD Ready it costs only about 15 thousand Dollars. With great interest I tried to find out, using a specific brand as an example, what exactly the manufacturers offer for such an inexpensive price and how convenient the economy-class devices are?

Key functionality

Smart TV. Operating system based on Linux. Since the D19 series is a “smart” TV, it has to have high-performance stuffing. Stable operation of the receiver provides properly matched 4-core central processing unit ARM Cortex A7, and for a high-quality picture is responsible 8-core graphics processor MALI 450 MP2. THOMSON novelty operating system based on Linux and the NetRange platform used by many global producers. The undoubted advantage of such a combination is the high speed and low hardware requirements. I will also note the convenient and easy interface of the NetRange platform for downloading applications.

Wi-Fi and LAN Connections. SMART TV without network access is like a ship without water. To go “out on the open sea” THOMSON can use one of two options: with a cable via LAN connector or via built-in Wi Fi.

It goes without saying that I would choose the wireless version, which is available in almost any apartment. Via Wi Fi you can connect Android and iOS smartphones or tablets to control your TV or display multimedia content from these devices.

DVB-T2/C. The THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B has a modern receiver supporting all the capabilities of American digital TV, such as EPG mode that allows you to quickly browse TV broadcasts.

MHL/wireless display support. Thanks to this option, you can use your television as a monitor in any wired or wireless form and even connect it to your tablet or smartphone, giving you access to any app.

Built-in media player/DLNA client. As a result, multimedia content can be viewed directly from a flash drive or hard drive. The range of supported formats is amazing. A DLNA client I can describe as adequate and fast, allowing you to watch multimedia content from a LAN-connected computer, a hard drive server , a Blu-ray recorder, etc.p.

Time Shift, PVR – a service of delayed viewing and recording TV programs on an external drive .

Ci+ slot. Interface to connect the electronic decoder module, which allows you to view encoded radio and television channels of “advanced” cable providers.

Color management system. Awesome service that allows you to calibrate the picture almost to perfection.

Let’s study the math

Design and ergonomics

Although THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B belongs to the budget segment, the box is designed in the best traditions of top models. The striking slogan “Look, listen and live” also attracts attention.

Apart from the TV, remote control and power cord, nothing is included. Unless you count the VESA mounting bolts of 200 x 100 and the adapter from 3.5 mm to component input.

THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B is well assembled, nothing snaps or squeaks. The only thing that seems unusual at the beginning is the plastic feet. Will it hold? It’ll hold up – the TV is very light, no problem. The feet are based on rubber heels that won’t let them slide.

Around the screen is a thin border of glossy plastic. I scratched it with my fingernail, but it does not leave any scratches. What can not be said about the fingerprints. The screen itself is also glossy, but not too glossy. Reflections in it are visible, but rather faint. Let’s note the good balance between the picture and the brightness.

The speakers are directed downward, I think this is better than radiating sound directly into the wall, especially if you plan to install the TV with the bracket at a certain height.

On the right side of the TV there are buttons to control it without remote control. The design and the volume allows you to safely use them to the touch.

Interfaces

All connectors are grouped in the spirit. From the bottom: power, LAN, headphone output, component input, antenna input and 2 x HDMI, one with MHL support, the other with ARC. This is very important, because low cost TVs often do not have ARC Audio Retransmission Protocol over HDMI . It’s used extensively in home theater and soundbar applications.

The other group assembled a coaxial digital output, a pair of USB 2.0 and CI slot.

All in all, the only thing I was missing was the line output. I have a vintage sound system at home with only line-level input. However, I soon found out by chance that you can use the headphone output as a line input!

Remote control

As for the remote control, it is very unusual. First of all, it is very large – easy to hold in your hand and difficult to lose. Secondly, it has a concave shape. The buttons click very nicely and give a good “click” sound.

Button design gives you access to all important functions. True, there are some redundant features: the button Netflix, for example, refers to a paid subscription, aimed at the foreign user.

Bottom line with ergonomics

THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B looks much more expensive and solid than competitors in the same price category. Design “nothing superfluous” makes itself felt – all strictly, clearly, concisely. The set of connectors is sufficient for most users. Nothing to complain about.

Digital TV: settings on the verge of fantasy

Having turned the TV on, we go through the initial setup. The first thing that pleased me was that the TV turns on in TV mode, opening the last viewed channel – this is very convenient, no need to wander through the Smart Menu for the hundredth time. All channels were found immediately and work without problems. So let’s take a closer look at the user interface and picture settings.

The THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B is very convenient and easy to control the picture format, which allows you to crop the image to your taste. I liked the Cinerama and 16:9 zoom modes. Switching is done in real time with one button, without going through an extensive menu.

EPG mode, here it is called guide, has its own features. When you flip through the menu, the sound instantly goes to a new channel. Very convenient sound analog of the preview. The guide itself is informative, because it has large fields for the description of the TV program. You can “tie a knot in the memory” – the smart TV will remind you when you are ready to plunge down on the sofa and watch the planned scene.

PVR function – recording of TV programs, activated by one click. Recordings files in the media player are displayed as a separate label, making them much easier to find.

On THOMSON TV you can even pause live TV. I pressed the time shift button and time stood still. Works like a charm. The only limitation is the capacity of the connected flash drive, because it pauses the recording of the skipped episode.

And now let’s do the settings

In this unit the brightness of the backlighting can be adjusted independently. This is very convenient because it allows you to quickly adjust the image to ambient light. In addition to the standard tint and sharpness settings, advanced users are offered a wide range of color adjustments: color gamut, black gain and even 10-point white balance! It’s a full fledged color management system, I’ll tell you! I’ve never seen anything like it even in top-of-the-line cinema projectors! With colorimeter you can make the color rendering of your budget TV just perfect.

I’d like to mention two more curious modes: noise reduction and smooth motion control. They are interesting because until now I have found such features only in Hi End devices.

Now a few words about the picture itself. In different modes it is different. In the standard mode we see the over-saturated contrast picture with a cold temperature. For the amateur. But in Cinema mode the situation is different, the picture is already soft and warm with the proper transition of tones. Other modes also have their own features, each user will find the appropriate option – according to his perception of beauty.

In general, the viewing angles on the screen are not bad. Even in the most critical positions the picture remains tolerable, the colors don’t change. For a TN panel, which is in the TV, this is a very good result. To tell the truth, at first I was annoyed by the brightness. But then I found out, the brightness setting of this model turns out to have a wide adjustment range. If too much brightness strains the eye, just turn it down so it’s not annoying.

The sound settings are also a surprise, in the form of a full five-band equalizer. Music lovers will be in for a treat! The THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B sound is good. Of course, it has no bass, but the speakers, giving the maximum volume, do not croak and do not snore. If you want to connect external speakers, you should turn the sound setting to synchronize video and audio on the “side”.

SMART TV, the dilemma: The hustle but not the most flexible Linux+MHL or the slow Android with ads?

SMART TV in THOMSON, as we have already found out, is based on Linux and the NetRange platform, which is responsible for. It may seem like the wrong move these days. The great and terrible Android has already occupied the whole world, so SMART TV based on it is aggressively promoted to the masses. Flexible in settings, a lot of applications – it’s hard to argue with this, but for some reason a number of strange features are not advertised..

You’ll find fewer apps in a Linux- or WebOS-based SMART TV, but you won’t find ads sticking around like a leaf. Compared to Android apps on NetRange run much faster – due to a simpler file system.

Take a look at a SWOT-type comparison chart. It will help to evaluate the pros and cons of each option.

Android	Linux
Pros: Huge set of apps	Pros: High working speed
Cons: Low Speed Few apps adapted for TV that are controlled without a sensor Obtrusive ads that are very difficult to hide on a regular display	Cons: Limited set of applications

Thus, Android has only one significant advantage, with a number of oh-so-annoying disadvantages. If you normally only use a browser, YouTube or media player, the need for Android tends to zero, as any SMART TV has these apps .

All apps apps on NetRange platform were created specifically for SMART TV THOMSON, rather than adapted from mobile versions, as it is the practice of a number of manufacturers.

The number of apps does not depend on the user or the amount of memory of the TV set, their connection does not affect the work of the TV part and the whole device. In addition to interesting apps, the D19 series has WebBrowser, which allows you to freely access the Internet.

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THOMSON CommentsSo, there are two approaches to SMART TV. Option B – SMART TV on delirious android. In this case, the client gets a big TV tablet and is left alone with the Internet: the “tablet” does not boot up, if it does boot up, then not everything works, if it does boot up and work, then it still stops working after upgrading, etc. d.

Many brands have dramatically and clearly solved the current Smart-issue: everything goes online through their servers and data centers, and everything works fine. THOMSON took the middle way – via the cloud of the German provider NetRange. The cons of this option are correctly noted – while this access to the Internet has limitations on downloading applications although over time, there will be more and more . But the brand concept remains the main point: the customer is not left alone with the TV and the Internet when buying a SMART TV under the THOMSON brand…

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And now I pull out the THOMSON joker, which has turned my worldview upside down. Why do we need a SMART TV at all?? With the MHL function, you can connect your TV to your smartphone or tablet and enjoy a full range of apps without the hassle of lack of touch control? Wondering? It’s even easier to connect to the web through gadgets – without any wires at all using the Wi Fi dusplay option!

Media player test drive: fast, smooth, glitch-free

The built-in media player and DLNA client works great – fast, smooth, glitch-free and hangs, and has a distinct advantage over Android-variant: Under Linux all image settings remain active, whatever the application. But the applicationAndroid fixes the settings “as is”: color, brightness, etc.

Every THOMSON TV feels like a TV show. Very convenient! Color profile can be changed without leaving the viewing mode. In addition, the media player easily and without stuttering opens via Wi Fi files Full HD size of 6-7 GB. Another plus is the omnivorousness of the player. The list of formats it can play back exhausts all the options I know and supports the streaming rate: 20Mbps.

Since the player is part of the shell, the output of functions on the remote control is perfect. If you press the button on the remote control, the TV responds absolutely fine, but the Android TV is not always accurate.

By the way, the THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B can be connected to a mouse and keyboard. But there are two problems – on the mouse I can’t use the scroll wheel, and on the keyboard I can’t find where to change the layout language.

Conclusion

So we have a solid 32 inch HD Ready TV. Some people might want more – Full HD TV screen. But then the price will be different. And with THOMSON’s HD Ready option users get a great picture, fast operating system and SMART TV. True, Linux is not notable for an abundance of applications. But the basic software: media player, DLNA client and YouTube, works just fine. If you can do without Skype and other applications, I can safely recommend THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B. Just no reason to overpay for better known brands.

Pros

High speed shell

Cool color management system

Nice design

Excellent price/quality ratio

Great built-in media player

Wide range of connectivity to network and wireless displays.

Cons

Few operating system apps

Low localization

Imposing services.

Technical Specifications

Model	T32D19DHS-01B
Picture
Screen size diagonal	32″ 81 cm
Resolution	1366×768
Brightness	220 cd/sq.m
Contrast	3000 :1
Viewing angle hp/ver	178/178 degrees
Number of Colors	16.7 million
Backlight technology	D-LED
Screen Format	16:9
Image Formats	Auto, Cinerama, Zoom 16:9, Zoom Up 16:9, Zoom 14:9, 16:9, 4:3
Picture modes	Standard, Dynamic, Natural, Cinema, Stadium, Custom
Pixel response time, ms	6,5
Sound
Sound	stereo
Acoustic power. Systems	2 x 5 W
Sound modes	Standard, Movie, Music, Voice, Stadium, Custom
Sound effects	is present Balance, AGC
Equalizer	is 5-band
Features
Menu language	American
Sleep timer	Check out
Teletext	there is
Additional Features	Dynamic contrast, black enhancement, flesh tone, color enhancement, white balance, RGB mode, game mode, movie mode, sport mode, instant on, indicator control, freeze frame, noise reduction, auto. disconnect, WiFi, Ethernet, SMART TV, HbbTV, DLNA, share and watch, remote control, WiFi display, Netflix, USB media player photo, music, video , MHL, T-Link, ARC, PVR, TimeShift, Eco mode
Tuner
Analog tuner	yes
Digital tuner	Yes, DVB-T/T2/C MPEG-4
Tuning type	auto/manual
Channel memory analog, digital	199, 5000
Video system	PAL, SECAM, NTSC
Sound system	B/G, D/K, I
System and features
Comb filter	3D
Nicam/A2	there is
AV Stereo	available at
Connectors
Antenna input	1(DVB-C\T\T2
LAN in RJ-45	1
Audio output	no
Output to head phones	1
YPBPR input	no
Audio input for YPBPR	no
Scart jack	no
HDMI input	2x HDMI 1.4 HDMI1 – MHL 2.1, T-Link, HDMI2 – ARC
VGA input PC	no
AV input	1, via adapter
SPDIF output	1 Coaxial
USB	2 I 500mA
Connection interface	CI+
USB MEDIA	Photo: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp Music: .aac, .mp3, .m4a V i d e o : .avi(MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP, MPEG-4 SP, MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-4 XVID, DivX, H.264(AVC MP@Level \ HP@Level 4 MPEG *.mpeg, *.mpg, *.dat, *vob MPEG-1 MP, MPEG-2 MP MPEG-4(* .mp4(MPEG-4 SP, MPEG-4 ASP, MPEG-4 XVID, H.264(AVC MP\HP@Level 4 TS(*.ts, *.trp, *tp(MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP, H.264(AVC MP\HP@Level 4 MKV(*.mkv(MPEG-1, MPEG-2 MP, MPEG-4 SP\ ASP MPEG-4 XVID, H.264(AVC MP\HP @Level 4 *.flv(H.264(AVC MP\HP@Level 4 VC-1/WMV9(*.wmv,*.asf(VC-1 MP\ SP\ AP RMVB(*.rm, *rmvb(RV8 720P@30, RV9 720P@30, RV10 720P@30 . Supported Stream Rate: 20Mbps.
Connection adapters	no
Security
Child Lock	available at
Hotel mode	is activation through the service center
Accessories
Remote control	yes
Batteries	Is 2 X AAA
User manual	there is
Table stand	available
Power consumption
Working Voltage	150-240 V 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption	50W
Power Consumption. on standby	0,5 vt
Power density W/cm2	0.02
Power cord length, mm	1500
Eco Mode	there is
dimensions
Dimensions without stand WxHxD	733 × 444 ×92 mm
Dimensions with Stand WxHxD	733 × 480 × 177 mm
Box dimensions WxHxD	830 × 524 ×137 mm
Color	Black
Weight net	4.3 kg
Weight Gross	5.7 kg
Can be mounted on the wall	available
Stand Type	Side racks, plastic
VESA wall mount type, size, screw	200x100mm, M4x8mm 4 pcs.
EAN 13	4670004732823