Widescreens for the PC Convergence Home Theater

The current demand for a direct view widescreen displays are heating up, and the overwhelming requests from customer shopping for a well priced display has brought us to the doorsteps of Sampo, a name more common in the PC market.  Sampo's latest  set raises the bar for all other manufacturers.  For starters, this TV is made for convergence.  Unlike other televisions in this size/aspect ratio, this set is XGA and 720p capable.  The technical specifications are quite impressive, and the big plus is that this widescreen sports a flat tube.   Please note, that although most photos of this unit make is seem like it is silver a la Sony Wega, it is actually almost a champagne color. 

Able to display up to 1024x768, and compatible with 720p HDTV, the SME-34WHD5 is a big bang for the buck.  For those comparing this set to the Princeton, bear in mind that the pitch is not as fine (0.82mm vs. Princeton AF3.0HD at 0.62mm), and the picture doesn't seem quite as "refined", but the sheer size and the flat screen makes up for any discrepancies found in this widescreen.  If you were looking at a 4:3 set to keep the costs down, this is a great alternative.

On-screen display is enough to make the control freak breathless, providing the ability to adjust H/V Size and Phase, Rotation, Parallelogram, Trapezoid, Pincushion, and RGB Gain, features often found in a PC monitor.  Controls for volume and balance are also featured. 

The SME-34WHD5 features a 75MHz bandwidth, with vertical frequency range up to 120Hz.   There are two component (1 Y-Cb-Cr and 1 Y-Pb-Pr) inputs as well as 1 VGA, 3 Composite, and 1 S-Video and 1 Coax F Connector. 

Review of Sampo 34" by Gary Merson on The Perfect Vision

    Screen Size