How to configure DVB-T2 channels using the Thomson THT702 as an example. How to Tune Channels on an Old Thomson TV Thomson TV automatic channel tuning

If you purchased a new TV, changed your cable operator or broadcast type, then the first procedure you will encounter is setting up TV channels on your TV.

Depending on the method of signal reception, there are three main types of broadcasting:

• ethereal- broadcast from a TV tower is transmitted to a regular antenna;
• cable- channel packages from the operator’s distribution center are transmitted to subscribers’ apartments by wire;
• satellite- the signal from the satellite is transmitted to a parabolic antenna (dish) and converted by the receiver.

In turn, terrestrial and cable television can be analogue and digital. The second has higher image and sound quality, but viewing it may require additional equipment in the form of a digital set-top box (tuner), especially if we are talking about an older TV model.

This article discusses automatic and manual tuning of analog channels on a TV (for cable channels everything will be identical).

Preparing the TV

Before you start directly setting up channels, you should connect the TV to the broadcast source. With an analog signal, the cable from the antenna or cable television operator is connected directly to the antenna input of the TV (marked in the photo):

At the same time, it is worth separately considering the situation in which more than one TV is used in the apartment. In this case, a special antenna splitter is used for connection, which in most cases has two or three outputs:

How to tune channels from a regular antenna to several TVs?

People often complain that the channels on their TV in one room are worse than in another. Some of them are missing, and the rest have interference. This is due to an incorrect connection. It is important that both TVs are equidistant from the main cable. Otherwise, the one that is located closer will take over most of the signal. Also, to connect two or more TVs, you should use a high-quality cable that is better protected from interference. Therefore, a standard cheap cable, which is usually offered by many cable television operators, will not work here.

How to automatically tune channels on your TV

This is the easiest way to set up and requires a minimum of effort and knowledge. The TV itself finds all available channels and remembers them.

To enter the automatic tuning mode, enter the TV menu by pressing the MENU button on the remote control. Depending on the model of your TV, this button may also be indicated by the words HOME, INPUT, OPTION, SETTINGS or special symbols in the form of three longitudinal stripes, a house, an arrow in a square, and others. More detailed information on this matter is contained in the instructions for operating and setting up TV channels. Some options for designating the menu button are shown in the photo:

Having entered the menu, use the navigation buttons to select the item “Channel setup” - “Automatic setup”. After this, indicate what type of television you are going to tune in (terrestrial or cable) and start the search process by pressing the ENTER/OK button. In different TV models, the names of the described menu items may differ slightly, so if you have any difficulties, check the instructions. An approximate menu screen might look like this:

In some cases, before tuning channels on a regular antenna, you should additionally select the region of your location. To do this, in the settings menu, find the COUNTRY or REGION item and select the corresponding entry in the list.

Note. If all items in the TV menu are displayed in English, find the word LANGUAGE in the settings and select RUSSIAN.

After auto-tuning of channels is completed, a sorting menu may appear on the TV, with which you can arrange the found channels in an order convenient for viewing.

It is worth noting that when changing or adding transmitted channels on the part of the cable television operator, the setup must be done again.

How to manually tune channels on your TV

For all its apparent simplicity of automatic configuration, it has several significant drawbacks. Some channels may repeat or have distorted picture or sound. In this case, you should correct the situation manually. Here are step-by-step instructions for manually setting up TV channels:

• In the “Channel Tuning” menu, use the navigation buttons to select “Manual Tuning” and press ENTER/OK.
• Select the “Program” item and assign a serial number to the channel by pressing the number buttons on the remote control.
• Select the color system used in your region: PAL, SECAM, NTSC or AUTO.
• Select the sound system: 2.0 (stereo), 5.1, etc.
• Perform a “Search” for the channel and, if successful, add it to the TV’s memory by pressing the “Save” button.
• Repeat the same procedure for all required channels.

The manual channel tuning menu may look like this:

It should be remembered that all actions in the proposed instructions are confirmed by pressing the ENTER/OK button.

Frequently asked questions about setting up analog channels

Sometimes during the process of setting up channels certain questions may arise, some of which are discussed below.

How to tune channels on a TV without a remote control?

The process of automatic and manual setup in this case occurs in a similar way, but to access the TV menu, buttons located directly on its body are used.

Smart TV is not a new thing and, one might even say, banal - if we are talking about A-brands presented on the Russian market. Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony, Philips have been offering their smart hub for seven years now, continuously developing platforms that are based on Tizen, Firefox OS or, most often, Android TV. But we are talking about TVs in the middle and upper price categories - the simplest TVs from big brands today are not always equipped with a built-in Wi-Fi module. What can we say about other companies?

However, for an outdated TV or budget model today there is the possibility of an “upgrade” using an external Smart TV set-top box - the successor to the media players that were super popular 7-8 years ago. As a rule, they are equipped with Android, which is not the latest version, and allow you, first of all, to provide access to the Internet - then the use is at your discretion.

Thomson, on the one hand, created a budget line of TVs with built-in Smart TV, on the other hand, it did without Android, trying to put together something unique, its own. Let's see how the company did it. And did it make sense? At the same time, we’ll test the TV itself.

⇡ Design and construction

We received the basic model of the Thomson Smart TV line for the 2016 model year - D18 (18th series), with a minimum 40-inch display diagonal (versions with 43, 49 and 55-inch displays are also available). The full model index is T40D18SFS-01B, in the future we will stick to the abbreviated spelling of the name - T40D18. Also an important disclaimer - we visited a pre-production copy with its own features, which are not and will not be in market samples.

The T40D18 does not offer any design delights, striving for extreme simplicity that is understandable in the budget segment. This is a classic black rectangle, without tacky inclusions, but with a very thin frame around the screen. It is decorated with glossy plastic - unfortunately, the display itself also has a glossy surface; it glares if you do not curtain the windows during daytime viewing.

The IR signal receiver from the remote control is located under the lower edge of the front panel, but the body control keys are hidden on the rear panel.

The options for installing the TV are classic: either tabletop, using two small and relatively elegant legs (4 screws for this are included in the kit), or wall-mounted, but fasteners must be purchased separately.

The dimensions of the TV without legs are 924 × 545 × 86 mm. The legs add another 15 centimeters of thickness. In principle, it is not the thickest TV, although in the age of victorious liquid crystals (and organic light-emitting diodes that already fit them), there are also panels 15-20 mm thick. Actually, the thickness here is mainly given by the “hump”, where the electronics, cooling system, interfaces and speakers are hidden.

Speaking of interfaces. There is everything you need here: 3 × HDMI, optical audio output, 3.5 mm mini-jack for headphones, SCART, 2 × USB, Ethernet and 2 connectors for antennas, terrestrial and satellite TV (DVB-T/T2/C, DVB -S/S2). It is worth noting that to facilitate the search for satellite TV programs, there are preset broadcast parameters for NTV, Tricolor and MTS providers. CI+ access cards are also supported for these providers.

Via USB ports you can play content from external drives - the TV works with the H.265 codec with support for Full HD resolution.

⇡ Smart TV

In the last paragraph of the previous section, you may have noticed that the Thomson T40D18 has an Ethernet connector that allows you to connect the TV to wired Internet. In addition to it, the device also has a built-in Wi-Fi module - there is no need to pull wires at all. The first time you turn on the device, you can see a characteristic icon in the main menu - go to it and select the required one from the list of networks. The password will have to be entered using the on-screen keyboard, of course - this is standard for TV. By the way, the TV remembers the network - the next time it is turned on, it connects to it independently.

Before talking about the system and available applications, a few words about the technical aspect and the control panel. The TV has a quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 processor, well known from ultra-budget smartphones, for example. There, however, complexes are built from them - full-fledged systems-on-a-chip. Here it works alone, together with the ARM MALI MP2 graphics subsystem with a clock frequency of 450 MHz, one gigabyte of RAM and four gigabytes of permanent memory. The latter allows you to save content from Smart TV applications directly to your TV.

The main way to control the TV is using a classic remote control configuration. It is very large - it is simply impossible to control it with one hand; you have to constantly grab it in your hand or use your second hand to press keys in a certain sector. At the same time, the shape itself with a recess in the center is very successful, and the rubberized keys are pleasant to press. We pay special attention to the dedicated Netflix button, the Info (i) button and the Home key in the very center - these, together with the navigation arrows, are the key controls for the Thomson Smart TV.

The Info button, by the way, provides access to another way to control the TV - through a smartphone. Press it for 4 seconds - and a QR code appears on the screen, from which you can download the TV REMOTE application. The application can also be downloaded via Google Play (you need to find a program with the name mentioned above and the publisher is TCL).

The third control method is using a traditional mouse and keyboard; they can be connected via USB.

The TV can work as a DLNA client: it plays media files from a network storage device or computer connected to the local network.

To work with a TV, you just need to connect to the same Wi-Fi network as the TV, and then select it from the list of devices available for connection. As a result, you can exchange media data with it (due to Miracast technology you can play Full HD content without the slightest difficulty) and control it remotely, only with a fully functional cursor on the TV screen (which is not available when using a regular remote control) - quite good for a budget model.

As for Smart TV itself, it is based on Linux OS using the NetRange platform, which has long and quite successfully created various variations on the theme of smart television for various brands. In this case, we see a quite clear interface, which by default displays recommended videos and the last ones you watched. Below them are tabs with content distributed by type: “Video”, “Sports”, “TV”. Only the last tab contains the actual applications - the very essence of the philosophy of most Smart TV platforms. In the case of the pre-production Thomson D18, the above tabs are filled with content from Youtube, and among the video-on-demand services, only Netflix, which recently entered the Russian market, is presented here. Russian services are also available in serial versions.

Smart TV works fine - the interface does not slow down, applications open quickly, the browser is not the most convenient, but it also works quite smoothly.

⇡ Picture and sound

The Thomson T40D18 display is based on a PSA matrix with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 (Full HD). The natural aspect ratio is 16:9. LEDs located on the rear surface of the screen (Direct LED) are used to illuminate the liquid crystal matrix. As a result, the image is subject to minimal flare, there are no serious problems with this. Progressive scan is supported - this is now the standard for budget models.

Viewing angles are quite good - 178 degrees are claimed, but such extreme values ​​are not required for real use. With a deviation of 30-45 degrees, the contrast drops significantly, but the colors change minimally - you can watch TV not only while standing directly in front of its screen.

The TV works with five picture presets: standard, natural, dynamic, cinema, stadium. Well, custom, of course. We highly recommend installing the “cinema” preset right away - you should only switch from it if you want to watch TV during the day with the curtains open. In this mode, the maximum brightness of the image is reduced, but the color tones and contrast become noticeably more pleasant. Also, of course, there are manual settings - you can customize the brightness, contrast, backlight, and so on. Everything is very detailed, right down to manual control of additional functions and white balance - this is atypical for a budget model. The menu contains a guide to working with the TV; it will help you configure it more accurately.

In cinema mode, the TV produces a static contrast ratio of 3899:1 - this is even more than the stated 3000:1. A very good result. The brightness is 183 cd/m2 - in direct sunlight, taking into account the highly glare glass, it will be uncomfortable to watch anything on the Thomson T40D18. By increasing the display brightness to maximum, we can achieve 274 cd/m2. The contrast drops, but you can watch the broadcast without curtaining the windows.

The color temperature cannot be changed digitally - you can only switch between three presets: normal, cold and warm. Unfortunately, even in film mode and with a “warm” preset, the temperature is too high and fluctuates around 8000-8500 K. Unfortunately, you can’t count on accurate color rendition in any mode - the minimum average deviation is DeltaE, which we managed to achieve when playing with settings - 6.00. DeltaE for grayscale is 12.20, gamma is also not impressive. The screen is not set up brilliantly - but this is a normal level for a budget model.

The Thomson T40D18 operates at a standard frequency of 50 Hz, without software increasing it to 100 or more - this eliminates the picture from possible artifacts, but dynamic scenes also look a little blurry. However, viewing them does not cause serious discomfort; everything is within normal limits.

The response time is stated at 6.5 ms - this is quite enough for a comfortable game, subjective sensations are confirmed by the numbers. For a professional gamer, of course, it is better not to use the Thomson T40D18 as the main display, but to play from time to time - why not.

It is also possible to watch TV in eco mode - if you want to save energy and do not need extreme brightness, you can use it.

The sound subsystem includes two 8-watt speakers - they sound quite loud and clear. Without any gloss and thunderous bass - but there is no need to rush immediately after buying a TV for additional speakers. The menu has quite detailed sound settings, by the way, including an equalizer. But if you really want to build a home theater based on the Thomson T40D18, you will, of course, need an audio system.

⇡ Conclusion

Budget TV has always been just a means of displaying pictures - and then with varying success, but certainly without claims to any big role in the home ecosystem. The 2016 Thomson Smart TV tries to break this tradition.

Yes, these TVs have a built-in Linux-based operating system - and it works quite well. They also know how to access the Internet. In the pre-production version, we were able to gain access to Netflix and Youtube - but in production models there is also access to Russian services, and their number, we dare to hope, will expand.

As for the ability to display pictures directly, this is quite a good level for budget TVs. Decent contrast and normal brightness are combined with not very impressive color rendition, but for 23,990 rubles (the official price of Thomson T40D18SFS-01B) a 40-inch TV with native Full HD is not a bad option at all in today’s realities.

Hi all! Today I am reviewing a Smart-TV from THOMSON. I remember well the times when it was simply physically impossible to buy a TV; they simply weren’t on sale. Living in Vladivostok, you could get hold of a TV through thrift stores, where these same TVs came from Japan. Today, of course, there are no problems with buying a TV, the problem lies elsewhere, there is a very large selection and sometimes making the right decision is very difficult.

ABOUT THOMSON

1914 is the year of founding of the Thomson SA (Thomson Multimedia) group of companies, named after the founder of the joint American-French company, electrical engineer Elihu Thomson.

Thomson is one of the oldest and most recognizable brands in the global electronics industry, where it has been the standard of quality and synonymous with reliability for more than 100 years.

Thomson is the epitome of design, style, comfort, ease of use, durability and affordable prices.

Thomson today is not only high-tech television equipment, but also a wide range of various electrical household products - digital set-top boxes, audio/video equipment, phones, monitors, tablet PCs, household appliances and accessories.

PACKAGE

The TV comes in a box made of glossy gray cardboard. The packaging contains a colorful image of the TV itself, indicating the main advantages of the product.

There are handles at the ends for carrying.

The box is packed with branded tape, so it will be immediately clear whether the box has been opened before you or not.

A small sticker at the bottom of the package states that the TV was manufactured in Russia in early summer 2017.

Inside the box, the TV is packed in a foam frame. Popular wisdom says that if a “cat” sits on a box with a TV, then it will work for a VERY long time!

EQUIPMENT

Here's what's included in the package:

1. TV.

2. Remote control.

3. User manual.

4. Warranty card.

5. Instructions for installing the stand.

6. Power cable.

7. Self-tapping screws – 4 pcs.

8. AAA batteries – 2 pcs.

9. Two TV legs.

10. Adapter (adapter).

Standard delivery set. A plus is the removable power cable.

SPECIFICATIONS

TV type - LED TV.

Model - Thomson T32RTM5040.

Frame color is black.

Stand color – grey.

Screen diagonal - 32" (81 cm).

Screen resolution - 1366x768 (HD).

Screen format - 16:9.

HDTV standard is HD 720p.

Screen refresh rate - 50 Hz.

Brightness - 330 cd/m².

Contrast - 3000:1.

Viewing angle - 178° / 178°.

Smart TV support – yes.

Wi-Fi – built-in.

Digital tuners - DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-C.

Teletext – yes.

Sound power – 2x5 W.

Surround sound – yes.

Playback from external media – yes.

Supported media: USB.

Main video files and codecs - MPEG4, Xvid, DivX, MKV, AVI, MPEG2, TS, VOB, MPEG1, FLV, H.264, VC-1.

Main audio files and codecs - MP3, AAC.

Main graphic files - JPEG, BMP, PNG.

Number of HDMI ports – 2.

Other audio/video inputs are composite AV, antenna input, satellite input.

Headphone output – yes.

Other audio/video outputs are S/PDIF audio (coaxial).

Number of USB ports – 2.

Slot for CI/PCMCIA – yes.

Other ports and interfaces are Ethernet (RJ-45).

DLNA support – yes.

HDMI CEC – yes.

TimeShift function - yes.

Video recording – yes.

There is a possibility of wall mounting.

VESA size - 200x100.

Width without stand - 733 mm.

Height without stand - 440 mm.

Thickness without stand - 77 mm.

Weight without stand - 4.47 kg.

Width with stand - 733 mm.

Height with stand - 468 mm.

Thickness with stand - 165 mm.

Weight with stand - 4.6 kg.

INSTALLING THE STAND

Of course, the first thing we do after purchasing a TV is install the stand included in the package.

To install the fasteners, you can use the included instructions, but the installation itself is so simple that instructions are simply not needed.

The stand is presented in the form of two silver aluminum legs, which are attached using four self-tapping screws from the delivery set.

It is impossible to install the mounts incorrectly, since the TV itself has special grooves only for the left or only for the right stand.

The holes for the self-tapping screws on one of the stands are not processed very carefully.

The TV legs are positioned slightly at an angle, the stability is good, and you won’t be able to accidentally knock over the TV.

The legs have silicone inserts that prevent the TV from sliding on a flat surface.

After installing the legs, the distance between the bottom of the TV and the surface is 4 cm.

APPEARANCE

I have 42" (FullHD) and 49" (4k) TVs at home. After them, a TV from THOMSON seems like just a baby, the eye gets used to the large size and anything smaller already seems small.

And this is what TVs look like in comparison.

In terms of design, the TV does not represent anything new or interesting. An ordinary TV in a classic style, like everyone else. Nowadays, none of the manufacturers particularly bother with appearance. And it’s quite difficult to surprise the average consumer with something new. Only very expensive models have at least some style or design. The mass segment looks like a carbon copy.

The TV body is made of black matte plastic.

The screen frames are quite narrow, the widest part of the frame is at the bottom, where the manufacturer’s logo is also located. In general, the trend now is for narrow frames, even in budget models. There is a silver plastic insert at the bottom of the screen.

A TV can be called narrow. Yes, it is narrow, but only at the very top.

In the middle part on the back side all the filling of the TV is hidden, it turns out to be a kind of hump. There is also a place for VESA - 200x100 mount.

Please note that the bolt slots protrude quite significantly beyond the body.

There are ventilation holes at the top of the protrusion.

At the very bottom of the TV there are two stereo speakers, which is why the bottom part is wide. The speakers are downward facing, so if the TV is placed on a table, the sound will be reflected from the surface.

The TV control buttons are located on the back side and this is very inconvenient, since all actions have to be done by touch. With this button you can only switch channels, adjust the volume and select the connection type. But all other functionality becomes unavailable. If you lose the remote control or it breaks, the TV will turn into a pumpkin. But there is a way out of this situation; you will need to download the application to your smartphone and control the TV through your smartphone.

Various connection ports are located at the bottom of the protruding element and on the left side.

1. Connector for connecting the power cable.

2. Ethernet port.

3. Headphone jack with 3.5 mm TRS plug.

4.AV IN. Video and audio connection connector.

5. HDMI 2 (ARC) connector.

6. HDMI 1 (MHL) connector.

7. RF IN (input). Connector for connecting to an antenna or cable TV.

9. USB 2 (2.0). Output current on connectors is 0.5 A.

10. COMMON INTERFACE (CI). CI+ format CAM module connector.

11. SPDIF (COAXIAL). Digital audio output connector.

There is an LED indicator in the lower right corner that notifies you of your remote control actions in red.

What about the build quality? Visually everything is fine. But a closer look at the case reveals that the plastic is quite cheap and thin. The TV control unit is pressed by hand. The frame of the case in the upper part easily bends from the base. The overall rigidity of the case is low; when pressing in the corners in different directions, the case is deformed.

REMOTE CONTROL

When I first saw the TV remote control, I had something like this expression on my face...

No, are you serious!? Almost 25 cm!!!

Apparently the designer/engineer of this remote control has a little person complex. There is no other way I can explain such a gigantic size of the remote control.

This is the largest remote control in my remote control collection!

Yes, it even looks ridiculous in your hand.

The most important buttons on the remote control have different colors.

There are plastic feet on the back of the remote control.

The buttons on the remote control are rubberized, except for the central navigation keys.

The remote control is slightly curved inward.

An IR transmitter is hidden in the upper part of the remote control under a plastic insert.

To be honest, the remote control is inconvenient to use precisely because of its large size. Some keys are clearly large in size, it would be wiser to make them smaller, and the layout of the buttons themselves could be made more dense.

So if you use the top part of the buttons, the bottom of the remote control outweighs and tends to fall out of your hands, very inconvenient! In some cases, you have to hold the remote control with your second hand. The block of buttons with numbers clearly needs to be placed closer to the center.

But the biggest drawback for me was the very noisy buttons. They press with a pronounced click, like on some push-button phones. Why do this? It's not clear at all! When using the remote control, clicking the buttons is simply annoying, and it is simply impossible to use the remote control in silence. Well, there was no button on the remote control to switch the broadcast from antenna to cable, which seems like a small thing, but it’s unpleasant. As a result, the remote control itself was put away in the box, and control of the TV was transferred to the smartphone.

FIRST SWITCH ON AND SETTINGS

Let's check how long it takes to turn on the TV and change channels, and also compare the readings with TVs from Sony and Toshiba.

Turning on the TV from standby mode:

1.Thomson – 13 sec.

2.Sony – 7 sec.

3.Toshiba – 18 sec.

Switching channels:

1.Thomson – 2.62 sec.

2.Sony – 3.21 sec.

3.Toshiba – 1.97 sec.

When you turn on the TV for the first time, you need to go through a small setup.

The first thing you need to do is select your country of residence and language.

The place where the TV will be used.

Network connection type. I chose Wi-Fi, since the provider and router provide 100 Mbit/s.

When connected, the system will check for a software update. At the time of connection there were no updates. Honestly, I doubt there will be any updates at all, considering the TV was released in the month of July 2017.

You can select the desired channel tuning mode. I set it to automatically search for digital and analogue channels.

As a result, 17 analog and 20 digital channels + 3 radio stations were found.

After setting up channels through the antenna, the system will offer to set up cable broadcasting.

You can configure channels manually, but to be honest, I don’t see any point in this.

There is no point in dwelling on the TV settings as such, everything is described in the attached instructions, and there is also an electronic manual in the TV itself.

As practice shows, when setting up broadcast channels, the remaining functionality of the TV is practically not used.

But it’s still worth mentioning the basic settings parameters.

You can fine-tune the displayed image or use ready-made presets.

The same settings can be applied to the sound part.

You can sort the tuned channels in the order that suits you. Subtitle and teletext functions are available. The TimeShift function allows you to pause the image and then return to viewing.

You can separately configure the Smatr-TV function. But the setting is more cosmetic.

Separate setup of wired or wireless network.

System settings: language, sleep timer, lock, factory reset, etc.

Updating the TV firmware is possible via a wireless network or via removable media.

RECEIVING DIGITAL, ANALOG, CABLE SIGNAL

To receive a digital signal, I bought a DEXP Curve 50 antenna. The antenna itself “caught” both multiplexes, the total is 20 channels + 3 radio stations, which is the maximum figure so far. I didn’t bother too much with installing the antenna; I just threw it near the TV for the test. I live on the ground floor, the house is on a hill, there is no special building in front of the house, the tower is 10 km away. The reception of all channels is excellent. But here, for the most part, it’s not about the TV, but about the quality of your antenna and the building density and distance to the tower.

Example image of all 20 digital channels:

We managed to catch 15-17 analog channels (depending on the placement of the antenna). Out of 15 channels, you can watch no more than 3 channels normally, all the rest have interference. In general, analogue broadcasting can be ignored due to poor signal reception. According to rumors, analogue broadcasting will be discontinued in 2018.

An example of broadcasting analogue channels:

With cable broadcasting, everything is quite individual, much depends on your operator.

I have set up more than 100 broadcast channels, but since I rarely watch TV, this indicator is not interesting to me.

Example of cable TV broadcasting:

We can say that this TV has no problems with digital reception. It all depends on the chosen antenna and its placement.

Of course, filming with a camera cannot accurately reproduce the image from the TV screen, but visually the best picture was on cable broadcasting. A total of 9999 channels can be stored in the TV memory.

SCREEN

The screen size on our TV is 32 inches or 81 cm diagonally. The resolution is standard in this price range - 1366x768 (HD).

The pixel density with these characteristics is only 49 ppi (dots per inch). From a distance of two meters, individual pixels on the screen are not noticeable.

But from a distance of just over a meter, individual pixels are already clearly visible.

Screen format 16:9. There is no and cannot be support for HDR mode. Screen refresh rate - 50 Hz. The brightness is - 330 cd/m². The stated contrast is 3000:1. Viewing angles 178°. Response time 6.5 ms. The characteristics are quite standard.

Screen backlight technology - Direct LED. The Direct LED backlight type provides for the distribution of LEDs over the entire area of ​​the matrix.

Main advantages:

1. Uniform illumination.

2. Good contrast level.

3. Almost complete absence of highlights at the edges of the matrix

4. Good brightness.

Main disadvantages:

1. High power consumption.

2. The screen matrix may not be the thinnest 3. Large Input Lag.

In general, the level of screen backlighting can be called uniform; there are small highlights only closer to the corners of the screen and then they are visible only against a black background.

In dynamics, the backlight level looks even and without any flaws.

Viewing angles are about 178 degrees. In practice, this is approximately how it is. But there is a slight inversion of color shades at different tilt angles. However, the distortions are small and during everyday tasks they are practically unnoticeable.

Let's look at the screen settings in more detail using the ColorMunki Display calibrator from X-Rite.

It’s worth saying right away that the lower the screen resolution, the worse the final result will be.

Gamma curves have a significant scatter from the reference curve.

Color channels are also not stable. The values ​​for the blue color are greatly overestimated.

The color temperature is so high that the measurement readings are not displayed on the graph. In the image settings, I immediately recommend setting the “warm” display mode.

According to the sRGB standard, there is a significant scatter. We can say that the transmission of color shades on the TV screen will not be entirely natural.

In general, the screen shows quite expected characteristics, but it cannot be called bad. Characteristics and factory settings fit into their price group. This screen is more than enough to watch live broadcasts.

SOUND

The TV has two stereo speakers of 5 W each. The DNS website indicates that the TV is equipped with a subwoofer, but there is no such information on the manufacturer’s official website or in the instructions.

To its credit, the volume on the TV is excellent. At maximum volume the speakers do not produce any noise. If you're just watching TV, then just set the volume to +10. At a volume of +50 there is already discomfort. At a volume of +100 it is no longer possible to be near the TV, it is very loud. Peak volume is about 71 dB.

In the sound settings, you can select different sound effects (music, movie, voice, standard, stadium, custom). 5 band equalizer available.

In the sound settings, you can select the type of placement of the TV; it can be a table or a wall. To be honest, I didn’t notice any difference in sound.

There's nothing particularly special about the sound quality. Basically the sound is flat, low frequencies are not felt at all. If you change sound presets, you will feel changes in the sound (the equalizer settings change).

CONNECTING PERIPHERALS

A revelation was the absence of a Bluetooth module on the TV. Considering the cheap cost of the module itself, it is difficult to logically explain its absence.

Yes, and an optical audio output would also be nice, but let’s leave the lyrics aside.

First of all, I decided to check how the TV copes with large-capacity HDDs. It was a pleasant surprise that the TV “sees” HDDs of 2 and 4 TB, and I didn’t even have to format anything. For example, my SONY TV on Android OS does not want to work properly with a HDD larger than 2TB. Surfing through a disk structure with many folders is quite smooth, which is a positive thing.

There were also no problems connecting USB flash drives.

Memory cards can be connected via a regular USB card reader.

Since there is no BT module on the TV, I decided to check how a mouse with its own BT module would work. The connection was successful, a green arrow for navigation appears on the screen. It is noteworthy that the right button on the mouse was responsible for the “OK” action, and the left button canceled the last action. In the TV interface, the actions of the right and left buttons on the mouse worked quite selectively; in some menus, clicking the mouse buttons did not lead to the desired result, and I had to contact the control panel. In the browser, the buttons worked properly, but the ability to scroll pages using the wheel did not work. The wheel in the TV menu also does not work. From all this we can conclude that a wireless mouse is simply useless on this TV.

Connecting a wired mouse does not lead to the desired result at all; the TV simply does not see it.

The wired keyboard works. Typing from the keyboard is only possible in English; switching to Russian from the keyboard is not possible. To enter another language, you need to call up the virtual keyboard on the TV and select the desired language in the settings of the keyboard itself. You can select three languages ​​for input at the same time.

The BT keyboard from Microsoft with a dedicated touch panel worked best. Here at least the mouse functionality works, but again input in Russian is only possible through the virtual keyboard.

You can record television broadcasts on any removable media. To do this, press the “rec” key on the remote control. There is no need to format the external media first. You can select any time recording format. Naturally, you can only view the recorded file on the same TV. An advantage is that removable media does not need to be formatted before recording, and thus you will not lose other files on the media itself. A 2-minute recording takes about 50 MB of disk space, which is quite a lot.

A smartphone running Android OS and iOS can act as a remote control. From the app store you need to download an application called “TV Remote”. The smartphone connects to the TV using a Wi-Fi module.

Actually, the application completely duplicates the capabilities of the control panel.

Separately, there is a function for a wireless mouse and text input.

You can also transfer any content from your phone to TV: music, videos, photos.

For example, a video recorded in 4k on a Samsung Galaxy S8+ smartphone refused to be broadcast on the TV screen. Problems are also observed in FullHD format at 60 fps, the video is constantly loaded, the sound is delayed - it is impossible to watch. Normal video broadcasting is only possible in 720p (HD).

The TV supports DLNA function.

DLNA- a set of standards that allow compatible devices to transmit and receive various media content (images, music, video) over the home network, as well as display it in real time.

An ASUS laptop was used for the test. Setting up the connection is quite simple. The laptop and TV must be connected to the same router in the house. Next, on the laptop, open shared access to the folder or HDD drive of the laptop. Then we select the desired file, right-click “transfer to device”, select our TV and then the broadcast will begin on the TV screen.

It was experimentally found that the maximum quality of video broadcast over a wireless network should be 1080p (FullHD) with a bitrate of no more than 20 Mb/s. Any increase in resolution or bitrate leads to lags during broadcasting.

When connecting a regular HDD via USB 2.0, you can watch content in 1080p with a bitrate of up to 35 Mb/s and up to 40 frames per second.

FORMAT COMPATIBILITY

We previously determined experimentally that the TV can handle a video stream in 1080p resolution with a bitrate of 35 Mb/s.

All videos will be recoded to match the TV resolution (1366x768 pixels). Let's leave the bitrate at 30 Mb/s, set the frame rate to 30.

AVI. There is an image, there is sound.

FLV. There is an image, there is sound.

M2TS. There is an image, there is sound.

MKV. There is an image, there is sound.

MOV. There is an image, there is sound.

MP4. There is an image, there is sound.

MPG. There is an image, there is sound.

WEBM. There is a picture, but there is no sound.

WMV. No picture, no sound.

We can say that the built-in media player is quite versatile. All major video file formats can be played, and on a TV this is one of the most important factors. In addition, you can turn on/off subtitles and change audio tracks. A pleasant surprise was the ability to start watching a movie from where it stopped, even if you remove the HDD from the TV.

Large video files, namely Blu-ray rips up to 10 GB, are played back without problems. But files of 30 GB or more are no longer possible for this TV.

What about support for audio formats?

Formats such as: AAC, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA are played back without problems. As expected, only the FLAC format was not played on the TV.

SMART-TV

As the owner of a SMART-TV on Android OS, I did not expect such functionality from THOMSON. But when I moved on to this section on the TV, I immediately wanted to look into the face of the one who called THIS - SMART-TV.

Two questions immediately arose...

1.What guided the developer when compiling the SMART-TV section.

2. What is the reason for such love for the YouTube service?

But let's take it in order...

The initial section of SMART-TV greets us with this menu. The first item is “recommended”. What are these recommendations related to? Nobody knows this. All recommendations are on YouTube.

Maybe the “video” section contains something useful? But no, all windows are links to YouTube channels.

For sports fans there is such a non-trivial section as “sports”. But even here, all the links go to a set of videos on YouTube or to a few live channels. Everything is in English.

The “TV” section is used to select TV operating modes.

Finally, we come to the “applications” section. Pay attention to the selection of installed applications. The most useful app on this list, you won't believe it, is YouTube. The rest of the applications are in English (we are in Russia, if anything) and without any logic in presentation or layout. Naturally, you cannot group or delete applications.

For example, some applications from the SMART-TV section simply do not work. Resetting the TV doesn't help.

Or maybe there is something useful in the “TV4 AppStore” section? Let's figure out how THIS is an application store. I’ll say right away that you can’t download applications, you just launch them and that’s it. Previously launched applications can be found in the “history” section.

The so-called application store is divided into the following sections:

1.Home.

5.News.

6.Entertainment.

8.Service.

Home. An incomprehensible selection of applications in English. For example, in one of the applications you can see half-naked men in bed and ladies sitting on the toilet. If we launch such an application, we will be shown pre-recorded videos with a third-person conversation. There is no benefit from such applications.

Sport. A selection of previously recorded videos on sports topics. Naturally, everything is in English.

Music. A selection of paid music services in English, but there is one section with Russian music.

Movie. A useless selection of online cinemas, but there are a couple of “ours”. One of the cinemas offered me to watch purely Chinese films for money, a good try, but no!

News. There are a lot of news channels in English, many of which are recorded. And only the “liberal” Rain speaks on the great and mighty.

Entertainment. This section completely duplicates the “cinema” section. What's the logic? I don't have an answer.

Games. A set of primitive games that run in a separate window. Control using navigation keys on the remote control. It's not interesting to play, everything works with jerks, there is no gameplay as such.

Service. A set of useless business applications in English.

But I still managed to find one interesting application, “CineTrailer”. Through this application you can watch trailers for films that have not yet been released.

Subsections: education, top, movies, games - redirect you to YouTube channels. Just some kind of mania with this video service.

What about a browser for surfing the web? There is one and it’s called “T-Browser”. The first thing that comes to mind is “T-Virus” from the game Resident Evil, where this virus killed people and turned them into zombies. "T-Browser" also kills people and turns them into zombies, kills because of its VERY slow work. It is simply impossible to use this “browser”; its speed is VERY low. Pages take a few minutes to load, and it doesn’t matter what speed your Internet connection is or what site you’re trying to open. The reader may ask, what about connecting the TV to the network via cable? I connected it, nothing changes. There are no questions about the operation of the Wi-Fi module, since the speed is enough to view 4k content without any problems. One gets the feeling that the hardware and software of the TV simply do not support such a “browser”. Although some kind of 4-core ARM A7 processor and Mali-450 video accelerator are responsible for the work.

There is nothing useful in such a SMART-TV. There is not even a banal weather application. No applications from Yandex (at least). No third party browsers or media players, NOTHING that would actually be useful to you when using the SMART-TV function!!!

Sorry, but I don’t have another SMART-TV for you!!!

CONCLUSIONS

First of all, it’s worth mentioning the price of this product – 16 thousand rubles, which, to put it mildly, is quite a lot.

For a lower price you can buy a TV on Android OS, which will give us almost unlimited possibilities for SMART-TV.

Of course, the TV directly performs its functions, namely watching TV shows. But the way the SMART-TV functionality is implemented is no good. Then why overpay for something that is impossible to use normally.

Honestly, I tried to find some positive arguments in favor of this TV, but they are so insignificant that they are simply invisible against the general background.

PROS:

1. Large capacity HDD support.

2. Good quality reception and display of channels on a digital antenna.

3. There are no complaints about the operation of the Wi-Fi module.

4. Excellent built-in media player.

5. Loud sound from speakers.

MINUSES:

1. There are questions about the build quality.

2. Useless SMART-TV mode.

3. Very slow browser.

4. Giant control panel.

5. No BT module.

That's all. Thank you all very much for your attention. Good luck and see you again!

What progress has come! TVs with Wi-Fi and SMART TV may well now be positioned as budget models for mass demand. A similar case happened with the hero of our review - the THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B TV. It also has Wi-Fi and SMART TV, and with its 32-inch screen and HD Ready, it costs only about 15 thousand rubles. With great interest, I began to understand, using the example of a specific brand, what exactly do manufacturers offer for such a low price and how convenient are economy-class devices?

Text: Alexey Sorokin.

Key functionality

Smart TV. It is based on the Linux operating system. Since the D19 series represents “smart” TVs, their hardware should also be productive. Stable operation of the television receiver is ensured by a properly selected 4-core central processor ARM Cortex A7, and the 8-core MALI 450 MP2 graphics processor is responsible for high-quality images. The operating system of the new THOMSON product runs on Linux and the NetRange platform, which is used by many global manufacturers. The undoubted advantage of such a combination is the high speed of operation and low demands on hardware. I would also like to note the convenient and simple interface of the NetRange platform, designed for downloading applications.

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

Of course, I would choose the wireless option, which is already possible in almost any apartment. Via Wi Fi, you can connect smartphones or tablets based on Android and iOS to control your TV or display multimedia content on the screen from these devices.

DVB-T2/С. The THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B TV has a modern receiver that supports all the features of Russian digital TV, for example, the EPG mode, which allows you to quickly view the TV program.

Support MHL/Wireless Display. Thanks to this option, the TV can be used as a monitor: in any wired or wireless version, connecting even to a tablet or smartphone and providing access to any applications.

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. And I can characterize the DLNA client as adequate and fast, allowing you to watch multimedia content from a computer connected to the internal network (connection - LAN), hard drive (server), Blu-ray recorder, etc.

Time Shift, PVR— delayed viewing service and recording of TV programs (to an external storage device).

Ci+ slot. Interface for connecting an electronic decoder module that allows you to view encrypted radio and television channels of “advanced” cable providers.

Color management system. A great service that allows you to calibrate the image to almost perfection.

We study the materiel

Design and ergonomics

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

Apart from the TV, remote control and power cable, nothing is included in the package. Except for the VESA mounting bolts measuring 200 x 100 and an adapter from 3.5 mm to a component input.

THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B is well assembled, there is no play or creaking. The only thing that seems unusual at first is the plastic legs. Will they survive? They will withstand it - the TV is very light, there will be no problems. The legs rest on rubber heels - they definitely won't let you slide.

There is a thin border of glossy plastic around the screen. I scraped it with my fingernail and was unable to leave a scratch. The same cannot be said about fingerprints. The screen itself is also glossy, but in moderation. The reflections in it are visible, but rather faded. We note a good balance between the picture and brightness.

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

On the right side of the TV there are buttons for control without a remote control. The design and volume allow them to be used calmly by touch.

Interfaces

All connectors are grouped in the same places. 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 budget TVs often do not have ARC (audio return transmission protocol over HDMI). It is actively used in home theaters and sound bars.

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

In general, the only thing I was missing was a linear output. I have a vintage sound system at home that only has a line input. However, I soon accidentally discovered that the headphone output can be used as a line connection!

Remote control

As for the remote control, it is very unusual. Firstly, it is very large - comfortable to hold in your hand and difficult to lose. Secondly, it is concave in shape. The buttons are very pleasant to press and signal this with a clear click.

The button filling provides access to all important functions. True, there are also redundant functions: the Netflix button, for example, refers to paid subscriptions aimed at foreign users.

Total with ergonomics

THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B looks much more expensive and more solid than competitors in the same price category. The “nothing superfluous” design makes itself felt - everything is strict, clear, concise. The range of connectors is sufficient for most users. There is nothing to complain about.

Digital TV: settings on the verge of fantasy

After turning on the TV, let's go through a few steps for the initial setup. The first thing that pleased me was that the TV turns on in TV mode, opening the last channel watched - this is very convenient, you don’t need to wander through the Smart menu for the hundred and first time. All channels were found immediately and worked flawlessly. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the user interface and image settings.

In THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B it 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 occurs in real time from one button, without going into an extensive menu.

In EPG mode, here it is called guide, it has its own features. When you scroll through the menu, the sound instantly switches to a new channel. A very convenient audio preview. The guide itself is informative because it has large fields for describing the TV show. Here you can “tie a knot for memory” so that the smart TV itself reminds you when you need to plop down on the sofa and watch the planned story.

PVR function - recording TV programs, activated with one click. Recording files in the media player are displayed with a separate shortcut, which greatly simplifies their search.

With THOMSON TV you can even pause live TV. I pressed the time shift button and time stopped. The function works great. The only limitation is the capacity of the connected flash drive, since the missed episode is recorded during pause.

Now let's get to the settings

In this device, you can independently adjust the brightness of the backlight. This is very convenient because it allows you to quickly adjust the image to the external lighting. In addition to the standard tint and sharpness settings, advanced users are offered a wide range of color settings: color gamut, black gain and even 10-point white balance! This, let me tell you, is a complete color management system! I have never seen anything like this even in top cinema projectors! Using a colorimeter, the color rendition of a budget TV can be made simply perfect.

I’ll note two more interesting modes: noise reduction and smooth motion settings. They are curious because until now I have only come across such functions in Hi-End technology.

Now a few words about the picture itself. It is different in different modes. In the standard one we see an oversaturated contrast picture with a cold temperature. Not for everyone. But in the “Cinema” mode the situation is different, the picture is already soft and warm, with the correct transition of tones. Other modes also have their own characteristics, each user will find a suitable option - according to their perception of beauty.

In general, the viewing angles on the screen are quite good. Even in the most critical situations, the picture remains tolerable, the colors do not change. For a TN panel found in a TV, this is a very good result. True, at first I was irritated by the excessive brightness. But then I figured it out: this model’s brightness parameter, it turns out, has a very wide adjustment range. If excessive brightness hurts your eyes, you just need to turn it down so it doesn’t irritate you.

The sound settings also presented a surprise - in the form of a full-fledged equalizer with five bands. Music lovers will be in shock! The THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B has a good sound. Of course, there is no bass in it, but the speakers, while delivering maximum volume, do not wheeze or snore. If you want to connect external speakers, you need to turn the sound setting to synchronize video and audio to the “side”.

SMART TV, dilemma: fast, but not the most flexible Linux+MHL or slow Android with advertising?

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

In SMART TV based on Linux or WebOS you will find fewer applications, but advertising will not stick like a bath sheet, wherever it gets. Compared to Android, applications on NetRange run much faster due to a simpler file system.

Take a look at the comparison chart, which is similar to a SWOT analysis. It will help you evaluate the pros and cons of each option.

Thus, Android has only one significant advantage, having a number of very annoying disadvantages. If you usually only use a browser, YouTube or a media player, then the need for Android tends to zero, since these applications are available on any SMART TV.

All applications on the NetRange platform are made specifically for SMART TV THOMSON, and not adapted from mobile versions, as is practiced by a number of manufacturers.

The number of applications does not depend on the user or the amount of memory on the TV; connecting them does not affect the operation of the television part or the entire device. In addition to interesting applications, the D19 series has a WebBrowser that allows you to freely access the Internet.

Comment by THOMSON So, there are two approaches to SMART TV. Option B - SMART TV on a crazy android. In this case, the client receives a large TV tablet and is left alone with the Internet: the “tablet” does not load, if it does load, then not everything works, if it loads and works, then after the upgrade it still stops working, etc.

Many brands have solved the current Smart issue radically and clearly: access to the network goes through their servers and data centers and everything works great. THOMSON took an intermediate route - through the cloud of the German provider NetRange. The disadvantages of this option are correctly noted - for now, such Internet access has restrictions on downloading applications (although over time there will be more and more of them). But the main thing remains in the brand concept: the client, having bought SMART TV under the THOMSON brand, is not left alone with the TV and the Internet...

And now I take out the THOMSON joker, which has turned my worldview upside down. Why do you need SMART TV at all? Using the MHL function, you can connect your TV to your smartphone or tablet and enjoy a full range of applications without experiencing the problems of lack of touch controls? Have you thought about it? It’s even easier to access the network through gadgets - without any wires at all, using the Wi Fi display option!

Media player test drive: fast, smooth, without glitches

The built-in media player and DLNA client on the TV works simply great - quickly, smoothly, without glitches or freezes, and has a clear advantage over the Android version: under Linux, all image settings remain active, no matter what applications you run. But the Android application records the settings “as is”: color, brightness, etc.

On THOMSON TV, any content is perceived as a TV show. Very comfortably! The color profile can be changed without leaving viewing mode. In addition, the media player calmly and without stuttering opens Full HD files of 6-7 GB in size via Wi Fi. Another plus is the omnivorous nature of the player. The list of formats it can play exhausts all the options I know of and supports bit rates:< 20Mbps.

Since the player is part of the shell, the display of functions on the remote control is ideal. If you press a button on the remote control, the TV will respond absolutely accurately, but Android-TV does not always deliver accurate hits.

By the way, you can connect a mouse and keyboard to the THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B. But there are two problems - the wheel on my mouse refused to work, and on the keyboard I still couldn’t find where to change the layout language.

Conclusion

So, we have a high-quality 32-inch TV with HD Ready resolution. Some may want more - a Full HD TV screen. But then the price will be different. And with the HD Ready option from THOMSON, users get an excellent picture, a fast operating system and a SMART TV. True, Linux is not distinguished by 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, then I can confidently recommend the THOMSON T32D19DHS-01B TV. There's simply no reason to pay extra for more well-known brands.

pros

High shell speed;

Cool color management system;

Nice design;

Excellent price/quality ratio;

Excellent built-in media player;

Wide range of network connectivity and wireless displays.

Minuses

Few applications for the operating system;

Low localization;

Imposed services.

Specifications