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More…RCA's Scenium M50WH185 impressed our jury with good image and color quality. Excellent performance combined with a low price to make this 50-inch DLP HDTV a winner.
RCA M50WH185
- Spec Navigator
- Screen Specs
- Broadcast Standards & Resolutions
- Dimensions and Weight
- Interface Connections
- Other Features
- Adjustments
- Aesthetics
- Included Hardware
Screen Specs
| Diagonal screen size | 50 inches |
| Display type | DLP |
| Maximum resolution | 1280 x 720 |
| Brightness | 800 cd/m^2 |
| Horizontal viewing angle | 160 ° |
| Vertical viewing angle | 160 ° |
Dimensions and Weight
| Width | 53 inches |
| Depth | 15.3 inches |
| Height | 32 inches |
| Weight | 68 pounds |
| Wall-Mountable | No |
Interface Connections
| Input |
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| Output |
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- Lab Tested
- How We Test HDTVs »
Pros
Attractive and easy-to-use design
Strong sound, especially for the price
Cons
Unattractive remote control
Bottom Line
Simple 720p model offers a pleasing picture and remarkably strong sound. At this price, "big HDTV" doesn't mean "big budget."
RCA Scenium M50WH185
M50WH185 Review, by Roy Santos October 24, 2006
Our judges deemed this 720p DLP--which accepts resolutions of up to 1080i and downscales them accordingly--a pleasing HDTV unit capable of producing natural-looking colors and sharp contrast. In high-definition test scenes, judges consistently gave it above-average to high marks. Vivid colors in a George Lopez scene were pleasing, and skin tones for a diverse cast were distinct without being exaggerated. Artifacts in background scenes, such as those on patterned curtains and wood grain, were kept to a minimum.
In another scene involving people in a car showroom, a solid green shirt showed a slightly blocky shimmer. Nonetheless, both green and red saturation were satisfyingly rich. Images in a wine country scene received praise from the judges for their contrast. One juror detected "drab greens" here, but image quality in general was quite attractive.
Overall, this bargain DLP turned in solid performance with standard-definition content. One juror noted the TV's "good contrast" in these scenes. On the minus side, another observed "slightly ashen" skin tones. Opinions were divided in our bright-lights test, conducted under strong lights; one juror pointed out "nice realistic colors," while another found the effect "slightly murky." But colors remained vivid and the contrast was pleasing with all lights turned on. When showing Seabiscuit and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, the TV exhibited special skill at reproducing natural-looking skin on actors with subtly varying degrees of light skin tones.
The M50WH185's built-in speakers are mounted on each side of the set, extending the TV's width to a little over 58 inches. Though the speakers max out at only 10 watts each--typical for built-ins--they sounded fuller than most, even at default settings. In the final scene of Seabiscuit, audio from different elements of the dramatic scene were pleasingly distinct. Dialogue was nicely audible, too, despite the sound effects of horse-racing in the background. The brass and string-heavy soundtrack played crisply. Audio presets--such as TruSurround, which simulates surround sound--improved the speakers' output further. RCA includes a seven-band equalizer for additional sound customization.
The DLP's black panel sits atop a black, glossy, contoured base that has a stripe of silver at the bottom. Blue-backlit and touch-sensitive menu, channel, and volume controls appear on the right side of the base when you turn the set on. They disappear soon afterward, making the base look cleaner and less distracting. Pushing a touch-sensitive button marked with a light bulb icon brings the TV controls out of hiding.
On-screen display controls are easy to master, despite the TV's unique interface. Rather than using traditional horizontal bars to show functions such as color or contrast control, RCA uses thermometer icons. Related controls appear in a single screen. Hence, for instance, you can see contrast, color, tint, brightness, and sharpness controls at a glance and can adjust them individually. The DLP uses the thermometer metaphor throughout the OSD. Unlike its more expensive DLP rivals, this set doesn't provide RGB controls, but a "Green Enhance" function supplements the standard color control.
Though it has an unattractive, contoured shape--with a slightly bigger, bulbous top--the silver remote is easy enough to use. It can control other devices, including a DVD player and a VCR, when the appropriate codes are programmed into it. It also incorporates playback functions such as play, rewind, and pause. Several yellow For Dummies-brand quick-start guides help you assemble a video setup in various configurations.
The RCA Scenium M50WH185's street price of $1599 (as of September 8, 2006) makes it a true bargain when you consider its good performance in our tests. Moreover, it has a simple and pleasing design, and a plethora of connectors (including two HDMI inputs) to accommodate the video and audio units you may want to connect to it.
Roy Santos
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11 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review
PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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77
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76
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94
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance
| Brightness and Contrast | Good |
| Color Quality | Good |
| Detail | Good |
| DVD Image Quality | Good |
| High-Definition Image Quality | Good |
| Image Quality Under Bright Lighting | Good |
| Interface Tested | HDMI |
| Overall Quality | Good |
| Standard-TV Image Quality | Good |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for RCA M50WH185
1 Review Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
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Reviewed by: Elfego
Duration of ownership: 1 Year
Strengths: It was Wide good picture.
Weaknesses: After a few months, it started makeing a buzzing noise. Then after 14 months the tv's color engine gave out. When sent for repairs, RCA informed us that you can not buy just one part, you have to order the entire inside of the tv. part costs almost 1000.00 just for the stupid part!!!
Overall: I am not happy. I also have a friend whos mother had the same tv and the same problem. For the price I would expect the tv to last longer. I do not recommend this tv or this brand. RCA SUCKS!!
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- Before you buy
- How to Buy an HDTV
- How to Buy a Rear-Projection TV
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Discussion: More HDTV for Your Money
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I was shopping recently for a 1080p HDTV, one of the larger ones, and was surprised a) most sales guys didn't know what I was talking about and b) the TVs that were out there were a mixed bag. Some advertized themselves as 1080p but would only accept a 1080i signal. Two Samsung models claimed to accept 1080p signals but they had tuners I don't need and the one they offered at the same size without the tuner would only accept 1080i signals. The Sony at 60 and 70 inch is fully 1080p, so I bought both of them. Why would a manufacturer put out in the marketplace a claimed 1080p television when in fact it will only accept a 1080i input? Just seems like stupid marketing to me.
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This article is very good, but seemed to miss a couple of points. The TV experience of today isn't just what the eye sees, but what the ear hears. I have read no article to date that mentions that one of the most valuable reasons to go with an HDTV source for home entertainment is for the AUDIO! Most non-HDTV sources do not provide Dolby 6.1 audio and even if the source provides it, the benefits simply can't be realized without a good, digitally coupled amplifier. Good amps that accept both coaxial and fiber inputs are available on the market at reasonable prices. Speakers, of course, must be decent. If anyone is going to spend the money for a good HDTV monitor, they just won't realize it without the accompany sound! You also should be a little more cognizant of emerging technology. Samsung has on line products that use DLP projection with LED source light. That is important for longevity - and, by the way, there was no mention of light source life span in DLP devices in your
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[quote name='TomBarnes']This article is very good, but seemed to miss a couple of points. The TV experience of today isn't just what the eye sees, but what the ear hears. I have read no article to date that mentions that one of the most valuable reasons to go with an HDTV source for home entertainment is for the AUDIO! Most non-HDTV sources do not provide Dolby 6.1 audio and even if the source provides it, the benefits simply can't be realized without a good, digitally coupled amplifier. Good amps that accept both coaxial and fiber inputs are available on the market at reasonable prices. Speakers, of course, must be decent. If anyone is going to spend the money for a good HDTV monitor, they just won't realize it without the accompany sound! You also should be a little more cognizant of emerging technology. Samsung has on line products that use DLP projection with LED source light. That is important for longevity - and, by the way, there was no mention of light source life span in DLP devices in your Glad you enjoyed the article. I agree that audio is important to HDTV, but since our testing concentrated on image quality, that's where we spent most of our words.I've seen DLPs with LEDs--and they've looked awfully good on the showroom floor--but they're still a bit pricey for a value article. We did include some higher-priced models to give context, but size constraints and a limited testing period kept us from testing everything.You can find the LED bulb life span in the chart at http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=127578&page=6&type=table&zoomIdx=1 .Thanks for your comments. It's very helpful to know what readers are looking for. No one article can cover every single point about HDTVs, and it's good for us to know what our readers would like to see next.
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I have had a Samsung LNS4092D 40" LCD HDTV with ATSC Tuner, Dual HDMI for about 2 months and paid !1,750.00. This TV is the best I have ever seen and has a picture that is out of this world. Sound is also great.
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Great article, but why isnt any dell TVs mentioned in this article, or the more recent TV articles? PCWorld did some reviews on their TVs(such as the 42" Plasma) and gave is some very nice marks, and I personally am a fan of how much connectivity it offers over some of the other brands (though it does not have 1080p). I have been shopping around for a good 37-42" LCD/Plasma to use as a computer monitor, PS2/Xbox monitor, and a TV and the dell seemed to be a good TV for the money, and I was able to see them in person. But I have not heard PC world mention them in a while. Thanks for the article.
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PCWorld is really poor at judging televisions. I recently recall them stating that the viewing panel enjoyed the 'vivid' setting on a Sony LCD. A person would have to be blind to not feel their retinas being burned out in that type of setting. They also tend to rate very random sets, and never go into very good detail on calibration, which makes me think that no calibration or service menu work is done at all. I would stick to professional home theater magazines for advice if you really need an accurate take on a particular set.
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Heres a tip from a guy who actually works in the biz... IF YOUR GOING TO BUY AN HDTV, BUY A PLASMA! The picture quality is unmatched and they are cheaper than ever before. LCD's cannot even touch the crispness of a plasma, high definition or not. I would recommend the 42" LG or Hitachi 42" each for around $ 2000. By the way... did you guys not test Hitachi? They have high quality product and cool features like power swivel. i am shocked and appalled that Hitachi did not make the list. Holla back
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You should compare the technologies, LCD,Plasma,DLP, and LCoS together for image,quality,features,price...not just say....well LCD is .....blah
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This article is good. I agree.
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I'd like to point out that there is an even cheaper HDTV currently for $987.00 CAN... I know this is an old thread, but some might find ti interesting.
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I have an Olevia model 542 that I bought at a great price. At 42" it has a great picture and we love it. However, a big draw back is that there are no remote control codes available for Olevia and the normal universal codes do not work. That means that you have to use the Olevia TV remote for some functions in addition to your DVR or DVD controller or find a learning remote at $100. You can verify this at http://www.olevia.com/support/faqs.aspx.
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