At an incredible sale price of P4,299, the 32-inch LED TV from ACE is easily one of the best TV deals currently in the Philippines. Below are my thoughts from using it for two weeks.
Features and Setup
Turn the TV on, and you’re greeted with an ACE logo screen, and then it goes to the first channel. As it’s not a smart TV, there are no setup steps. Just hook up to a video source and you should be good to go.
All connectivity is at the rear, comprising two HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two composite audio, and video inputs, a VGA input, an antenna input, and a 3.5mm headphone jack output.
On the right screen edge, but on the rear, are the buttons for controlling the TV without the remote; but you’re better off using the remote.
Design and Aesthetics
Though there is a label on the front that says slim design, the TV isn’t really slim. That said, it’s not bulky. The aesthetics are very basic and perhaps functional at best.
Included in the package is a pair of feet for placement on a table, a remote with batteries, screws and foam spacers for the feet, and some documentation.
The unit is incredibly light and can be easily moved around with one hand. This makes it super easy to flip over when screwing in the feet, and generally easy to place around the house.
ACE deserves credit for the plastic wrap on the feet as well as the edges of the TV, ensuring that the plastics remain black and shiny.
Performance
I noticed a bit of a lag when starting up the TV, and similarly when switching to a new source. When the first video signal comes in, it takes a second or two. None of this though was an issue, and skipping or scrolling through content was instant.
Though the resolution is only 720p and not full HD (1080p), video content always looked sharp. This is likely due to aggressive sharpening by the image processing engine. This becomes evident if you go close to the screen, but at normal viewing distance, the picture remained sharp.
I tried to set the noise-filter to high, to reduce above mentioned sharpening and grain, but it seemed to hardly make a difference. Colors were good and just leaving it on the Standard picture mode made for a decently good viewing experience.
The marketing material boasted good viewing angles, and honestly, I was skeptical, only to be proved wrong. At just under 180 degrees, I was still able to view content well, without a major degradation in color and brightness.
Below images were taken while watching Star Wars at 135 degrees, and then 150 degrees:
The sound was perhaps the weakest element of the unit, with it sounding like very cheap mobile phone speakers. In addition to the obvious lack of bass, the speaker seemed to have a very limited frequency range, creating a poor sound image.
In scenes with just one person speaking, or just one sound, it remained clear enough, but intense scenes with ambiance, dialog, and special effects tended to be a mish-mash, with audibility suffering.
When playing content off a USB drive, there is a basic interface for navigating Movies, Music, Photos, and Text. It also has a preview mode. Note though that while it can decode Mp3 audio, it was unable to play the audio in MKV video files with Dolby Digital or DTS surround soundtracks.
Value
At an SRP of P13,000, I would not be very inclined to buy this TV, but at its current sale price of P4,299, it’s a superb deal. In terms of a barebones viewing experience, it does well; offering-up sharp picture, good colors, and decent connectivity.
It may not have smart functionality and may be limited to a resolution of 720p, but for most people, this should be sufficient.
Closing Words
If you’re not a stickler for quality and just need decent picture, the ACE 32-inch TV has you covered. With both HDMI and USB, it’s sufficiently modern, and thanks to its aggressive sharpening, video content is always crisp. Lastly, you just cannot complain about it, given its unbelievable sale price of P4,299.
- Model: LED-808 DN4
- Price: P4,299
- Verdict: A decent TV at an incredible sale price
