Friday, March 29, 2024

REVIEW | 43-inch ACE LED TV

At an incredible Shopee Mall sale price of P8,099, the 43-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. Expect a two- to three-second lag between power on and the welcome screen.

All connectivity is at the rear, comprising two HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two composite audio, and video inputs, a VGA/PC input, an antenna input, and a 3.5mm headphone jack output.

Note that the location of the lower row of connections at the rear isn’t the most convenient; the side placement is easier for removing and adding inputs.

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 super 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 light and can be easily moved around and set up by a single person. This makes it super convenient 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 sec or two. None of this though was an issue, and skipping or scrolling through content was instant. 

Video content always looked sharp, and this is likely due to aggressive sharpening by the image processing engine. This becomes uncomfortably evident if you go close to the screen, but at normal viewing distance, the picture remained good. I’d recommend setting the noise-reduction to high, to reduce the above-mentioned sharpening and grain, and also reducing sharpness from the default 50.

The TV is quite bright and suited for well-lit rooms or daylight viewing. On the other hand, if you plan to use it in a dimly lit home theater room, it’s a bit much. Reducing the brightness to 40 made it easier on the eyes, but also dimmed the highlights and shadows, which reduces the definition in the dark areas.

During my testing, I did encounter an issue with the loss of video signal on HDMI. It wasn’t consistent and happened sometimes with seemingly no obvious reason. Audio would continue to play though. Physically disconnecting the HDMI cable and switching it to the other HDMI input on the TV, solved the issue. That said, it was annoying and surely seemed like a defect. Good thing the seller offers a 1-year warranty.

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 speakers on this larger 43-inch unit are better than the smaller 32-inch model. It’s about okay for general consumption but has limited frequency response, thus sounding flat. 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. If you’re discerning about audio and plan to watch a lot of action movies, I’d recommend a dedicated soundbar.

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 container files with Dolby Digital or DTS surround soundtracks.

Value

At an SRP of P23,000, I would not be very inclined to buy this TV, but at its current sale price of P8,099, 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 average sound, but for most people, this should be sufficient.

Closing Words

If you’re not a stickler for quality and just need a decent picture, the ACE 43-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. It’s ideal for commercial use in waiting rooms, or as a second TV in a household. Lastly, you just cannot complain about it, given its unbelievable sale price of P8,099.

  • Model: LED-909 DN5
  • Price: P8,099
  • Verdict: A decent TV at an incredible sale price

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