Both me and my wife are Xbox 360 owners. However, we had to alternate the use of our 50 inch Sony Bravia, who got to use it depended on work shift pattern. But it was inevitable that at some point we would both want to use our 360 at the same time. Obviously without the space or the funds for another 50 inch TV a much smaller TV was the only answer.
The TV we settled for was a 19 inch Samsung LCD TV. The LE19R7 to be more precise. When we ordered the TV the catalogue it was in, which will remain nameless, had it marked up as HD ready. Unfortunately upon inspecting the TV on delivery it was obvious it's not a HD ready TV. Fortunately the LE19R7 has PC IN so we purchased the Microsoft VGA monitor cable for around the £25 mark.
The actual look of the Samsung is very stylish. The whole thing is encased in white with minimal brand highlights and some red detailing at the front. The remote control functions are reproduced down the right hand side of the unit. Fortunately the white casing complements the standard Xbox 360 quite nicely.
The rear connection panel features standard left and right audio inputs, headphones out, VCR/DVD scart, DVI input, aerial, D-sub PC IN and RCA and S-video inputs. Allowing for the use of a number devices. I've made minimal use of the TV aerial input. Using it purely to see what the quality of a television broadcast would be. As expected its nothing remarkable. The DVD picture quality is good though.
The PC IN though is a different matter. The TV provides crystal clear images when used as a computer monitor. My XP desktop appeared vibrant and clear. The Xbox 360 was even better. Everyone I know with a 360 runs theirs through a HD TV, and many say that running through PC IN on a tv isn't as good as a HD TV. I disagree. I'm fortunate enough to be able to compare a 360 Elite on a Sony Bravia at 1080i and a standard 360 on a PC IN. There is no real discernable difference. The Xbox 360 is set at a default of 1024x768, but the Samsung provides the 360 the luxury of running at 1440x900 resolution. This means that the 360 dashboard and games such as Mass Effect, Army of Two and GRID look extremely clear and sharp. Unlike other makes of TV the Samsung PC IN is also so simple to set-up via the on-screen menu. With its auto align option and auto tuning you cant really go wrong.
The inbuilt speakers, highlighted by a nice looking deep red trim under the screen, are good but no substitute for a genuine 5.1 surround sound system. Which would easily link up to the LE19R7. If you're looking for a second TV, or a TV specifically for gaming purposes, keep the 19 inch Samsung in mind, its wall mountable and comes with all the necessary fittings. Apart from not being HD ready as advertised (the suppliers fault not Samsungs) this has turned out to be a damn good TV.
