Entertainment

The RCA 19″ LED TV

Need a spare TV for your spare room, but don't want to spend a bundle? This set from RCA might be the answer

By Shawn Conner /

Credit: RCA

The RLED1935A won’t drop any jaws, but it’s a practical purchase that gets the job done

 

The RCA 19″ LED TV (RLED1935A)
 is small, no-frills and very affordable – the perfect set for your spare room

At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in 
Las Vegas, the emphasis was on bigger, brighter and more connectivity. However, since many of these extraordinary-looking (and rather pricey) new sets won’t be out until late spring/early summer, we thought we’d take a different tack for this week’s review by looking at something small, functional and no-frills: an RCA 19-inch LED TV that arrived at some local stores just in time, and priced, for Boxing Day. 


How it works
: RCA’s model RLED1935A has inputs for HDMI, cable and audio, USB and VGA. A small plastic support stand and a remote are included. The LED backlight means low power consumption and a high degree of picture contrast. Basic operational functions include Picture, Sound, Channel and Parental Controls (all fairly simple and easy to use).


What it does
: The small screen means that when watching, you’ll probably want to be not more than a few feet away — especially if you’ve been spoiled (as this reviewer has) by humongoloid 55- and 70-inch TVs. The sound is particularly tinny, so hooking up to a quality speaker system (“surround sound” is a setting option) is probably advisable if you plan on viewing anything other than the news or The Rachael Ray Show. Also, the picture is somewhat grainy, despite the set being billed as “HD Ready.”


Why you want it
: The RLED1935A is slim, light and, as mentioned, energy efficient (according to a sticker on the unit, it should cost an average of $7 a year to operate, based on five hours of daily use). The compact device is not meant to impress company; its main function is to operate in a small room as an ancillary unit to your main set. Priced at only $149.99 at London Drugs, it’s one of the cheapest small LED sets on the market.

Originally published in TVW. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.