I wanted to buy an extra television set for my dining room which my two boys could use to play their games consoles on, for months my main television had been taken over by either one or the other son for gaming purposes, whilst I was glad that I could monitor their usage and make sure they were playing age appropriate games I wanted to watch the programmes that interested me in the comfort of my living room.

Having refused to buy them a television set for their bedrooms due to that being more difficult to monitor the type of games they played I decided the best option was to buy one for the dining room so I could both watch my programmes and still monitor the kind of games they played, having shopped around I decided to buy a television that also had an integrated DVD player which I thought would be a useful addition.

I bought this UMC HD Ready Digital LCD TV/DVD in January 2011 from Sainsbury's at a price of £119.00 on a limited special offer, I thought this was a very good bargain and admit to it being an impulse buy as I had been looking elsewhere to purchase a TV set, it just so happened I saw this deal and snapped it up as they seemed to be selling fast.

To be honest I had never heard of UMC as a brand name before but was reassured after a quick research on the internet I found out that UMC manufactured their own television sets and that they are a trusted leading brand that is less well known due to other names it produces under (including the Technicka Tesco brand) it is a Slovakian factory and sky media uk (not connected to the popular satellite company) is the distributor of this product and has a very useful website which I will add at the bottom of the page.





==THE PRODUCT==

UMC HD Ready Digital 19" LCD TV/DVD

Covered under the manufacturers guarantee for 12 months from the date of purchase


You can register the product on sky media and if you do this within 7 days of purchase you receive an extra 3 months warranty for free bringing the guarantee validity to 15 months, it states that you must retain all packaging because this will be required in the event of needing any warranty support.

The Television is ready to receive the Digital signal due to it having a Digital tuner built in so simply connecting to an aerial socket means it will receive the freeview signal without a problem.


It is recommended to re-tune the television every few months to ensure you are receiving the very latest TV and Radio channels.




==WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE BOX==

* The UMC Digital Television DVD Player

* A User Guide Manual
* Stand

* RF Lead
* Remote Control & AAA Batteries x2

* Jack to Phono Cable 3.5 mm




==ATTACHING THE STAND==

This is really very easy to do even without referring to the instruction booklet which is a first for me! Of course the television can also be wall mounted via the mounting holes on the rear of the TV; there are instructions on how to do this easily and safely.


The Television comes packaged effectively and to attach the oval shaped stand to the base of the TV you simply push the circular tube that has a clipped edge into the corresponding shaped hole on the stand which you then twist 45 degrees into place so you hear a faint 'click' and the stand is the connected, it could not be easier.




==SET UP==

Firstly you need to tune the television in, making sure the RF Cable is connected to the aerial and when switched on for the first time the 'First Time Installation' menu appears, you simply press 'ok' and the tune will automatically start, very easy to do and not at all complicated, I noticed the size of the text on the on screen menu's were easy enough to read and the screen is crystal clear and bright.


The remote Control buttons and shape are pretty standard and easy to navigate, the remote is small and thin, made of hard toughened plastic that is a glossy black colour and 5 inches in length with oval cushioned buttons that allow you to control every function, it takes two AAA batteries that are supplied.


Connecting a television to a games console is at times very difficult (maybe this is just me!) but the user manual has a simplified process in three simple steps depending on the type of cables you have, for instance connection via a Scart, HDMI or component cable, I used an HDMI cable which is said to be the easiest option, you just plug it in the console then into the TV, you set the source to HDMI then its ready to use.



==SPECIFICATIONS==

Size 19 inch width

Weight 4.5 kgs
Panel Resolution 1440 x 900

Panel Contrast Ratio 1000; 1
Brightness cd/m 300

Input Signal PC RGB
RF 75 ohm Antenna / Pal-Secam

Sound 1x 3.5 mm Audio jack
HDMI (1) up to 1080i

Speaker Output Watts (RMS) 2x3
DVD Player yes

Power Voltage 110-240v 1.5A 60W (Standby 2W)




==GENERAL OPERATION & FUNCTION==

The television itself is very slim measuring just over 2 inches thick and is surprisingly light to pick up, it however feels very sturdy on it's base frame which has the ability to be adjusted by tilting very slightly backwards and forwards, right and left, it has a set of side panel buttons on the right hand side for manual control, there are 10 buttons in total and these consist of ...


DVD Eject
DVD Play/Pause
DVD Stop
Volume Up and Menu Control Right
Volume Down and Menu Left
Program/Channel Up and Menu Up
Program/Channel Down and Menu Down
Display Menu
Select Input Source
Standby Mode On/Off

On the left hand side panel of the television is where all the input connections are located, the TV can be connected to a camera, camcorder and a high definition device such as the audio cables of a music system, and there is also a CI Port.


I have found that switching between the different modes is very easy using both the remote and the manual options, all the buttons are clearly marked with clear and bold wording, and there are 8 Source modes which are...

TV/ANALOGUE
FREEVIEW
HDMI
SCART
COMPONENT
S-VIDEO
VGA/PC
DVD

Easy to use Sleep Timer that turns the television off after a set amount of time which is adjustable, this is ideal for monitoring amounts of time spent using the TV.


This television features a System Lock that allows you to lock certain features of the TV so they cannot be used or viewed, for example you can lock the volume setting or block certain channels from being viewed from this TV, a really useful addition when used for children.

Another feature is that this TV can be used as a computer monitor by following the user manuals instructions on how to do so.


The DVD Operation is automatic, meaning that when a DVD Disk is inserted it will automatically switch the source and start to play; there is clear bold writing on the DVD unit that instructs the correct way to insert disks.The operating system is really easy to navigate thanks to very clear menu options that are simplified allowing ease of control with the picture settings, adjusting contrast, colour, brightness, tint, sharpness and even noise reduction, I was impressed at the ability to basically personalise the television to suit our needs, the sound setting menu and the system lock being the ones I use most by adjusting and setting the volume for gaming requirements, bass, treble, and balance to maximise the gaming experience and also by controlling the amount of time spent gaming without being too intrusive to anyone else in the same room, I am pleased with the way this is achieved, always smoothly and easily without compromising on the quality of the sound or the images which have always been crystal clear.




==MY THOUGHTS==

Overall I am extremely pleased with this television and would recommend it to anyone looking for a high quality affordable product that does what it is meant to do easily and smoothly, its size is ideal and sits perfectly on top of a single drawer set (mine is usually sat on a single bedside drawer set in the dining room but pictures show it on a stool for picture taking purposes)


It has never let us down and has always worked perfectly providing my boys with hours of gaming fun with clear imagery and sound, the occasions they have used it for DVD's and for connecting to their camera's there has never been any complaints from me or them, my only regret is that I did not buy this television sooner as it's a great little addition to my dining room and more importantly it has freed up my main television.


It would make a great spare or bedroom television for watching DVD's and I think it is value for money considering its features and quality.

Definitely an excellent buy.


I rated this a cannot get any better 5 out of 5 Available to buy in most electrical shops both online and on the high street and is available from Amazon at the moment priced at £124.99 (not including delivery)

www.amazon.co.uk

www.skymediauk.co.uk


Thank You for reading


My Reviews appear on both DooYoo AND Ciao

mojo-mojo
mojomojo