Until its 4K sets break cover, this 50-incher is
Finlux’s flagship screen – yet there’s a lot to admire beyond the price tag
Finlux’s publicity blurb for the 50FME242B-T states that its
Full HD panel offers five times the image quality of standard-definition TV
footage and boasts of offering three HDMI ports, to cope with the expected
deluge of HD sources
It’s easy to mock, but we should never forget that Finlux is
a self-confessed follower of TV fashion, preferring to adopt proven
technologies rather than create new ones (although somewhat against type it is
joining the 4K/Ultra HD party). And the Finlux name is synonymous with value
for money, selling its low-cost wares direct to the public through the web and
by phone. Where else can you score yourself a 50in edge-lit LED for the
reasonable sum of $1,000?
Finlux 50FME242B-T
front view
Alright, the 50FME242B-T’s panel is vanilla-flavoured 50Hz
and there’s no picture processor for eradicating blur and judder, but the
screen does have plenty of preset picture and sound modes and a Wi-fi dongle is
supplied in the box.
Setup
The Wi-fi dongle provides a fuss-free alternative to using a
wired Ethernet hookup and lets you feed your brain via its Smart TV portal. The
video on demand content selection is something of a starter pack, but at least
you get Netflix and iPlayer, plus a web browser, while Twitter and Facebook
apps give you the chance to get hashtagging.
The Finlux’s twin USB inputs add to the screen’s functionality.
For instance, you can add a USB camera and get Skyping, or plumb in a
hard/thumb drive to make PVR recordings from the onboard Freeview HD tuner.
Apps include the
main biggies that everyone wants (BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube),
plus plenty of others
Certainly the 50FME242B-T looks the part before you switch
it on, with an ultra-thin bezel crafted from high-quality black gloss plastic.
The screen itself is reasonably non-reflective and a nice shade of black.
Only the plasticky stand and low-quality finish of the rear
panel give the value-for-money game away, with the latter cramming all of its
sockets into one small opening (the HDMI ports are only just far enough apart
to accept thickly collared plugs). Unusually, there is a coaxial audio output
rather than the more often-specified optical, which narrows down the number of
soundbars you can use with it.
The 25cm-long remote control’s extensive acreage allows
several oversized buttons, but many have microscopically small icons and the
slightly concave makes it hard to slide your fingers around quickly. At least
there are handy keys for directly accessing the set’s media browser, Smart TV
services and YouTube. There’s also a Quick Menu button that lets you hot foot
directly to picture modes, sound modes and other settings.
The three HDMIs
around the back are just about enough, but they are positioned a touch closer
together than we’d ideally like
