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Group test: 4K Ultra HD TVs<br />
FINLUX 55UX3EC320S<br />
£799 inc VAT • finlux.co.uk<br />
Best-known for its low cost 1080p tellies, Finlux has upscaled its<br />
offerings to 2160p, in both flat and curved styles. The model here<br />
is curved, although it’s really not as svelte as you might expect.<br />
Viewed front-on it’s smart enough though, with a thin bezel and<br />
seamless metallic trim. The set ships with a substantial chromed<br />
stand. The set is manufactured by European OEM giant Vestel.<br />
Connectivity includes four HDMIs, all of which are HDCP 2.2 4K<br />
compliant. This means you’ll be able to connect a variety of 4K<br />
content sources, such as the Amazon Fire TV box, Sky 4K set top box<br />
or Ultra HD Blu-ray. This means you’ll be limited when connecting<br />
4K content sources, such as the Amazon Fire TV box, Sky 4K set-top<br />
box or Ultra HD Blu-ray. Other inputs include an analogue AV input<br />
for SCART (adaptor supplied), component video and phono stereo<br />
digital optical audio output and subwoofer output. There’s also a trio<br />
of USB ports, <strong>PC</strong> VGA input and ethernet LAN. Integrated Wi-Fi is<br />
dual band, so you can get connected either at 2.4- or 5GHz. The TV<br />
features a single DVB Freeview HD tuner.<br />
Although Smart connected, the Finlux Smart platform is very<br />
first generation. Apps include BBC iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube, plus BBC<br />
News and Sport, Flickr and Dailymotion. There’s more secondary<br />
stuff, but the display lacks other key catch-up TV services. There’s<br />
an onboard HEVC decoder, so the Netflix app is 4K. As yet there’s no<br />
Amazon 4K, but discussions are ongoing.<br />
The onboard media browser is good. The set will play content from<br />
any DLNA connected device, be it a NAS media server of <strong>PC</strong>, as well<br />
as local USB. The set found our networked Plex and Twonky Media<br />
Build<br />
Features<br />
Performance<br />
Value<br />
Overall<br />
servers, playing VOB files, AVIs, MKVs, MOVs, WMV, WMA, AAC and<br />
MP3s. However, it turned a deaf ear to FLAC music files.<br />
Picture quality is better than you might expect. HD sources look<br />
crisp and smooth, while colours are vibrant. This set looks great with<br />
big explosions and luminous cinematography.<br />
In addition to all the usual image tweaks – Contrast, Brightness,<br />
Sharpness and Colour – there’s image interpolation as well as<br />
Dynamic Contrast. The Movie Sense mode is used to retain detail<br />
during fast motion when set High. However for most content, opt for<br />
Low, which reduces motion artefacts. The TV struggles to deliver a<br />
deep black, which can detract from its depth. The edge-backlight is<br />
a little uneven, too. The panel really shines with 4K content, though.<br />
Using a Fire TV box as a source, Netflix’s period drama Marco Polo<br />
looked positively epic in terms of detail and nuance.<br />
The onboard sound system is solid. The TV employs a pair of<br />
downward-firing speakers, but has volume and presence. The set<br />
is Active Shutter 3D capable, with two pairs of specs provided in<br />
the box. While there is some double imaging crosstalk evident,<br />
this isn’t particularly bad.<br />
VERDICT: Overall, the Finlux is a reasonable big-screen proposition.<br />
While not a great connected bet, image quality is decent. We really<br />
aren’t convinced by the curved screen, though. This adds little to the<br />
viewing experience, beyond some rather warped looking reflections<br />
and wonky-looking programme guides. That said, off-angle viewing is<br />
rather good, with little loss of contrast and colour.<br />
74 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews February 2016<br />
TEST CENTRE
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