Wharfedale LCD 2010 A

Author's product rating:   

How is the Picture Quality?	Good
How is the Sound Quality?	Excellent
Ease of Installation	Simple
Range of Features	Above Average
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Affordable, stylish, integrated freeview, great sound, good picture
Disadvantages:	Not HD ready, Argos stopped stocking it

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Last year I'd been back at work a couple of months when I was shopping in Argos for a diddy sofa for my little one. I went in to spend £29.99 on the aforementioned diddy sofa and came out having spent over £500 on the sofa - along with 2 flat screen televisions. Yes really, I spent nearly £500 on televisions as an impulse buy! What on earth possessed me? Well actually, I spotted a bargain…

The Wharfedale LCD 2010 AF would normally retail for £259.99 as it's a lightweight, flat screen television with built-in freeview and a 20" screen. Looking on the Argos site today I find that the cheapest equivalent available would set you back £229.99 for a 19" with similar specifications (Argos no longer appear to stock the Wharfedale 2010). Yet I managed to snap mine up for just £199.99 as an ex-display model - hence the impulse buy. I'd wanted a new television for ages because my eyesight's started to fade in my old age (24) and I could no longer watch my little 14" with any real clarity. As flatscreens have come into fashion in recent years and with the impending digital switchover imminent; it made sense to me to shell out for a flatscreen with integrated freeview.

Getting the telly home was easy, even as a young Mum with no-one to help carry it in as this number only weighs around 5kg! It was considerably lighter than the 14" I'd previously been using. Setting it down on top of my DVD player, I did discover there was a slight drawback to having this new larger telly in that it didn't quite fit on top of my DVD player, yet I couldn't put the DVD player on top as the top is only a few inches wide! Instead I had to just balance it so that the feet of the integrated television stand stood off either side of the DVD player in equal proportions to balance it.

Setting the telly up wasn't terribly difficult, my only complaint is that the remote control that was included didn't (and doesn't) actually work. Fortunately I was able to operate the television using the universal remote control from my last one though it was still annoying. Having bought an ex-display model, I could hardly take it back and request a replacement but under normal circumstances this is something most stores would take care of I'm sure. All I had to do to set the television up was plug in the aerial cable (I live in a flat so this is necessary for me to get a signal); then plug in the power and hook up my DVD player using the single scart socket located to the rear of the television. There were additional options, for hooking the television up to speakers or a PC for example, but those options weren't relevant to me. I then just hit the on button and followed the automatic on-screen set up process to enable the television to search for my channels. In all this television took me less than ten minutes to set up and get the channels installed.

My experience of using this television has been faultless to be honest. I'm happy with both the picture and sound quality and have to say it's nice to be able to actually see the picture on the generous 20" screen. As with a lot of modern television, you've got three choices of screen size which is handy when watching DVDs so you don't have to sit staring at giant black lines either end or either side of the screen. I can't say I feel this television offers any better picture quality than an old fashioned number does though I did notice a considerable improvement in the sound quality. The speakers on this television run either side of the screen enabling the sound to be projected around the room. So although you can plug in additional speakers, I really don't see that it's necessary.

As far as the features go, I've got everything I need. As I've got the wrong remote control, I can't hit "I" to see the information regarding the now and next programmes of the channel I'm watching but I can just quickly flick up and down a channel to bring it up! On this television you get a decent sized blue bar with white writing to let you what's on, what's coming up and what the time is as well as the name of the channel you're presently watching. I'm afraid I still can't access teletext but I couldn't with my last freeview box so I think it's unfair to suggest this is the television's fault when it's more likely to be down to the area I live in.

My recommendation is certainly that if you're looking to modernise your bedroom telly but can't afford to pay a premium for a brand name, look for this model or similar from Wharfedale. This is the fourth Wharfedale television I've owned over the years and yet again I find I got what I wanted at a price I could afford.

© Lizamabug

Technical Information:

Manufacturer: Wharfedale
Brightness in Candela/m²: 450
Common Interface Slot: No
DVB-C: No
DVB-S: No
DVB-T: Yes
DVD Player / Recorder: No
DVI Interface: No
Electronic Program Guide (EPG): Yes
Energy Savings Trust Feature: No
Frequency: 50 Hertz
Full HD: No
HD ready: No
HD Tuner: No
HDMI Interface: No
Horizontal Resolution in Pixel: 800
Loudspeakers: with Loudspeakers
Memory Stick: No
Number of Scart Interfaces: 2
PC Interface: Yes
Screen Format: 4:3
Screen Size in cm: 51 cm
Screen Size in Inches: 20 in
Secure Digital Card: No
Type of Monitor: LCD
USB: No
Vertical Resolution in Pixel: 600
VGA / D-Sub Interface: Yes