A 37-inch LCD TV with integrated Wi-Fi, media extender functionality and connectivity galore? Jørgen Sundgot likes what he sees in Acer's new 1080i capable AT3705W-MGW.
Going all out, Acer's recent autumn release has included several gems - such as the
Aspire L250 media PC, the
MG-3001P media extender and a nice range of LCD TVs in sizes up to 32 inches. Merging the two latter categories, the AT3705W-MGW LCD TV is the pick of the litter, combining a 37-inch display with the functionality of the MG-3001P for an absolutely stunning result.
Offering a 1920 x 1080 resolution at a brightness of 550 nits, the AT3705W-MGW features a contrast ratio of 800:1 and grey-to-grey response time of 12 ms. Although sleek in design, its measurements are considerable; 1018 x 616 x 210 mm, and God only knows how many Kg. A few quick glances and a close-up examination revealed the claim of 176-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles to hold at least relatively true, and brightness and contrast also appeared to be fully on par with Acer's listed specifications.
Supporting PAL and SECAM, the AT3705W-MGW offers a stunning array of input options. Four SCART inputs kick off the party, two of which are CVBS/RGB and two of which are CVBS/S-Video; two Component inputs supporting 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i resolutions; dual Composite connectors, one of which is CVBS and the other CVBS/S-Video; VGA in; DVI-D with HDCP; and HDMI. In addition comes RCA type line in connectors for analog audio input, and SPDIF coaxial for digital output - as well as a 10/100 Ethernet, which is where the AT3705W-MGW starts to show its true form.
Not only equipped with Ethernet, the AT3705W-MGW also features built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, both for the purpose of streaming audio and video over a home network as the TV secretly conceals the exact same functionality as Acer's MG-3001P Media Gateway.
Powered by Linux, the media extender functionality supports a broad number of formats, which in the audio department amounts to LPCM, WAV, MP3 and Windows Media Audio 7, 8 and 9; MPEG 1, 2 and 4 are on the slate in the video department to allow for playback of DivX, XviD and Quicktime MPEG4 content in resolutions up to 720p, as well as MPEG2 video in up to 1080i resolution and Windows Media Video 9 - like MPEG4 content in resolutions up to 720p.
Also moonlighting as a photo viewer, the AT3705W-MGW supports JPEG, TIFF, BMP, GIF and PNG formats, is compatible with M3U and PLS playlist formats, and is capable of drawing live content over the Internet from the Live365 service. Conformant with UPnP, INMPR and DLNA, the TV should fit right into most existing setups - yet a question remains as to whether the codecs, connectivity and standards supported renders the TV sufficiently future proof.
Granted, the AT3705W-MGW is surprisingly inexpensive at €2,300 EUR, but most consumers purchase a TV and expects it to last for at least five years; a long time in the rapid-moving convergence between consumer electronics and the world of computers. The first online video delivery services will most certainly surface within the first half of this time span, and the built-in media extender features of the AT3705W-MGW will most likely be incompatible with them - but on the flip side, the TV does feature HDMI, which should easily allow for an external solution to take over once the internal capabilities no longer make the cut.
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