Hannspree ST281MAB

Product Survey: 29'' and smaller TVs

When a manufacturer known for producing computer monitors turns its hands to producing TVs, then we're always keen to see what the results are. After Medion, it's now Hannspree's turn to join our ongoing comparison of TVs with this ST281MAB, a 28'' TV with a real display area of 27.5''. The first surprise with this TV is the resolution that Hanspree has chosen for a screen of this size. The manufacturer has plumped for a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels (10:16 aspect ratio) which means a black bar is visible above and below the screen when you're watching films shot in 16:9. That means the actual image shown doesn't reach 27'', and is a long way short of the claimed 28''. Behind the screen there are two HDMI inputs and no digital audio options. The menus offer a very brief list of options, including standard settings like brightness, contrast, backlighting, colour temperature, tone and saturation. But the most alarming factor is the fact that the TV tuner isn't compatible with HD. It's been a long time since we've tested a television with such a poor contrast ratio: 536:1! That's because of levels of 0.38 cd/m² which look very grey. Without a 100 Hz or 200 Hz, ghosting is very visible.