Amazon.com: Hannspree's VAAS 15-Inch LCD Television: Electronics

Product Specifications


Brand Name:	Hannspree
Color Name:	brown

Technical Details

15 inch 4:3 LCD Television
1024 x 768 Pixels Resolution, with 3-D Y/C Digital comb filter
500 cd/m2 Brightness, 500:1 Contrast Ratio
Matching Designer Remote Control
4-in-1 connection cable for S-Video, Composite Video and Audio. Headphone Jack, V-Chip, Closed Captioning and Stereo Speakers.

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Product Description

Amazon.com Review

It's no longer just enough to enjoy TV programming or access your PC with a crisp, clear, flat-panel LCD screen. Taiwanese television manufacturer Hannspree believes that the time has come to integrate this display technology not only into your home, but your lifestyle as well. To that end, they've come up with a wide variety of creative, playful design concepts--from a flower petal design to a Los Angeles Lakers-colored "jersey"--that buck the standard LCD TV/display motif of a screen surrounded by a gray or silver plastic housing. Style is well and good, but that shouldn't be the sole reason to purchase an LCD display. Happily, Hannspree's bright display and incorporated features make it worth considering the extra price.

The classically inspired Hannspree Vaas features a gorgeous body that resembles the midsection of a cello, complete with faux wood grain cabinet in deep orange/brown. It's steadied by a chrome-plated aluminum shaft in the back that resembles the cello's pin, and is accented by black mesh covering the integrated speakers on the concave sides. Main controls, from volume and channels to mute and choice of input source, were easily accessible on the top, but were also hidden a bit as the Vaas' body slants backwards, resting on the "cello pin." The jack pack on the back of the Vaas is located at the bottom, which also helps to conveniently hide connectors.

The Vaas provides a composite A/V input for RCA plugs as well as a standard RF input for connecting cable or an antenna for access to TV programming. It also has a secondary A/V input that works with the unique 4-in-1 cable, which collects the three RCA A/V plugs plus an S-Video jack on one end and connects it to the Hannspree with a single jack on the other. (A note of caution: Take care to not force the 4-in-1 jack into the TV, as the pins tended to bend easily if they didn't make direct contact with their connection. This was easily fixed with some tweezers, but you should still use some finesse.) It comes with three female/female RCA adapters, enabling you to connect another RCA cable's male ends directly into the Hannspree's 4-in-1 cable.

The screen is quite bright--500 candela per square meter (cd/m2)--and it's coupled with a similar 500:1 contrast ratio, enabling color to pop quite nicely. It also offers a 16 millisecond (ms) screen response time, which makes this display able to keep up with quick-moving objects from TV programming and DVD movies without getting all jaggy. At 15 inches, the Vaas offers a good picture size for standard, 4:3 aspect ratio TV programming and it's a fine size for use in a smaller room. However, for watching DVD movies in widescreen mode, it's best to have the screen closer to you, as we did with the unit set up on our bedside table--perfect for late-night viewing of Firefly.

But where the Vaas really shone was as a multi-functional home office audio/video center, enabling us to switch from PC (using the VGA port) to cable TV viewing without missing a beat. It also helped to eliminate some of the clutter from our desk, as the unit's built-in speakers allowed us to eliminate our PC's external speakers. Sound via the Hannspree's speakers was quite good, especially with the SRS WOW virtual surround sound selected. The Hannspree also includes a line-out audio connection, enabling you to connect to a 2.1- or 5.1-channel powered surround sound speaker system.

We were initially stymied on how to utilize the Hannspree's speaker system in conjunction with it's PC monitor capabilities. Connecting to the RCA audio-in jacks via a 1/8-inch mini stereo jack from your PC won't work as the AV1 source has to be selected; the same goes for using the 4-in-1 A/V cable, which uses the AV2 source. (The 1/8-inch jack size is what you'll find on a headphone jack, and this is also the size used for audio-out connections on desktops and laptops.) However, the answer was staring us right in the face--the Vaas has a line-in audio connection, which is easily handled with an optional mini-to-mini cable. However, if you don't have one of these, you can use two mini-to-RCA cables, connecting them with the included RCA adapters.

The remote control that came with the Vaas was Hannspree's generic model, which offers mastery over only the Hannspree TV and no options for other A/V components. It was one of the homliest controls we've seen in awhile, with a Hannspree logo reverberating repeated in the background, creating a semi-hypnotizing effect that detracts from the actual buttons. But it does offer basic controls as well as a button to directly access V-chip parental controls. It also offers a button marked Auto, which will automatically adjust the screen parameters to the Hannspree's internal settings from non-standard settings activated from your PC.

Overall, we were thoroughly impressed with the Hannspree's video and audio capabilities. At 15 inches, the Vaas certainly won't replace your main television, but it's a good addition to an office or bedroom. Plus, its singular design added a personalized touch that is rarely apparent in typical LCD TV/displays. --Agen G.N. Schmitz Pros:

Nicely bright screen with good contrast and response time
Works just as good as a standard TV as it does a PC monitor
Clever single-jack connector for A/V and S-Video plugs
Integrated speakers provide good sound with SRS virtual surround capability

Cons:

15-inch screen size won't do large rooms or widescreen DVD movies justice
No component video connectivity

Product Description

This cello shaped design of VAAS and 15 inch LCD television embodies the very elegance of design. Walnut wood grain with laquered finish and cloth speaker covers convey's true elegance. The stand is made like a cello's end pin.

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