Introduction
Tour & Design
Front
The front of the Memorex MLT3221 is mostly screen, surrounded by a thick, glossy, black bezel. Under the bezel is a set of speakers and an LED indicator ring.
Back
The back of the TV is mostly vents, but there's a group of ports towards the bottom. Below the ports themselves is a colorful tourist map for people who aren't sure what's where.
For information about the ports on the back of the Memorex MLT3221 see our Connectivity section.
Sides
The left side of the TV isn't noteworthy, but hte right side has the MLT3221's on-set controls and a set of ports.
Stand/Mount
The stand is a glossy black plastic rectangle, which supports the TV well enough, but doesn't swivel to allow easy access to ports.
Controls
The on-set controls cover the basics: volume controls, channel controls, menu, input select, and power.
Remote Control
The remote is black plastic with grey, rubbery buttons. The underside is curved to fit the hand.
In The Box*(7.5)*
The TV comes with a remote, manual, and an analog audio and composite video cable bundle. It didn't come with any batteries, however, which is a bit annoying.
The TV was pretty easy to setup, since there's really no assembly required. Simply connect the proper cables and you're on your way.
Aesthetics*(4.0)*
The TV isn't really attractive. It's plain, with a thick bezel and a plasticky look about it. If you're looking for a TV that looks like a million bucks, this one isn't it. It might pass for $400, though, so if that's good enough for you, the Memorex is good enough for your TV room.
Blacks & Whites
Black Level*(5.41)*
Even at its darkest black, the Memorex MLT3221 still gave off a luminance of 0.33 candelas per square meter (cd/m2). Typically anything under 0.1 cd/m2 is excellent, luminance between 0.1 to 0.2 is mediocre, and anything towards 0.3 and over is bad. Using this handy metric, you can clearly see the Memorex MLT3221 falls squarely under 'bad.'
Peak Brightness*(9.99)*
We measured the TV's brightest white at 485.86 cd/m2. That's more than bright enough for what you'll need for normal viewing.
Contrast*(6.66)*
Contrast is the difference between the brightest white to the darkest black, and is measured as a ratio. The MLT3221's contrast ratio is 1472:1, which is mediocre. The main problem in this case, as it is most commonly, is a poor black level. A small difference in black level can mean a world of difference in terms of contrast ratio: 0.1 cd/m2 is twice as dark as 0.2 cd/m2. In order to make up for a poor black level, a TV would have to be so bright it'd just about blind you.
Tunnel Contrast*(9.97)*
This test makes sure the TV's black level doesn't shift based on the screen's content. It didn't: the MLT3221's black level stayed steady, whether the screen was totally black or if it was just 5% black. Some TVs will wash out blacks when they're surrounded by white, or they'll dim the backlights when most of the screen is dark. Neither of these solutions is ideal, because they mainly result in reduced contrast.
White Falloff*(9.90)*
This test is the same as the one above, only we're testing the consistency of the white. There wasn't a problem here, either.
Uniformity*(9.50)*
The MLT3221's screen was pretty uniform. The only issue we saw was the edges of a bright screen looked slightly dimmer than they should have. Otherwise, the screen didn't have any observable imperfections.
Greyscale Gamma*(7.47)*
Greyscale gamma refers to the way in which the a grey will brighten to white or darken to black. Since our sight is based around contrast, each step in the continuum from black to white should be uniformly logarythmic. Since this TV's deepest black is about 0.33 cd/m2, if it were told to show a grey that's twice as bright as its black, you'd see a grey that output 0.66 cd/m2.
The MLT3221 has a pretty good greyscale gamma. We measured the slope of its curve at 2.62, where the ideal slope is between 2.1 or 2.2. This means the curve is a bit too aggressive, which means steps aren't as subtle as they should be; this means, when checking out the gamut, it would look like little steps between individual shades rather than a smooth progression.
Here's where we test how the TV performs with non-native content. Chances are, you won't only be playing DVDs (720p): you'll probably watch standard definition content (480p), broadcast HD (1080i), or even Blu-ray discs (1080p). Unfortunately, the MLT3221 isn't going to do a particularly good job with any of them.
One thing we have to note: one of the main problems we saw with non-native playback was sharpness artifacting, even with sharpness turned all the way down to zero. We noticed areas of contrast were often called out with black and white lines: the black lines bordered the darker side, the white lines bordered the lighter. The outlines make the affected areas look cartoony, and is one of the most transparent ways of artificially inflating contrast.
Basically, we're not sure exactly what processing the TV is using, but we are sure it isn't working very well.
480p
The TV did its best with 480p playback, but even then it wasn't great. We noticed a some Moire interference with fine patterns, mainly vertical gradient bars. Text looked like it had a drop shadow behind it. This is usually a sharpness artifact, but even then, we had the sharpness as low as it could go.
1080i
We saw the most problems with 1080i and 1080p. The TV had some of the worst Moire interference we've seen. Fine patterns were twisted into gradient blocks with false coloration and, on top of that, flashed constantly. Text was hard to read because it vibrated subtly. We also noticed there were vertical bars where the text would look thicker than it should have, alternating with vertical bars where the text looked thinner than it should have.
1080p
We saw about as many problemes with 1080p as we did with 1080i: terrible Moire interference, illegible text. The main difference between 1080p and 1080i is 1080p content didn't suffer from the flashing issue: the Moire interference caused a kind of plaid pattern to form instead of what should have appeared, but at least it didn't cause obnoxious blinking.
Color Accuracy
Color Temperature*(7.23)*
The Memorex MLT3221's color temperature wasn't the worst we've seen. It does get much hotter in the greys (which causes them to look 'cool,' as in, they'll have a bluish hue–it's confusing, we know), but then the temperature drops way down towards the blacks. Given these issues, however, the temperature does have a sort of consistency to it. The changes are gradual for the most part, and the sudden changes aren't large ones.
RGB Curves*(7.98)*
Below we've plotted the red, green, and blue channels' performances. These three colors make up every other color the TV can display, so their individual accuracy is incredibly important. The MLT3221 had pretty good performance overall here. The curves are smooth, although the slope of the blue dips below the red and green a bit. The curves are also a bit bumpy, which means you'll lose some of the subtler details in your picture.
Below we've graphed the red, green, and blue channels as individual gradients. We've paired the MLT3221 up against the ideal response and the gradients of other, similar TVs.
Color Gamut*(4.42)*
The MLT3221 had two consistent points on its color gamut, but the other two points were fairly far off. The two accurate points were the green and red, which, as you can see in the chart below, are almost identical to the rec. 709 international standard. The blue point is slightly off, pushed a bit closer to turquoise than it should have been, and the white point is a bit warmer than it should have been.
Below are our measurements, the rec. 709 requirements, and a measure of how far off the TV was.
Motion
Motion Smoothness*(6.00)*
The Memorex MLT3221 had some issues with motion blur. Static pictures that moved around lost a lot of detail. Solid blocks of color left a small shadows behind them as they moved around a grey background. There was nothing that really caught our eye as overly terrible, but everything was pretty solidly blurry.
Motion Artifacting*(4.50)*
We saw some pretty heavy shudder in moving objects and sometimes some minor flashing. Solid blocks of color were highlighted with false coloration. Also, the sharpness artifacting–the TV will outline areas of contrast in black and white–gets worse as images move.
3:2 Pulldown & 24fps*(5.00)*
The TV had some serious problems with 3:2 pulldown. Some fine patterns would vibrate as they moved, and others would flash. On a slow pan of an empty football stadium, we noticed a crawling effect on the backs of the seats.
Viewing Effects
Viewing Angle*(5.11)*
The Memorex MLT3221 had a total viewing angle of about 47º. That means once you're about 23º away from dead center, the picture's contrast will be reduced by 50%. This is a slightly wider than average viewing angle for an LCD; typically you're lucky to get 30°.
Reflectance*(7.00)*
The MLT3221 wasn't very reflective. It reduced our LED array to a diffuse glow, with only a faint reflection of the individual lights. You shouldn't have much of an issue if a light is shining directly at the screen. If the light is at an angle it'll create a bright reflection on the glossy bezel, but not bright enough to be particularly distracting.
Video Processing*(1.0)*
There is only one video processing feature: noise reduction. When active, it will noticeably reduce noise.
Calibration
Calibration
[
](http://www.displaymate.com/)Below is a list of what we changed on the TV, in order to optimize picture quality for our test settings. These settings should be good enough for most users. If you really want the TV to be perfectly calibrated, however, you'll have to pay a professional to customize your settings for your specific viewing environment.
Note: the TV will lock a handful of calibration options with 720p content, if your TV is connected via HDMI. In this mode, you won't have access to sharpness, saturation, or hue. We'd recommend turning the sharpness down to zero if it's available.
Video Modes
The TV has a handful of video modes, but it describe them on the TV or in the manual. The modes are: Vivid, Hi-Bright, Cinema, Sport, and User.
Remote Control
Ergonomics & Durability*(6.50)*
The Memorex MLT3221's remote fits nicely in hand, since it's thin with curved edges. The remote feels a bit plasticky and doesn't have much heft to it, but doesn't seem as though it would shatter if dropped.
Button Layout & Use*(6.75)*
The main buttons are large and uniquely shaped. The minor buttons are small and somewhat indistinct. The keys have good play, travel, and tactile feedback.
Programming & Flexibility*(0.0)*
The remote is not programmable.
Connectivity
- 2 HDMI
- 2 Component
- 1 Composite
- 1 S-Video
- 1 VGA
- 1 3.5mm Audio Input
- 6 Analog Audio Input
Output Ports*(2.00)*
The MLT3221 has digital and analog audio outputs.
Other Connections*(0.0)*
There are no other connections.
Media*(0.0)*
There are no built-in media features.
Placement*(6.5)*
The ports are placed towards the bottom of the TV's back, equidistant from the sides. This isn't ideal, because it makes it hard to reach from either side of the TV. This is compounded by the lack of a swiveling base, so you'll have to turn the TV around whenever you need to access the ports. Fortunately, the TV is relatively small, so this shouldn't be a problem. The ports are very, very well labeled, however, which should help ease confusion.
Audio & Menus
Audio Quality*(4.0)*
The speakers on the Memorex MLT3221 weren't great. They sounded very muffled, and didn't have much dynamic range. There was very little bass and high-end. If you care about sound, you'll have to connect a set of speakers.
Menu Interface*(7.0)*
There's not much to the TV's menu system. The four main headings are icons across the top, and expand into the window below.
Manual*(4.0)*
The TV's manual isn't very informative. It gives some general information about setup, but doesn't get into very many specifics.
Formats & Media
Formats*(6.0)*
The Memorex MLT3221 has a native resolution of 720p. This means it will have to upscale 480p content and downscale 1080i and 1080p content. As we mentioned in the Resolution Scaling section, the processing it employs for up/downscaling isn't very good. The TV also supports 3:2 pulldown and 24fps playback.
Photo Playback*(0.0)*
There is no photo playback.
Music & Video Playback*(0.0)*
There are no special music or video playback features, such as USB connectivity.
Streaming Playback*(0.0)*
The TV cannot stream content.
Other Media*(0.0)*
There are no other media features.
Power Consumption
Power Consumption*(8.67)*
The Memorex MLT3221 doesn't let you control anything power-related, so there's nothing you can do on the TV itself to reduce your cost per year. Fortunately the price isn't very steep: at roughly $27 per year, it's just a little over $2 per month, assuming average use. Although it's not expensive to maintain, the MLT3221 is more expensive than the average LCD.
Below we've compared the MLT3221's power draw to some competing LCDs.
Vs Proscan 32LC30S60
Value Comparison Summary
Both of these TVs have different issues. The Proscan has much more of a problem with color temperature and has severe motion blur and artifacting issues. The Memorex MLT3221 didn't have a very dark black and, as a result, had a poorer contrast ratio. Both are about the same price, so this decision will likely come down to personal preference.
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Blacks & Whites**
The Proscan had a much deeper black, but wasn't quite as brite. It did, however, end up having a higher overall contrast ratio.
Color Accuracy
The Memorex had a much more stable color temperature and a slightly more accurate color gamut. Both TVs had roughly equivalent RGB accuracy.
Motion
The Memorex was far smoother and showed far less motion artifacting.
Viewing Effects
The Memorex's viewing angle is slightly bigger than the Proscan's.
Connectivity
The Memorex has a lot of analot audio inputs and one digital audio out. The Proscan has one additional audio output.
Vs Sony KDL 32L5000
Value Comparison Summary
Sony had a better performance overall, and will be around the same price. We'd recommend it over the Memorex.
Blacks & Whites
The Sony has a much deeper black level, but isn't quite as bright as the Memorex. The Sony had a higher overall contrast ratio.
Color Accuracy
The Memorex had a much more erratic color temperature, and a white point that's pretty far off from where it should be. Both had similar color representation.
Motion
The Memorex has slightly less motion blur and artifacting than the Sony.
Viewing Effects
The Sony had a marginally wider viewing angle than the Memorex.
Connectivity
The Sony had a few extra inputs, namely an HDMI and a composite video input. The Memorex had two fewer analog audio inputs.
Vs Dynex DX L32 10A
Value Comparison Summary
This match-up comes down to which you value more: color performance or contrast. The Dynex bests the Memorex at the latter, but fails at the former. Of course, the Memorex is also a bit more expensive than the Dynex.
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Blacks & Whites**
The Dynex had a much deeper black level, but wasn't as bright. It did manage a higher contrast ratio than the Memorex, but not by a particularly wide margin.
Color Accuracy
The Dynex's color temperature was a train wreck and its RGB representation wasn't as accurate as the Memorex's.
Motion
Neither TV managed to have smooth motion. The Dynex had a bit less artifacting than the Memorex.
Viewing Effects
The Memorex had a wider viewing angle than the Dynex.
Connectivity
The Dynex has an extra HDMI and composite video input. The Memorex has two extra analog audio inputs and an extra analog audio output.
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Conclusion
Series Comparison
MLT Series
The MLT series consists of a trio of plain 720p LCDs.
Meet the tester
Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.
Checking our work.
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