Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV review: A mismatch of great audio, weak display

India’s contract electronics manufacturer Super Plastronics Pvt Ltd (SPPL) recently announced brand licensing partnership with Blaupunkt to manufacture, market, sell and service the German audio tech company’s smart television in India. Among the first products to be launched under the partnership is the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV. Priced at Rs 40,999, this Android 10 TV platform-based smart television boasts a bezel-less design, a quad-speaker set-up of 60W combined output, supported by Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround, and Dolby MS12 sound technology. On paper, the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV seems to be a good value proposition in the smart LED TV segment. But is it? Let’s find out:

Design

The Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV is a regular-looking unit with simple design without any fancy bells and whistles. It is neither thin nor bulky and looks similar to most budget LED smart TVs you get at this price. However, the TV’s thin display bezels accentuate the front profile, and the tall silver-painted legs for a table top installation add some zing to the otherwise boring design. The TV also supports wall-mount installation, but that makes accessing ports difficult.

Speaking of ports, the TV has three HDMI ports and two USB ports, both available at the back. It also has Ethernet port for wired internet connectivity and an optical port for wired audio system connectivity. Connectivity is covered by Bluetooth v5 for wireless internet connectivity, Chromecast for screen casting (mobile and laptop), and dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz).

Display and audio

As the name suggests, the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV has a 55-inch UHD (4K) resolution screen with support for the HDR10+ high dynamic range format. Despite sporting a feature-rich display (on paper), the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV delivers a mediocre viewing experience. This is because the display is dim-lit and suffers light leakage, content ghosting and pixel burn issues. The dim-lit panel causes content to appear dark. Therefore, the display does not seem best suited for HDR content, as dark content output causes eye fatigue on extended viewing. The content ghosting issue is apparent despite the company’s claim that the television supports motion estimation, motion compensation (MEMC) technology for clear pictures and smoother frames, especially in high-speed sequences. As for the pixel burn issue, it is apparent on the edges and in the middle of the frame, especially while the screen renders dark content.

While the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV has a weak display, it scores big with regard to audio. The TV has a quad-speaker set-up of 60W combined output supported by Dolby Digital Plus, DTS TruSurround, and Dolby MS12 sound technology. Together, the speakers and supported audio tech deliver one of the best audio experiences you get in smart TVs at this price.

Performance

The Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV boots the Android 10 TV platform, with Play Store for TV built in for apps. It boots stock Android launcher with no custom skin or modification, so most of the apps and their featured content are visible on the home screen. The TV might not be swift in performance but it gets the job done without fail. Opening the apps takes some time but not so much as to ruin the overall user experience. There is a quick-resume function that puts the TV in sleep mode without suspending the apps. Therefore, the TV wakes up instantly from sleep and resumes the UI from where you left. The performance, overall, is decent for its asking price.

Verdict

The Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV is a feature-rich smart television on paper, but a complete mismatch when it comes to real-life experience. It has a good sound output for a wholesome audio experience but the screen fails to match the visual experience. It is a value-for-money product, but it fails to equal the smart TVs from brands like VU, Xiaomi, Realme, etc, simply because it has nothing extra or exceptional to offer. That said, consider the Blaupunkt Cybersound 55 TV if you are more of an audiophile and can live with mediocre visual experience. Otherwise, there are better options available in abundance at this price from other brands.

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