Capable Television with Excellent Sound and Connection Options

Update: Teething problems aside this TV has grown on me ... I'm upgrading my rating from 3 to 4 starts. Trick is to use the Display and size buttons to adjust for the source,aspect ratio. Apperently the DVD I first tested the TV on has a bizzare aspect ratio.

I bought this HDTV widescreen aspect ratio LCD TV for a bedroom. Originally I was going to buy a Samsung 17" to match my other 2 Displays's but for some reason Samsung has decided they can charge 2x as much for the same spec set.

The stand looks smart and there is a good cable management cover and guide on the back. With the speakers on the side adding a few inches to the side of an already widescreen set I think the front looks a little weird (wide).

The Dell sales person claimed that the screen actually made by Samsung. This television has a Tuner for Analog cable and over the air Broadcasts as well as pretty much every other connection available ... COAX, RCA Video, SVideo, Component, DB-15 RGB, and DV I-D?. There is Component Video out and RCA Stero Audio/MiniJack IN Every cable(and then some) was included with mine, except the COAX I needed ! Also my set shipped with a warped stand which would not allow the TV to sit level. To Dells credit; They express shipped me a new stand.

I've used the display for Analog Television and DVD viewing through the Component inputs only. In both cases the sound quality is incredible. The manual mentions a sound cavity port on the back, so maybe it is acting like an acoustic waveguide. This small television creates room filling stereo virtual-surround sound that has acutually fooled people in other the hall into thinking something on the TV was inside the room.

The remote is smart looking and well layed out, allowing you to toggle through Diplay modes & Sound Profiles using a cursor like control. Images on the screen are bright and can be viewed from wide angles.

However TV images look only middleing. The HD capability doesn't help regular signal ... except to highlight the deficency. Widescreen mode on regular picture predictably makes the picture look bigger, but the people fat.

Hooking this up to a DVD player with component video I got a better much better picture, but still not to the level which I have become accoustomed on my supposedly lower resolution plasma. I think the Video Signal Processor/Motion Processor is messsing up the picture somehow. Scenery looks great, but peoples faces sometimes get blured when not close up.

A good television for watching the late night news with lots of inputs for futureproofing. Possibly a good/excellent Computer monitor. But not a flying success as a TV. I think I may hold my nose and buy a real Samsung anyways.