Affordable, good looking & reliable flat screen TV

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good picture, stylish, decent sound & feature options, PIP.

Cons: A bit of an energy hog, looks best with SONY TV stand.

The Bottom Line: 
Great second TV or for someone who isn't ready to jump into HD market just yet.

Author's Review
After spending several years using a cheap JVC 27" TV, I decided to step it up and got this EDV (enhanced definition 480i, no High definition but close to the minimum 480p that's required for certification as HD) TV.

A lot of people are getting flat screen TVs and selling their CR tube tvs cheap. I got this one for less than 250$, whereas in store price as late as last year was above 500$.


I got it hooked it up without a problem and I have to say I am very impressed:

1. The picture is definitely the best non-HD CRV picture I've seen. After staring at that JVC for so many years, I'm still sort of amazed.

2. The Xbox games...you can actually see what is going on clearly, and you can read all of the text in all of the games very well.

3. The DVD looks great, especially with a progressive scan DVD player. 480i with component cables and a good virtual surround sound (such as Denon S101 I reviewed here) makes for an awesome home theatre experience at a reasonable price.

Now a couple of issues:

1. Picture in picture (PIP) buttons are small and relatively hard to operate especially in the dark (like when you want to watch a movie and STILL follow NCAA tournament action).

2. Audio outputs could be enhanced too. I wish it had headphone jack more than anything as I have a nice pair of wireless headphones for late night watching...or playing a game.


3. As previous reviewers on Amazon.com have stated, "not enough inputs, and especially no side inputs. Front inputs are great for DV cams, XBOX etc, but side inputs or enough rear inputs is necessary with every darn device a lot of us have these days" (PS2, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii, DVD, DV cam, VHS, TiVo, etc).

4. Audio outputs could be enhanced too. I wish it had headphone jack more than anything as I have a nice pair of wireless headphones for late night watching...or playing a game.

5. 16:9 setting. I've tried with DVD, Xbox, satellite, and I haven't found a real use for this yet. The little black lines on the bottom are irritating.


Overall, I am very impressed with this television. Our main use is watching cable, playing games and occasional DVD.

I would highly recommend this television to anyone that isn't ready to jump to HD, or wants a second television that doesn't have to have all the HD features.

I especially recommend this to 18-35 year olds like me who have a game console and want/need a television for it. This is the best non-HD television in my opinion. If you want HD though, it will probably be better.