HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality falls short. Reproduction of fine HD image detail is very good but we did note some added edge enhancement processing which isn't overly distracting. Color accuracy is very good, with flesh tones in particular, looking natural. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--is good, so images have depth and dimension. Black levels are acceptable, though not the deepest, so dark scenes won't look hazy (though quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). Image brightness is good (with the backlight control turned up), making it a suitable choice for most rooms. In scenes with subtly shaded light-to-dark areas, such as a sky during sunset, the model does a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. The picture has "overscan" applied with no aspect ratio control options to disable it. This means the image is slightly expanded causing the extreme outer edges of the picture to be cut off. Though an option for no overscan is preferred and expected from the better performing models, the result is generally not obvious or distracting to the viewer on typical program content. However, if you use the model as monitor for your computer (via HDMI connection) you may lose the visibility of some icons that sit at the outer edges of the desktop. The deinterlacing and film mode operations are excellent on HD content; there is little or no trace of jaggies on the edges of objects for video and film-based 1080i video content, such as from cable.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Element has a narrow viewing angle overall, below-average performance among TVs for this attribute. Only those seated directly in front of the screen will see the best picture quality. When we view the TV from the sides image quality degrades significantly. The picture shows a strong loss of color, so flesh tones look very washed out. Black levels brighten significantly, making dark scenes look hazy. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle is good. The picture shows some change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Element TV has only fair motion performance, with significant blurring on our motion tests. This is typical of LCD TVs with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has poor sound quality, which is very apparent on typical programming, and especially so with movie soundtracks and music. Bass is notably absent and treble lacks detail, while the overall sound is very thin and closed in. Dialog clarity is adequate. The volume from its speakers is limited -- just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment and without obvious distortion. If you expect decent sound from your TV, especially one intended for primary viewing, look at other models or be prepared to add an external sound system.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. The remote has a traditional design with a full number key pad. It lacks the ability to add custom labels to different input sources. Consider the TV's stand is 27 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV is not internet enabled.
CONNECTIONS. This model has three HDMI inputs and one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time) one USB port, an optical digital audio out, a headphone out, a VGA video input.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries.
