HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was very good. It did a very good job displaying the fine detail of HD content. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models. Color temperature was slightly on the cool side, lending images a bluish tone. Contrast--the difference between the darkest blacks and brightest whites--was good, so images had depth and dimension. Black level was generally good, though a clear step down from the best performers on the darkest scenes (quality does degrade as you move to the sides - see viewing angle). Image brightness was 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 did a very good job producing a smooth transition without distinct, coarse bands. There was slight display non-uniformity that created brighter cloudy areas most noticeable on very dark scenes (or in the black bars of a letterboxed movie). We routinely see this issue with LCDs and severity can vary from model to model. Film mode operation for HD film-based content was excellent, with no visible jaggies along the edges of objects during motion scenes. Deinterlacing on the other hand was only good, with some jaggies visible when converting 1080i video content, such as from cable, to the display's native resolution.
VIEWING ANGLE. This Magnavox 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 viewed the TV from the sides image quality degraded significantly. The picture showed a strong loss of color, so flesh tones looked very washed out. Black levels visibly brightened, reducing contrast especially on dark scenes. When viewing the image from above or below eye level to the screen, the vertical viewing angle was good. The picture showed some change in color, contrast, and black level.
MOTION BLUR. This Magnavox TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. Though this model includes Magnavox's "BMR 120", a feature designed to reduce motion blur.
SCREEN REFLECTIVITY. Though not as mirror-like as on some models, this screen surface is glossy and therefore susceptible to reflections from a nearby lamp or window. It does a good job reducing glare from ambient light and maintains contrast in a brighter room environment.
SOUND QUALITY. This model has fair sound quality with below average performance. It's acceptable for typical programming, but shortcomings become obvious with movie soundtracks and music. Bass was lacking, but treble was nicely detailed, while the overall sound was on the bright side and a bit thin and closed in. The volume from its speakers was limited -- just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment, and quality does degrade at high volume settings. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting, but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be distracting on some audio content. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system.
EASE OF USE. The dark labeling of the connectors on the TV console is very difficult to read. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. Magnavox includes a traditional button keypad remote for the control of basic TV functions. Large buttons with high contrast labeling make it easier to read in a dimmer viewing environment. It lacks the ability to add custom labels to different input sources. Consider the TV's stand is 26 inches wide when choosing a table top to place it on.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV does not provide access to the Internet.
CONNECTIONS. This model has two 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.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A quick start guide. A remote control with batteries. No printed manual is included.
