HD PICTURE QUALITY. HD picture quality was only decent. It did an very good job displaying the fine detail of HD content though some added edge enhancement processing was noted, but wasn't distracting. Color accuracy was acceptable, but below that of most models, with color temperature moderately on the warm side, lending images a reddish tone. Lack of contrast gave images a somewhat flatter appearance with little depth. Brightness level was only fair, dimmer than most, not the best choice for a brighter room. Depth of black level was below average, with darker scenes in particular looking hazy, with little contrast. 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.
VIEWING ANGLE. This RCA has a wide viewing angle overall, better than that of most TVs. It will provide the same picture quality, with fewer problems than most TVs, for typical viewing conditions -- say, if your family is seated across a long sectional or in chairs off to the sides. With dark scenes this model didn't fare quite as well. When viewed from the sides, the depth of black levels varied depending on the vertical position of the viewer's head. As we moved closer to the screen this limitation became even more apparent, especially if seated on the floor looking upward where black levels brightened significantly.
MOTION BLUR. This RCA TV has good motion performance, with some blurring on our motion tests. This is better than average for LCD displays with the basic 60Hz frame rate. This model does not include a blur reduction feature.
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 notably absent, as was treble detail, and the overall sound was a bit thin and notably closed in. The volume from its speakers was limited -- just adequate for a smaller, quiet listening environment, with no obvious distortion. Also, at higher volume, dynamic compression kept the sound from distorting but also limited the clarity of peaks in loudness, which can be a bit distracting on some audio content. If sound quality matters to you, you might want to add a soundbar or other external speaker system -- but if this smaller-screen set is a secondary TV, you might find its sound quality acceptable.
EASE OF USE. On first power up there is an on-screen guide that helps you through setting up the TV. RCA includes a basic remote that has traditional button navigation controls and number keypad. Button labeling has good contrast but text is small, making it difficult to read in a dimmer viewing environment.
INTERNET FEATURES. This TV does not have access to the Internet.
CONNECTIONS. This model has one HDMI input and one "component/composite shared" input (which means you can only use one type or the other at a time), a coaxial digital audio out, a headphone out, a VGA video input. The cable connections on the rear panel are recessed with side or bottom-facing ports, so wires don't protrude beyond the display's depth.
INCLUDED IN THE BOX. A printed user manual. A remote control with batteries.
