Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Last edit: 08 Feb 2011
I've waited to post a review for a few days to avoid writing something that just reflects the afterglow of upsizing from a 32 to 42 inch screen. The BF lightning deal price was just AWESOME. Thank you Amazon for saving me from standing in line in the 20-degree rain at Target!
The bottom line: while there are a few shortcomings in this TV compared to higher end models, it is a functional entry-level screen.
Pros:
- Gorgeous color and detail - an immersive experience from 8 feet away. Well-lit scenes are its forte: to my eye as good as any other screen. The first movie we watched was Up, at only 720p through VGA from my laptop but it seemed almost 3D at times compared to our previous 32-inch Vizio (E320VL). Blu-rays look GREAT as well, no problems connecting. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
- Menus are well organized and aesthetically well-designed.
- Channel tuner works great. Found everything my old tv did, and a few more!
- Included remote has all the options you want to be there, and is pretty forgiving about where you point it (30 degree window on either side of straight on). Separate buttons for every input, buttons to shuffle through picture and sound profiles, CC button on the remote (unlike Vizio where you had to dig in menus). Very well-designed remote, and I love how slim it is.
- TV speakers are as good as any other I've heard (not real high quality but functional).
- Lots of types of inputs.
- Matte screen reduces glare.
Cons:
- As others have mentioned, blacks on 1080i HD channels through the coaxial (antenna) input are REALLY dark sometimes. I should note that this doesn't affect 720 or 480 channels from the antenna, DVD, HDMI or VGA inputs; those black levels are fine, if not as dark as higher end models. I need to play with the picture options more to see if I can fix this...
EDIT: I am now much happier with black levels. I have Contrast and Brightness in the 70s, with the other settings still at 50 (I take Sharpness down to 20 for filmed Blurays because of the standard grain issues). This seems to be the ideal compromise. By trying others suggestions and not seeing good results, I wonder if each TV may be a bit different - certainly viewer's eyes are. But the good news: black level problem largely fixed by adjusting the picture!
- A bit of over-redness sometimes through the VGA - I deal with it in the short term by setting Color to "Cool". This only happened with one movie one time, and I'm not sure why... maybe didn't have the VGA hooked up completely.
- Only 2 HDMI inputs may be a con to some.
- Menus lack some options in higher end models, but enough to play with.
- Unit gets pretty warm - power consumption is 300W (150 is more average for this size in leading brands). But it's only $19/yr. more in energy costs if the TV's on 3 hours a day average (way more than we use). Decided I can live with that.
- The connection method of the base won't support side-to-side movement of the monitor very much - gotta be careful to set it down square when you move it.
Responses to others' cons:
- Like a cheap plastic toy: There are no pieces of extra plastic on the edges of my unit, and it's glossy, smooth, elegant, and solid. The only weak area is the base connection.
- Packaging is poor: Other than the box being a little more plain than others, it is packed very securely and well. Not sure what some people were referring to.
- Backlight leakage at corners of the screen: I turned off all the lights in the room and do not see this at all... seems fine to me!
EDIT: Okay, I've seen the "corner leakage" now, but have to have all lights off and be displaying a completely black screen (noticed while watching credits of Jurassic Park)- it's faint in the upper corners. Actually though, I don't think it's backlight leakage, as by changing your viewing angle it moves around a lot, and even inverts to darker black. There is also a light sheen or cloudiness randomly distributed across the screen that shifts as you move around. It seems to be the matte surface of the screen is not completely flat, and in a dark room it becomes apparent as a little bit of light from the LCDs leaks through and catches the matte texture. Something to be aware of, but no noticeable effect on picture quality in almost all viewing conditions. It's least visible when you are watching straight on to the screen.
- Bug in remote buttons: The channel changing buttons on the remote are sensitive. It seems to have a quick-scan feature that quickly switches over 2 channels, then two more if you hold it down too long. I don't see this as a bug though, just don't hold down as long and problem solved :-)
Additional tidbit: I somehow unlocked the Tint control! It may have had something to do with accidentally unpluggling a VGA cord while TV and computer were running. It's after that I noticed the change. TV still works great in every way. Good news: the default "0" setting it was frozen at before is about the best anyway - leaving it there.
Owner's manual now online at iSymphony's website: [...]
For someone on a budget the $300 price tag was awesome, though I'm not sure I would buy it at the $449 price when you can do much better for just a hundred or two more. I grabbed a 3 year warranty from Squaretrade since this is a totally unproven brand. 40% off with code SLICK. Let's hope it lasts!
Click Here to see more reviews about: iSymphony LC42iF56 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
The iSymphony LC42iF56 is a 42-Inch 1080p HD LCD Television. The TV has 1920 x 1080 native resolution and wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) for a complete home theater experience. The super high picture quality has been realized by VIORE engineering with high brightness for a vivid and brilliant picture and with high contrast for deeper blacks and brighter whites. The ATSC TV tuner is integrated for over-the-air HDTV broadcast reception. HDMI input is provided so that the digital signals for both video and audio will be transferred without any degradation from Blu-ray Disc Player, DVD Player, Game Player, or Cable/Satellite Box. A VGA port is also provided so that you can use the TV as a computer monitor.
Click here for more information about iSymphony LC42iF56 42-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, Black
