Space-Saving, Intelligent and Beautiful Design
Written: Jun 06 '08
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Pros: picture quality, sound quality, multiple ports for high-end gaming and computer usage
Cons: minor display issues, screen refresh issues between modes
The Bottom Line: This fully-featured television set gives high quality at solid pricing and can easily meet a wide range of entertainment needs.
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| deeblackthorne's Full Review: Magnavox 37MF337B 37 in. TV |
I was on the market for a new flat-screen TV. It was a bit of a premature purchase. I am moving across the country in my car, and nothing else, and I would simply have to give up my heavier and bulkier tube television for something more streamlined. My roommate has a large flat-screen television in the living room, so I thought I would do some comparison shopping. I shopped for an afternoon before stumbling across a sale of this particular unit. It retailed for $600 at a discount store, plus extra for some accessory cables. (I'll get to those in a moment.)
Setup is very simple. Users can opt for wall mounting with included bracketing equipment. I chose to just affix the unit to its base so I could place it on my entertainment stand. The base is a bit awkward to slide into place. Once it's done, a screwdriver can secure it with ease. The base gets the unit the perfect weight and balance it needs to stand up on its own. Even on a makeshift entertainment cart, the TV unit holds up very well and does not shift, slide, or wobble. It also really shows off the space-saving design the product affords.
I use my television for multiple purposes. With an impressive array of power outlets and accessory plug-in features available, I have a game system and my personal computer hooked up to the television. The game player utilizes the five-pronged composite audio and video for highest quality. The computer plugs into the monitor PC port. All outlets are clearly mapped by color coding and a helpful label attached right above them. The only difficulty I had with the computer was needing to set the display features on my hard drive first, and then connecting it to the television set. The television as monitor works on a 1360x768 resolution with a 60Hz refresh rate. The television switches from cable, game, and computer settings with a scroll of the source button with great ease.
It takes about 15 minutes to get the television set up in total. The good bulk of the time is spent on automatically detecting digital channel programming. It blazes through analog and standard channels easily, but users may feel like the television stalls with the digital lineup, which I found odd because I subscribe to regular programming – no frills. Once it's done, users can tinker with a number of settings to customize picture quality, sound, captioning, sleep features, and so on. Not demanding much of a sophisticated setup here, there are a few precalibrated picture and sound settings put into place; a “cool” picture and “movie” quality sound does it fine for me.
Two minor problems with the display include a teeny-tiny medium gray color for channel input, which may blend in a little too well with the background content on your screen. While certainly unobtrusive in size, the grandiose bar display you get with pressing channel up or down, and the few moments it takes for it to go off screen are also a bit distracting. Finally, switching into television, computer, or gaming modes can sometimes cause screen errors. Switching from television to computer, for example, might overstretch the picture (maximizing applications cause them to go right off the page) or cause the screen to get thrust too far to the right (show blank, black space for a small width of screen). It is easily corrected by shifting back to television and then to the desired equipment again. (It will refresh correctly the second time.) However, this minor inconvenience happens somewhat regularly even after adjusting size settings for the screen (alternating between widescreen and fullscreen displays).
For what it's worth, despite its nitpicks, this Magnavox television is sharp, crisp, and illuminating. You may have to invest a little bit more money to get the improved cable connections, but the results are very much worth it. My PlayStation 2 really gets to show off its processing potential, and my computer screen can be filled with stacks of windows without fail. With the added shelf space, I just slid my mini-tower behind my computer and plugged in a cordless keyboard and mouse. Now, I can wake up and check my email without even getting out of bed! This LCD television is a versatile entertainment media center that fits well in your personal bedroom or in entertaining a crowd without costing the proverbial arm and leg. I love it, and I'm glad I picked it up when I had the chance.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 600
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Epinions.com ID:
deeblackthorne
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Member: Dee Hill Zuganelli
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA
Reviews written: 133
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
yo! :D
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