Carlo_M
Senior HTF Member
- Joined
- Oct 31, 1997
- Messages
- 13,392
Zenith C27V36
Here's my in-depth review of the set. I know a lot of people are intrigued by this set for the price, but not a lot of people have bought it. Here's my attempt to help out those interested in this type of set.
Background:
Yesterday afternoon I purchased the Zenith 27" HD-Ready TV set (model C27V36) from Circuit City. They currently had it on sale for $599 and I had a 10% off coupon that I convinced CC to put on top of the sale price (initially it was only discounting off of the $649 regular price). I had called the night before and the salesman told me the 10% off would apply, and I got his name, so when I name-dropped the next day, the current salesman got a manager to override the system. So I got the set for $539 + Tax.
We needed a bedroom TV that could not be larger than 27". We cannot accommodate any larger of a set. We were prepared to shell out $300-$350 for the 24" flat front Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic sets. When I saw this 27" Zenith for just $200 more, I became intrigued. It was a hard sell on the SO, but in the end I convinced her that if we weren't happy with it, I'd return it.
Picture Quality:
First of all, I didn't count each pixel, but I would bet that this thing does not do full HDTV (1920x1080). But that's probably already a given. The pixels are not "monitor-fine" (I have a high quality 19" Sony monitor), they are considerably larger, and I would think to do true HD you would need to have monitor-fine dot pitch.
That said, it is a damn fine set, with a much better resolution than any regular non-HD set in its size. The line doubler really makes our cable watchable again, and it performs very well on DVD and XBox. I don't have a Hi-Def source so I can't comment on that. When I ran component into the set from my DVD, and then an S-Video into our older non-HD direct view which we are discarding, the difference was astonishing. Again, even if this set does not do true HD, it is night and day above standard def sets. At $599, I don't think anyone really expected this to be 1920x1080. That would be like a 27" PC monitor which costs in the thousands of dollars.
The main negative aspect: you have four PQ settings...but three of them are fixed. There's "Clear" "Optimum" "Soft" and "User." Unfortunately when you switch to one and make any adjustment, it kicks you into "User". The other three are FIXED as far as I can tell. This will also potentially ruin it if you set up your USER to your liking (I used Avia and Digital V.E.) and then someone goes to "Optimum" and makes ANY adjustment to Contrast, Brightness, etc. Then those new settings become the new USER settings. I would recommend either writing down that info (they have numbers as well as bars for the settings which really helps) or making sure you're the King of the Castle and no one else messes with the settings.
Sound Quality
Solid, if unspectacular. Since this is the BR set, I don't have a HT receiver and rely on the speakers of the set. The AVL (Auto Volume Leveler) works well because our building's cable has channels with widely varying volumes and the AVL really helps to calm it down.
There *IS* the slight electronic buzz that people talked about, not just on Zenith, but on many popular sets (Toshiba, Philips from what I've read). I don't think it emanates from the speakers (when you turn volume down or speakers to "OFF" it doesn't go away). I think it's from inside the set. One guess from an EE at AVS said it might be from the weak power supplies that are often used for non-expensive TV sets. I could hear it while I was sitting 3' away with the volume off and tweaking the set with AVIA (no audio). However in the hours of watching we did last night and this morning, with a reasonable volume and sitting distance (6' away) it is inaudible - at least to me and my girlfriend.
Inputs
Inputs GALORE! There's 2 sets of HD YPrPb inputs in the back panel, 2 S-vids (1 front, 1 rear) and 2 more regular A/V. Plus a DVI input (which I haven't used). Oh, I think the DVI takes the place of 1 HD Component inputs so there's only 2 HD sources at any one time. The front S-Video is great for the Gamecube, so I can keep a DVD player and XBox via component in the back and have the Cube still plugged in. I am very happy with this set of inputs. It's comparable (and actually exceeds, since it has DVI) the inputs on my Panasonic PT-47WX51 in the living room.
Options/Features
The only option I've futzed around with is PIP. It has 2 sizes for PIP, each size can be placed in one of four corners of the set (for 8 total PIP options). There's a vertically stretched POP option where the TV is split down the middle and you get both channels evenly stretched on both sides. There's one where the left side is mostly your main channel and three channels are surfed/frozen on the right side of the screen. Mostly I use the larger of the 2 PIPs in the bottom left corner, but it's cool to have options. The SWAP button is cool too (swaps main channel w/ PIP channel).
Picture Control Settings and Tweaking
There is a setting SVM and you can turn it to "OFF"!!! Woo-hoo, this was honestly one of the selling points for me. Can you tell I'm an HTF freak?
Out of the box, this thing is in torch mode. "Clear" is torch. "Optimum" is a little better, and "Soft" even more so. But all have sharpness turned up to 45 (out of 100). So you'll want to create your own USER settings.
My User settings, after tweaking with AVIA & DVE:
Contrast=15/100
Brightness=68/100
Color=75/100
Tint=+2 to the red side
Sharpness=10/100
Not perfect, not ISF spec, but a huge improvement over factory settings. Surprisingly, it works well for cable, DVD and XBox, so I won't have to monkey with it depending on input device.
Conclusion
Again, this was not meant to be my main HD/HT rig. Those who want it for that and expect flawless performance will be disappointed. This is only a bedroom set that I purchased because it was only marginally more than a non-HD set at that size. With that in mind, I think this set is an absolute STEAL for the price. If any of my friends needed a BR set w/ 27" or smaller I would convince them to go get this one. If the limit were upped to 32" I would recommend the "big brother" C32V37 with a built-in HD TUNER! That one is regularly $999 but usually CC or Best Buy will have a 10% off sale. Considering I once bought a 32" Sony non-HD set for $799 a few years ago, $899 for the 32" Zenith HD is a no-brainer.
But for those who are in a similar situation as me: I cannot recommend the 27" Zenith enough. It ain't perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than the other 27" and smaller alternatives out there, IMO.
Definitely be prepared to tweak your set at least with AVIA or VE though, as torch mode (Clear) is unacceptable and the others are barely better.
Here's my in-depth review of the set. I know a lot of people are intrigued by this set for the price, but not a lot of people have bought it. Here's my attempt to help out those interested in this type of set.
Background:
Yesterday afternoon I purchased the Zenith 27" HD-Ready TV set (model C27V36) from Circuit City. They currently had it on sale for $599 and I had a 10% off coupon that I convinced CC to put on top of the sale price (initially it was only discounting off of the $649 regular price). I had called the night before and the salesman told me the 10% off would apply, and I got his name, so when I name-dropped the next day, the current salesman got a manager to override the system. So I got the set for $539 + Tax.
We needed a bedroom TV that could not be larger than 27". We cannot accommodate any larger of a set. We were prepared to shell out $300-$350 for the 24" flat front Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic sets. When I saw this 27" Zenith for just $200 more, I became intrigued. It was a hard sell on the SO, but in the end I convinced her that if we weren't happy with it, I'd return it.
Picture Quality:
First of all, I didn't count each pixel, but I would bet that this thing does not do full HDTV (1920x1080). But that's probably already a given. The pixels are not "monitor-fine" (I have a high quality 19" Sony monitor), they are considerably larger, and I would think to do true HD you would need to have monitor-fine dot pitch.
That said, it is a damn fine set, with a much better resolution than any regular non-HD set in its size. The line doubler really makes our cable watchable again, and it performs very well on DVD and XBox. I don't have a Hi-Def source so I can't comment on that. When I ran component into the set from my DVD, and then an S-Video into our older non-HD direct view which we are discarding, the difference was astonishing. Again, even if this set does not do true HD, it is night and day above standard def sets. At $599, I don't think anyone really expected this to be 1920x1080. That would be like a 27" PC monitor which costs in the thousands of dollars.
The main negative aspect: you have four PQ settings...but three of them are fixed. There's "Clear" "Optimum" "Soft" and "User." Unfortunately when you switch to one and make any adjustment, it kicks you into "User". The other three are FIXED as far as I can tell. This will also potentially ruin it if you set up your USER to your liking (I used Avia and Digital V.E.) and then someone goes to "Optimum" and makes ANY adjustment to Contrast, Brightness, etc. Then those new settings become the new USER settings. I would recommend either writing down that info (they have numbers as well as bars for the settings which really helps) or making sure you're the King of the Castle and no one else messes with the settings.
Sound Quality
Solid, if unspectacular. Since this is the BR set, I don't have a HT receiver and rely on the speakers of the set. The AVL (Auto Volume Leveler) works well because our building's cable has channels with widely varying volumes and the AVL really helps to calm it down.
There *IS* the slight electronic buzz that people talked about, not just on Zenith, but on many popular sets (Toshiba, Philips from what I've read). I don't think it emanates from the speakers (when you turn volume down or speakers to "OFF" it doesn't go away). I think it's from inside the set. One guess from an EE at AVS said it might be from the weak power supplies that are often used for non-expensive TV sets. I could hear it while I was sitting 3' away with the volume off and tweaking the set with AVIA (no audio). However in the hours of watching we did last night and this morning, with a reasonable volume and sitting distance (6' away) it is inaudible - at least to me and my girlfriend.
Inputs
Inputs GALORE! There's 2 sets of HD YPrPb inputs in the back panel, 2 S-vids (1 front, 1 rear) and 2 more regular A/V. Plus a DVI input (which I haven't used). Oh, I think the DVI takes the place of 1 HD Component inputs so there's only 2 HD sources at any one time. The front S-Video is great for the Gamecube, so I can keep a DVD player and XBox via component in the back and have the Cube still plugged in. I am very happy with this set of inputs. It's comparable (and actually exceeds, since it has DVI) the inputs on my Panasonic PT-47WX51 in the living room.
Options/Features
The only option I've futzed around with is PIP. It has 2 sizes for PIP, each size can be placed in one of four corners of the set (for 8 total PIP options). There's a vertically stretched POP option where the TV is split down the middle and you get both channels evenly stretched on both sides. There's one where the left side is mostly your main channel and three channels are surfed/frozen on the right side of the screen. Mostly I use the larger of the 2 PIPs in the bottom left corner, but it's cool to have options. The SWAP button is cool too (swaps main channel w/ PIP channel).
Picture Control Settings and Tweaking
There is a setting SVM and you can turn it to "OFF"!!! Woo-hoo, this was honestly one of the selling points for me. Can you tell I'm an HTF freak?
Out of the box, this thing is in torch mode. "Clear" is torch. "Optimum" is a little better, and "Soft" even more so. But all have sharpness turned up to 45 (out of 100). So you'll want to create your own USER settings.
My User settings, after tweaking with AVIA & DVE:
Contrast=15/100
Brightness=68/100
Color=75/100
Tint=+2 to the red side
Sharpness=10/100
Not perfect, not ISF spec, but a huge improvement over factory settings. Surprisingly, it works well for cable, DVD and XBox, so I won't have to monkey with it depending on input device.
Conclusion
Again, this was not meant to be my main HD/HT rig. Those who want it for that and expect flawless performance will be disappointed. This is only a bedroom set that I purchased because it was only marginally more than a non-HD set at that size. With that in mind, I think this set is an absolute STEAL for the price. If any of my friends needed a BR set w/ 27" or smaller I would convince them to go get this one. If the limit were upped to 32" I would recommend the "big brother" C32V37 with a built-in HD TUNER! That one is regularly $999 but usually CC or Best Buy will have a 10% off sale. Considering I once bought a 32" Sony non-HD set for $799 a few years ago, $899 for the 32" Zenith HD is a no-brainer.
But for those who are in a similar situation as me: I cannot recommend the 27" Zenith enough. It ain't perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than the other 27" and smaller alternatives out there, IMO.
Definitely be prepared to tweak your set at least with AVIA or VE though, as torch mode (Clear) is unacceptable and the others are barely better.
