When I ran this TV through some test patterns on the Video Essentials DVD, the good news was that the TV was stable, predictable, and without any of the quirks and anomalies common to plasmas and some other fixed-pixel products. Setting the black level was easy, and I came upon the surprising finding that for the best image, the contrast should be left at the three-quarters level—higher than on most sets. Turning the sharpness down all the way leaves the picture too soft. But at the "best" sharpness level, the set did exhibit some halos—echoes of lines. There was no perfect setting.

Also, dot test patterns betrayed a problem that I would classify as alignment if this was a CRT. White dots were not white; most had red or blue rims. This problem was not readily visible on normal program material, as often happens with issues uncovered by test patterns. But I have always been of the view that a test-pattern problem probably reduces the image quality a bit, even if you cannot see that it is so.

One visible problem was false c ountering. Oversaturation of reds, a problem I have seen on every TV I have ever reviewed, was moderate and corrected with a small change in the color menu.

Jamie Wilson, who does calibrations for me, found the color-temperature setting, as delivered, to be off the chart (not shown in the accompanying diagram). But it calibrated beautifully; both color accuracy and detail improved when he finished the calibration. He and I agreed that, unlike some other TVs we have seen, this one needs professional calibration to reach its full potential. With this TV, it is worth the money.