Zenith L20V36 20.1" 4:3 LCD Flat-Panel EDTV (Silver)

Pictures render in extremely detailed, 4:3 aspect-ratio 640 x 480 resolution, which is perfect for progressive-scan DVD outputs and video games. You also get high brightness (450 cd/m2) for a bright picture even in light-drenched environments. Inputs include high-resolution component-video, S-video, computer RGB, RF, and composite-video/analog stereo audio.

LCD screens offer a number of benefits over CRT monitors and televisions, including general ease of use, freedom from eye strain (no screen flickering or radiation emissions), quiet operation (no high-pitch "flyback" noise, an issue with CRT TVs), accurate image geometry (no curvature distortion or susceptibility to magnetic interference from, say, speakers), long screen life (with no risk of image burn-in), space savings, and light weight/easy positioning. They also tend to be cheaper and, to some eyes, slightly more natural looking than their plasma flat-panel counterparts, which usually "spec" higher (higher brightness, higher contrast ratio).

Super In Plane Switching (Super IPS) technology (made by Zenith's parent company, LG Electronics), which delivers unprecedented horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 176 degrees--virtually equaling those of CRTs, all the while ensuring better, clearer pictures from off-center seating positions than previously possible with an LCD. Super IPS uses a switching mode that treats light passing through the display at an angle virtually the same as light passing straight through the display. As a result, the set renders brightness, contrast, and color much more evenly, regardless of where you sit.

A 3-line digital comb filter enhances resolution by removing blurred edges between colors and reducing dot crawl (tiny, moving dots of color along a sharp color separation in a vertical line, as in a depiction of a character's striped T-shirt).

The set also uses Faroudja's DCDi Processor, which upconverts standard video signals (480i) to progressive-scan 480p signals, eliminating the jagged edges along diagonal lines. Progressive-scan signals create a picture using twice the scan lines of a conventional pictures, giving you higher resolution and sharper images while eliminating nearly all motion artifacts.

Parental control with V-Chip (a programmable feature that uses the US standard content-advisory system to exclude viewing of specific programs or program types) helps you keep young eyes off mature content. Other features include Dolby Virtual Surround processing for simulating surround sound from the set's two 5-watt speakers, and an onscreen graphic equalizer for tailoring the sound to your preference.

For connections, the set offers 1 each component- and S-video inputs, 2 composite-video inputs, and 1 coaxial RF input for use with an antenna or a VCR or cable box. A headphone output affords private listening.

What's in the Box
TV, swivel stand with tilt, and a user's manual.