Mirror TV Configuration & Viewing Tests
While you can pretty much plug in the ad notam Box TV 30.0 and go; if you plan on installing this in a wall you'll want to examine all available connectivity options before making a decision. The model I received possessed an SCART connector which (in the UK ) can be used to get component video into the unit. A new model, due to be released shortly, will add component inputs. My recommendation for a good mix of installation simplicity and image quality would be to utilize the s-video input and run two shielded coax cables to the display. For this display and its intended use I do not feel that component video offers significant enough improvement over s-video to warrant the additional cable run and routing expense. Of course, if you are using it strictly as a standard definition television, then a single F cable will also suffice.
Basic Setup and Configuration - On-Screen
Display Menu
I was blown away by the amount of adjustments that were possible using the on-screen display. In addition to Input selection, Hue , Saturation, Brightness and Geometry adjustments, we discovered that each input had its own appropriate color adjustment capabilities. Gamma and color temperature controls were even available for SCART, RGB signal input.
Geometry functions allow adjustments to horizontal and vertical position as well as image flipping and various scaling options for much more flexible installations. As this unit does possess an NTSC-capable tuner, the OSD also allows for manual and automatic selection of available channels, plus "fine-tuning" of each channel.
Connections
Connection options are relatively sparse on this model, however we have been informed that currently shipping models have component video inputs which replace the SCART connector seen here.
For our DVD tests we utilized the composite and s-video inputs of the set. We also ran cable TV directly into the set to check how well it performed as an NTSC standard definition television and the VGA input was tested with a PC.
Remote Control
The remote included with the ad notam Box TV 30.0 is a radio frequency remote. As a
result it can be controlled without having direct line-of-sight or even through drywall in instances
when the television is installed into a wall or enclosure. The remote control had a tremendous lag
when pressing the buttons. It was something you could almost count off. One and a half seconds after
you hit the button, the function would occur or appear. To say this was annoying would be an
understatement, however once installed, the remote would really only be used to turn the set on and
off and perhaps change channels. I'm not sure why this particular remote was chosen or why the lag
was allowed to remain, but we're hoping future iterations of this model have fixed this problem.
(Please see the following note on ad notam's redesigned remote control.)
The eight unlabeled buttons (and one A/B/C button set selector which needs to be on 'A') have a "key" on the reverse side that describe the functions of each. The buttons are as follows: Power, Input Select, Cursor Up/+, Enter/Volume, Cursor Down/-, Menu OSD, Video Text, and Mute. Video Text is something I did not have time to go into, however the remaining buttons are arranged as well as they could be considering the given remote topology. Since there are only 8 buttons, memorization of the buttons becomes a quick process. Obviously if you want an improved remote (though I don't really see the benefit) a third-party RF remote could easily be programmed with the ad notam Box TV 30.0' codes.
Editor's Note
As of the time of publication of this review, ad notam advised us that they are now shipping a brand new remote which has easier manipulation and functionality. The delayed response is gone and the entire user interface is now easier to navigate.
Viewing Tests
As a computer monitor, the ad notam Box TV 30.0" performed well. Colors were vibrant and on-screen text and images were crystal clear. We set the desktop to the unit's native resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels and ensured scaling was set to full. This resulted in no overscan and a perfect pixel-per-pixel match to the display.
For DVD playback, we found an incredible difference between the composite and s-video inputs. We would venture to say that in our opinion the composite video inputs are unusable. They consistently blurred the image and created excessive chroma delay on the images. Here is a zoomed in side-by-side visual comparison of the two inputs (left s-video, right composite) when we placed a resolution test up on the screen:
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S-Video Output |
Composite Video Output |
Notice the complete loss of resolution and focus and the chroma errors at bottom left of the image. Using the s-video inputs resulted in a much-improved image. In addition, running s-video around a home installation is one of the most economical signal transfer methods since you can use two RG6 shielded cables to carry the luminance and chrominance information.
We ran the HQV test DVD on this display just to see how well it performed and the results were less than average. The set did not have sufficient video processing to remove jaggies, correctly handle 2:3 pull down or eliminate moiré patterns that would appear in highly repetitive detailed scenes. One thing to keep in mind is that it is doubtful anyone would use a display like this as their primary display. Indeed, the Box TV 30.0 is too cool as a stylized model to really place much emphasis on its video processing capabilities. For use in a bathroom, office, den or commercial display this unit would capitalize on its strengths. In general, it performs like a decent standard definition television that has a widescreen aspect ratio. Its color is rich and well-saturated without overdoing it with excessive levels of red or blue.
Subjective Viewing: Cable TV
Cable TV performance ranged from poor on some lower channels to excellent on some of the higher channels. This behavior, however, is common to many standard definition sets and cable systems and various signal strengths are allocated across the bandwidth in varying degrees. Fox news gave a nice clear signal and really looked quite good, even when scaled to stretch across the screen, filling the entire 1280 x 768 pixel surface. As I surfed the cable channels I noticed consistently vibrant colors and excellent resolution (even exceeding that of the composite input in most cases where a channel was well-tuned and strong.) After running the auto channel setup feature, the ad notam LCD TV even gives you the option to fine tune each individual channel as needed. I attempted to dial in several grainy stations and only succeeded in making them worse - so your mileage for this feature may vary.
Subjective Viewing: DVDs
Next I popped in one of my favorite DVDs:
Farscape:
Peacekeeper Wars.
This is a new DVD from the hit SciFi Channel series that lasted four wonderful
years.
Jim H
ensen and crew worked with the
producers and directors to create one of the best shows that ever appeared on television in my
opinion. This DVD is by far the best looking of the entire series - quite possibly as it was the last
one to be produced and filmed. Before I talk about the DVD performance, I want to point out that
since this display is a mirror as well, it will look much better when the room is not brightly lit.
By this I mean that, while the display is perfectly visible in a well-lit room, reflections and
mirrored imaged will be reduced by lowering the ambient lighting in the room. Here is a visual
example of what we mean:
As you can see, the lower half of the picture in particular looks much better when the ambient lighting is reduced. I also did the opposite extreme and found that the ad notam LCD TV was visible in just about any kind of lighting conditions, retaining its brightness and ability to reproduce a picture.
DVDs like Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars looked very good, except when noticeable issues like jaggies or smooth horizontal motion was involved. Since this set has a very limited amount of video processing it behaved like a standard definition set that happened to be widescreen. It is only because we are now spoiled with HDTVs that this is immediately noticeable. A component input with progressive scan support would allow a DVD player or other source component to handle video processing for the ad notam Box TV 30.0 and pretty much eliminate this from the "Cons" column. We're hoping this will be an option in their next-generation models.
