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At 37.5 pounds, ViewSonic's N3000w was the lightest 30-inch set in the group of eight LCD TVs we tested for the April 2005 issue of Digital World (most were in the 50- to 60-pound range); and at $1800, it was one of the least expensive. But it's no lightweight at delivering good picture quality, taking second-place honors in our color and DVD quality tests and scoring slightly above the mean in all other tests. Its low price and fine picture quality won the N3000w our DW Value award.
The usual rear audio/video ports are supplemented by easy-to-access composite video, RCA audio out, and mini-stereo headphone ports on the right side. A pair of two-way stereo speakers (10 watts each) provide virtual surround sound; they did well at medium volume levels in the small simulated living room we use for testing. But we heard some distortion after upping the volume for a televised jazz festival.
The on-screen menu is easy to navigate, but you have to move it to a corner of the screen to see the effects of adjustments. There are no preset audio or video modes, and picture format options are limited to wide-screen and standard. You can't save individual settings for each input.
Though the N3000w's quick-start guide and other documentation are serviceable, they lack an index. The remote has dedicated buttons for each input (a plus); but unlike the remotes on most other TV sets, it can't control other equipment.
Upshot: Good picture quality and a great price help overcome limited speakers and the absence of preset modes.
Richard Jantz
