Digital Trends

Zenith Z20LA7R April 19th, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Setup and Testing

The Z20LA7R comes with a single manual that covers two models, the Z20LA7R and the Z15LA7R which is the 15-inch version of this television. We noticed that the Zenith includes cables with the Z15LA7R but doesn't include them with the 20-inch model so they must be trying to save their profit margin; either way it's a blow to the consumer. The manual is very easy to read and provides detailed instructions on how to hook the Z20LA7R up to an indoor/outdoor antenna, external set top box and other peripherals such as camcorders and video game systems.

The component video input is the best input to use when hooking up a progressive scan DVD player or satellite feed. Most LCD televisions we have seen come with a DVI input, but the Z20LA7R only comes with an analog VGA jack which is only used for servicing the television rendering it useless for the user. If you get the upgraded HDTV version of this television or the 15-inch model, than you will be able to use the LCD as a monitor for your PC.

Menu navigation is easy to use and is small enough where you can make changes to the color, brightness and contrast settings without the menu covering up too much of the picture in the process. The integrated NTSC tuner works well and recognized all of the channels from our cable company.

We used a Pioneer DV-563A progressive scan DVD player and Dish Network Satellite service for our tests.  Picture quality on the Z20LA7R is very good, but only when using a high quality feed like digital cable, satellite or a DVD player. When watching an analog broadcast such as an over-the-air or basic cable feed, the Z20LA7R is prone to showing a lot of artifacts, but this is typical of all LCD displays. The further away from the LCD you are, the better the picture will look. You can definitely tell that the Z20LA7R is using Super-IPS technology since the viewing angle is improved compared to other LCD TV's we have tested.

Color rendition, brightness and contrast look great but remember this is only a 20-inch television. Typically the larger the display is the more difficult it is to get an accurate color and contrast setting.