Digital Trends

RCA HD61LPW175 May 2nd, 2006 | by Rebecca Day

Setup and Use

If you have an aversion to owner's manuals, this one from RCA may change your mind. The manual reads like the history of TV on one hand and a dummy's guide to digital TV on the other. It's both an interesting read and a valuable tool. The introduction includes an explanation of NTSC and ATSC television (I didn't know widescreen movies came about in the 1950s as a way to lure consumers away from their TVs and back to the movie house).

The real strength of the manual is its explanation of TV features and terms and a guide to what you need to accomplish your goals. If you plan to use the CableCard, for instance, the manual bullet points what you need: a coaxial cable, digital cable subscription and CableCard. The next section spells out what you need to know about CableCard in general.

The connection section is similarly straightforward in describing the cables needed for the various inputs on the TV. That's a great primer for the tech novice who has to make sense of composite, S-Video, component, HDMI and DVI. There are detailed explanations of parental control ratings, the menu system and TV Guide On Screen, too. This manual is a refreshing departure from poorly translated manuals that often leave users in the dark.

The straightforward setup process for TV Guide On Screen was simple to follow but the guide never downloaded overnight as promised after two attempts. A channel search indicated that the TV was able to receive the digital broadcast from the local broadcast stations but not the analog broadcasts. According to RCA, guide info is sent through the analog data stream from one of the major networks: CBS, ABC, NBC or PBS. I was able to receive the digital signal from all of the networks but not all of the analog signals so the guide information didn't come through. It would appear that the problem is in the reception, not in the Guide software itself.

On-screen menus go beyond the norm, detailing what individual settings mean to help you choose between, say, widescreen and zoom in the aspect ratio menu. TV icons give a graphical representation of what happens to the image when you choose the various aspect ratios. You can see how the image stretches or how black bars appear when displaying 4:3 material—another helpful tool. I only wish the aspect ratio were available straight from the remote. You have to drill down into several menus to get to it.

Overall, though, the menus are very easy to use and self-explanatory. HDTV vets will appreciate their thoroughness, and newbies will appreciate the handholding.