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This smart-looking flat panel definitely does not lack style. Classy chrome accents surround the screen and the side-mounted speakers, which make the wide screen look even wider. At just 37 pounds (without the stand), this LCD is plenty light enough to hang on a wall. The stand functioned smoothly when tilting or swiveling.
The remote control is solid, comfortable to hold, and looks just as attractive as the panel itself. Some keys are backlit, but choosing inputs is a bit convoluted; you'll have to scroll through inputs on a menu to find the one you want. The TV automatically detects active inputs and highlights them on the menu.
The W2600's native resolution of 1,280x768 can display every pixel of 720p HDTV. All other incoming signals are converted to match the panel's pixels. While two analog tuners are included to power the versatile picture-in-picture (PIP) function (which also lets you watch TV and computer sources simultaneously), you'll need a separate HD tuner box to watch HDTV.
Connectivity is among the best we've seen in an LCD of this size. Two component-video inputs are joined by one VGA, one DVI video, two S-Video, two composite, and two coaxial RF inputs. Of these, an S-Video input and a composite-video input are located on the left side, where an optional memory-card reader ($79 list) can also be installed if you'd like to use the W2600 to view digital photos.
Out of the box, the W2600 had remarkably accurate color temperature, but its brightness was set so high that even the darkest blacks appeared gray. With the brightness and the contrast set properly, its color temperature turned noticeably green (see the geek box). Edge enhancement could not be completely turned off, but with the sharpness control set to its minimum, the picture turned overly soft. It's best to keep this control a notch or two above its lowest point.
