HP 37inch High Definition LC3760N LCD TV review

Surprisingly for an HDTV produced by a PC manufacturer, the HP LC3760N does not have a dedicated VGA-style computer input. You can use one of the HDMI inputs, in conjunction with an HDMI-to-DVI adapter and a computer's DVI output, to display computer content, but we'd have liked to see a dedicated input like the one found on Dell's input-heavy W3706MC.

Overall, the video performance of the HP LC3760N leaves a little bit to be desired, but it still outclasses the majority of LCD-based HDTVs out there. We were surprised that in the crucial area of grayscale performance--the color of black, white, and gray, which forms the basis for all colors--the HP didn't do as well as its near twin, the Sharp LC-37D40U. That's why we gave the HP a lower Performance score.

The HP LC3760N's Mid-Low color-temperature position produced the most neutral grayscale, although it became too blue in darker areas--a sign of inconsistent grayscale tracking. The Low setting went way too warm or red in the midrange of the grayscale to be usable, and the others are simply blue scales and not grayscales. We did not perform a calibration since it's extremely difficult to do so, and in our experience, the results aren't worth it with Sharp LCDs.

In its favor, the LC3760N can produce a deep, convincing color of black, thanks to the backlight feature. We ended up setting it at -8 for a dimly lit room. You can take it lower for even darker environments, but beware that it brings down the light output significantly, which can rob the image of too much impact. We were also impressed by the HP's clean video processing. The LC3760N did a better job than many LCD panels of reproducing the difficult opening sequences of Alien: The Director's Cut on DVD with little visible video noise and only very minor false-contouring artifacts.

Brighter scenes from the Superbit DVD version of The Fifth Element had plenty of snap, thanks to a solid contrast ratio, and were rendered crisp and full of detail. Some of the colors had kind of a false look that's due to the HP's poor color decoding, which, like the Sharp's, suffers from red push. Color management, which can correct color decoding, is a feature this panel sorely needs. Considering that its primary color values are closer than those of most HDTVs (see the geek box), if the color decoding and grayscale-tracking capabilities were significantly improved, HP would have a product worthy of an Editors' Choice Award.

The LC3760N does deliver all the resolution of 720p signals via its HDMI inputs as measured with a Sencore VP403 HDTV signal generator. The Chronicles of Riddick from our Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player looked fine in terms of detail and clarity. Color needed to be backed down considerably in order to achieve a reasonably natural look, which unfortunately causes all of the colors to appear duller, but otherwise high-def performance was solid.