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5.1

CRT
Displays
RCA F38310 38-Inch CRT HDTV:

Page 2

The F38310 produces a very sharp, pleasing
picture. This unit converts all HD material to1080i, and the resulting
images are clean and crisp from a viewing distance of four picture
heights. As with most HDTV displays, if you stand too close to the screen,
you can see the MPEG-decoding artifacts, as well as some video noise.
Earlier versions of the F38310 had some problems with their picture tubes,
but that appears to have been taken care of.

The F38310's setup profiles provide a broad
range of looks for the different inputs. When set up by a qualified
technician, the display's color balance and tracking are very good. As the
measurements box shows, colorimetry deviates only slightly from the SMPTE
specification, and the TV tracks the D6500 Kelvin color temperature well.
You will need to align the F38310 to get the maximum performance, but it
meets the color and alignment standards to produce a very good picture.

The remote is a standard RCA/DirecTV controller. It's not backlit, but
it has several glow-in-the-dark buttons that give you a general idea of
where the channel and volume buttons are. The TV's menu system can be very
annoying. All of the necessary controls (color, tint, brightness,
contrast, etc.) are there, but the onscreen menu covers the picture you're
trying to adjust. Plus, the TV can't remember the last adjustment you
made; so, if you want to start over, you have to use four keystrokes to
get back to where you were.

Channel-surfers will find the F38310's main
channel banner to be quite informative. This translucent box at the top of
the screen displays program information and the status of the personal
setting related to the channel you have selected. It also indicates if you
have messages from your programming-service provider. Since you've got
three programming sources to choose from, the channel- and
programming-preference features are handy. The TV scans for the SD and HD
broadcast stations in the same sweep. It takes several minutes to do the
scan, but it's worth the wait because you then have all the channels in
your broadcast area. This is the only system available that allows you to
view the standard- and high-definition broadcast stations side by side in
the channel order, so you can compare the different standards' picture
quality.

All in all, the F38310 is my pick for an all-purpose HDTV that has
everything your family will need for the next 10 years. If you want to
futureproof your system for all of the viewing options that are out there,
this is the TV to buy. Considering its price and features, there isn't
anything that can match the RCA F38310.

Highlights

• 38-inch CRT HDTV

• Onboard DTV tuner

• Built-in DirecTV tuner

Article Continues: HT Labs
Measures »

Company Info

RCA / Thomson Consumer
Electronics
Web Site

F38310 38-Inch CRT HDTV

$3,499
Dealer Locator Code RCA

(317)
267-5000

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