6. Contrast/Black Level

Many LCDs have substantial issues with contrast performance. While the SLC3760N will not be mistaken for a plasma or CRT, it does hold its own compared to other leading LCD displays. I was able to pick out a good amount of detail in very dark scenes, and was not often distracted by the lack of deep, dark blacks typical of many LCD displays.

Video Processing

HDTV content looked excellent, and non-HD sources also looked good; there were not as many motion artifacts or "jaggies" as many other LCD displays. I did not notice any major issues with scaling either 1080i or 720p HD material to the native 768p resolution of the SLC3760N. Unfortunately, the SLC3760N does not have a full-screen stretch mode when using the HDMI input, which might annoy some viewers who prefer using the entire screen with non-widescreen content.

As with many quality LCD displays, there was very little video noise, even when sitting close to the display. I rarely noticed any type of distracting noise during normal viewing, and anything that did happen to catch my eye was usually short-lived.

As you can see from the test image below, there is some mild false contouring (posterization) compared to the reference image, though during normal viewing it was much more difficult to detect. You can also see that the color temperature of the SLC3760N was just about perfect after switching from the factory default "Middle" color temperature setting to the "Mid-Low" setting during calibration.

Test Image - Black and White Skyscape
TOP: HP SLC3760N - BOTTOM: Reference Image

Viewing Position

Due to the 37" size and the absence of video noise, I found that I could sit about 6 to 7 feet away with no major distractions. Even if I moved in to 5 feet, the SLC3760n was entirely viewable, with maybe a hint of "screen door effect" (being able to see the visible pixel structure of the display).

HP claims a 176 degree viewing angle, and while I found the image quality to be decent when viewing from an angle, I certainly would not try to watch the screen from anywhere near the maximum angles that HP claims to be viewable (as do all other flat-panel display manufacturers). There was some washout if you attempted to sit at too sharp an angle, but I've seen other LCD displays do worse.