Sceptre E420BV-F120 LED HDTV

24.03.2011
The Sceptre E420BV-F120 has a list price of $1299 (as of March 23, 2011), but can be found around the Internet for about half that price--and it's not really a surprise as to why. This is slim and simple, but it seriously falls short in the picture department. You can find some pluses--for example, this Sceptre generously offers five HDMI ports--but ultimately its picture quality leaves too much to be desired, from leaking light around the screen edges to extreme noisiness and graininess in the initial out-of-the-box setup.

The E420BV-F120 is a moderately thin, light HDTV with an attractive design. Surrounding the 42-inch screen is a thin, shiny black bezel; the Sceptre logo, in mirrored silver script, is located at the bottom center of the bezel. The speakers are positioned below the bezel, but are so subtly integrated into the design (in the form of a thin, black strip) that you'll barely notice them. The TV perches on an oval, tempered-glass stand with a wide swivel range--45 degrees to either side. The stand is clear around the edges and black on the inside.

Moderately thin and light, the TV has a net weight of 38.6 pounds (46.3 pounds with the stand). Without the stand, the E420BV-F120 measures just 1.85 inches thick; the stand adds an extra 9.76 inches in depth (for a total of 11.61 inches deep).

The ports all run parallel to the HDTV, so the set is perfect for wall mounting--you'll find no ports that would cause your wires to stick out from the back of the screen. On the left side of the TV, behind the screen, are three HDMI ports, a headphone jack, an S/PDIF-out, a USB 2.0 port, left and right audio outputs, an S-Video-out, and component inputs. On the bottom of the same panel, still parallel to the screen, are two additional HDMI ports, an audio-in, a VGA-out, composite video inputs, and a cable/antenna input. The right side of the E420BV-F120 has physical controls, including buttons for Power, Menu, Enter, Volume, and Channels.

The E420BV-F120's remote is large and lightweight, with rubbery backlit buttons and a grooved back. The number buttons are gray, while the controls (including the arrow keys and channel/volume keys) are white. Special buttons, such as those for Picture, Sound, Aspect, Guide, and Menu, are blue. Two rows of special buttons sit above the number keys, including buttons for adding and deleting favorite channels. Also included in the box with the E420BV-F120 are an HDMI cable, a screwdriver, a 55-page manual, and a fold-out quick-start guide.

Each time you turn the E420BV-F120 on, a huge, red Sceptre logo greets you. The logo is a bit too large and slightly pixelated around the edges--not exactly a great sign for your new HDTV. The on-screen menus are organized into six icons that appear in a row in the center of the screen: Picture, Sound, Channels, Parental, Setup, and Others.