The Audiovox FPE2705 is an appealing HD-ready LCD TV that is light, compact, and competitively priced.

The silver monitor has stereo speakers flanking the 27-inch wide-format TFT active matrix screen. The included stand makes it easy to tilt and swivel the monitor for optimal viewing, and you can remove the stand entirely and make use of the bundled wall-mount bracket to free up some additional counter or tabletop space. The menu controls are somewhat difficult to reach on the rear of the monitor, but they are accessible from the side.

This LCD TV has a built-in NTSC tuner, so it requires an external HD receiver to live up to its HD potential. Standard analog input signals are up-converted to progressive scan display, and movies are automatically smoothed for TV viewing using 3:2 pulldown conversion. The FPE2705 is PC-compatible, with a VGA input on the rear panel.

The built-in stereo speakers provide 14 watts of audio output, and the FPE2705 can simulate surround sound. Three audio presets are available for quickly changing the audio settings. The picture-in-picture functions are designed to work with computer content, so you can monitor a TV channel while surfing the internet or playing a computer game. Convenience features include closed captions, a freeze function, a sleep timer and parental V-chip controls.

The inputs and outputs are located along the sides of the back panel, with one side offering an RF input, a headphone jack, an S-video input, two composite video inputs and a composite video output. The other side is home to the VGA and PC audio inputs, a DVI input, and two sets of component video inputs. The remote control for the FPE2705 has a flip panel at the base to keep some less frequently used buttons out of the way.

The Audiovox FPE2705 provides high performance and adaptable features, with a picture that is remarkably bright and dynamic.

Height

20-3/5 in. with stand

Width

31-4/5 in.

Depth

8-3/10 in. with stand

Weight

41.9 lbs.

HDTV

HD-ready (requires external HD receiver)

Nbr. of speakers

2

Screen size

27 in.

Watts per channel

7 watts X2

Parental control

V-chip

PIP/POP

yes

Display capability

480i, 480p, 720p, 1,080i

Headphone jack

yes

DVI/HDMI interface

DVI

Comb filter

yes