The VL 3735 does not quite tick all the boxes:
For a start there are a lot of settings, especially for a beginner, and the set is quite slow to react to your commands (in Teletext as well). In return for your patience, however, the TV does change channel in less than a second, which is pretty fast really.

This is only good and proper, since the set lacks a channel list, you quickly lose track of the typical 30 or 40 cable channels. The awkward initial program sorting process (whereby the user is responsible for ordering the channels), also adds to the irritation.

Remote Control:
The remote control is similarly dysfunctional. The front section towers above the lower keys, which are so small and tightly packed that they can hardly be pressed anyway. At least the up/down buttons for channel zapping and volume control are decently sized. The remote does have a button for changing picture format/zoom, but it doubles up with the button normally used to change the text size in Teletext, which is not as obvious as it may sound.

The pictures from the built-in tuner are average - a slight wavy effect is visible, and patches of color flicker a little. Crawling dots are visible on the logos of various stations, and the picture sharpness lies well below that of other sets. The sharpness control is not much help here - hence, the BenQ's video processing obviously just lacks sensitivity. Even with the color temperature set to 'Warm' the picture has a distinct cyan/turquoise cast to it.

With DVDs, the results are similar. Playback via the Scart-RGB input looks a bit dull, and some aliasing is also visible. With S-Video it looks basically the same, except that colors are even less differentiated. Overall, the BenQ's picture appears to be more coarse compared to other TVs in this class.

Switching over to the latest DVD players with HDMI outputs and inbuilt picture scaling/de-interlacers, again has little effect on picture quality. When playing 576p formatted videos from a Denon DVD-2930 or 3930, the color red on the BenQ is far too strong, and the same is true of various other Denon output resolutions. In particular cases the picture was even flickering. 1080i/p is, at least, a useful input format.

Hardly surprising: When the BenQ is displaying images in its native resolution, i.e. full HD format, it is noticeably more convincing. Even so, the manufacturer continues to put obstacles in the user's way: Selecting the "DVI-Video" mode in the screen menu forcibly magnifies the VL 3735's picture (high overscan), and so sacrifices some sharpness. In the "True" picture format the BenQ spares you the overscan and matches the native resolution of the screen, but crops the picture edges, leaving a black frame. This is intended to hide any faults around the edges of the source picture. The Televisions.com opinion: It is nice to have a feature like this on a TV, but it is also irritating if you cannot turn it off.

The result: With the TV in "DVI-Video" mode, the parquet flooring in "The Phantom of the Opera" (HD DVD) is less structured compared to many other full HD models. Switching over to "True" mode brings out the genuine sharpness - the crane in the opening sequence of "Casino Royale", for example, is displayed without the shakiness or step-like effect you might have expected. The flip side is that the picture has a black border of wasted pixels around it.

In HD mode, the colors are significantly better than in TV mode or with standard resolution DVD content. Across the board, they are closer to the original, except in black and white movies, where light areas have a slight green tint while dark areas are tinted blue.

Computer Operation:
The BenQ is a PC specialist - if you connect it via DVI-HDMI and select the "DVIPC" mode, the computer picture is clean and pixel perfect. For modern PCs with DVI graphic cards, this TV can easily double up as a large PC monitor.

Sound Quality:
A pleasant surprise: Respectable sound from the speakers, which are mounted beneath the screen. Speech and music are well balanced and totally neutral on the VL 3735 - only the bass is a bit weak. That said, for a flat-screen, the sound is more than acceptable.

Picture Mode: Personal

Contrast: 36

Brightness: 33

Color: 30

Sharpness: 0

Color Temperature: Warm (7,700 K)

* applied to realistic playback from HD DVD/Blu-ray material through the HDMI interface in a darkened environment. Manufacturing and HDMI playback device deviations may necessitate slight adjustment.

Simple, yet elegant: The silver colored casing of the BenQ. The swivel stand is a standard accessory supplied with the set.

Digital wasteland: The single HDMI contact might lead to frustration for some buyers.

Impractical: The BenQ's remote control buttons are indeed well laid-out, but are too small and too close together.

All a bit too gaudy: The VL 3735's colors are not very exact.