Less attractive points:
Here we encountered a few less attractive points worthy of mention. For starters, the menu on the Xoro HTL 3742 W looks rather lovelessly thrown together. Also, the TV does not automatically sort the channels as part of its auto-search - you have to do that yourself.

The wide and cumbersome remote control is overcrowded with almost sixty tightly packed buttons, and it is only the rarely used functions that are easy to access. And if, for example, you want to see the program guide, then you have to take a long winded route though the menu.

The pictures from the Xoro's two built-in tuners are only of average quality - camera pans are blurry, color details are frayed and edges trail excessively.

Images from a DVD player connected to the RGB-Scart hardly look any better. Here, details look rough, there are false edges and the image is a little over sharpened. At the same time, the image is washed out and dark, and blurs even with the slightest movement.

These bad habits are suppressed a little when using the YUV connectors, but the majority of devices available in Europe do not output YUV signals. For this reason, the set may be of more interest in the American market, but the brand does not yet have any trading partners in the US.

With digital playback via HDMI, the HTL 3742 W improves in terms of both sharpness and resolution, but it is still miles from perfect. If a current DVD player converts the picture to HDTV format, the color is not neutral, and unexpected rough line-patterns appear.

Even though the Xoro possesses a high resolution screen of 1920 x 1080 pixels (full HD), 1080i playback of the HD DVD "King Kong" movie is an absolute fiasco. Even when viewed from far away, a pixilated structure is clearly visible (i.e. a reduction in vertical resolution), and lines are even seen doubled at times. The HDTV resolution is virtually halved.

1080p format does give a slight improvement, but this flat-panel TV is a long way from producing full HD pictures. Although the HTL 3742 W is able to process Blu-ray film content with the original 24Hz frame rate (1080p/24 or 24p), it remains impossible to recommend it in terms of HDTV playback.

Computer Operation:
For computers connected via DVI to HDMI adapter, it is the same sad story as for HDTV. The Xoro does accept PC signals in its native resolution, but text is hardly even legible because of overscan - the poor detail reproduction spoils the party once again.

Sound Quality:
Speech is reproduced clearly, but music and action packed movie soundtracks are somewhat lacking in substance. The bass is weak, and the overall sound is discolored by the unit's casing. Hooked up to the fantastic Denon 2930 DVD player via HDMI, the HTL 3742 W will hardly even accept the sound input. It sounds more like a really low bit-rate audio as it squeaks awkwardly from the loudspeakers.

Picture Mode: User

Color Temperature: Normal (9,100 K)

Contrast: 90

Brightness: 50

Color: 48

Sharpness: 0

* 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.   

Value: Despite its low price, the Xoro has tasty Aluminum components and a sleek piano lacquer finish.

Fidgety: Three HDMI contacts is not a given even on more expensive sets, but then neither is a headphone jack on the back of the unit.

A sea of buttons: With nearly 60 buttons on the remote, Xoro has not made navigation easy.