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I will admit that when I first began watching this TV I was a bit underwhelmed with the image. Which is not surprising since I have always thought that the Cinema defaults on TVs were a tad too restrained for my tastes.

The color was fine, but I itched to inch up the Brightness and Contrast. But since the settings agreed with my test patterns, I decided to follow their cue and restrain myself. After taking a couple of minutes to adjust, I came to appreciate what the BeoVision 8 had to offer.

The first thing I noticed was how well this LCD was generating Black Levels. I partially credit that perception to the BeoVision 8's "new glare polarizer technology and low reflection coating of the television panel." These features do not eliminate ambient light reflections, but they do add a depth and richness to the picture quality.

The TV also dynamically adjusts the black and white balance automatically as lighting conditions change. According to Product Manager, Dave Zapfel, the process takes about thirty seconds to complete. But since if occurs in small increments, you probably will never notice the subtle shifting.

Because this TV's native resolution is 720p, it does not exhibit that razor sharp image that characterizes 1080p TVs. I really don't need to examine every pore on Edward James Olmos' world weary face, therefore I don't feel particularly deprived with the more forgiving, film-like softer 720p image. Actually, if you are sitting much farther than five feet away from this 32" screen, your eyes physically won't be able to perceive the difference anyway.

I definitely appreciated the understated picture when I plugged in my laptop with a VGA cable and started surfing those white, usually too bright, Internet pages. Viewing with the BeoVision 8 was much more comfortable. And I felt confident with the color rendition of images in Photoshop. I did have to add the PC to the list of devices on the remote, but the manual explained the process well.

If you are familiar with Bang & Olufsen, you will know that they have established a well-earned legacy for creating high quality audio equipment. Even with this "casual" TV, they have succeeded in crafting a serious audio system.

The TV's designer, David Lewis dubs the protuberant speaker cabinet the "orchestra pit." True to its title, it could fill a summer cottage with symphony-like sonority. Of course, if you desire to drench your winter palace in sound, I would opt for a set of Beolab 9 speakers.

The design of the BeoVision 8 is a study in counterpoint. Casual with elegant styling, it's a fun little TV with an all-kidding-aside home theater-like image and big sound.