While this isn’t a 1080p model, it can accept 1080p signals via interpolation and can also display 720p and 576i/p resolutions as well.  The excellent image quality and attractive design are slightly hampered by sound quality issues and too few connection options but considering the price of the unit, these minor blemishes are forgivable.

The bezel and stand of the D33X are a gloss piano black and the stand needs to be assembled when setting up the unit. The design is rather simplistic compared to the Sharp PD series but it seems to be the intention to offer a unit that is “streamlined” with a lower price tag for those on a budget. To this end, there are only two HDMI ports, which is lower than most similar units.  There are also two Component connections, two Composite connections and a D-Sub port for PC input.

We ran tests at the native 720p resolution using Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games with similar results.  The panel handled motion very well with no excessive judder or visual blemishes.  The graphics were crisp without over-sharpening and the contrast was excellent.  The default “Dynamic” mode was a little too garish but switching to “User”, we maxed out the contrast and lowered the sharpness a little to achieve a pleasing result.  The black levels were quite good but the backlight needed to be lowered a notch as it was a little too intense at default settings. Colours, on the other hand, were rich without any overbearing hues. While a small amount of image tweaking is required out of the box, the menu system is fairly easy to use and a high quality image is simple to attain.