Devant iTV6 Smart 3D Internet TV Review

There are four features you would like to see on a high-end TV that would fit today’s standards – a big display of at least 50”, Full HD resolution, 3D viewing, and a built-in way to connect to the internet. That’s what the Devant iTV6, a 50-inch Smart 3D TV, just accomplished. Plus you will also get a built-in ISDB-T receiver to boot.

I consider Devant as a mid-tier brand if you don’t have the budget for top-tier branded TVs like Sony, LG, and Samsung. The iTV6 is their first 3D Smart TV and if you want a bigger and more stylish version, there’s also the 55-inch Devant iTV7.

The Devant iTV6 design doesn’t stand out too much but should still blend will with your living room. It’s not too thin, but not thick either. It’s not borderless but the bezel is not that wide. The only accent it has is the chrome band along the bottom edge of the display. The base is just a simple slab of heavy glass with a thick tube stem to support the TV.

Display’s a bit wobbly despite making sure the screws are tight so I’m not sure you would want to place this on a low TV stand with kids in the house. You might as well mount this TV with the included wall bracket instead.

Just like most high-end TVs, the Devant iTV6 is loaded with connections. At the back you’ll find the usual composite and component AV inputs, 3x HDMI ports, 3x USB ports, a VGA port, SPDIF, cable antenna input, DTV antenna input, and a LAN port if you wish to hardwire this to your home router.

The Devant iTV6 also has all the necessary accessories included for you to explore its features. Inside the box you’ll get a white modern-looking remote, two active 3D glasses (more on this later), and a WiFi USB adapter which you won’t find included in most internet TVs.

What I like about most LED TVs today is that they have USB ports where you can plug in your flash disks and external drives to watch your downloaded videos using the DMP (Digital Media Player) feature. No need for DVD players. I hooked my 1TB external drive so I can catch up with The Walking Dead and watch 1080p videos straight on the TV.

The DMP screen is quite easy to navigate to although I was hoping there’s a way to change the display into list view. Just like other TV’s with built-in DMPs, AV codec support on the iTV6 is not that comprehensive. Some downloaded videos played without sound although usual rips played perfectly well. I also wished the TV can remember the last picture size setting in DMP mode instead of defaulting to full screen all the time.

If you’re not used to watching high-def videos on a big screen, watching on the iTV6 will simply blow you away with its crisp and vivid colors thanks to its 3mil-to-1 dynamic contrast ratio, and smooth motion brought by the 120Hz refresh rate. The display panel is of matte type so glare is limited while watching under bright conditions.

I also have the 3D version of The Avengers to test the 3D feature of the iTV6 via DMP. Setting it up is easy. Play the movie, click the 3D button on the remote, and choose Side-by-side. You can also convert 2D to 3D but it really won’t give you that true 3D experience of real 3D videos.

For 3D viewing, you use the funky-looking active shutter glasses, not the type you would want other people see you wearing. It’s light even if it’s powered and I’m glad that the glasses are rechargeable via microUSB instead of having to replace the batteries like other 3D glasses. What I’m not too keen about is because of the solid frame of the glasses, you will see reflections on both sides as you wear it. I suggest you try it out in stores to see what I mean. Other than that, watching 3D films is a simply a breathtaking home-viewing experience with this 50-inch TV.

As for the Smart TV function, while big-name TVs have tons of apps and games included, Devant decided to keep it simple with only YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, web browser, and DLNA. It’s nice to surf YouTube on this TV if you have nothing better to watch. For Facebook and such, you need to plug in a wireless keyboard since using the onscreen keyboard will wear out your remote fast. Oh you also need to set up the connection to your wireless network first every time you turn on your TV which is quite cumbersome so you might want to go with a wired connection instead.

In summary, the Devant iTV6 belongs to the “smart” class of TVs other more popular brands are boasting of. 3D viewing and internet on TV may not be a mature feature a lot of people would use but if you have a lot of 3D titles, or a wireless keyboard, you can definitely maximize this TV. What’s probably missing is a front camera so that you can also Skype with it. Unfortunately, even if there’s a camera accessory, there’s no Skype app included.

The Devant iTV6 Smart 3D Internet TV is already available for Php94,950 with a free Devant BR51( 5.1 Ch Blu-ray Disc Player) and Devant DV5270 (5.1 Ch Multimedia speaker system)bundled in with every purchase.. You will also get 2 years of warranty on parts and service when you get this TV.

Disclosure: Devant gave us this iTV6 Smart 3D Internet TV to test, review and to keep.