THE MISSING LINK?
Italy’s SIM2 has blazed a remarkable trail in the A/V industry over the last 10
years with projection displays that not only put gorgeous pictures on screen,
but look stunning doing it. SIM2’s industrial design is simply second to none.
The $10,000 HTL40 Link boasts a 40-inch panel with a righteous 1366 by 768
pixel resolution. No HD tuner is included, and SIM2 doesn’t offer a speaker
package as an add-on. The Link designation refers to SIM2’s DigiOptic Image
Processor. The DOIP is an external box that’s home to the video inputs and
processing circuits courtesy of Faroudja. Source components connect to the DOIP
rather than the 4-inch deep flat panel; two miniscule fiber-optic cables connect
the DOIP to the HTL40. This reduces cable clutter and makes wall-mounted
installations substantially easier. SIM2 claims you can park the DOIP as much as
1,600 feet away with no signal degradation.
 | SIM2 brings its Italian sense of design to the
flat-panel TV world with the
40-inch HTL40 LCD TV. The wide black bezel
frames the picture while a curved,
wood-grained back panel complements
the look. |
DVI and HDMI digital video inputs
are available on the DOIP but the DVI input is not high-definition copy
protection (HDCP) compliant, leaving you with just one digital video input down
the road as HDCP-enabled sources proliferate. On the plus side, the external
DOIP can be more easily upgraded or replaced if video standards change or new
features are needed.
The HTL40 is not your typical TV. The screen’s black
glass bezel looks great. A curved back panel ships with the HTL40, and is
available in either rosewood or white oak. It peeks over the top of the panel
when viewed straight on, but is especially attractive in table-mount
installations where the sides are more likely to be visible.
