JVC HD56FN97 56-Inch 1080p HDILA Rear Projection TV

by JVC

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 108 pounds
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B000HEBX4G
• Item model number: HD56FN97
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #187,930 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 24, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Come and learn about the next evolution of DILA technology with JVC's "True 1080p" Series with over 2 Million Pixels per chip! This 3-Chip DILA design features a true 1920x1080 pixel structure that delivers resolution that rivals reality. Packed with supporting features for the most demanding digital customer like 5th Generation Digital Image Scaling Technology (D.I.S.T. 1080p) with GENESSA Picture Processing where all signals are upconverted and displayed at 1080p, a NEW Advanced Optical Iris, 5-Point Color Management, Dynamic Gamma Correction Circuitry, 2 1080p capable HDMI/HDCP Digital Inputs, Dual IEEE1394 Connectivity, 2 HD Component Inputs and features geared to make your Standard Definition sources perform better, like Mosquito Noise Suppression, MPEG Noise Reduction Circuity, a 3D Y/C Comb Filter with Cross Color Elimination and Digital Noise Suppression. With all of these features built in it is no wonder that JVC delivers the most technologically advanced and superior 1080p micro-display televisions available today.

The HD-ILA Advantage
True 1080p Over 2 Million Pixels Per Chip: 3 chips are better than one. With HD-ILA and a 3 chip design consumers are getting the highest resolution available. Each DILA chip has 1920x1080 resolution or true 1080p, that equates to over 2 million pixels per chip or over 6 million pixels in each set.

Advanced Super Cinema Mode: By using an iris, it is possible to regulate the amount of light from the projection lamp which goes into the light engine of the HD-ILA. For ’06, the 1080P HD-ILA displays have an improved Advanced Super Cinema Mode which links the iris to JVC’s exclusive Genessa single-chip picture computer. The Genessa processor analyzes the picture and adjusts the iris for the best picture. This creates many benefits:

• The contrast ratio is increased to better than 10,000:1.
• Black levels are improved significantly (The HD-ILA can create a "blacker" black).
• Provides more accurate gradation of shades in shadow areas/dark scenes.
• Makes it possible to optimize the HD-ILA for best picture under a wider range of room lighting conditions.

Genessa - JVC's Exclusive 5th Generation D.I.S.T.: The challenge to television display engineers these days is in making even the oldest and the poorest quality sources appear glorious on big screen HDTV's. JVC engineers answer to that call was to develop a picture processing technology that would not only deliver the advantages of HD resolution, but also one that would create natural looking images with remarkable detail, pure color reproduction and precision focus no matter what the source. The result is JVC's 5th Generation Digital Image Scaling Technology, D.I.S.T. with GENESSA.

Our newest GENESSA Chip detects and seamlessly up-scales all SD sources (480i and 480p) and all HD sources (720p or 1080i) and displays at 720p or 1080p. This customized upscaling insures that no matter what the original video source, the images will look as sharp, bright and smooth as intended.

D.I.S.T. combines all of our core image preprocessing, noise reducing and color management technologies into one communication unit within the GENESSA chip. GENESSA is the industries first CPU dedicated to such image processing and its accelerated 32bit "turbo" powered picture processing provides for both super fast sampling and more efficient communication between the technologies that comprise the D.I.S.T. engine.

Because all of our core technologies are able to work together and faster, JVC TVs yield incredibly fast calculations that translate to a smoother picture and a better resolution image.

5-point Color Management: JVC's Exclusive 5 Point Color Managment employs a pin-point sampling process of the four colors:

• green - In order for greens to be their purest and to look natural, yellows often need to be toned down.
• yellow - CMS softens yellows so that they look silky and smooth without giving skin tones a darkened.
• red - In order for reds and magentas to appear as vivid as possible, CMS samples these areas and tones down blues within that range.
• blue - CMS samples blue areas of images and tones down the greens to avoid being influenced by greens.
• fleshtones- Samples flesh tones so they appear warm and natural.

D6500K Theater Pro: When the video editors convert films to DVD, or other video sources, the color temperature standard they use for their equipment is D6500K which is the equivalent or average color temperature of natural daylight. In transition to DVD, this color temperature can be lost but with our exclusive D6500K calibrating circuit, a press of the button can bring the original warm look and feel back to any video source.

Multi Screen Features: Every HD-ILA television is widescreen which is perfect for viewing movies in their original format, but it also allows for some other convenient multi screen features as well. Twin mode lets you view two programs in same size windows side by side on the screen.

Index lets you search what is on by scanning the programs consecutively in 12 separate windows. Once you see the program that you want to watch, press the SELECT button on your remote control to go to that channel.

Complete Connectivity: Each '06 1080P HD-ILA is ready for the latest technology with two HDMI inputs that can accept a 1080P input. This is the highest resolution HD signal that is available. This makes JVC HD-ILA the perfect choice for seeing the best possible picture from your Blu-ray disc player as well as future HD-DVD players and game consoles.

In addition, HDMI is the perfect all-digital connection for D-VHS high definition VCRs as well as upconverting DVD players and recorders with an HDMI output. A JVC 1080P HD-ILA is a perfect solution for any source.

Standard Inputs: No matter which model you choose,every HD-ILA model is substantially equipped with the inputs and outputs you need to connect your current components as well as any you may need in the future. Standard on every 1080P FN&FH Series HD-ILA model are the following connections:

• Two (2) 1080P Compatible HDMI digital inputs w/HDCP
• Two (2) HD auto sensing Component Video Inputs for satellite set top box or DVD player
• D-Sub 15 Pin PC Input
• Two (2) S-Video Inputs for cable or S-VHS connections
• Four (4) AV inputs for all Composite Video connections (3 rear/1 side)
• One (1) Smart Input for AV receiver connections
• One (1) RS-232C Interface (FH Series Only)
• A Center Channel Input for the TV to act as the center speaker in a surround sound system
• Fixed/Variable Audio Output with TV Speaker on and off
• i.LINK (iEEE1394) for connecting to i.LINK compatible components
• An Optical Audio Output
• A Digital CableCARD slot

Product Description

JVC HD56FN97 56" 1080p HDILA Rear Projection TV

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Feature Loaded, Not Exactly Perfect..., January 4, 2007

By	Andrew Sipe (Lansdale, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: JVC HD56FN97 56-Inch 1080p HDILA Rear Projection TV (Electronics)

Since this is my FIRST HDTV purchase and my user experiences with HD Televisions in the past have been limited, I can't say that I'm an expert on the subject of HDTVs. The following is MY experience with this purchase and ultimately my opinion...

After purchasing this HDTV from Amazon, I waited in anticipation for EAGLE to deliver it as soon as possible. It was scheduled to come during the week of Jan 4-10 and surprisingly came almost a week earlier. I was delighted. After asking the Delivery person to help me move the HDTV to my living room, against EAGLE's policy, he agreed to help. The box was definitely large and cumbersome, though it didn't weigh nearly as much as stated, probably closer to 60lbs. Muscling it up some stairs and depositing it into my living room. I thanked him and proceeded to unpack the HDTV.

It came packed in a very large box with a break-away base, this allowed me to lift the box off without actually removing the HDTV from it secure Styrofoam base. All four corners were also secured with large blocks of Styrofoam packaging.

Against the stated warning, I -alone- lifted the TV onto a 60" credenza in my living room. Since all the major parts are housed in the base of the HDTV, it was counter-balanced well, unlike standard TVs which are primarily top/front heavy.

The base is roughly a 4" high, 18" deep, and 30" wide pedestal, and the TV measures about 55" wide, and about 45" high. All the inputs are on the RIGHT (Rear and Side). The Power cord is in the middle of the rear.

I have a Stereo Receiver, Comcast Digital Box, DVD Player and Xbox360 that I hooked up to this television. Both the DVD player and Xbox360 occupy the two component inputs and two RCA inputs. The Digital Box is through the Digital coaxial and standard coaxial inputs achieved with a supplied coaxial splitter. Unoccupied at this time are the two HDMI inputs -the only inputs that support 1080p-, the VGA input, the other two RCA inputs and a Cable Card input.

I have had exceptional reactions to the quality and performance of the JVC HD-56FN97. Out of the box, it's not perfect. The first run though was to set up the Digital Cable. It performed a standard channel scan, going through all the standard channel signals and then any Digital channel signals. After this set up, I flipped through a few of the channels. I wasn't overly impressed with the color or picture, but after fiddling with the color setting in the HDTV's menu -which is a complete mess- I was able to get satisfactory coloring. There is a noticeable green cast on some channels. Since I don't have an HD channel package through my cable provider, the standard cable did not take full advantage of my HDTV's capabilities. The picture looked rather flat, grainy and did not support the wide screen format. There's an Aspect menu feature that lets you change this format from Panorama (simulated 16:9), Cinema (zoomed and cropped 4:3), Full (stretched 4:3) and Standard (4:3). Most of the time while watching Cable, it was set for Standard (4:3).

Next, I set up the Xbox360. One of the most frustrating problems I had with the JVC HD-56FN97 was the Input selection menu. It wasn't intuitive nor was it easy to maneuver through. Using the remote -which was less than aesthetically pleasing- I had to scroll through a list of inputs, wait till the TV received the signal, and then scroll to the next, till I reached the desired input. This was done using the remote's directional pad or the CH+ CH- buttons and then selecting the OK button. I would have preferred a direct button to go to the desired input. This was Not expected for a Next-Gen television. The settings menu was set up the exact same way, being even more involved and less intuitive. You'll probably use the manual often till you get comfortable with all the less than descriptive names JVC used.

The picture quality of the Xbox360 was probably the BEST. Though I had to set it to 1080i, the highest HD signal the component inputs would allow. The colors were vibrant, the picture was crisp, and during game play there was very little blur noticeable. I played both Gears of War and Call of Duty 2, and was very impressed with the overall picture quality and performance. This TV was made for GAMING.

DVD's on the other hand did not seem as crisp. More noticeable while watching full screen DVDs, and less so with Wide screen DVDs. The coloring and picture was still better than Standard TV. The Wide screen DVDs used the auto-detected wide screen (16:9) format also. I have yet to experience HD-DVD or Blu-ray DVDs, but would imagine that the output would be even better. This is an impressive television for MOVIES.

My only true complaint is the remote and menu system. A work around I've found was with the purchase of the Logitech Harmony universal remote for Xbox. After setting all my components up, using it's computer based programming feature, I was able to set specific buttons for all my inputs finally. Of course, this remote offers more useful features (such as Activies), but that's for a different review.

In conclusion, the JVC HD-56FN97 HDTV is a great home theater / gaming television with ample features and inputs and exceptional quality and performance. At the price it's also great buy considering all the inputs and features. I failed to mention earlier; the LCoS projector technology that JVC uses -under the HD-ILA name- is also exceptional. I have yet to see any rainbow effects or any "pixelation". I imagine my impressions will only grow when I take full advantage of the two HDMI inputs. JVC makes an affordable, quality HDTV.

I hope this review is helpful towards making your informative HDTV purchase.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Picture,cooling fan a little noisy, January 15, 2007

By	Broadcast Bob - See all my reviews

This review is from: JVC HD56FN97 56-Inch 1080p HDILA Rear Projection TV (Electronics)

Cablevision Hd Channels look great on this set. Cooling fan a little noisy but not a deal breaker. Tv will need setup for best picture
A lot cheaper then the equivalent Sony and didnt see any difference
between the two sets in the store. SD Channels look good on this set even when expanded to fill the screen. Paid around 1500 for this TV and I am
very happy with it.

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome but not perfect, December 31, 2007

By	T. Johnson (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: JVC HD56FN97 56-Inch 1080p HDILA Rear Projection TV (Electronics)

I purchased a floor model JVC HD-56FN97 from a different store for Christmas because I was floored at the price of $899 that I got and I succumbed to temptation to by my first HDTV.

I love this set! The picture at full 1080p resolution, which is not so hard to find anymore, is just breathtaking, and the 56" size is enough to make it feel like being at the movies. It's amazing! There is no lag effect with this set (maybe because it's a projection TV), frankly I think it's way better than most LCD's that I've seen. The only drawback is you can't hang it on your wall since it's about as deep as an old fashioned TV, but I wasn't hanging mine anyway.

The only downside so far are two things, for which I'm subtracting 1 star from my review:

1. At factory settings the color green/yellow does tend to explode on the screen with neon life! I have made some adjustments to tone things down that have fixed most of this, but there is still a slight tendency to be a little overdone on the green/yellows. I have read elsewhere that you can completely correct this by accessing the Service Menu, but then again that's not something you should have to do! Anyway just by adjusting picture settings and using HDMI input it is no longer a big deal. Frankly the picture is just amazing, especially at this price.

2. The menus are not super easy to use - in particular changing between input sources is a pain, and I find I have to do it frequently. The main problem is there is about a 3 second delay with each input as you scroll through them. It should let you scroll through the input choices and only do the picture adjustment delay when you actually switch inputs!

Overall I've got to say I'm super happy with this set. Those are really the only drawbacks for me. Having a 56" 1080p set that looks awesome in this price range (even the $1550 shown here) seems like a great deal to me.