Customer Reviews

JVC LT40X887 40-Inch Flat Panel LCD TV

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just bought this item and got what I consider to be an excellent buy for the performance vs price ($1799 including tax). Set up was extremely simple...my 15 year old son and I easily got the TV out of the box. I connected it to my SA Explorer 8000 HD DVR using component cables, plugged everything in, turned it all on, selected the proper input and was watching high-def cable TV within 10 minutes. The picture, especially when receiving an HD signal, is spectacular and I'm impressed with the verstility of the different display modes (theater, dynamic, game, and standard)in making the picture the best it can be (depending, of course, on the quality of the original broadcast). I find I can get a very satisfying picture on just about anything I watch with just the touch of a single button on the remote which switches between these modes. And each mode is further customizable by changing the individual settings for color, picture, brightness, and detail. So far, best results for me in each of the modes comes when I decrease the color setting below the halfway point and set the tint at -02. The audio through the speakers is significantly better than my old 27" CRT TV, with solid bass tones you can feel through the floor -- and that is without connecting to a separate home theater system (that's my next big buy!). I've heard some complaints about the JVC menu system, but I find it very easy to navigate. I do think, though, that it would be nice to be able to go directly to one of the many inputs instead of having to scroll through them in series to get to the one you want (at least the Return/TV button takes you directly to the top of the list - that helps). This TV is capable of 770p native resolution and will convert incoming signals to 1080i, for an outstanding, finely detailed HD picture. I've found that some SD broadcasts approach the quality of an HD picture, while others are more pixelated and grainy, a direct reflection of the quality of the original broadcast and the large size of the screen (mine is 40"). The 16:9 aspect ratio of the screen means that most SD broadcasts are displayed with black vertical bands on either side of the 4:3 picture, but one touch of the Aspect button allows you to get a panoramic rendering of the same image which fills the screen without losing significant amounts around the edges of the picture. You can also hit the Aspect button again to get a Cinematic zoom but I find this is too much for me and cuts off too much of the image for my liking. I'm sure there are certain broadcasts for which that setting is ideal -- I just haven't come across any yet. The Full setting works great for HD broadcasts, but stretches an SD picture too much for comfortable viewing. The TV also features a convenient light sensor which, when turned on, lowers or increases the brightness of the screen, depending upon the level of ambient light in the room. This is a really great feature in the evenings when the lights are down. Until I discovered the setting, I found the TV was far too bright and hard on the eyes at night. Now, it's just right. Speaking of lights, the non-reflective nature of the LCD screen means I no longer have to swear at the reflections of background lamps in the TV--they simply cannot be seen! Lamps and other lights do not affect the viewing experience at all now--I'm thrilled. As for the specs: There are two HDMI inputs, two firewire, 2 S-video, 1 RF, 1 PC (VGA), at least 2 component inputs, and 1 digital audio (optical)input. I also connected my DVD player using first S-video, then component cables. The component connection yielded a slightly better overall picture for DVDs. Note: If you've tweaked your DVD player's settings to enhance detail on DVDs, be sure to reset that to the default settings. Otherwise, you'll get a terrible picture. The TV's circuitry through the component inputs does a great job by itself. All in all, I'm very pleased with this JVC LCD HDTV. I compared it's picture to that of a Sony and a Samsung sitting in the store right next to it and found the Sony's picture to be slightly better, but not worth the extra $1000 the set would have cost me. The Samsung's picture was also very good (too close to call for me). I went for the price and am very happy with my purchase. Take it from me--the JVC is a great value!

I got this TV for Christmas this year and it's amazing. The picture is incredibly clear, and as the previous poster stated, the setup was extremely simple. Watching TV is an experience on this model. I love it.

I bought the 37" version (LT37X887) but I believe my comments are totally relevant to the 40" version. The picture, as the other viewers point out, is superb! Sound is very good. It's New Year's day and we had a party New Year's Eve with 22 adults. Almost all commented on how crisp and detailed the picture looked in HD. This includes my son who went for the 50" Pioneer plasma and my neighbor who has the 37" plasma from Panasonic. My son can't believe it's an LCD, the picture being so crisp and clear. No apparrent problems with "black detail" or blurring with fast action scenes. On Christmas Eve, we had the burning yule log on the screen with just music playing. When my wife first saw it, she thought we had a fire in the living room.

Makes you wonder about all the discussion of Plasma versus LCD!

Pro: The picture & sound are great.

Con: when you change the channel in HD mode, you have to wait for that channel comes on before you can jump to the next one. For example: change channel 2 to 4, you have to wait for 4 comes before you can move to 5, 6 etc.

LCD? Plasma? DLP? 1080p? After 4 months of driving myself crazy researching HDTVs, I'm happy to say I settled on the JVC 40x887. Reason #1: I've never had a problem with the numerous JVC products I've owned over the years. I cannot say enough about the beauty of this set, on or off! The SD picture is much better than I expected. The 770p HD picture is rich and punchy. I sit there in awe every time I'm in front of it:-)

Reason #2: Apparently, JVC doesn't market their line of televisions nearly as much as the other guys and the way I see it, that's more money to pour into quality. You will likely struggle to find this model on the floor but when you do, you'll see what I mean! The unit contains a Sammy panel, same one in the Sonys.

I decided to skip plasma and DLP because of flaws I deemed impossible to overcome. Burn-in, break-in periods, screen glare, changing $300 bulbs, black grass, rainbows, who needs that stuff!?! I passed on 1080p because you basically have to be a superfreak to tell the difference. I'll take the money I saved and plop it down on a new Oppo dvd player, thank you very much.

This HDTV can be had for several hundred less than comparable LCDs and I STRONGLY suggest giving it the time it deserves before pulling the trigger on your new LCD. One more thing not to be overlooked: JVC HDTVs have D.I.S.T. (Digital Image Scaling Technology)with GENESSA Picture Processing which make them one of the few to pass the 3/2 and deinterlacing tests...

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Feel free to email me with any questions. rvbfl@yahoo.com