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JVC LT23X475 23" LCD TV (16:9, 1280x768, 500:1 - MPN: LT23X475)
Description: JVC's line-up of widescreen flat panel LCD displays bring a new dimension to home theater, literally. Our modest line-up of panels was not only engineered to exite the most extreme audio visual enthusiasts, but also to influence the creativ.... Read More Description: JVC's line-up of widescreen flat panel LCD displays bring a new dimension to home theater, literally. Our modest line-up of panels was not only engineered to exite the most extreme audio visual enthusiasts, but also to influence the creative minds of the most discriminating home decorators. JVC's 23" LCD television fresh with Stylish cosmetics offers a 500:1 contrast ratio, 500 cd/m2 and a 170 degree viewing angle and a 15 Pin D-Sub PC input, which make this unit a must have. Minimize |
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| Date Reviewed: 11/10/2005 |
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Strengths: RGB (DSUB) Connection, Good Resolution, Easy Setup
Weaknesses: Does not do 720p or 1080i signals via component inputs. No DVI Connection.
Summary: As of lately I had been casually shopping/researching for my first purchase of a HD Widescreen LCD. The opportunity arose for me to purchase this TV at a substantial discount, and I could not pass it up. Although I had been looking for something in the 50 inch range, this 23 inch has found a nice home as my new bedroom TV. Having used the TV for abut 15 days now, I can say that for the price this TV is very nice. The picture quality is very clear and produces a very clear picture. The sound is of a very high quality as well. All in all, this is a nice TV for a office, bedroom, or kitchen, but much better setups can be had for Home Theatre purposes. I would recommend a JVC LCD to anyone looking to purchase a new TV. I am highly pleased thus far.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/09/2005 |
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 Excellent value, but not for the Discriminating Videophile Strengths: Bright, RGB (DSUB) Connection (computer monitor), 1280x768 resolution, Easy to use
Weaknesses: Does not accept 720p or 1080i signals via component inputs. Only one set of component inputs. No DVI. Can't be your second PC monitor if your video card has DSUB (in-use) w/ DVI free.
Summary: I purchased this LCD TV, my first, from Sears, mostly because it was deeply discounted. Ever since dabbling in HDTV, starting in 2003, I've grown very accustomed to broken promises -- and this TV delivers in spite of its shorcomings. This review should help you understand what shortcomings there may be, and how to avoid them.
The best feature of this TV is that it has a RGB (DSUB-HD) 15-pin VGA-style input that can be used with a computer. My Sawtooth PowerMac G4 (Radeon 7xxx, 34MB VRAM) immediately recognized this display, even sensing the available refresh rate (60hz -- with LCD this is fine) and the available 1280x768 resolution. The video was fantastic, playing DVDs on the computer showed this TV as being a superior DVD display device. Keep in mind that progressive-scan DVDs are all 480i or 480p, unless it upconverts to HD resolutions (720p, 1080i) via a DVI-type port -- there are no DVD players on the market that upconvert via component.
Thus emboldened, I then hooked up my DirecTV HD Set-Top-Box (STB) that has an RGB output (SIR-TS160), and attempted to obtain HD video. When using the RGB interface, one must obtain an left/right RCA to stereo mini-jack for audio, unless your source has a standard mini-jack audio output. The TV displays "OUT OF RANGE" when attempting to deliver 1080i, but will display 720p as long as the TV is selected for "STANDARD" (4:3) instead of "FULL" (16:9) screen, which will display out-of-synch garbage. When using the RGB input, the TV's menu displays the resolution being used, which in 720p from the SIR-TS160 is 960x700. I was unable to get the SIR-TS160 to display full-screen (16:9) in 720p, the SIR-TS160 simply would not exceed 960x700 on its RGB port. Whether this a function that is lacking in the SIR-TS160, and is cured with the SIR-TS260, I don't yet know. There may be other RGB output STBs that cure this problem entirely: whatever the case may be, the RGB output must be able to deliver the resolution the TV needs, the TV will not stretch or shrink the display on its own.
Nonetheless, the RGB port on an HD STB is one way to obtain HD (720p) with this TV. Moreover, when displaying ATSC (digital TV) via the RGB in 480p (640x480), the TV is exceptionally clear and the colors accurately balanced, more so than when using the component inputs at the same resolution/mode. The LCD display can make macroblocking resulting from compression painfully obvious, especially on DirecTV's local channels, which is something I'd not experienced before -- but then again, I'm always standing two feet away from the TV fiddling with its various modes. One thing I had always wondered, for the hearing-impaired, is whether captioning was embedded in RGB-output video on the SIR-TS160, and I'm pleased to inform you that yes, closed-captioning also comes through. Remember, it's the STB that provides the closed-captioning, and not the TV when the signal is pushed through the component/RGB inputs. My Panasonic RP-62 DVD player, however, will enable the built-in TV closed-captioning as long as the output is 480i (enabled by turning off the progressive output mode), a very nice feature for lesser-known DVDs that do not have subtitling but do have closed-captioning, and the DVD player's outputs in-use are component. All other DVD players I've experienced, including the Denon DV-910, fail in this aspect!
This TV's inputs are: VIDEO-1 (Composite, audio L/R), VIDEO-2 (Component, audio L/R), RF (Coax) (cable/antenna), and "PC" RGB (stereo mini-plug audio). It can display the VIDEO-2 display in Picture-in-Picture (PIP) mode overlaying the PC display, which means that it's almost a necessity to use an RGB-capable STB alongside a progressive-scan DVD (Faroudja deinterlacing is strongly recommended) for PIP. The PIP does not mix/match, only one of the video modes on top of the PC mode.
Sound is great, too. I've noticed that it doesn't sound "cheap". The TV, in fact, has audio output jacks including a passive subwoofer and some surround capabilities. I've not checked the audio capability out fully, but it is said to support HyperSurround whatever that really means.
Overall, this TV is a great value as long as the TV's price is below $500 -- prices are currently falling fast, and the technology is changing before the pipeline can be exhausted providing ample opportunity for bargains. Already, one 26" TV that has the same resolution but with all the requisite HD / DVI features has been recently clearanced in the $650 ballpark. There's the bottom, however, and this TV is certainly much better built than those one might find there (Apex, Syntax Olevia, etc.) and probably, in the long-run, more reliable. My set has no dead or miscolored pixels, and JVC provides a one-year warranty which at this point probably won't be needed.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/04/2005 |
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Strengths: Picture Quality excels, excellent HDTV signals, great contrast
Weaknesses: No 1080 input capability
Summary: This is a great all around TV!. Especially for the price I purchased it for. I bought two of these, one for the garage, and one for the bathroom. The picture is simply outstanding, especially when watching HDTV programs. The size is not too big or small for their functions. The TV worked right out of the box and I had no problems whatsoever. Kudos to JVC for making such a quality product.
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| Date Reviewed: 11/04/2005 |
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Strengths: High resolution, clear, bright. PC (DSUB) connectivity. Semi-automatic setup.
Weaknesses: Does not accept 720p or 1080i except through PC (DSUB) jack. No HDMI or DVI; only one Component Video jackset.
Summary: I purchased this on clearance in November 2005. The price appeared so amazing that I bought impulsively, without research. Now, I am still satisfied with my purchase, but I no longer consider it such an amazing deal.
When I brought the box into my house and opened it up, I found a small but pleasant surprise: The LCD TV has a convenient handle, perfect not only for carrying but also for lifting out of a box safely! Having done that, I did notice that although the box included power cabling, a remote control and batteries, and a user guide, there were no information-carrying cables at all. Perhaps JVC could not predict what would be the most popular use of this LCD, and so decided to provide no such cable at all.
Since I already have a 32" tube Zenith HDTV at home, my first thought was to use this 23" widescreen LCD as a computer monitor, instead of the 18" 4:3 Dell LCD I had been using. This JVC comes with a very elegant stand (already connected but separable in case you wish to wall-mount the LCD instead), so I was able to set it up in front of my computer seat quickly, connect the power cables as well as a DSUB cable that I had lying around, and turned everything on. By default, it was somewhat misconfigured, but I simply went into its Menu and requested an Auto Setup. I was very pleased with the result: 1280x768, beautiful colors, clear fonts, etc. Since I was not getting as much information on the screen as I used to with the 1280x1024 18" Dell LCD, I lowered the dot pitch from 96dpi down to 84dpi. Fonts are still quite readable. (I tried 72dpi but the result was too tiny for comfort.)
Later, I connected my outside antenna to this LCD TV and again requested an Auto Setup. It found all my known broadcast channels and a couple of unknown ones (low-power stations that do not come in well on older TV sets). Of course, the quality was typical analog--unacceptable to me at this point. But at least I tested the capability.
Perhaps the best use of this LCD TV is in the display of hi-def channels from a computer's HDTV tuner card. I have one, and am extremely impressed with the result. Too bad this LCD won't accept hi-def through its Component Video input!
I have not decided whether to use this LCD TV as my primary PC monitor permanently, or whether to go back to my previous LCD monitor (higher resolution but smaller). Frankly, this LCD TV would make the perfect computer monitor for someone in his 50s who can no longer read small fonts without glasses. The 1280x768 resolution on this generous 23" LCD yields fonts quite readable for someone whose near-vision acuity is failing!
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| Date Reviewed: 11/04/2005 |
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Strengths: Picture in picture in while plugged into PC rocks
Picture quality is awesome
Weaknesses: Only displays PC monitors @ max res 1280x748 (for those who like ultra high wide screen res)...
Remote could be layed out better.. up/down/left/right doesn't do vol/chan, extra vol/chan buttons do
Summary: Definately a good entry LCD tv. Has several component inputs. Lacks DVI for PC, and HDMI for TV. Picture quality is alright for broadcast cable, but great for HD (although its ED.. you can broadcast HD via HD Tuner card on PC)..
Component video inputs 1
# HD component video inputs N/A
S-video inputs 1
# A/V inputs (composite) 1
# RF inputs 1
DVI (Digital Video Interface) No
HDMI inputs No
PC compatible Yes
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