JVC JLC47BC3000

HDTVs usually come with different feature sets for different screen sizes. A set you can fit on your desk might only have a few HDMI inputs and little additional connectivity or features. A screen you can barely fit in your garage could come with Wi-Fi, 3D, and tons of options. Generally, these days, HDTVs larger than 40 inches typically come with Ethernet or Wi-Fi for accessing streaming media services like Netflix. This makes the JVC JLC47BC3000 a big surprise for a 47-inch LCD HDTV: For $949.99 (list), you do get a 120Hz refresh rate, a light sensor that can adjust brightness, and a USB port for sideloading movies, music, and pictures for playback, but no Web connectivity.?In contrast, the less-expensive 42-inch Insignia NS-42E859A11 ($699.99, 3 stars) features integrated Wi-Fi to access Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, and even Chumby apps.

Design
The screen looks simple and uninspiring, with a glossy black bezel marked only with a gold JVC logo on the bottom edge. A black speaker grille sits below the bezel along the length of the HDTV, giving the set some texture beyond the logo. The left side of the screen has a row of triangular buttons for controlling the HDTV, plus a USB and an HDMI input. The remaining three HDMI inputs, component, composite, and VGA video inputs, stereo and optical audio outputs, and coaxial connection, sit on the back panel of the HDTV. The rear-facing inputs are a slight inconvenience, when many other HDTVs are side-mounting inputs for ease of access. Rear inputs require you to either turn the HDTV far enough to see them or to feel out the ports, and can be awkward when mounting the set on a wall.

JVC boasts a solid set of audio technology behind the speakers of the JLC47BC3000 with SRS StudioSound HD and JVC's Xinemasound systems. But these are processing and design elements that can only do so much with a pair of 10W drivers. The HDTV sounds good, but a soundbar would add much more to the audio experience. The set offers an audio-only feature for listening to music on the HDTV without lighting the panel, but this is less useful than it could have been if the set came with some streaming media apps, like, say, Pandora.

The 9.5-inch remote is simple, but functional. The buttons are large and flat, and the various playback functions (for media loaded via a USB drive), navigation, channel/volume, and number pad are clear and distinguishable under your thumb. This is good, because the remote doesn't have a backlight, despite having a small red indicator light that glows when you press a button. The input buttons on the bottom half of the remote are a nice touch, with individual HDMI, Video, PC, TV, Component, and Music buttons for cycling through inputs.

Performance
We test HDTVs using a chromameter and the DisplayMate software for test patterns. While the JLC47BC3000 had a fairly bright peak white level of 256.92 cd/m², its black level only reached 0.07 cd/m², very bright compared with most current HDTVs. This results in a contrast ratio of 3,670:1, low compared with the Insignia NS-42E895A11's impressive 37,459:1, though in fairness the Insignia's contrast ratio is hindered by distinct blooming issues that make all but the darkest scenes look washed out.

Using the default Warm color temperature setting, colors were generally very accurate, except for slightly cool greens and blues. I watched Mission Impossible 2 on Blu-ray, and the high black levels really showed their weakness in the dance hall scene at the beginning of the movie. The shadows and dark textures showed little detail, and places that should have shown the outlines of clothes or furniture were only dark. Brighter scenes, like the rock climbing scene before the credits, looked better, but shadows were similarly washed out.

For an LCD, the JLC47BC3000 is a bit of a power hog. Using a watt meter to test under normal viewing conditions, the HDTV used 147 watts. To contrast, the 55-inch LG 55LW9800 ($3,799.99, 3 stars) consumed 87 watts, while the 46-inch Sony Bravia KDL-46EX720 ($1,599.99, 4 stars) used 112 watts. CCFL backlighting is the culprit here; the LG and the Sony HDTVs are LED-backlit.?

If you want a large HDTV with a less-than-$1,000 list price, the JVC JLC47B3000 is one of the few displays that qualify. Unfortunately, its almost-nonexistent feature set and middling picture quality can't justify its price tag, especially when you can pick up a feature-rich HDTV that's just slightly smaller, like the Insignia NS-42E859A11, for more than $200 less. If you want a big brand name HDTV, the Samsung LN46D550 ($899.99, 3 stars) is slightly cheaper, though it suffers from the same lack of features and middling picture quality as the JLC47B3000. Spendthrifts should stick with the Insignia.

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