This LCD flat screen TV 's strong point is its connectivity(Reviewed 10-9-05) The JVC LT-32X776 is a 32 inch LCD flat screen TV with a 1,366-by-768 resolution (a true HDTV). It has both an ATSC and NTSC tuner with a twin-picture PIP function that allows you to view HD and SD sources in their correct aspect ratios simultaneously.
The speakers run along the bottom, and it has a black frame that helps it deliver a high impact picture. The easily accessed connections are found running down each side of the back panel. They can be hidden with removable plastic panels. This LCD flat screen TV has an adjustable stand that lets you angle the screen. HD content looks clean and detailed when viewed through its ATSC tuner. The tuner locks onto an indoor antenna (Terk HDTVi) and delivers consistent picture quality. There are four picture modes (Dynamic, Theater, Natural, and Games) and two color-temperature settings (High and Low) to choose from (only from the remote). This LCD flat screen TV plays nicely right out of the box - no professional calibration needed. Like all LCDs, the picture is quite bright and good for daytime viewing or watching TV in a bright room. The black level is solid although not as good as the Panasonic plasmas. Its Energy Saver Mode adjustable lamp will brighten or darken picture images in an incremental manner from -30 to +30 to get the balance right between the brightness and black level. This allows you to adjust the black level when watching TV in a dark room. It seems like every LCD and plasma TV manufacturer today has their own proprietary wizardry that will improve the picture. Well JVC has gone one better – they use two technologies on this LCD flat screen TV called Dynamic Gamma Control and Smart Picture. This technology evaluates light and dark images and adjusts them for optimal contrast. They seem effective but sometimes the black level appears to shift. The JVC LT-32X776 LCD TV has a 3:2 pulldown detection called Natural Cinema. This allows the LCD TV to handle video-based signals and minimize artifacts. This JVC LCD flat screen TV delivers a good-looking image through both the component video and HDMI inputs (although as usual HDMI has a slight edge). Like most plasmas and LCD TVs, the JVC LT-32X776 LCD TV picture quality is good when the signal quality is good. When it's poor, there’s not much the TV can do to improve it.
Unfortunately the backlit remote control is not intuitive (there’s too many buttons) and the onscreen menu, because of the lack of submenus, makes setting up the TV difficult. You have to keep scrolling through a continuous menu to get to the features you want. The JVC LT-32X776 is a decent LCD TV that's suited to someone who can maximize the TV's digital offerings: HDMI, iLink, over-the-air ATSC, and CableCARD. If you’re an average viewer looking for a great picture skip this LCD flat screen TV.
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