48 HOME CINEMA CHOICE OCTOBER 2007 Grouptest... 42in TVs J VC has put a lot of store behind its D-ILA technology rear-pros, but it still knows a thing or to about LCD flatpanels. How does this £1,000 42in model rate against the competition? Design and connections Aesthetically the 42DA8BJ is… okay. The gloss black screen frame is pretty enough, but I’m not so sure about the slightly untidy and plasticky silver outer frame. Connections are a similarly-mixed bag. Two HDMIs get the JVC off to a good start, and these are backed up by a component video input, and two RGB Scarts. Plus there’s a digital audio output. However, there’s no four-pin S-Video option, and worse, no D-Sub PC input. You can use the HDMIs as PC ports, but only if you set your PC to match the screen’s 1366 x 768 resolution. Distinguishing features The most important of these is definitely DynaPix, JVC’s latest proprietary picture processing system. Elements of this system include Digital Image Scaling Technology (DIST), a sophisticated scaling system that adds in extra fine detail, especially with standard-definition sources; black level correction; noise reduction; and contrast and colour management. There’s also Digipure, which automatically ups/down contrast settings to compensate for any under/over contrast there may be in the source. Yet aside from DynaPix, the 42DA8BJ is pretty feature-light. In fact, the only final point worth mentioning is something the 42DA8BJ lacks: 1080p support. Performance Although capable of sporadically excellent pictures, the 42DA8BJ has enough problems to ultimately seem rather outclassed by much of its competition today. Where the JVC’s image is good is with bright, colour-rich material that doesn’t contain many dark areas. HD coverage of football, for instance, looks really vibrant and engaging. This is down to some well- saturated colours and lots of the brightness that so defines the LCD experience. HD images are also likeably sharp, with solid presentation of the extra fine- detailing that’s HD’s trademark. You can pick out individual coins in the vast pile of Barbosa’s gold on the Pirates of the Caribbean Blu-ray, for instance. JVC’s DIST system also helps the 42DA8BJ deliver crisper, cleaner standard- definition pictures than is common. So what are the problems? The main one is black level response. The scenes where The Bride is buried alive in Kill Bill take place behind a really quite obvious pall of greyness, to the extent that it’s often difficult to see what’s going on. Motion can also look a touch blurred, especially versus the plasma contenders SPECIFICATIONS ITEM SUPPORT DETAILS HD Ready ● ● 720p and 1080i, but no 1080p Progressive Scan ● ● Compatible with 480p and 720p Digital TV Tuner ● ● With 7-day EPG Composite video ● ● 1 phono input S-video ✕ Only via Scart Scart ● ● 2 connections (both RGB) Component video ● ● 1 input HDMI/DVI ● ● 2 HDMI PC input ● ● But only via HDMI Headphone ● ● 1 output Sound: Nicam Stereo (2 x 6W) Resolution: 1366 x 768 Brightness: 500ANSI Lumens; Contrast: 1000:1 (claimed) Dimensions: 1030(w) x 672(h) x 108(d)mm; Weight: 22.1kg Also featuring DynaPix processing; backlight brightness adjust; Digipure processing; sleep timer; child lock; Hyper sound; 3D Cinema Sound; RF attenuator Excellent Good Average Poor Colour ✓ Black Level ✓ Contrast ✓ Resolution ✓ LAB REPORT in this grouptest, and the tone of colours during dark scenes can look slightly unnatural. The 42DA8BJ’s audio performance is fine. There isn’t the same raw power and frequency range heard on higher-end JVC sets, but you can still enjoy even something as histrionic as the Con Air soundtrack without fear of distortion or tinniness. Conclusion We applaud JVC for delivering a perfectly affable 42in LCD TV bearing DynaPix processing for less than a grand. But at the same time there’s no denying – thanks in particular to a lack of black level – that it’s far from the best TV in this group test. JVC LT-42DA8BJ £1,000 (approx) ◆ 0870 3305000 ◆ 0870 3305000 ◆ Overall Rating ★★★ JVC’s silver remote is easy to get used to A pair of HDMI inputs lurk above RGB Scart and component inputs HCC147.group Sec1:48 HCC147.group Sec1:48 13/8/07 16:04:46 13/8/07 16:04:46
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4 8 H O M E C I N E M A C H O I C E O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
Grouptest... 42in TVs
JVC has put a lot of store behind its
D-ILA technology rear-pros, but it still
knows a thing or to about LCD
flatpanels. How does this £1,000 42in
model rate against the competition?
Design and connectionsAesthetically the 42DA8BJ is… okay. The
gloss black screen frame is pretty enough,
but I’m not so sure about the slightly
untidy and plasticky silver outer frame.
Connections are a similarly-mixed bag.
Two HDMIs get the JVC off to a good
start, and these are backed up by a
component video input, and two RGB
Scarts. Plus there’s a digital audio output.
However, there’s no four-pin S-Video
option, and worse, no D-Sub PC input.
You can use the HDMIs as PC ports, but
only if you set your PC to match the
screen’s 1366 x 768 resolution.
Distinguishing featuresThe most important of these is definitely
DynaPix, JVC’s latest proprietary picture
processing system. Elements of this system
include Digital Image Scaling Technology
(DIST), a sophisticated scaling system
that adds in extra fine detail, especially
with standard-definition sources; black
level correction; noise reduction; and
contrast and colour management.
There’s also Digipure, which automatically
ups/down contrast settings to compensate
for any under/over contrast there may be
in the source.
Yet aside from DynaPix, the 42DA8BJ is
pretty feature-light. In fact, the only final
point worth mentioning is something the
42DA8BJ lacks: 1080p support.
PerformanceAlthough capable of sporadically excellent
pictures, the 42DA8BJ has enough problems
to ultimately seem rather outclassed by
much of its competition today.
Where the JVC’s image is good is with
bright, colour-rich material that doesn’t
contain many dark areas. HD coverage of
football, for instance, looks really vibrant
and engaging. This is down to some well-
saturated colours and lots of the brightness
that so defines the LCD experience.
HD images are also likeably sharp, with
solid presentation of the extra fine-
detailing that’s HD’s trademark. You can
pick out individual coins in the vast pile of
Barbosa’s gold on the Pirates of the
Caribbean Blu-ray, for instance.
JVC’s DIST system also helps the
42DA8BJ deliver crisper, cleaner standard-
definition pictures than is common.
So what are the problems? The main
one is black level response. The scenes
where The Bride is buried alive in Kill Bill
take place behind a really quite obvious
pall of greyness, to the extent that it’s
often difficult to see what’s going on.
Motion can also look a touch blurred,
especially versus the plasma contenders
SPECIFICATIONSITEM SUPPORT DETAILSHD Ready ●● 720p and 1080i, but no 1080pProgressive Scan ●● Compatible with 480p and 720pDigital TV Tuner ●● With 7-day EPGComposite video ●● 1 phono inputS-video ✕ Only via ScartScart ●● 2 connections (both RGB)Component video ●● 1 inputHDMI/DVI ●● 2 HDMIPC input ●● But only via HDMIHeadphone ●● 1 output
Sound: Nicam Stereo (2 x 6W)Resolution: 1366 x 768Brightness: 500ANSI Lumens; Contrast: 1000:1 (claimed)Dimensions: 1030(w) x 672(h) x 108(d)mm; Weight: 22.1kgAlso featuringDynaPix processing; backlight brightness adjust; Digipure processing;sleep timer; child lock; Hyper sound; 3D Cinema Sound; RF attenuator
Exce
llent
Goo
d
Aver
age
Poor
Colour ✓
Black Level ✓
Contrast ✓
Resolution ✓
LAB REPORT
in this grouptest, and the tone of
colours during dark scenes can look
slightly unnatural.
The 42DA8BJ’s audio performance
is fine. There isn’t the same raw power
and frequency range heard on higher-end
JVC sets, but you can still enjoy even
something as histrionic as the Con Air
soundtrack without fear of distortion
or tinniness.
ConclusionWe applaud JVC for delivering a perfectly
5 0 H O M E C I N E M A C H O I C E O C T O B E R 2 0 0 7
Grouptest... 42in TVs
Arguably the most consistent name
in plasma makes its traditional
talents available at by far the
cheapest price it’s ever managed. So is
there anything not to like?
Design and connectionsPanasonic has ditched the rather
uninspiring plasticky grey seen on its
previous plasma generation in favour of a
much more sophisticated all-over black.
The 42PX70’s connections unusually
exclude the two lowest-quality connection
options around, composite RCA and four-
pin S-video. But you do get two 1080p-
capable HDMIs and a component jack for
HD applications, not to mention Scarts and
a D-Sub PC port for computer use.
Distinguishing featuresAfter the relatively low contrast ratio
figures of our two LCD contenders,
it’s nice to find the 42PX70 claiming
a more reassuring 10000:1. Naturally this
is delivered with the help of Panasonic’s
tried and trusted Real Black Drive
technology, along with a new Deep
Black Filter.
Probably the 42PX70’s main feature,
though, is its V-Real 2 video processing
engine. Elements of this include digital
re-mastering for upscaling non-1080p
sources to 1080p for playback; a Digital
Optimiser that detects and removes noise
types common to digital video feeds; and
motion pattern noise reduction which
reduces false contouring during motion.
Otherwise the only thing really worth
adding is that while the 42PX70’s 1080p
talents do extend to accepting the
1080p/24Hz format, 1080p/24 pictures
oddly appear without any audio.
PerformanceAfter the slightly uninspiring efforts of our
two LCD efforts, the 42PX70’s pictures are
a breath of fresh air. Particularly gratifying
is its black level, which looks both much
deeper and much more natural than those
of the JVC and LG contenders. This
immediately helps dark scenes, like those
on the crashed alien ship in Alien, look
much more cinematic and immersive
– especially as there’s loads of subtle
shadow detailing on show.
The 42PX70’s colours aren’t as vibrant
as those of the LCD models, but they more
than compensate for this with generally
good toning and loads of expressive
subtlety. Similarly, although HD images
don’t look as ultra-sharp as with the LCDs,
they also appear less noisy and forced.
Football coverage, meanwhile, shows
the 42PX70 to be free of motion blur, and
a little daytime TV viewing soon convinces
me that the 42PX70 is unusually good
at handling standard-definition sources.
Normally I could just leave the review
here, with the 42PX70’s strengths
speaking for themselves. But today is not
a normal day, for the simple reason that
elsewhere in this grouptest is the
astounding new plasma TV from Pioneer...
SPECIFICATIONSITEM SUPPORT DETAILSHD Ready ●● 720p, 1080i, and 1080pProgressive Scan ●● Compatible with 480p, 720p, 1080pDigital TV Tuner ●● With 7-day EPGComposite video ✕ RIPS-video ✕ DittoScart ●● 2 connections (both RGB)Component video ●● 1 inputHDMI/DVI ●● 2 HDMIPC input ●● 1 D-Sub connectionHeadphone ●● 1 output
Sound: Nicam Stereo (2x10W)Resolution: 1024 x 768Brightness: No claim made; Contrast: 10000:1 (claimed)Dimensions: 1020(w) x 680(h) x 97(d)mm; Weight: 35kgAlso featuringVreal2 processing, 1080p playback, Deep Black Filter, Viera HDMIcompatibility, Sub-pixel controller, 3D colour management, Noisereduction, Owner ID security, Pseudo surround audio option
Exce
llent
Goo
d
Aver
age
Poor
Colour ✓
Black Level ✓
Contrast ✓
Resolution ✓
LAB REPORT
And so now I must acknowledge minor
flaws in the 42PX70’s make up. For
instance, rich reds sporadically look a touch
orangey. Also, I noticed traces of dithering
over skintones during our footy viewing
and camera pans can judder a little. Finally
there’s a visible ‘ghost’ image if you watch
off-axis caused by the Panny’s thick front
glass arrangement.
The 42PX70’s speakers, meanwhile, are
an improvement over those of the screen’s
predecessors, delivering enough power
and clarity to handle our explosive
Con Air DVD well.
ConclusionThe advances of a rival in this grouptest
SPECIFICATIONSITEM SUPPORT DETAILSHD Ready ●● 720p, 1080i, and 1080pProgressive Scan ●● Compatible with 480p, 720p, 1080pDigital TV Tuner ●● With 7-day EPGComposite video ●● 1 phono inputS-video ●● 1 inputScart ●● 3 connections (2 RGB)Component video ●● 1 inputsHDMI/DVI ●● 3 HDMIPC input ●● 1 D-Sub connectionHeadphone ●● 1 output
Sound: Nicam stereo (2 x 17W)Resolution: 1024 x 768Brightness: No claimed made; Contrast: 16000:1 (claimed)Dimensions: 115(d) x 679(h) x 1040(w)mm; Weight: 29.6kgAlso featuringHD Digital Film Direct mode (24fps); HDMI CEC control; ISF C3 Ready; Ultrablack crystal layer; Direct Colour Filter 3; Active; Home gallery by USB 2.0;I-Clear Drive; Various noise reduction systems; subwoofer output
Exce
llent
Goo
d
Aver
age
Poor
Colour ✓
Black Level ✓
Contrast ✓
Resolution ✓
LAB REPORT
Three HDMIs and three Scarts makethis plasma connection-tastic
CONCLUSIONLCD technology has scored some notable successes in recent bigscreen shoot outs. But
today is just not its day, as we find both the LCD entrants occupying the bottom two
slots of our league table.
Bringing up the rear is JVC’s 42DA8BJ. We should say that under certain conditions
– ie, with really bright, colourful sources – this screen can look outstanding.
But we ultimately can’t forgive it for its fairly serious black level shortcomings.
The same problem plagues the LG 42LF66, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, meaning
that even the extreme HD sharpness delivered by its Full HD pixel count can’t lift it into our
medal positions today.
In third I’ve placed Samsung’s PS42Q97HD. This plasma TV is yet another
masterclass from the Korean brand in how to give the mass market exactly what
it wants: loads of features, good performance standards and sumptuous looks
– all for a truly budget price.
In fact, the Samsung model got dangerously close to achieving what would
before today have been unthinkable, and edging ahead of a Panasonic plasma.
But in the end Panasonic’s new aggressive pricing, together with its still very
impressive picture quality, does just enough to give the popular Japanese brand the
silver medal slot.
Cruising home to take the gold medal by a good furlong or two is Pioneer’s
PDP-428XD. When this TV arrived I had genuine concerns that it just wouldn’t be able
to justify its self-consciously premium price point. But its performance really is in a
whole different league to even that of the Panasonic, meaning that quality-obsessives
will have no hesitation whatsoever in declaring it worth every penny of its asking
price – and more ■
RATINGS1. Pioneer PDP-428XD £1,800 (approx)
Highs: Revolutionarily good pictures, lovely build quality, great features and connectionsLows: All the splendour on offer will cost you
Picture Sound Features Overall★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
2. Panasonic TH-42PX70 £1,000 (approx)Highs: Generally excellent pictures, especially with black level; nice design great priceLows: Slightly orangey reds, can see offset image if you watch from an angle
Picture Sound Features Overall★★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★½ ★★★★½
3. Samsung PS42Q97HD £950 (approx)Highs: Gorgeous design, outstanding value, good all-round performerLows: You need to be careful during setup, otherwise you can mess its pictures around
Picture Sound Features Overall★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★
4. LG 42LF66 £1,150 (approx)Highs: Well designed, affordable for a Full HD panel, really vivid colours, good feature setLows: Noisy standard definition pictures, tepid black level
Picture Sound Features Overall★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★★½ ★★★½
5. JVC LT-42DA8BJ £1,000 (approx)Highs: Decent price, bright colours, good picture detailLows: No 1080p support, average black level, occasional colour tone issues
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