The JVC LT-42P789 features 1080p full HD resolution backed by plenty of HDMI(3) and other inputs on the back, plus a digital out for sending 5.1 audio to a home theater setup. Still, I found the 20-watt stereo speakers more than ample for small rooms and moderately quiet environments (the audio equalizer helps since bass suffers from the lack of a subwoofer). Side-mounted controls are accompanied by a USB port, so there’s no fumbling should you want to remove the stand and wall-mount it either. Besides, everything can be controlled from the large remote, where you can switch between inputs, access features and play around with a number of screen sizes for standard and high-definition video. Menu controls, by the way, eschew graphics for text-based simplicity and are presented logically, be that increasing the level of “black”, reducing “noise” or customizing an input.
The set performed like a champ when it came to watching Blu-ray discs, and even older titles like Men In Black, which had a bit of film “grain”, looked sharp and colorful. The same went for watching high-definition off a Dish Satellite receiver, although it did benefit from some color and contrast tweaking. Even standard DVDs, be they live action with lots of CG like the direct-to-DVD STARGATE CONTINUIM, or animation like the first volume of Tiny Toon Adventures were pleasing to the eye, helped along by my leaving the color temperature at its “warmer” setting. Standard-def TV was the least attractive, but that’s the fault of the source material, not the JVC, and will seriously send you to the menus to try and find ways for improving the image.
The real test for video came when I flipped down the front mounted dock and inserted my iPod classic. Inserts seat pretty much all dock-connected models from the 1st Generation Nano through the Touch and help insure a good connection. A dedicated iPod button on the remote initiates sync and you know it’s done when a JVC logo replaces that of the Apple on the iPod screen (additionally, the blue lights on the dock glow a solid blue instead of blinking). The TV’s remote can now be used to cycle through playing music or video, depending upon the iPod attached, but there is no support for viewing stored photos (for that you have to use the JVC’s photo viewer, which reads JPEGs off of thumbdrives and other devices attached to the side USB port). I didn’t have a 3G iPhone to try out, but attaching my 1st Gen iPhone brought up a warning that it wasn’t sanctioned to use with this “accessory”, although I was able to get it working after some physical manipulations.
the tv is great for HD video, but when it comes to gaming it gets stiff on 720p when the games are 1080i, I havent tried FullHD games, but that is because there are only a few, but still for watching FullHD video is a great screen...
i just picked this tv up and love it. im trying to find the optimal settings right now and only thing i have to go off is a "Cars" dvd THX settings.
I got the same message with my iPhone until I upgraded to the 2.1 software for the iPhone. After the iPhone software update the operation with my TV actually improved. You can view photos from the iPods, but you have to select the photo menu on the iPod first. After that you can control with the TV remote. The coolest thing is that I can play music and have the TV video at the same time.