JVC LT-26DX7B 26-inch HDTV

The JVC LT-26DX7B 26-inch HDTV is a small, affordable TV which features two HDMI inputs, a rarity on smaller screen sizes. The set features cinema sound, MPEG noise reduction and lots of other features and is a prime example of how TVs should be made.

Aesthetically speaking, this 26-inch TV features the now-popular piano black plastic surrounding the viewing area, behind which there’s a subtle glittery pattern. The silver and black combo of the JVC LT26DX7 is sleek and beautiful. The screen is surrounded a silver strip followed by a large black border and then edged again with silver. The speakers are hidden in a recess under the screen taking up less space and not being as intrusive as some speakers.

The LT-26DX7B is a fairly nice looking HDTV, but it does come across as a little boxy. It doesn’t show from pictures, but when you’re viewing it front-on, the recessed speaker grille strip gives the TV a sort of beveled look. The resulting sharp corners might give it a slightly jarring look in some people’s eyes. That said, it’s no eyesore either and nothing about its design stands out as being particularly objectionable.

Using the LT-26DX7B with a high quality DVD player gives out excellent results. What you get with the TV is the surprising amount of detail. The colours are really vivid making your viewing experience a joy to behold. And the contrast range is really good providing virginal-snow whites and deep blacks which means pictures look richer, brighter and deeper. There is a slight issue with the colour tones, while good most of the time, sometimes they seem to go a bit funny and give you what looks like slightly unnatural tones. Another issue to keep in mind are the dark parts of the picture that can sometimes look empty and lack subtle shades. The noise reduction feature that they’ve added means that there’s next to no image noise at all, giving you images that aren’t grainy and edges that are smooth.

The speakers built into the TV is surprisingly adequate wherein users are allowed to control the bass and treble to produce a surprisingly punchy sound. The LT-26DX7 also features two audio outputs that provide fixed audio direct from the device, unaffected by any Bass/Treble sound adjustments you’ve made in the TV’s menu, or any volume changes you make with the remote, so you can easily connect it to a hi-fi or other speaker system.

Connectivity is another strong point for this television. Most notable is the fact that it includes two HDMI ports – meaning that connecting an HDTV receiver as well as a next generation HD video disc player is possible. Other connections include one Component video input, and two SCART sockets – both supporting Interlaced RGB video.

Overall, there are moments of complete genius that make you sit back in awe of JVC LCD televisions. But some sloppy touches spoil everything. On the whole the picture quality is good, if only they could get rid of the empty blacks and unnatural tones. But the sound quality is fantastic giving you a sort of cinema experience without having to plug in your sub-woofers.

Sources:
http://www.hdtvlounge.net
http://www.reviewcentre.com
http://www.nextag.co.uk