March 2007
First Look: JVC HD-58S998 HDTV
SVELTE PROFILE At 11 inches deep, this JVC is much thinner than most LCoS TVs. It can be wall mounted or placed on a stand directly against
a wall.
If you're convinced that you don't have room for a big-screen rear-projection TV, JVC's svelte new 58-inch HD-58S998 could
change your mind. With a front-to-back depth of just under 11 inches--8 to 10 inches less than other rear-projection sets
of this size--this TV can be mounted on a wall. The trim design comes at a price, though. At $3,300, the JVC costs hundreds
more than others of its size and type. It's pricier than one of our top-rated 62-inch rear-projection sets, the $2,500 Toshiba 62HM196
HIGHS
Fine overall picture quality. This 1080p set has very good picture quality with HD and DVD programs, with respectable black levels and color rendition, though it's a step below that of our best rear-projection models.
Can be wall mounted or placed directly against a wall. Thanks to its flat rear panel and side-mounted connections--two HDMI, two component-video, two S-video, and two composite--and cooling vents, the TV can be wall mounted or placed on a stand directly against a wall.
Easy to use. The remote control's lighted buttons with high-contrast lettering are easy to see in darkly lighted rooms, and the menu, which can be accessed via buttons on the TV without using the remote, is easy to navigate.
LOWS
Some picture flaws. Although the overall picture quality was judged very good, 1080i and 480p images were somewhat soft (less detailed), and there was a noticeable geometric distortion that made horizontal lines appear to "bow" upward at one or both ends.
Vertical viewing angle is limited. Vertical viewing angle is limited. With our sample set, optimal picture quality was dependent on the viewer's vertical position. Looking at the TV from above or below center (if you were standing or sitting on the floor, for example) caused portions of the screen to look dimmer. That is a characteristic that other rear-projection sets share.
No CableCard slot. This may be an inconvenience if you want to eliminate the use of a cable box, but given that CableCards lack interactive features, we don't consider it a significant omission. (It does have a digital-cable QAM tuner, which enables it to receive unscrambled digital-cable programs without using a cable box.)
THE BOTTOM LINE
The overall picture quality of the HD-58S998 was very good, although it exhibited some geometric picture flaws, particularly at the edges of the screen. The real draw, however, is its thin depth, which makes the TV worth considering if you're looking for a big-screen experience that doesn't take up a lot of floor space.
Still, the JVC is a bit pricey for its screen size. For this price, you could get an even thinner big screen--a plasma TV. The 60-inch Vizio VM60P HDTVA plasma, for example, has comparable picture quality (with a different set of picture trade-offs--check to see which is more acceptable to you) and is even thinner and lower-priced, at $3,000. If saving money is more important to you than having a thin-profile TV, check out the bigger, better, and lower-priced rear-projection TVs in our Ratings
(available to subscribers)
. The size doesn't seem to hurt performance, though: this 1080p LCoS TV (a technology JVC calls D-ILA displayed fine picture quality. A 65-inch version that's only an inch deeper, the HD-65S998, is available for $4,200.HIGHS
Fine overall picture quality. This 1080p set has very good picture quality with HD and DVD programs, with respectable black levels and color rendition, though it's a step below that of our best rear-projection models.
Can be wall mounted or placed directly against a wall. Thanks to its flat rear panel and side-mounted connections--two HDMI, two component-video, two S-video, and two composite--and cooling vents, the TV can be wall mounted or placed on a stand directly against a wall.
Easy to use. The remote control's lighted buttons with high-contrast lettering are easy to see in darkly lighted rooms, and the menu, which can be accessed via buttons on the TV without using the remote, is easy to navigate.
LOWS
Some picture flaws. Although the overall picture quality was judged very good, 1080i and 480p images were somewhat soft (less detailed), and there was a noticeable geometric distortion that made horizontal lines appear to "bow" upward at one or both ends.
Vertical viewing angle is limited. Vertical viewing angle is limited. With our sample set, optimal picture quality was dependent on the viewer's vertical position. Looking at the TV from above or below center (if you were standing or sitting on the floor, for example) caused portions of the screen to look dimmer. That is a characteristic that other rear-projection sets share.
No CableCard slot. This may be an inconvenience if you want to eliminate the use of a cable box, but given that CableCards lack interactive features, we don't consider it a significant omission. (It does have a digital-cable QAM tuner, which enables it to receive unscrambled digital-cable programs without using a cable box.)
THE BOTTOM LINE
The overall picture quality of the HD-58S998 was very good, although it exhibited some geometric picture flaws, particularly at the edges of the screen. The real draw, however, is its thin depth, which makes the TV worth considering if you're looking for a big-screen experience that doesn't take up a lot of floor space.
Still, the JVC is a bit pricey for its screen size. For this price, you could get an even thinner big screen--a plasma TV. The 60-inch Vizio VM60P HDTVA plasma, for example, has comparable picture quality (with a different set of picture trade-offs--check to see which is more acceptable to you) and is even thinner and lower-priced, at $3,000. If saving money is more important to you than having a thin-profile TV, check out the bigger, better, and lower-priced rear-projection TVs in our Ratings
(available to subscribers)
.
