JVC LT-46P510 TeleDock HDTV (TPV 90)

With a built-in dock, JVC’s TeleDock TV series is targeted towards iPod and iPhone fans

PERFORMANCE

3D Blu-ray Evaluation: Poseidon

Detail

The opening scene has one of the male leads jogging around the decks of the super ocean liner, and the JVC does a very good job of keeping jaggies at bay (it also did very well with 3:2 pulldown test patterns). It also looked much smoother than what I remember seeing in the movie theater, as the theatrical presentation was plagued by 24 frames per second-induced judder.

Color

At the default factory setting, the color intensity is just too much, giving everybody a sprayed-on tan look. With the color control trimmed back a bit, the color quality improves immensely, allowing the JVC to deliver believable natural skin tones.

Blacks

Like just about all other LCD sets on the market, the JVC provides a too-bright picture out of the box. Turning the backlighting down to a more reasonable level does wonders for the deep blacks, which are actually quite good for a set that is conventionally backlit as opposed to LED backlit.

Shadow Detail

There are lots of darkly lit scenes in this movie, and at the preferred settings listed above, the JVC delivers a very good rendition of shadow detail, which is especially noticeable in the many underwater sequences, as well as the movie’s last scene at night when the ship finally sinks into the ocean.

Artifacts/Noise

None noted.

Broadcast HDTV Evaluation: ESPNEWS (ESPN via Dish Network)

Detail

The split-screen demo mode shows the improving effect of the 120 Hz refresh processing, as both horizontally and vertically scrolling text are noticeably sharper with the processing activated. 1080p test patterns that feature alternating black and white single pixels reveal that even at a low setting, the JVC’s DETAIL control is still adding edge enhancement causing visible ringing. The minimum setting provides no edge enhancement, but doesn’t soften the picture either.

Color

With the color control turned down from the default, and with the WARM color temperature selected, the JVC is able to deliver a nice color palette that isn’t over-emphasized. The color analyzer reports a pretty good score in terms of HDTV color gamut accuracy (with our recommended settings).

Blacks

A window box seen during some SD segments is surrounded by a jet black border. This is only achievable when the backlighting is dimmed considerably from the default setting. At the 20% backlighting setting, the blacks are very good, and the set still puts out a bright enough picture for even a well-lit room.

Shadow Detail

Once the black level is optimally adjusted via the BRIGHTNESS control and the BACKLIGHTING control, the JVC is able to deliver very good shadow detail. Turning off the curiously named MOTION ADAPTIVE DYNAMIC GAMMA feature actually delivers a more accurate gamma curve, which helps improve shadow detail noticeably.

Artifacts/Noise

None noted.

BOTTOM LINE:

In the hotly competitive TV market, manufacturers face a constant struggle to differentiate themselves. With the unique TeleDock feature, JVC indeed has a key differentiator. While the picture quality of iPod TV shows and movies is anything but HD-like (it’s more somewhere between VHS and DVD quality) due to the massive amounts of video compression employed, the JVC is still able to put forth a reasonable picture.

Although the default picture settings produce an overly harsh picture that’s too bright, too garish, and with very poor deep blacks, the range of picture settings that the JVC provides allows for correction of all of these faults, with end results that look quite good. If you’re an iPod or iPhone fan, then the JVC TeleDock TV could be just the ticket for you.

SPECS & PRICING

JVC LT-46P510 TeleDock LCD HDTV
Screen size: 46” diagonal
Pixel resolution: 1920 x 1080
1:1 Mode: Yes (Full Native)
Video inputs: 1 HDMI, 1 component, 1 S-video, 2 composite, 1 RGB PC
Other connections: 3 stereo audio inputs, 1 optical digital audio output, 1 stereo audio output, 1 ATSC/NTSC/ClearQAM RF input, 1 USB port, 1 iPod/iPhone port
Dimensions (W x H x D): 44.4” x 31.5” x 11.8” (w/stand)
Weight: 52.8 lb.
Warranty: 1 year parts & labor
Price: $1,199.99

JVC
(800) 252-5722
www.TeleDock.jvc.coma.com