JVC JLC32BC3002 32-Inch 720p 60Hz LCD TV with Ambient Light Sensor

Very nice, inexpensive set with an added surprise, May 12, 2012

By 

J. Rose “JR From the Ball so Blue” –

  

Bought last season’s Samsung LED tv @ Costco. Got it home only to have issues setting it up.

Called Samsung only to be told “we don’t do audio out on anything smaller than 40 inches”.

Smug tone. Gooey condescension.

Needless to say I won’t buy Samsung again.

Called Costco and got a lovely fellow named Johnny. He pointed me to this very beautiful set.

It is missing a few of the higher end features, but it does a terrific job with my pre-HDMI stereo, Wii connected via component cables, and the PS3 via HDMI. Even has a wider variety of video presets and a customizable one.

I don’t miss the online information the Samsung had.

The audio only feature is a boon. I listen to music on my set each night and one simple button press and presto, a darkened screen.

The added surprise was the free Phillips head screwdriver included in the box. A nice touch.

It’s $50 cheaper at Costco right now (May 2012).

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Great peformance for a low price, July 29, 2012

I bought this at a local retailer for about $25 over the Amazon price. Normally I’d fuss with shipping but I was there, killing time, the TV was there… Why not?

Let’s face it: These days no one is drooling over 720p or a measly 32 inches. Even so for me this TV replaces an ancient 27 inch CRT I had which wasn’t broken but I figured I wanted something a little bigger, more efficient, and HD capable in some capacity. The manual specifications list power consumption at about 52-53 watts which isn’t bad. Not quite at LED backlit levels but at this price it’s very respectable.

Unpacking and setup is very simple and JVC even includes a screw driver for attaching the stand. The front mounted speakers aren’t anything special: They get the job done but that’s about it. Fortunately the TV has audio out options if you want to pair it with bigger speakers. The input/output jacks are good for a relatively low cost unit: 2x HDMI, 1x VGA, a USB port, and a smattering of various other ports including a slough of composite ins/outs. If you’re looking to use some crazy home theater Dolby 7.x+ setup then… Well then you’re probably looking at multi-grand 50+ inch displays so you aren’t even reading this review. The buttons on the unit are recessed onto the back end of the left side as is the USB port. They are easy enough to reach in general but you can’t see them or the labels depending on how you have the unit setup so this could be a nice perk or a problem. Otherwise the remote gets the job done for everything else.

The image quality is good with no artifacts or ghosting during fast action. Overall brightness isn’t bad but other manufacturers have better offerings in this department. Color reproduction seems good and blacks are deep and uniform. This TV also has an ambient light sensor that is used to adjust the back light brightness dynamically depending on the light in the room and the brightness of the image. It’s a decent enough effect but there is a noticable half second latency when the TV adjusts the backlighting for a scene change or turning on a light in the room. Fortunately this function can be turned off easily if it bothers you.

Overall this is a solid set at a good price. Colors are good, contrast is good, and input options are outstanding for a lower end model.

Pros:
– Good price
– Easy setup, intuitive menu system
– Free screw driver in the box
– 2x HDMI, 1x VGA, composite, USB connector, lots of audio input/output options

Cons:
– Stand has a large footprint but is still somewhat flimsy feeling
– 720p might be a problem for some
– Brightness is a bit on the low end
– Adaptive backlight level feature has a lag time but it can be turned off completely if desired
– It makes local TV news anchors look like entirely new people and some may frighten you in HD vs. SD

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Excellent TV for the Price, August 28, 2012

I did a ton of research and wound up with this TV due to it’s decent speaker wattage (10 watts per speaker, 20 total) so I wouldn’t have to get a sound bar to hear it, and also because it got good reviews around the ‘net. I bought it without seeing it demonstrated in a store. After having it for a few weeks, I’m very pleased with it. Good sound and good picture, after a bit of tinkering with settings. This set has no motion lag issues I’ve noticed on any films or sports I’ve viewed on it so far. High definition broadcasts and streaming video look vivid and detailed on this set, and it handles standard definition stations and sources very well. I’ve also used it as a computer monitor by hooking up to a laptop via HDMI, and not only does video look good, text is very sharp and readable.

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