JVC LT-46DS9BJ review

JVC's sets reside at the budget end of a Supertest roster, but the LT-46DS9BJ sees it mix with the premium crowd. With its stylish fascia and touch-sensitive controls, the TV certainly looks the part.

It's also ultra-slim, measuring just 7.5cm deep at its thickest point, making it perfect for wall-mounting.

Set-up is simple, and calibration is quick – although this highlights how useless many of the features are. Other than DigiPure (which improves detail recovery) and Picture Management (which adjusts contrast depending on the brightness of the scene), the options either have little effect.

Fed Step Brothers on Blu-ray, the JVC proves to be a capable, but not exceptional performer. As the ‘boys' fight on the front garden, where a set like the Sony digs up individual blades of grass, the 'DS9 paints in broader strokes.

It's far from unpleasant, but it doesn't reward Blu-ray fans to the extent that some sets do.

Also, whites and colours aren't as punchy as the class leaders, leaving this scene looking more overcast than it should, while blacks aren't as deep as they could be.

Fares far better with standard-def
What is impressive is the colour balance, which is neutral without being clinical, and means the skin tones in the Ghost Town DVD are recreated in realistic fashion.

In fact, the JVC claws back some ground with standard-definition material. Here, it digs up plenty of detail, while also impressively avoiding instability. True, blacks are still rather all-consuming, and punch could be better, but the natural picture is very pleasant.

Although that impressive sharpness doesn't entirely convey to the Freeview tuner, the natural colour balance and excellent stability does, and other than a slightly unhelpful EPG, using the JVC for watching TV is a fine experience, even if sound delivery is a bit bright.

The problem is the price: it may look like a premium product, but the JVC performs more like a cheaper contender, and that's what relegates this TV to mid-table mediocrity.