In the competitive field of HDTVs, JVC's AV-56P776 is well configured to appeal to buyers' sensibilities. The silver cabinet is unusually attractive, with a door below the screen to keep front inputs and controls hidden.

This 56-inch CRT rear-projection HDTV has a built-in ATSC/QAM tuner, potentially eliminating the need for any additional set-top boxes to receive high-definition content over the air or from a cable provider.

All incoming programming formats are displayed at 1,080i, and images look sharp and clear whether viewing standard TV, progressive scan DVD, or HDTV. A 3-D Y/C digital comb filter eliminates rainbow effects and dot crawl, and picture sharpness can be further enhanced using selectable velocity scan modulation. Since it is CRT-based, convergence is necessary from time to time, and the AV-56P776 offers both automatic convergence and a manual 81-point system.

Movies are adapted for TV viewing through automatic 3:2 pulldown conversion, which ensures smooth motion even in fast action scenes. The AV-56P776 has only a single tuner, and it offers no PIP functions even with the addition of a second video source. There are five video presets for movies, video games, and other types of content, as well as six aspect modes.

The AV-56P776's front-firing speakers produce only 20 total watts of output, but the audio sounds clear and full. Simulated surround sound is by now a standard option on large-screen TVs, and it is included here. The jack pack is well configured for adding multiple components, with four composite video inputs (one on the front panel), three S-video inputs (one front), two component video inputs, an RF input, and an HDMI input. A fixed audio output makes it possible to turn off the internal speakers and use a separate, more advanced stereo for the sound.

Convenience features are fairly standard. The universal remote is easy to handle, and it includes DVD and VCR controls. When viewed against the competition, the JVC AV-56P776 is a moderately priced and solid-performing HDTV that gets the job done without being too flashy.

Warranty
1 year