Tour & Design

From the front the JVC LT-42J300 looks very similar to the JVC's other HDTVs. There is a glossy black bezel surrounding the 42-inch display. Beneath the bezel are the two speakers. Unlike JVC's iPod compatible HDTVs, however, you won't find an iPod dock in between the speakers, although you do still get a nice blue glowy thing there.

On the front there is no iPod dock towards the bottom

**Back**

We weren't able to take a shot of the JVC LT-42J300's back, but you will find all of the ports there.

**Sides**

The right side of the JVC LT-42J300 is featurless, but on the left side of the HDTV you will find the on-TV controls and the USB port near the bottom.

On the left are the controls

**Stand/Mount**

The JVC LT-42J300's stand looks just like every other JVC stand we've seen. That means it's wide enough to give a stable base, has a glossy black finish and, unfortunately, doesn't swivel.

The stand has been slightly redesigned to reduce the profile

**Aesthetics**

The JVC LT-42J300's isn't an ugly HDTV, but it's not particularly attractive either. It's the kind of TV that willl fade into your decor, and that's exactly what many people want out of their HDTV.

Performance Features

Display Size & Technology

The JVC LT-42J300 uses LCD technology and has a 42-inch display. This series will also be available in 32, 42 and 52-inch sizes. All but the 52-incher will be available in March with that last being available in August.

42-inches and a full 1080p resolution

Format & Resolution

The JVC LT-42J300 sports a full 1080p resolution, meaning it can handle the highest quality of HD content. In terms of pixels the resolution if 1920 x 1080 and the aspect ratio is the standard 16:9.

Brightness, Blacks & Contrast Ratio

JVC has not provided any information about the peak brightness, black level or contrast ratio of the LT-42J300. Looks like we'll have to wait to get it into our labs before we can share that information with you.

Refresh Rate & Motion

Unlike their higher end models the JVC LT-42J300 sports a standard refresh rate of 60hz. In older JVC models with this refresh rate we've seen some issues with motion, it will be interesting to see how the LT-42J300 handles itself when we get it in. On the floor we didn't notice any major problems with motion.

Viewing Angle

We were impressed with the viewing angle we saw from the JVC LT-42J300. When we looked at it on the floor we didn't notice any significant fading of blacks as we moved through viewing angles. LCDs traditionally tend towards the poorer with viewing angles so we'll definitely want to confirm this in the lab when we do our full review on the LT-42J300.

Color

On the floor the JVC LT-42J300's seemed a bit over-saturated. This could be for any number of reasons, however, and we won't know for sure how well it performs in terms of color until we can test one objectively. We did notice that colors seemd to hold up well across viewing angles, however.

Connectivity & Media

Audio & Video Ports

Almost all of the HDTVs we saw from JVC at CES had identical sets of ports. This means the JVC LT-42J300 has three HDMI ports, antenna/cable input, a VGA port, three analog audio inputs, two composite video inputs, two component video inputs, an S-Video port, optical audio out and analog audio out. These are all found on the back of the television.

All the ports are found on the back

Media & Other Connectivity

Although the JVC LT-42J300 lacks the iPod dock that is available on other JVC models you can play back music or view photos from USB devices using the built-in port on the left side of the HDTV.

Placement

All the ports on the JVC LT-42J300 are located on the back, towards the right when viewing it from that angle. Although not quite as difficult to reach as ports that are located right in the middle of the back, the placement isn't particularly convenient. It would have been nice to see some ports on the sides as well for quickly plugging in a camcorder or gaming device. A non-swiveling stand doesn't help matters.

Audio

The JVC LT-42J300 has two speakers located beneath the bezel on the front.

Controls, Menu & Remote

Remote

We weren't able to see the JVC LT-42J300's remote.

Controls

All of the on-TV controls are found on the left side of the television. From top to bottom you'll find Input, Menu, Channel +/-, Volume +/- and Power.

Control buttons are found on the left

Menu

We weren't able to access the JVC LT-42J300's menu system.

Conclusion

The JVC LT-42J300 is the plain jane of JVC's new lineup this year. Lacking in fancy new features like 120Hz motion or even the integrated iPod dock that we've seen from JVC before. What you do get is a full 1080p resolution with a good selection of ports. We also hope that the LT-42J300 gives you a price break compared to its more tricked out cousins, but at this point we don't have pricing information.