JVC HD-58S998 RPTV

Rear-projection televisions are fighting for survival. Buyers nowadays usually prefer slim and compact televisions rather than bulky sets. The only thing that is still keeping them in the market is that big-screen flat-panel televisions still cost a few hundred dollars more. Now, as major companies are trying to go for slimmer RPTV versions, some semblance of life is poured onto this model’s precarious hold on existence.

JVC’s 58-inch HD-58S998 is the skinniest RPTV you will see in the market today. Seeing the HD-58S998 for the first time will give you a sense of amazement. You won’t even realize that there is a lamp and a mirror and all of the other projection accoutrements packed into its 10.75-inch-deep cabinet.

But with its size comes the sacrifice. Given the televisions size, it has a hard time maintaining a straight horizontal line across the screen; both the left side and the right. It bows slightly upward which becomes especially obvious when the set displays program grids, tickers, or other graphic elements.

When it comes to design however,the JVC HD-58S998 is exceptional. It looks so much like a sleek, modern day HDTV. The bezel along the top and sides of the screen’s edge measures a mere 1/3 of an inch wide. The slimness of this set allows it to occupy just 51.5 inches of width. The area below the screen is significantly chunkier and glossy black, interrupted only by a big JVC logo and a cool-looking power indicator that can be disabled.

The HD-58S998 is probably as compact as any 58-inch RPTV could be, measuring 51.5×37.9×10.8 inches, and weighing a feathery 115 pounds. From the side, the HD-58S998 looks more like a flat-panel TV than a rear-projection set.

A native resolution of 1,920×1,080 pixels kicks off the HD-58S998’s feature set. All those pixels allow its LCoS chips to resolve every detail of 1080i and 1080p sources. However, JVC offers very few picture tweaks for this set.

Furthermore, the HD-58S998 has a side-mounted input panel the includes standard connection choices. Inputs 1 and 2 are dedicated to HDMI ports; Input 3 offers component video, S-Video or composite video; Input 4 a choice of component or composite video; and Input 5 (located on the front panel) a choice between VGA-style computer and composite video. Unfortunately, the PC input is limited to just 1,024×768 resolution.

As mentioned, the JVC HD-58S998 suffered some geometric errors. But other than that, the set gives out a fairly good performance. What stands out is the set’s picture quality, including its solid black-level performance and relatively accurate color. In dark scenes, the JVC more than held its own against the competition. Its relatively accurate grayscale kept skin tones looking natural.

Brightness and color uniformity across the screen, were excellent. Looking at flat gray fields, you won’t see noticeable discoloration from one part of the screen to another, and brightness drop-off from the middle of the screen to the edges are average for a rear-projection HDTV.

Sources:
http://www.presentationtek.com
http://www.avguide.com
http://products.howstuffworks.com