JVC plays things pretty low-key for a TV company, releasing only a handful of new LCD models annually. Of these, the high-end Procision sets are the ones we at Sound & Vision look out for, since they feature the company's Clear Motion Drive 120-Hz display technology, now in its third generation. The last JVC LCD that I reviewed, the LT-47X898, impressed me with its clean video processing and upconversion - something I couldn't say about all the other 120-Hz models I'd evaluated up to that point. Naturally, I was curious to see how the company's latest 47-incher, the LT-47X899, would check out.

With a 5-inch front-to-back panel depth and a 11?2-inch-thick bezel, the LT-47X899 isn't as slim or sexy as some of the other supermodel-thin LCDs I've had my hands on recently. Still, the JVC's got an appealing look, with a gloss-black bezel and base, as well as a bottom-mounted speaker bar that angles in slightly at the edges. Along with its 120-Hz display, the TV uses an IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel to maximize the viewing angle for anybody sitting way off to one side of the couch. And its all-new onscreen menu is a huge improvement over the archaic one featured in previous JVC TVs.

The set's input array includes three HDMI 1.3 and two component-video connections. You also get an RS-232C port (for hookup to a home-control system), as well as RGB PC and USB ports. Strangely, the latter are tucked away on the set's back, making it a hassle to connect a laptop computer or USB mass-storage device for viewing digital photos.

The set's remote control has a fully backlit keypad, and the buttons on its surface are large, clearly labeled, and laid out in a clean, simple arrangement. Yet another remote-control highlight is a full set of direct-input buttons, which lets you quickly switch sources without having to sort through an onscreen menu.

Pressing the Aspect button allows you to toggle through the set's display modes. When watching high-def programs, you can choose Full, Full Native (displays a 1080i/p image pixel-for-pixel with no overscan), Panorama (picture zoom with horizontal stretch), and Cinema Zoom (picture zoom with no stretch).

SETUP

Settings for the JVC's six Video Status modes (picture presets) can be tweaked to taste, and the set stores your changes. (Adjustments can be made independently for both standard and high-def signals.) In addition to basic picture settings, you get the option of adjusting the TV's variable backlight for each mode, as well as activating Dynamic Gamma (automatically adjusts gamma to optimize shadow detail in dark scenes) and Smart Sensor (automatically adjusts picture brightness according to the room's ambient light level). One drawback is that any adjustments you make are global; the set's Video Status modes can't be tweaked separately for each input.

With either the Theater or Custom 1 and 2 presets active, you get a range of additional picture settings to play with. These include Horizontal and Vertical Sharpness, Color Temperature, and an extensive set of Color Management settings to tweak the tint and saturation levels independently for red, green, blue, yellow, and cyan. Using the advanced color-temperature adjustments in the Theater Pro II submenu, I was able to get the TV's Low color-temperature preset to pretty accurately track the 6,500-K standard in Theater mode (see Test Bench). But the Color Management adjustments, which get almost no explanation in the owner's manual, proved more difficult to work with. However, a high level of interactivity between the various Color Management settings ultimately made them more frustrating than helpful, and I only ended up using them to slightly tone down saturation for the color red.