We needed a new TV set for the kitchen, and a 19″ one was the right size. I looked at a number of 19″-class sets at local big box stores. All of them underwhelmed me. None seemed to have the picture quality I would have expected, even at lesser prices than this JVC HDTV set.

I’ve worked professionally in the video business for a number of years, and understood through experience that many JVC video products (especially monitors) represented solid value for money. So, after shopping a bit on Amazon, I pulled the trigger and bought one of these HDTV sets without having seen it in a store.

This set is a solid performer. The set I received had been manufactured about six months prior to my purchase. The video “look” out of the box was not too contrasty, and had excellent color saturation. HD signals looked as well as they do in a network affiliate master control room. Setup was straightforward, the instruction book is adequate, and there’s enough inputs on the set to satisfy me. I have not yet tested this set with an antenna, so I can’t speak to how well the tuner works with OTA signals. The speakers are only average, but in this class set and price point, I wasn’t expecting more.

Overall, some careful shopping will get one this set at the same price one would pay for a lesser quality set at a big box store. This HDTV by JVC continues that company’s tendency to produce solid quality video products at a fair price. Whether they will continue to do so after the Kenwood merger remains to be seen.