TechRadar Verdict
An outstanding LCD screen that's worth every penny
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Even by the generally high standards witnessed in this group, the 32DS6BJ's design is a cut above, with contemporary looks sure to enhance any modern living space.
Connectivity is good. There's a digital video HDMI connector, component inputs, two Scarts and an analogue PC jack. It's also worth noting that there's a CAM slot for adding TopUp TV to the TV's built-in digital tuner.
This JVC feels cutting edge from the get go, courtesy of its Freeview 7-day electronic programme guide.
The screen also uses the brand's full 'DynaPix' picture processing facilities. This incorporates the proprietary Digital Image Scaling Technology (DIST) for improving the picture's detail and colour reproduction, as well as Super DigiPure, which controls the set's contrast and gamma performance.
When it comes to bragging rights, JVC claims a contrast of 1000:1, a response time of just 7ms, and an HD Ready native resolution of 1366 x 768. In our real world lab tests this corporate optimism was rewarded with a genuine contrast ratio of 910:1. A fantastic performance
The 32DS6BJ enjoys above average black levels which help the picture look layered, solid and involving.
The 32DS6BJ's pictures can be considered excellent. A run-through of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory shows the JVC's mettle with dazzling colours - it renders the Chocolate River cavern sequence good enough to eat. Even better, JVC's latest colour processing technology ensures that it's not just the riotously bright stuff that looks good; subtle skin tones also appear impressively natural.
Out of the box, the image is overwarm, but after calibration we achieved 6200K, which is near reference standard.
The DIST system is clearly evident in the extreme sharpness and detailing in the 32DS6BJ's standard definition pictures - it's taken a time for JVC to perfect its picture algorithms, but now it's rivalling those of Philips' Pixel Plus for clarity. Unlike earlier versions of DIST, this latest incarnation goes about its resolution-enhancing work without throwing up undesirable processing artefacts. It also seems to harmonise well with pure HD sources (which all look little short of spectacular).
Image lag is minimal. Even fastmoving footage like a Premiership football match remains largely free of common motion smearing problems.
On the debit side, the TV can exaggerate noise inherent to the secondary analogue tuner and some weaker digital TV sources. But the effect is slight.
Sound quality is better than expected, as the feeble-looking speakers under the TV's screen somehow turn out a relatively broad soundstage. There's not much bass or treble extension, but the result is at least clean and open.
There's almost certainly more to be seen from JVC's image processing algorithms, but the technology is already achieving fine results. This is an outstanding LCD screen. John Archer
