Huge TVs like the JVC HD-70FN97 70-inch HD-ILA rear-projection HDTV have always struck me as a strange way to get a really big picture in your living room. I mean, why not just buy a front projector and enjoy an even larger image — a point that's more relevant now that several front pros offer the same 1080p picture as JVC's 70-incher for around the same price? But many people want both a big picture and the ability to watch it in a bright room — options that RPTVs like this one readily deliver.

If you do happen to be on the lookout for an RPTV, you'd do well to check out one that's fueled by HD-ILA — JVC's version of LCoS (liquid crystal on silicon) technology. The HD-70FN97's three HD-ILA display chips — one each for the red, green, and blue colors that combine to make up a video image — ensure that you won't encounter the color-wheel "rainbow" artifacts associated with most sets that use competing DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology. And this TV's ultrafine 1080p picture means that it's free of the "screen door" effect that can sometimes appear when images get blown up large. JVC also equips the HD-70FN97 with a manual iris setting to help you get deep blacks, as well as a TheaterPro 6500K mode that delivers accurate color out of the box — both valuable features.

For an oversize RPTV, the JVC has an understated look. Bottom-mounted speakers and a thin black bezel serve to heighten its sleek appearance, and cabinet depth measures only 20 inches — surprisingly slim. I also appreciated JVC's matching stand ($550), a sturdy gloss-black piece with glass doors and component storage. The TV's front panel is clean save for a power button and LED; some basic controls and a convenience A/V input with composite-video and stereo audio connections are located on the side.

Around back, JVC equipped the HD-70FN97 with nearly every type of connector you could want. Along with a pair each of HDMI and component-video jacks, there are VGA and FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE-1394 or i.Link) connections and a CableCARD slot for tuning encrypted digital cable channels without a set-top box.

The set's remote is backlit but bulky, and required study to find important buttons. An Input button toggles through the set's connections; there's no option to bypass any input, however, and the TV was painfully slow to switch them. Pressing the Aspect button selects screen modes; along with widescreen 16:9 and regular 4:3 there's a range of zoom and stretch options, most selectable for both standard- and high-def programs.

The Short Form

Price $4,200 (AS TESTED; $5,800 LIST) / jvc.com / 800-526-5308

Snapshot

JVC's biggest-screen rear projector offers very good picture quality at a truly competitive price.

Plus

•Crisp 1080p picture •TheaterPro mode delivers vivid, natural color •Solid black levels and shadow detail •Very good off-center picture uniformity

Minus

•Screen grain obvious on bright scenes •No picture memory for individual inputs •So-so remote and menu system

Key Features

•HD-ILA (LCoS) rear-projection TV •1,920 x 1,080 resolution •Manual iris control •Accepts native 1080p signals via HDMI •Built-in HDTV tuner and CableCARD slot •Inputs: 2 HDMI, VGA, 2 component-video, 3 composite-video, and 2 S-video; CableCARD; 2 RF antenna (analog and digital); 4 stereo audio; center-channel audio; side-panel input with composite-video and stereo audio •Outputs: 2 FireWire (a.k.a. IEEE-1394 or i.Link); optical digital; composite- and S-video with stereo audio; stereo audio •64.1 x 46 x 20.5 in; 157 lb

Test Bench

With the JVC's TheaterPro D6500K Mode selected, its grayscale measured very close to the 6,500 K standard. After adjustment, grayscale tracking was ±200 K from 20 to 100 IRE — very good performance. Color decoder error measured —20% green on the HDMI input, zero on component-video. Red and blue color points were very accurate. Green, in contrast, looked oversaturated and slightly yellow. Overscan measured 4% for HDMI and 3% for the component-video inputs. Both 1080i/720p test patterns were fully resolved via HDMI and component video. Picture uniformity was generally good, especially during off-axis viewing. A slight yellowish tint showed up on full-field gray test patterns and black-and-white movies but was undetectable on color programs. Full Lab Results

SETUP JVC gives you four picture presets on the HD-70FN97: Standard, Dynamic, Theater, and Game. The settings for each can be custom-adjusted for both standard and high-def signals (a progressive-scan DVD player and high-def cable box, for example), and the set remembers your changes. Unlike most HDTVs, however, the JVC won't remember adjustments for each video input. Basically, this means you have to remember which preset — Theater, Standard, or whatever — you customized for a specific input, and then select it every time you switch inputs on the TV , which is a definite hassle. I found the combination of Theater mode and Low color temperature delivered the most accurate color balance.

PICTURE QUALITY The JVC did a very good job displaying reference-quality discs such as an HD DVD of the movie musical The Phantom of the Opera. The ornate beadwork of the actors' costumes in the early rehearsal scenes came through crisply on the set's 1080p screen, and I could also see fine details in the background sets. Another thing that the JVC did very well was reveal the rich, vivid colors in this scene and others from Phantom. Close-ups of the actors' faces, meanwhile, showed the set capable of displaying a range of subtle hues, from the pearly white countenance of Christine (Emmy Rossum) to the flushed mugs of the production managers milling about onstage.

Four Brothers, another fine-looking HD DVD, showed off the set's ability to deliver deep, inky blacks. Watching the gloomy funeral scene where the now-grown kids gather to honor their late foster mom, I could see plenty of detail in the dark winter jackets worn by the mourners. And wide shots revealing the cemetery's snowy surroundings displayed punchy contrast, with a range of subtle white tones. But one problem that bugged me in these shots was the stationary "grain" texture added by the set's screen. This was also evident in snowy shots from Arctic Mission, a high-def documentary on Discovery Channel; the mostly white picture actually looked kind of fuzzy on the JVC (although this was less of a problem on regular images with a balance of dark and light content). Projection-screen grain is common to some degree in all rear projectors, but it was more obvious on the JVC than on some others I've seen.

Standard-def DVDs also looked good on the JVC, the set's upconverted picture looked solid and reasonably clean with the Natural Cinema and Digital VNR (video noise reduction) settings locked in the Auto position. (Pushing Digital VNR to Max shaved some detail off the picture, however.) And the set had excellent off-axis uniformity, which means that you'll be able to watch it from an off-center seat and still see a clear picture with no color shifts or loss of contrast.

BOTTOM LINE The JVC HD-70FN97 70-inch HD-ILA rear-projection HDTV should be an easy choice for someone looking for a big picture without submitting to a video front projector's crypt-like environmental requirements. It delivers a bright, satisfying 1080p picture and, in its TheaterPro setting, colors look rich and natural right out of the box. The main drawback was the grainy texture of the set's screen — something that you see to a greater or lesser extent on many rear-projection TVs. But given the JVC's $4,200 street price — a full $800 less than the least expensive 1080p LCoS front projector we've seen — this set's many positives tend to outweigh that one negative.

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