JVC Slim LCD Sets Just Hiding Their Gut

JVC’s new LCD sets are just 1.5 inches thick – in some places.

Like Hitachi and LG-Philips, the company has succeeded in making the LCD module itself much thinner.

But a TV is more than just a panel. It also has a power supply, dozens of processors, a TV tuner (in many cases) and other odds and ends that make up the guts of the TV.

And like a middle-aged office worker with a thing for donuts, JVC’s gut hangs out in the middle: The TV thickness roughly doubles on the back of the set to accommodate all those components. So we’re more impressed with Hitachi, which redesigned its power supply and rearranged other components to get the entire set down to 1.5 inches.

Not that we’d toss the JVC out of our bedroom—or living room, rumpus room, or dorm room. It’s still sleek compared to most other LCDs out there, and JVC is known for fine picture quality.

And if you’re hanging it on the wall, JVC has designed a cool motorized mount that works around the TV’s potbelly to get the set pretty close to flush.—Sean Captain

Want more? Check out our entire CES 2008 coverage here.