Amtran held a press event earlier this week in New York City to unveil the final production version of JVC's first 85-inch 4K UHDTV. Featuring a direct LED backlight and 64 zones of local dimming, the JVC-TV Diamond Series Ultra HD 85-inch DM85UXR will sell for $7999 (MSRP) at a variety of regional and online retailers in the United States. It will begin shipping in January, 2015.
As a 4K UHDTV, the DM-85UXR offers four times the resolution of a 1080p HDTV with 3840x2160 pixel native resolution on its backlit LCD panel. Four of the set's five HDMI inputs support 4K native input, with HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. The fifth HDMI input supports 1080p HD input and offers MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) capabilities. For internet apps and streaming, the set comes bundled with a Roku Streaming Stick. This plugs into that aforementioned MHL-compliant HDMI input on the back. The TV's remote control operates the Roku stick directly without the need for a separate remote.
Roku's Streaming Stick gives the set access to a best-of-breed streaming platform with literally hundreds of different audio and video streaming providers and apps. This includes all the most popular services such as Netflix, VUDU, Amazon, Hulu+, YouTube, HBO Go, and many more. But this approach does limit the streaming content to 1080p High Definition resolution. The set upconverts all standard def and hgh def content to the panel's native Ultra HD resolution using JVC-TV's UHD Upscaling technology. We saw a demo of this using 1080p Blu-ray content ("The Dark Knight Rises") and the results were encouraging. The set's native 10-bit LCD panel and local dimming exhibited deep blacks and nicely saturated colors.
Drew Pragliola, Amtran's SVP of Sales and Marketing, told us that native 4K-compatible apps could be added to the set in the future as demand dictates and as more 4K content becomes available. The 85UXR is internet and home network-enabled thanks to an RJ45 Ethernet port and built in WiFi networking. The set includes a built-in Web browser and a handy double-sided remote control with a full QWERTY keypad on the back to make searching for web sites or content that much simpler. Also, if companies such as Roku release a native 4K Ultra HD streaming box (hint: they're going to do this soon), this type of device could be connected to any of the set's 4K-compatible HDMI inputs.
Fairly uncommon on any TV, the 85UXR features Dolby Digital 5.1 pass-through over the set's fiberoptic digital output. This makes connection of an external surround sound system or soundbar simpler as it can pass true 5.1-channel sound from a connected source (like a cable box, satellite receiver or Blu-ray player) through the TV to the audio system. But many users may not feel the need for this due to the built-in 60 watt (15 watts X 4) XinemaSound 3D system. A total of four speakers with rear- and downward-firing drivers located behind the screen create better sound than we've heard from most flat panel TVs without any visible speakers.
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