JVC Fire TV 65'' Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV with FreeviewPlay

Product Information

So when you see a smart, 4K, HDR Bush TV in your local Argos or Sainsburys – just like a Samsung but for half the price – it's easy to be tempted.

Toshiba’s UK QF5D Series is its most interesting, most premium line of TV that brings QLED technology to the table for the first time for Toshiba UK TVs. These TVs come in a variety of sizes, support 4K, smarts courtesy of Toshiba’s own OS, and a range of HDR and audio technologies. And for Toshiba’s most expensive UK TV, it’s not much more expensive than the UF3D. Once you’re into the Fire TV interface proper, you’re faced with a familiar set of tiles offering apps, recently watched programmes and suggestions of things you might want to watch. In addition to the usual suspects, you’ll also notice tiles for the TV’s various HDMI inputs and terrestrial TV tuner. These inputs are treated just like apps or watched programmes, so if you regularly use the HDMI 4 port, for instance, then that gets pole position in your recently watched list.The price of store-brand TVs may certainly be tempting, as may what appear to be a wide range of features that, on paper at least, make them a match for the best Samsung and LG have to offer. The Omni QLED may not have the best picture on the market, but considering its price range, I was surprised with just how detailed and vivid its picture was and how well it punches above its weight. As you might expect, these TVs scale up in terms of features and price. However, outside of the QF5D Series, you’ll be getting LCD panels, and across all of Toshiba’s UK TVs you’ll get smart functionality.

In terms of menus, the main Fire TV menu is easy enough to navigate through but changing settings such as picture mode, input and so on is not as easy compared to other smart TV platforms. To access these settings, you have to hold down the home button rather than a settings button, which definitely slows down the process. The LK3C Series is Toshiba UK’s most basic line of 2023 TV. It comes in two sizes, 32-inch and 43-inch, and is a 1080p HD line, not a 4K one. It does come with smarts courtesy of Toshiba itself with its own OS that’ll let you stream whatever content you’d like across a plethora of different services. Plus, you can even watch TikToks on your LK3C TV. With Game mode switched on, the Omni QLED processed intense moments well. Switching between targets and motion processing felt smooth, with changes from sections of calm into action feeling seamless. This is in part thanks to the Omni QLED's very low input lag time. Using the Leo Bodnar 4K input lag tester, the Omni QLED yielded a result of 10.4ms, which is an excellent result for a TV at this price and even rivals some of the best 120Hz TVs.

The JVC fared a little better than expected in our testing. In SDR mode, its default Standard picture preset puts out a maximum brightness of around 369cd/m² and achieves a very respectable contrast ratio of 5,329:1 even with all the contrast– and colour-enhancing features turned off. Fire up HDR mode, and peak brightness increases to 400cd/m² while contrast remains high at 5,358:1.

When measuring the Delta-E values (the margin of error between an accurate test pattern source and what’s shown on screen), we typically look for the average result to be under 3, since this is considered indistinguishable from perfect to most people. When measuring grayscale results (to test how it handles different levels of darkness) in Movie Dark mode, the result was 4.3, so a little disappointing – but this is somewhat expected with an LED screen. However, in terms of color accuracy, the Omni QLED’s Delta-E average was 1.99, which is an excellent result especially for a TV at this level. It’s worth noting adjustments in picture can be made to improve those numbers, but these were the out-of-the-box results. The biggest issues with the JVC, however, are that it struggles with both motion and upscaling – two key performance elements of any self-respecting 4K TV. I didn’t expect much given the 60Hz refresh rate, but the panel’s slow response time is painfully obvious. It’s not too noticeable in brighter scenes, but detail and colours are smudged by horrible blur in darker moments. Similarly, while images look crisp in 4K when the camera is moving slowly, fast action and sports shows up the panel’s limitations, with detail becoming flattened and indistinct.

Wall brackets

This is a modern set with competitive features for the budget side of the TV market in 2023, more so than the V35 Series at any rate, so if you’re looking for a set you can use to stream all the 4K/HDR content you can imagine without spending an arm and a leg, the C350 Series from Toshiba can get you there. As the JVC employs a VA-type LCD panel, it has a familiar set of pros and cons. Viewed head-on, it supplies a surprisingly vivid, high-contrast image. Move even slightly away from head-on, however, and the contrast and colours fade away rapidly; the viewing angles are narrow at best. As a result, wall-mounting it above eye-level is a no-no, and you’ll want to be seated directly in front wherever possible, which may be awkward in many living rooms.

It's been a while since we've tested these TVs and this is largely because the models don't stay on sale for very long and we prioritise testing hundreds of TVs from more well known brands that are more widely available. The average scores in the table are across several years of testing, but we haven't tested any store brand TVs since 2018. The TV comes in three sizes – 40in, 49in and 55in – and all three have support for the HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats. That means you should be able to enjoy streaming HDR content from any of the main providers, with the added bonus that you’ll get the best results on any streaming service with Dolby Vision support, which currently includes Disney+ and Netflix.All of Toshiba UK’s 2023 TVs are 60Hz TVs, while each line also supports HDR10, and the QF5D Series and UF3D Series support Dolby Vision, too, as well as the TRU Picture Engine that offers up motion smoothing, upscaling, and more. Our testing has shown us that a long list of features doesn't necessarily make a good TV. A screen capable of displaying 4K resolution may be terrible at showing HD content. At the end of the day, these store-brand TVs are the cheapest on the market, but even if you're on a tight budget don't discount TVs from the bigger brands. LG, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic all have their own budget sets, especially if you go for a TV released the previous year. The remote supplied with the Omni QLED is the Fire TV Alexa remote. Slim and small in nature, the remote is compact and feels light. Simply by pushing the blue button at the top, you can access Alexa voice control if you don’t wish to use the hands-free option.