Most projector manufacturers refresh their product lines every fall like clockwork, but JVC opted to sit things out for 2014. The main reason (I suspect) was the state of flux surrounding the HDMI standard, which at that point was evolving to a new 18-gigabit-persecond version designed to accommodate a full range of 4K/Ultra HD bells and whistles, including 60-hertz frame rate, 4:4:4 color sampling, and high dynamic range.
Released at the tail end of last year, the DLA-X550R ($3,999) is the entry-level model in JVC’s 2015-16 lineup. Along with having the latest and greatest HDMI connections (HDMI 2.0a), it has a 265-watt high-power lamp and new D-ILA (JVC’s moniker for LCOS) imaging devices that let the projector beam 30 percent brighter images than its predecessor, the DLA-X500R. While those D-ILA chips are technically specified as having 1080p resolution, JVC’s e-shift4 technology enables the DLA-X550R and other JVC projectors to deliver what the company calls “4K precision” images. The projector can actually accept a true 4K source (and upconverts lesser sources to 4K). It then divides the true or upconverted 4K source into two separate arrays of subpixels, displaying one array first on its 1080p imaging chips, then displaying the second array a fraction of a second later by shifting it diagonally on the D-ILA device to boost apparent resolution to 3840x2160. JVC projectors with e-shift are a different animal than projectors containing imaging chips with an actual 4K pixel count. As JVC explains it, the data in the original 4K signal is split into two frames, each with different pixels. The projector runs at double speed, displaying each frame sequentially, with the second frame shifed horizontally and vertically by one half pixel. The temporal delay is so short that the eye’s persistence of vision blends the two subpixel arrays together. The process also serves to minimize the visible pixels you’d otherwise see from a 1080p projector when you’re sitting close to the screen.
The DLA-X550R is compatible with HDR10 high dynamic range content. (It won’t support Dolby Vision because, JVC points out, there is currently no Dolby Vision specification for projectors, only flat-panel TVs.) When it recognizes HDR10 via its HDMI 2.0a inputs, the projector should (among other things) automatically select its “D” gamma preset to reproduce the SMPTE 2084 gamma curve associated with HDR.
This projector is also 3D ready: All you need to add is JVC’s optional RF active-shutter 3D glasses ($180) and RF 3D emitter ($100). Like its predecessor, it features an Intelligent Lens Aperture setting to dynamically adjust contrast ratio. There’s also a fixed manual mode for the iris, but even it its automatic seting the aperture can be set for a specific maximum brightness level.
The JVC has a boxy, basic, black look. Sure, I’ve seen other models with a prettier design, but then again, a projector is meant to be installed near the ceiling at the back of your room, where you don’t see it. Not surprising for an entry-level model, the DLA-X550R lacks the motorized lens cover found on the company’s pricier projectors, though it does have motorized zoom, focus, and lens-shift controls. Connections on the back panel include a pair of HDMI inputs, LAN and RS-232C ports for hooking up to control systems, a trigger output, and a 3D sync jack for the optional RF 3D emitter.
The remote control is compact and has a fully backlit keypad with a well-placed Light button—at thumb-level when you grab the handset. Direct input buttons are provided, along with buttons to directly select Lens Memory (a feature used for easy switching between 2.35:1 and 16:9 images on a 2.35:1 screen) and the projector’s three preset and three user-defined picture modes. Other controls allow you to easily switch Gamma presets and Lens Aperture modes, as well as tweak the Multi Pixel Control (MPC) image enhancement settings on the fly.
Setup
I placed the DLA-X550R on a high shelf at the back of my theater room, approximately 12.5 feet from a 90-inch-diagonal, 1.1-gain Stewart Filmscreen Cima Neve screen. Pressing the Lens Control button on JVC’s remote lets you switch between the focus, zoom, and lens-shift modes, each of which has its own internal test pattern. While I left e-shift switched on for most of my viewing, I was glad to discover that it could also be shut off. This helped with focus, since e-shift’s pixel-eliminating magic made it otherwise difficult to tweak that setting.
The DLA-X550R lacks the THX picture modes featured on step-up models in JVC’s projector line. However, out-of-the-box image quality was mostly accurate with the Cinema mode selected. The main thing that required tweaking was Gamma, a parameter that could be tweaked with a high level of control using a Custom Gamma menu with White, Red, Green, and Blue adjustments that feature sliders for dark and bright levels.
Although the projector’s measured grayscale and color points were within acceptable range, I used the RGB Gain and Offset sliders in the Color Temperature menu and the color management system controls in the Color Profile menu to make minor adjustments. JVC’s 6-Axis Color Management System—a new feature making its debut in the current lineup—made it easy to fine-tune color settings by providing Axis Position, Hue, Saturation, and Brightness controls for primary and secondary colors.
It’s not exactly a brightness monster, but the DLA-X550R is capable of substantially higher light output than its predecessor. I measured 56 foot-lamberts in Anime mode with High lamp power selected and the iris fully open in Manual Lens Aperture mode. Along with the manual iris and lamp power adjustments, options for tweaking the JVC’s contrast include Clear Black, which I left set to Low. The Auto 1 Lens Aperture setting also helped the projector maintain solid image contrast without adding any unwanted iris pumping effects.
The JVC’s Blur Reduction menu lets you switch on its Clear Motion Drive and Motion Enhance features. When I set Clear Motion Drive to High, there was a significant boost in motion resolution on test patterns, but it also gave film-based programs an unnatural video-like look. The Low setting, on the other hand, also helped to boost motion resolution without altering the look of film-based programs.
The MPC (Multiple Pixel Control) menu provides controls to switch the projector’s e-shift feature on and off. As I mentioned above, I left e-shift switched on for most of my viewing, mostly because it didn’t detract in any way from the projector’s performance. The MPC menu also provides Enhance, Dynamic Contrast, Smoothing, and Noise Reduction adjustments. When used in moderation, those setings helped quite a bit to optimize picture clarity and crispness on 1080p source material.
2D Performance
It happened that the JVC’s arrival at my place was timed perfectly with Criterion’s new Mulholland Drive Blu-ray release landing in my mailbox. When I watched a nighttime scene early on where Rita wanders away from the site of a car crash and down into a ravine, blacks had very good depth. In a cutaway shot of the city of Los Angeles, lights of the sprawling cityscape looked punchy and bright, while black levels remained solid.
Color accuracy also turned out to be a highlight of the DLA-X550R’s performance. In a later scene where Betty arrives at her aunt’s place for an extended visit, the plants and pottery in the apartment were characterized by natural, earthy hues. Brighter colors—such as the red of Betty’s sweater and an inexplicable bowl of red peppers sitting on the kitchen table (this is a David Lynch film, after all)—came across as bold without being overly saturated. The JVC’s excellent color handling also allowed Betty’s slightly pinkish complexion and Rita’s paler one to come through with a high level of differentiation. The only complaint I had when watching Blu-rays was minor: a slightly enhanced look that flattened highlight detail to a degree, though it wasn’t a serious issue with most discs.
The JVC’s MPC adjustments helped significantly to improve the look of streamed content from Amazon Instant Video and Netflix. When I streamed an episode of BBC’s Planet Earth showing male emperor penguins huddling together to shield against the punishing wind and –70-degree temperature, the settings in the MPC menu helped to make the picture look much cleaner and more solid on the big screen. I wouldn’t say it was Blu-ray quality, but it was definitely Blu-ray-like.
As noted, one of the DLA-X550R’s benefits is that, despite being a native 1080p projector, it can accept 4K sources. To test the projector’s 4K performance, I picked up a Roku 4 and browsed the selections listed in its Ultra HD showcase. Settling on a Vudu stream of Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I pressed Play and hoped my high-speed Internet connection was high-speed enough to pull off 4K streaming. Turned out I had nothing to fear: The movie streamed to the projector without a hiccup, and picture quality looked even better than Blu-ray on the big screen. The image was crisp and detailed. Contrast was punchy, and there was a solidity to the picture that I’m not used to seeing with streamed video.
Unfortunately, the only compatible HDR10 content available during my audition was a test clip on a USB drive, but without a USB port on the projector, there was no way to play it. Our HDR auditions of this and other projectors will begin soon with UHD Blu-ray.
3D Performance
The JVC’s performance with 3D sources was for the most part enjoyable. Checking out the usual trouble spots in Hugo, I did note a degree of crosstalk, though I can’t say it was worse than what I’ve seen on other projectors I’ve tested recently. The DLA-X550R’s picture also had satisfying brightness and contrast in 3D mode. Watching an old standby test Blu-ray like Imax’s Deep Sea 3D (which I hadn’t pulled out since the days when 3D on a projector could be an uncomfortably dim experience), I was wowed by how vivid the picture looked. Shots of sea turtles scooting above coral displayed excellent depth, and in a segment where a swarm of jellyfish floats against a black background, the layers extending both backward and forward into 3D space had the effect of dissolving the 2D plane of the projection screen.
Conclusion
It may be the entry-level model in JVC’s new projector lineup, but the DLA-X550R is thoroughly impressive. This is a projector I could get used to living with. Among its benefits are sufficient brightness to make pictures look good in both dim and dark rooms, satisfying contrast, accurate out-of-box color, very good 3D performance, and a Multi Pixel Control menu that helps to improve image clarity, particularly with streamed content. Also, its ability to accept and display 4K Ultra HD and high dynamic range content is a very cool feature to be included in a projector at this price.
VERDICT
JVC’s DLA-X550R continues the company’s streak of producing high-value projectors that deliver high-contrast images.
SPECS
Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 17.9 x 7 x 18.5
Weight (Pounds): 34
3D Glasses: Active, $180; RF 3D emiter, $100
Video Inputs: HDMI 2.0 (2, Full Speed 18-Gbps HDMI/HDCP 2.2, compatible with HDR), composite video
Other: LAN (1), USB (1), RS-232C (1), 3D sync (1), trigger (1)