JVC has long been one of the best performers in the high but not obscenely-priced front projector market. Their new NX lineup, led by the $8999 DLA-NX7 and the upcoming DLA-NX9, now offers native 4K resolution as well as e-shift up to 8K.
They also offer an auto calibration feature (for which you need a Datacolor or Xrite color meter) that rivals what professional calibrators charge for.
1. Native 4K Resolution
The DLA-NX5 offers native 4K resolution for an immersive home theater experience. The projector uses JVC’s latest 0.69 inch native 4K D-ILA device and a 65 mm 17-element, 15-group all glass lens for spectacular images with incredible sharpness.
The NX5 is able to reproduce a large portion of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has an amazing contrast ratio of 400,000:1. HDR10 content is projected at optimum quality with Auto Tone Mapping that automatically adjusts settings based on mastering information.
A rich menu gives you plenty of options to fine-tune your picture and the NX5 can be used with commercially available anamorphic lenses for wide screen viewing. It also supports HDR-10 signal management with a real dynamic iris (not just a tone mapping mode like some competing models). There is even a new Installation Mode that saves and recalls multiple combinations of screen size and gain, lens presets, and convergence settings.
2. Wide Color Gamut
The NX5’s D-ILA device supports the DCI/P3 color spec that delivers a hugely expanded color-gamut. It combines with the 65mm all-glass lens to deliver rich and colorful images.
The JVC also has a special control that allows you to insert your screen size and screen-gain into the projector’s memory, which then adjusts the tone mapping automatically. This is a nice touch and one that could save you some time in the setup process.
Calibration did raise the light output to a more comfortable level of 2,200 lumens. That bump in brightness isn’t a game-changer, but it should be sufficient for most large home theaters. Kris’ calibration did help to address some color edging issues, and I particularly enjoyed the green foliage in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
3. High Contrast Levels
As is expected, JVC carries over their excellent contrast levels from the NP and X series. Post-calibration they measure a very impressive ANSI contrast of 330:1. This is still not quite in LCD territory where IPS panels can get to around 540:1 but it is close.
The NX5 also features a frame-by-frame auto tone-mapping option in its HDR10 Picture Mode. This works to automatically choose the best tone-curve based on content metadata. This does lead to a small bit of highlight compression but it is not distracting. Watching Passengers revealed great dark scene handling, with inky blacks and no iris pumping or visible brightness fluctuations. This was even more evident as the space scenes rolled in where many other projectors struggle to deliver a consistent level of brightness in dark images.
4. Theater Optimizer
JVC’s e-shift technology is still the best in its class when it comes to contrast levels and this model doesn’t disappoint. This is even more apparent with WCG (Wide Color Gamut) content mastered for HDR, delivering excellent blacks and rich colors with smooth gradations.
The NX5 also offers a new Theater Optimizer function that is designed to automatically adjust the projector’s tone mapping and brightness based on your home theater’s installation characteristics. It builds on the Frame Adapt HDR mode that was introduced last October.
The Theater Optimizer feature allows you to input your screen size and gain, then calculates the optimum lens zoom position and lamp condition and settings. The result is superior HDR image quality without the need for manual adjustments on a scene or frame-by-frame basis.
5. D-ILA Devices
Featuring a new image engine with high efficiency and reliability the projectors support 4K/60P (4:4:4) and provide a native contrast level of up to 40,000:1. JVC original motion control technology Clear Motion Drive is renewed for this line to improve moving images, while Motion Enhance optimizes the driving of the D-ILA device according to the image motion.
JVC’s unique digital backplane matrix addressing switches are placed directly behind the light-modulating liquid crystal layer, eliminating the cross talk and ghost image problems that are often associated with conventional analog backplane schemes. This also helps to achieve a 90% fill factor, virtually eliminating the screen door effect seen on many fixed-matrix displays. The new models also feature HDR10 support with Auto Tone Mapping that automatically adjusts the settings for each type of content.
