JVC is beefing up its premium D-ILA 4K Laser projection series with a pair of new five-star models, called the DLA-NZ900 and DLA-NZ800.
The new, 8K-capable home cinema projectors promise to be among the best in the business, featuring JVC’s proprietary laser projection technology and a third-generation 4K D-ILA processor that the company claims will improve contrast by 1.5-times its older chips. The new JVC DLA-NZ900 will deliver a 150,000:1 contrast ratio, improving on the 100,000:1 contrast ratio of last year’s JVC DLA-NZ9 projector, while the JVC DLA-NZ800 will match the older model.
Another new piece of tech on the DLA-NZ900 and DLA-NZ800 projectors is JVCs new BLU-Escent Laser Light Engine, which will provide enhanced brightness and luminosity, the company said. It uses a blue laser diode for its light source, and can deliver up to 3,300 lumens on the DLA-NZ900, and 2,700 lumens on the DLA-NZ800, while lifespan on both is rated at 20,000 hours. The new tech also makes these projectors more energy efficient, JVC said, with brightness per effective wattage said to be 1.9-times superior.
The above innovations are said to be paired with a new dynamic light control system that will help to create pictures that are “closer to human perception”, JVC said. The system leverages the projector’s practically infinite dynamic contrast ratio together with its ability to switch off the light source for pitch black elements, which should help the new models to match the overall contrast provided by OLED TVs.
JVC has also innovated in terms of 8K upscaling, with a second-generation 8K/e-shiftX system that’s able to upscale 4K resolution content at 60 frames per second using pixel shifting techniques. That may not be so important as 8K content is still practically non-existent, but it also means the new projectors can receive 4K/120Hz signals at up to 48GB bandwidth. In addition, there’s a low latency mode for higher frame rate gaming.
Elsewhere, the new models feature an all-glass lens module. The DLA-NZ900 comes with an 18-element, 16-group 100mm all-glass lens with an aluminium lens barrel, and supports a wide shift range of 100% vertically and 43% horizontally. On the DLA-NZ800, there’s a 17-element system with 15-group 65mm all-glass lenses.
Other features include a new Frame Adapt HDR system that optimizes brightness and dynamic range, plus support for HDR10+ and Filmmaker Mode to watch content as the director intended. Alternatively, those who don’t prefer the purist approach can instead opt for the new Vivid picture mode that enhances SDR content to make it richer, more vibrant and crisp, a feature that JVC says is best for animated content.
The company said the DLA-NZ900 and DLA-NZ800 projectors will launch in June, with prices to be announced soon. The new models will replace the existing DLA-NZ9 and DLA-NZ8 in the company’s lineup, with the existing, more affordable and lower-specced DLA-NZ7 and DLA-NP5 projectors remaining in its range for the foreseeable future.
