JVC DLA-HD1IntroductionThe JVC DLA-HD1 is a full HD front projector with a native contrast ratio of 15,000:1 this ensures outstanding black reproduction without sacrificing picture brightness since there is no iris mechanism. The JVC DLA-HD1 is the best home theatre projector you can buy under $7,000. Outside When you open the box the very first thing you will notice, is that the DLA-HD1 is a pretty large device. From the front , you will see a center mounted, recessed zoom lens, and a small infra-red sensor just to its right. On the far left is the fan outlet port exhausting hot air at an angle away from the lens, and on the far right, the air intake. The lens has a focus ring protruding slightly from the projector body's protective trim ring. There are two sliders 180 degrees apart, for adjusting the zoom function.
Recessed into the bottom just below the lens, are two small rotating rings. The one on the right is a manual control for the vertical lens shift, and the one on the left, controls the horizontal lens shift. The amount of lens shift is very generous being 80% vertical and 34% horizontal. On the bottom front and rear of the projector you will find adjustable feet. Looking at the top of the DLA-HD1 there is a vertical control panel, consisting of small buttons and indicators. There are three indicator lights: Warning, Lamp, and Standby/On, next to these, is the power button. Like with many other projectors you need to press it once to turn the projector on, twice to power it down. The Input button is next for source selection, followed by a video mute button that blanks the screen. Next come two buttons side by side, Menu on the left, Exit on the right, followed by the traditional navigation keys.
On the back of the projector, you will find two HDMI inputs, one component video input (3 RCA jacks), and the usual S-video and composite video inputs. In addition, there is an RS-232 port for command and control from a computer, and the rear infra-red sensor. Inside The DLA-HD1 series projectors use a three chip LCOS, LCOS standing for Liquid Crystal On Silicon. LCOS is a reflective technology, like DLP, however JVC DLA projectors do not suffer from a rainbow effect caused by the spinning color wheel affecting single chip DLP projectors. LCOS projectors have almost invisible pixel structures thus you will not be able to see any dots at normal seating distance. When compared to DLP or LCD technology the picture may appear to be soft, but the LCOS projectors still reveal as much fine detail as other technologies, where the pixel structure is more visible. At the core of the video processing, the projection system features the GF9351, a video processor by Gennum Corporation. The video processor ensures the faithful reproduction of high-quality images thanks to a high-precision scaling function and four VXP™ technologies. A door on the side of the case gives you access to the lap which can be replaced without taking the unit down from a ceiling mount. JVC rates the lamp life at 2000 hours, whether in Normal or High mode. This isn't really surprising to have one rating for both modes, for the DLA-HD1 only reduces brightness by 15% in its lower power mode. User Experience The buttons on the remote control light up, making it easy to operate even in a dark room. The remote control includes direct keys to adjust frequently used functions such as contrast and brightness, in addition to video input selection. The DLA-HD1 configuration is straight forward, all settings can be accessed by on-screen menus that are well organized and easy to navigate. The DLA-HD1 comes precalibrated to D65, so no adjustments are necessary to get beautiful color balance right out of the box.
The DLA-HD1 has three user programmable profiles. You can save all your current settings into either one of them, or clear them to start over. In addition you can select one of the three primary presets: Cinema, Natural, and Dynamic, which will set all options and settings back to factory defaults. The DLA-HD1 truly stands out in well a designed theater room. Ambient light will degrade that amazing high contrast, and wipe out the deepest shadow details. Of course this occurs with any projector, its just that the DLA-HD1 delivers such an amazing picture that it is much easier to notice. Even in conditions where some ambient light is present, JVC DILA still has the advantage over other projectors, but the amount of advantage will significantly diminish. If you want modest ambient light for sports for example, you probably will have wiped out just about all of the difference that makes the DLA-HD1 so good at what it does, and in such a case, you likely would prefer a different, brighter projector. Specifications
The DLA-HD1 image quality is only second to the DLA-HD100 and even a faint ambient lighting would make it very hard to spot the difference between these two outstanding projectors. The shadow detail and black levels are excellent and you will be very impressed by the color accuracy. Similarly to the DLA-HD100 the cooling system could be a little bit quieter. If you are not planning to install an anamorphic lens or cannot make your home theatre room very dark then this projector will give you the best value for money. |
