Which company makes the best projectors? This is a question any home theater enthusiast who plans to upgrade from a flat-screen TV to the larger-screen viewing experience offered by a projector will often ask themselves.
JVC is JVC, at least according to the results of the 2022 Projector Shootout, an event hosted by regional AV retailer Value Electronics in New York City this past weekend.
shootout pitted some The best 4K projectors Competing with each other, all major brands are represented.It’s worth noting that the competition focused on telephoto projectors, although a separate campaign was used to evaluate ultra-short-throw models in a manner similar to Laser TV Showdown I was there as a judge earlier this year.
Value Electronics has hosted similar flat-screen TV events for the past two decades. That particular shootout rounded up the best 4K TVs and lined them up for side-by-side evaluation by a panel of expert judges. (This year’s winner: Sony’s XR-A95K QD-OLED, a great-looking TV by any standard.)
The evaluation process for projectors is essentially the same as for TVs, with each model set to the most accurate picture mode and then optimized for standard and high dynamic range viewing. To ensure a level playing field, all displays were served the same test patterns and movie scenes using a video distribution network, and each projector was paired with the same projection screen.
The 2022 Projector Shootout breaks down telephoto models into three price categories:
$4000-$7000
- JVC DLA-NP5 D-ILA ($6,999/£6,999) [Winner]
- Sony VPL-XW5000ES SXRD ($5,999/£5,999)
- Epson ProCinema LS12000 LCD ($4,999 / £4,399)
- LG AU810PB DLP ($3,999/£3,999)
$11,000-$16,000
- JVC DLA-NZ8 D-ILA ($15,999/£15,795) [Winner]
- Sony VPL-XW6000ES SXRD ($11,999)
- JVC DLA-NZ7 D-ILA ($10,999/£10,999)
$25,000-$30,000
- JVC DLA-NZ9 D-ILA ($26,000/£25,400) [Winner]
- Sony VPL-XW7000ES SXRD ($28,000/£28,000)
Analysis: Which JVC Projector is the Best Choice?
Clearly, JVC wins big, although it looks like Sony is playing well, with its projectors trailing JVC slightly overall in the budget and mid-range categories. Considering the XW6000ES in the midrange and budget categories are priced lower than the JVC model ($4,000 less than the XW6000ES), both models have a strong value proposition.
This JVC DLA-NZ8 It topped our list of the best 4K projectors for winning the midrange category, so we weren’t surprised to see it take home an award. Is its DLA-NZ9 big brother, the overall scorer in the shootout, really worth the $10,000 added cost?
Both laser-driven models use native 4K D-ILA (JVC’s term for Liquid Crystal on Silicon) display chips along with the company’s 8K/e-shiftX technology to effectively display images at 8K resolution. (The HDMI 2.1 ports on both projectors can accept video input at 8K resolution.) They support 120Hz, making them a great choice for gaming with a PS5 or Xbox Series X console. Both projectors also support HDR10 and HDR10+ high dynamic range sources and are equipped with JVC’s extensive range of HDR-specific features, including Frame Adapt HDR dynamic tone mapping and Theater Optimizer, which takes into account the size and gain of the specific image the projection screen is used for Further fine-tune the HDR presentation.
The main difference between the two is peak brightness, with the NZ9 spec’d at 3,000 lumens and the NZ8’s 2,500 lumens. The two models also have slightly different native contrast ratio specifications, with the NZ9 rated at 100,000:1 and the NZ8 rated at 80,000:1.
During JVC’s presentation at CES 2022, I had the chance to see actual 8K footage projected by the DLA-NZ9 on a 124-inch screen, and the image quality was breathtaking.If the NZ8 could even hit 75% of that level of performance – and from what I’ve read about the shootout, I think it could – it would be This I want a projector for home theater.
