4k projectors get serious: hands on with the jvc dla-z1 and sony vpl-vw550es - projector

While 4 k TVs are already so prevalent that they threaten to discard HD TVs in the garbage dump of AV history, 4 k projectors are still very rare.
In fact, until this year's IFA technology show in Berlin, the only brand capable of providing a 4 k projector for the family was Sony.
Sony highlights its 4 k experience at IFA by launching a new mid-
VPL Series 4 k projector-
I will look at the vw50es later.
The real big news, however, is that Sony finally has a native 4 k projector competitor in the shape of a JVC that chooses IFA to showcase its spectacular-and remortgage-
Attractive expensive
Native 4 k debut, DLA-Z1.
In a dark demo room at the IFA booth at JVC, calm down to see what Z1 is showing it, and its pictures immediately impressed me, much more detailed than any "pseudo 4 K" projector before JVC, and much less noise (
4 k effect using two slightly offset HD chipset).
Immediately, the "window of the world" associated with pure 4 k playback feels very obvious.
Also, this is obvious, real
World HD blue light
The same light as the Deadpool;
JVC does not need to rely on a specially produced demo lens to demonstrate many of the advantages of z1.
However, the extraordinary sense of detail gained from Z1 does not seem to be just having more native pixels and fully 4 k optimized processing.
This is obviously also due to z1's handling of the new high dynamic range technology.
The laser shows again that JVC has previously tried to do HDR on 2016 X5000, X7000 and X9000 projectors.
Unfortunately, however, for all of their other great talents, these projectors are not bright enough to do HDR properly.
Z1 solves this tricky problem by introducing a laser lighting system for the first time in a JVC home projector, resulting in a claimed brightness of 3000 lumens.
This is a huge improvement of about 1800 lumens of JVC non-lumens
Predictably change the HDR image quality of z1.
First, the HDR image as a whole no longer looks much darker than the standard dynamic range image --
About JVC
Actually makes watching HDR feel like a laser HDR projector that compromises rather than advanced options.
The dark areas of the HDR scene also look no longer unnatural and unbalanced, and the extra brightness helps Z1 to provide enough color "volume" to reproduce the wide color game associated with all current HDR sources as never before
Z1 claims to be able to deliver 100% of the DCI-
P3 digital cinema color format is the current HDR target in the AV industry and is 80% of the entire BT.
Represents the 2020 scale of the HDR color function external limits.
From the dazzling displays I 've seen in the JVC IFA demo, these color statements will not be exaggerated anyway.
More Good News found that z1's laser lighting system was able to provide its huge extended brightness without destroying the excellent black color that has long been the jvc d-popular trademarkILA projectors.
In the darkest places there is a non than you are in the brand
The laser projector, but the contrast range of the projector can still be considered unparalleled.
How much brightness does HDR need? !
However, even the 3000 lumens delivered by Z1 don't look enough for absolutely perfect HDR performance.
In my demo, the darkest part of the HDR picture still looks a bit low on the shadow details, although the HDR picture gets a noticeable brightness boost on the SDR light source, the projector cannot provide the highest peak light moment in HDR format like the best 2016 TV.
Nevertheless, the photos of z1 are very incredible in general.
They should really consider that when JVC's new projector comes out in November, it will cost £ 30,000 in the UK --
This is equivalent to a shy $40,000 not far away with today's (volatile)exchange rates.
Given that this may put you and your wallet in a panic, let's quickly turn to the second key 4 k projector launched by IFA 2016: Sony VPL-
Vw50es: approximately £ 8,800 (
About $12,000).
Vw50es will replace the UK's VW520ES after its launch in October, and as far as I know, by comparing the specs, it may replace the US VW665ES-
Even though I don't have an American model for the new projector yet.
Vw50es uses a normal light instead of a laser lighting system, which means that it is well below JVC Z1 in terms of brightness, reaching its maximum around 1800 lumens.
It's not surprising that it means that it doesn't provide a vivid sense of HDR brightness and light range.
IFA's movie clips also show that vw50es is rich in color performance, with some distance from Z1, so the HDR source can only reduce the feeling of the wide color range you get.
However, it is no surprise that the vw50es is not in the same performance ball park as the projector, and the cost has increased by tens of thousands of dollars.
What's really important is that it's much better than Sony's predecessor and doesn't need to spend more money.
A new approach that is particularly popular with hdrparticle is Sony redesigning the HDR approach for vw50es, reducing the feeling of dynamic range, but making HDR images look generally brighter.
On VW520ES, HDR images generally look darker than standard dynamic range images, as the projector chooses a lower average brightness level to try to accommodate the dynamic range that HDR adds.
Vw50es turns to a brighter approach and is more comprehensive and satisfying than its predecessor --
Especially as the brightness increases, the dark part of the HDR image does not lose the shadow details as it does on the VW520ES.
The help here is the contrast of 350,000: 1 vw50es.
This is 50,000 more than VW520ES: 1, which helps restore some of the dynamic range sense lost when making the HDR image brighter.
Sony has also introduced new contrast control options for vw50es, which is also worth adding, so, users can choose the exact balance between brightness and dynamic range that best suits their tastes with amazing subtleties.
Video purists may be angry about this, but these adjustments are optional and personally I think anything that shows appreciation for reality
The world's difficulties with today's display devices in dealing with HDR are welcome.
It seems to me that the native 4 k picture of vw50es looks even slightly clearer than the picture it's predecessor has been very clear and detailed.
More importantly, although I was unable to test the theory during my demo time using vw50es, I hope this feeling of improving clarity applies to the upgraded HD source as well.
This is because Sony has introduced a new vw50es upgrade processing system, which applies different degrees of clarity to different parts of the picture, in order to reduce the noise of the picture and create a more realistic depth.
And significantly better than VW520ES (
HDR in particular)
Two important new features have also been introduced by vw50es: being able to handle 10-
Bit, 4 k signal of up to 60 frames per second;
Plus support for the new Hybrid Log gamma (HLG)
The HDR format may begin to appear in broadcast format in 2017.
Even from about half an hour I'm going to spend it with each of them at IFA and obviously JVC DLA-
Z1 and Sony vw50es represent a new level of maturity in the 4 k projection market --
Especially when dealing with high dynamic range formats that have just begun to sweep the AV world.
However, it would be nice if the next step along the 4 k projection path involved making something so big