The propaganda
Never before have the words 'hotly' and 'anticipated' gone so well together in home cinema. Long have A/V enthusiasts awaited the JVC DLA-HD1, and why? Because it's the first projector deigned for the ordinary consumer to sport the revolutionary D-ILA technology. D-ILA is JVC's proprietary variant of Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS) technology, pretty much akin to Sony's SXRD used in the Ruby and Pearl projectors. Its greatest strengths lie in cutting out video noise and screen-door effects, reducing rainbowing and motion dithering.
Other features of the HD1 are the set of two HDMI slots, RS-232C control terminal (suited to custom installers), S-Video and Composite video inputs and component jacks. The design is, as you can see, erring on the side of ungainly but it has made some effort to become a little more living room friendly with a black glossy body and grey trimmings.
The good
So, with no small amount of gleeful hand-rubbing, it is on to the performance. Stunning - that's the best descriptor to use in this case. For all its merits, D-ILA can have its faults. One of these is poor black levels - so it was with some surprise that we spotted the bold claim of a 15,000:1 contrast ratio. Not only that but this is in fact a 'true' contrast ratio as the HD1 doesn't employ an auto-iris system to enhance dark aspects which comes with the unfortunate side effect of dulling down other on-screen colours. The result of such an excellent true contrast is that dark scenes offer an eerie, inky blackness that is particularly atmospheric when watching night time shots of the sky or scenes in space.
Neatly complementing the breathtaking black levels is the striking brightness of colours, which are reproduced in a satisfyingly rich intensity with subtle blends and vibrant finishes. Truly, the HD1 produces visual spectacles of worryingly superb intensity where every minute detail - helped in no small part by the 1080p resolution - is plainly visible even within darkened areas of the scene. Here to, the shadow detail is another factor to get excited about all over again.
One other pleasant aside that is worth mentioning is that, unlike some competing projectors, the JVC DLA-HD1 uses more affordable UHP lamps rather than one of the more cripplingly expensive alternatives sometimes found in similarly price rival projectors.
The bad
So all this is shaping up rather nicely for that 'Best in the world, ever' accolade, but with enough digging we were able to find the HD1's weaknesses. In terms of picture quality this manifests itself in a slight softness in the colours. It's hard to pin down, mostly because of the high resolution, but it felt just a little less sharp than some competitors. Similarly, the obscene black levels can prove to be a little double edged as there is a slight tendency for images to look a little dull unless you have a properly darkened room. Neither issue was any real cause for concern however.
One final niggle is the absence of a D-Sub VGA input for a PC. This seems a little inhibiting if you want to run a media centre machine into the unit - of course, you could use the composite connectors, but it isn't the simplest solution and this stands at odds with the projector's otherwise very easy-to-use design.
Geek Sheet
1080i, 720p and 1080p resolution
Progressive scan compatible with 480p and 576p
Brightness: 700ANSI lumens
Contrast: 15,000:1
Dimensions: 455 x 172 x 418 mm
Weight: 11.6kg
Inputs: 2 x HDMI, Component, S-Video, Composite,
Lamp: 200-watt UHP
Noise level: 25dB
Overview
The JVC DLA-HD1 is without doubt a five star product. But I do think the videophile community was hoping for something with just a little bit more. Wishful thinking perhaps, but this projector comes so close to perfection that it is all the more disappointing that it falls just slightly short. Nevertheless, it is one spectacular piece of home cinema equipment that should have considerably more expensive three-chip DLP manufacturers running scared. If you have a spare £4,500 to spend on a projector, give it serious thought - you won't be disappointed.
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Related sites: JVC
You certainly wouldn't want to use composite video from your PC to this projector as suggested in the review. The lack of a D-Sub VGA input isn't a problem. For best results, simply run a DVI to HDMI cable from your video card to one of the two HDMI inputs on the projector. QED do a QUNEX HDMI/DVI-P Cable that will set you back about £70 for 7m. I use two 7m lengths connected thru a PureAV HDMI switch box. Despite a total length of 14m the results are absolutely pin sharp. For more than enough detail on the image quality possible on this truly fantastic projector try http://www.projectorreviews.com/jvc/DLA-RS1/index.asp.