Come and see the JVC DLA-HD550B in action for yourself in our projector demo room (by appointment)

Our review on the JVC DLA-HD550B Projector

We have eagerly been waiting on the arrival of the JVC DLA-HD550B in our demo room. Having spent the last hour with it we can genuinely say it has exceeded the high expectation we had for it.

Out of the box - first impressions were its very sleek looking with its low black gloss finish but a heavy unit. If you intend on ceiling mounting it, make sure the surface you are securing to is sound and you use strong (branded) fixings. A note on fitting the ceiling mount as its not that apparent when looking at the underside of the unit is that the four adjustable feet need to be removed from the projector as the ceiling mount arms will attach to these points on the projector.

Once the projector is powered on the motorised lens cap automaticlly opens to reveal the lens (great feature for keeping unwanted dust off the lens when not in use).

Once up to operating temperature we used the motorised zoom and Lens Shift to set up the image onscreen. The zoom range is immense, the JVC DLA-HD550B was easily able to fill our 230cm wide screen from approx 3 mtr. The only other 1080p models able to do this are the EH-TW series from epson the VPL-HW series from Sony and the Z3000 from Sanyo. 

Next up was to see how good the out of the box image presets were - we have to say we were a little dissapointed with the natural and cinema presets all of which produced poor black levels( the best of the bunch was Cinema2). So leaving it on Cinema2 preset we went into the menu settings and brought up the test patterns (6 presets in all) to fine tune. In no time at all what was an okay picture out of the box became a jaw dropping "wow" picture! The most drammatic effect was simply dropping the brightness from "0" to "-5". Black levels instantly became rich and deep to the point where we were struggling to see where the black bars at the top and bottom of the image were when watching dark knight. Whites remained bright but what impressed us most was by dropping the brightness not only did blacks look amazing the rest of the image was virtually unaffected ( a common trade off when doing this on other projectors).

Skin tones and overall colour accuracy were spot on and for us needed no adjustments (normally we always adjust this aspect of the picture). The JVC HD550B also features horizontal and verticle pixel alignment.

The sheer wealth of user adjustments on this projector makes it one for the serious home cinema enthusiast in our opinion - if this is you and its in your price range - you will be blown away by it. For us the JVC HD550B is our projector of choice for serious 1080p home cinema viewing.

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Manufacturer Description for the JVC DLA-HD550B Projector

JVC DLA-HD550 D-ILA Home Cinema Projector - JVC's highly anticipated DLA-HD550 full-HD 1080p D-ILA projector Sitting snugly at a price point that balances top performance and flexibility that will suit any home cinema enthusiast.

Exceptionally high Contrast Ratio
The new 2009 JVC D-ILA front projector models incorporate a number of advanced technologies such as JVC’s proprietary D-ILA device, a wire-grid optical engine, and high-performance lens. But what really differentiates JVC’s D-ILA projectors from others is that they do not employ a dynamic iris. JVC’s D-ILA projectors instead use a fixed aperture to eliminate unnecessary light that can lower contrast levels, making possible some of the industry’s highest native Contrast Ratios. Innovations such as these and many other superb features enable the DLA-HD550 to achieve an exceptionally high native Contrast Ratio of 30,000:1.
In addition to this, JVC has enhanced brightness (extended white peak) and deeper, richer blacks (wide dynamic range) to ensure image reproduction that is vivid and full of depth, making these projectors perfectly suited for viewing diverse content such as movies, computer games, music videos as well as live concert performances and sports programmes.

Clear Motion Drive
For the first time, JVC is implementing Clear Motion Drive technology into its projectors. This is a new addition that successfully generates an accurate intermediate frame, even for images with fast-moving action, by employing a high-precision interpolation algorithm that strengthens the precision of picture-character detection. Whether the video signal source is 25/30 fps broadcast or or 24 fps movie content, viewers can enjoy smoother and clearer images with reduced motion blurring thanks to this unique interpolation technique that optimizes the number of frames.

Inverse telecine (reverse 2-3 pulldown)
In order to display TV broadcasts or commercially available DVDs created using the 2-3 pull down process, the inverse telecine (reverse 2-3 pulldown) function found on JVC’s D-ILA projectors re-converts the video source back to a 24 fps signal and displays it at double speed (or 48 fps), ensuring cinema-like viewing that is faithful to the original source.

JVC’s original picture modes
Recreating the quality of film in movie theatres, with every nuance reproduced, was JVC’s aim when equipping the D-ILA front projector models with original picture modes. Colours displayed by projectors and those found in film are processed differently as projectors display colours using an additive colour mixture method where RGB primary colours are layered on top of each other. On the other hand, film in movie theatres use a subtractive colour mixture method that filters CMY colours out of the light source. With the additive colour mixture method, colours become brighter as colours are added and due to an increase in energy, eventually turn white. However, the opposite can be said for the subtractive colour mixture method where colours become darker and eventually turn black. JVC engineers thoroughly analyzed the two methods and succeeded in developing an optimized picture display by performing advanced processing using a built-in LSI. So this means that now what was once difficult to reproduce in the home environment such as the delicate textures and nuances of film can now be seen just like at a movie theatre.

Screen Adjustment Mode
As the quality of projected images may vary slightly depending on the type of screen and its RGB reflective characteristics, JVC’s new D-ILA projectors have three screen adjustment modes that allow users to select the optimum mode to match screen characteristics for a more natural and balanced colour reproduction.

High-performance 2x motorized zoom lens
The high-performance 2x zoom lens with motorized focus features a large-diameter lens system to ensure the projection of full HD images with exceptional depth. In addition to display the deepest black possible, this lens is also equipped with a 16-step (DLA-HD950) lens aperture that enables adjustment of brightness according to user preferences and operating environments.

Advanced video processor
DLA-HD550 incorporate the HQV Reon-VX video processor developed by Silicon Optix, which features precision I/P conversion and scaling with full 10-bit 4:4:4 signal processing.

Flexible and easy set-up
Setting up the projector is easy as the ±80% vertical and ±34% horizontal Lens Shift function is powered, allowing the picture to be moved horizontally or vertically effortless via the remote controller. In addition, when positioning the projector outside of the Lens Shift coverage area, the Digital Keystone function with ±30° vertical and ±40° horizontal adjustment helps to make distorted images look more natural.
Also featured is an essential automatic lens cover that opens and closes with power on/off to protect against dust, so even if the projector is installed up on the ceiling, you’re assured of easy, trouble-free operation via the remote controller.

Newly designed remote control
The remote control unit for the new JVC D-ILA projectors has an attractive silver-grey colour that adds appeal to its performance. It also features well-positioned buttons for the picture modes and direct input selector (HDMI 1, 2, Component, Video, S-video and PC), which help to enhance user-friendly operation.

Features and Specifications:
Full HD D-ILA front projector with 30,000:1 native Contrast Ratio, three D-ILA devices, 2x motorised zoom lens with motorised focus, HQV Reon-VX video processor, on-screen gamma control, flexible set-up and more
30,000:1 native Contrast Ratio realised by the combination of enhanced full HD D-ILA devices and optical engine
On-screen user-customisable gamma control
High-performance 2x zoom lens with motorised focus featuring a large diameter all-glass lens system with 17 elements in 15 groups including 2 ED lenses
V-stretch mode together with the anamorphic lens allows for the display of images without top and bottom black bars
Digital Keystone enables easy adjustment of distorted images
Input signal capability: 1080p
True full HD resolution: 1920 x 1080
200W UHP (ultra high-pressure mercury) lamp
Projection Size: 60-inch to 200-inch
Projection Distance: 3.01m to 6.08m (100-inch)

Video input terminals:
HDMI 2 (ver.1.3)
Component1 (RCA)
S-Video1 (mini DIN)
Composite1 (RCA)

Control terminals
RS232C1 (D-sub 9-pin)
Trigger1 (mini jack)

Noice Level:
19dB (in normal mode)

Power requirement:
AC 110V-240V, 50/60 Hz
Power consumption 310W (0.7 watt while in stand-by)

Dimensions:
W365 x H167 x D478 mm

Weight:
11.2 Kg