JVC DLA-X55R Pro Reviews

When it comes to pure home theater, the JVC DLA-X55R is a strong product with a clear focus. Every feature of the projector is designed to create a better home theater experience. Black level is the best we've seen in this price range. Color is nearly perfect without any adjustment at all. Light output is low compared to other home theater projectors, but only because the projector does not include a "dynamic" or "bright" mode for living room use. A 2.0:1 zoom lens with powered adjustments and an easy to use Lens Memory system opens up the possibility of constant image height use without an additional anamorphic lens. However, no projector is perfect. While low lamp mode renders the X55 nearly silent, high lamp mode's increased fan noise can make the projector uncomfortably loud in small spaces. The menu systems can appear complex and convoluted, and sometimes adjustments are not where one would expect them to be. The projector's perfect cinema light output can be uncomfortably low when watching 3D on a larger screen, where every lumen counts. And the 4K e-shift2 system, while useful in its own right, does not offer a significant advantage over the smart sharpening systems found in several other home theater projectors. The X55 does not have many flaws, but those flaws it does have tend to manifest when one tries to push the projector out of its niche. Within that niche -- say, on a 120" diagonal screen in a dark home theater -- the X55 is excellent, and at $4,999 represents a strong value in today's market.

The JVC X55 is a worthy step-up from the entry-level DLA-X35 series. At £5000, it’s significantly more expensive than its £3000 sibling and is of course further out of “easy purchasing” territory, but the extra cash buys very visible performance improvements, especially in the critical area of contrast performance, which is the ace up JVC’s sleeve. The biggest competitors we’ve seen to JVC’s D-ILA projectors are Sony’s SXRD units (such as the VPL-HW50ES and the VPL-VW1000ES), which from our experience, provide slightly poorer screen uniformity and contrast performance, but achieve a remarkably silky, grid-free image (JVC now manages something broadly comparable, but needs e-shift to achieve it, which isn’t entirely concession-free) and visibly better motion performance, assuming you can tolerate the flicker of their dark frame insertion mode. We’re happy, but less ecstatic, with the quality of the DLA-X55RBE’s optics. Sharpness in the corners actually fell off a little more than our entry-level DLA-X35 review sample, although this is probably down to unit-to-unit variation rather than an actual problem between the ranges. We also noticed some small vertical flaring artefacts hugging the edges of bright objects (the most banal example being on-screen text), with the effect increasing in the softer corners of the image. However, the falloff in sharpness was much less apparent from our viewing position, and we didn’t see any of the unusual and more distracting focus errors we witnessed on projectors like the Sony HW50, where the softening appeared not in the corners, but in the more visible bottom-centre position of the image (especially noticeable on subtitled films).

JVC has made some very worthwhile improvements this year to its already spectacular projector line. The refinements in 3D performance alone would make me want to upgrade from last year’s model. While it can’t match the flawless 3D performance of some of the DLP projectors I’ve reviewed, it is a big step in the right direction. Couple that with 2D playback performance that’s second to none, and you have one of the most complete packages out there. I’m still skeptical of the real-world benefits of the e-shift technology for all but the most enormous screens, but I’m happy that JVC gives you the ability to tinker with the settings to make the most of it or simply turn it off if you don’t want it. The DLA-X55R is truly a reference-level projector in every sense of the word, with very little room for improvement. If you’re looking for the pinnacle of image perfection, you’d be hard pressed to find a better projector, especially at its price.

The introduction of the DLA-X55 in the current economic climate could be considered something of a gamble on the part of JVC, especially as Sony have decided not to replace their VPL-VW95 with a newer model. However, JVC's courage has been rewarded thanks to a projector that really delivers in all the key areas, offering a level of performance previously unheard of in the sub-£5,000 price bracket. Whilst the use of the X35 chassis and remote control provide examples where JVC have cut costs to hit the lower price point, the X55 still delivers in the areas that count. The menu system includes the majority of features found on the more expensive X75 and the inclusion of a full CMS means that the X55 can be calibrated to a reference standard. In fact we managed to get a near flawless performance from the X55 in terms of greyscale and colour accuracy. The video processing was also up to JVC's usual high standards and the e-shift2 feature worked extremely well in Film mode, giving people their first taste of higher resolution projection at a previously unheard of price point. As if the resolution, accuracy and processing weren't enough, the X55 also delivered the kind standard-setting blacks, contrast ratio and shadow detail that we expect from JVC. The result of all these factors was a detailed 2D image that delivered impact and retained a lovely film-like quality, regardless of your source material. The motion handling on the X55 was also very impressive, with the projector rendering 24p exceptionally well and the e-shift2 feature giving movement a clarity more reminiscent of DLP than D-ILA.