Hold onto your high-res hats. JVC has pulled the curtain on its hotly-anticipated series of new 8K laser projectors to make up its top-end D-ILA range. The JVC DLA-NZ7, NZ8 and NZ9 boast all-new laser light source tech, dynamic HDR standards and next-gen gaming support. Woof.
The company claims that these are the world's first projectors with 48Gbps-rated 8K HDMI 2.1 ports. They can handle up to 60fps gaming at 8K resolution or 120fps at 4K. There's also something new for movie watching purists too with HDR10+ support for the first time, meaning industry standard dynamic HDR to ensure the best possible picture on a frame-by-frame basis. JVC's Frame Adapt HDR system will still offer similar solution for other HDR material.
For picture quality, it's JVC's 'BLU-Escent' laser light source where we should be looking. It's capable of up to 3000 lumens with a life span that should take users beyond the 20,000 hours mark. The laser diode promises greater precision and dynamic range by allowing control of the output at source rather than using a mechanical iris at the other end. Combined with all-glass Ultra-High Contrast Optics, JVC promises high contrast and better brightness than ever before.
The projector panels at the core of these home cinema devices are 0.69in and 4K native but JVC has added its 8K e-shiftX pixel-shifting technology to increase the on-screen pixel density four-fold and create an 8K resolution picture. This is down to the 4-way, 240Hz driver which moves the panel diagonally and the new chips which can processors the pictures at high speeds.
The JVC DLA-NZ9 is the top spec model. It features a 16-group, 18-element all-glass lens with a 100mm diameter. It has 2x optical zoom and can shift 100 per cent vertically in either direction and 43 per cent horizontally. The NZ9 can throw a picture of 60-300in and has a native contrast of 100,000:1.
The JVC DLA-NZ8 and NZ7 drop down to a 65mm diameter all-glass lens made with 17 elements arranged in 15 groups. Zoom is still x2. Lens shift goes down to a very flexible 80 per cent and 34 per cent, still with motorised control, of course. These optical set-ups allow for a 60-200in screen size.
The main differences between these two lower models is with light output and native contrast. The NZ8 is rated at 80,000:1 and 2500 lumens. The NZ7 gets a 2200 laser and 40,000:1 contrast. It's also worth noting that the entry-level NZ7 gets JVC's 2-way 8K e-shift system, so expect slightly less spectacular 8K performance than its bigger brothers.
Doubtless this will be reflected in the prices when we get them. Expect the range to start somewhere north of the £6000/$6000/AU$10,000-mark.
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