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JVC DLA-X30 Review

Verdict: Definite buy! JVC’sDLA-X30 is JVC’s entry level projector in a power house family of home theatre projectors. Loaded with features and incredibly easy to install, the DLA-X30 is an incredible projector at an even more incredible price point. 2D performance is best in class, and 3D is a real stand out performer as well. Deceptively bright given the advertised lumens, the DLA-X30 can be used almost anywhere. Colours are vibrant and realistic, but the real story is the contrast. Blacks have never been blacker at anything close to this price point. Be nice to yourself and get out and take a look at this projector.

By the Numbers: 

JVC DLA-X30 -  JVC DLA-X30 – 1920x1080P, 1300 ANSI Lumens, 50,000:1 Advertised Contrast Ratio, 120Hz,  24P Capable, 3 x 0.7” D-ILA Optical Engine, Power Focus and Lens Shift, Power 1.4 - 2.8:1 Zoom lens, 20.0 dB Low Lamp Mode, RS-232 Port, 12 volt Trigger, Multi-Mode 3D, 2D – 3D Conversion, 3D Paralax Adjustment, 4th Gen Optical Engine with Improved Wire Grid Polarizer

 
JVC DLA-X30 3D Video Projector Overview

Essentially everything about the X30 is a warm over from 2011’s breakout DLA-X3. New in this year’s DLA-X30 is some improvement in 3D processing over the DLA-X3. There’s a 2D to 3D Conversion mode as well, if you have to have it. So this is definitely a case of a good thing getting better. As well, JVC has resisted the temptation to change for change sake, and haven’t screwed anything up either.

The DLA-X30 is also deceptively  bright. Don’t let the 1300 lumens fool you. I’ve lit up some very big screens with the DLA-X30 and it’s a very bright unit. It really is worth reinforcing how bright the DLA-X30 is. Both in full bright and tweaked modes, the JVC DLA-X30 specs out almost as bright as Panasonic’s PT-AE7000 despite the fact that the PT-AE7000 is rated at 2000 lumens compared to the DLA-X30’s 1300 lumens. Don’t let the 1300 lumens fool you

Like the DLA-X3, the DLA-X30 sports a big footprint. It’s a large piece. JVC takes the edge off a little though, and have continued a very simple aesthetic, complementing modern lines and simple geometry.

And the DLA-X30 is “contrasty”. Is that a word? Anyway, blacks are officially unbelievable on this unit. It hits you when the screen dips to black before the credits, for example.  Depending on what you’ve been watching and where your eyes have adjusted to, the screen will darken to the point where it’s hard to believe the DLA-X30 is on. It’s impressive and immediately noticeable when you have another projector to reference it against. This means that the DLA-X30 will perform well under more challenging conditions than you might think, given that JVC appears to be fairly conservative compared to the competition in rating the brightness of their projectors.

And the colour… amazing. The DLA-X30 is a precise projector. I don’t get the impression it’s cheating by blooming out bright colours for instance. Exactly the opposite – there’s a lot of colour detail here, that I simply haven’t seen with other comparable units. But, what makes the DLA-X30 so strong also defines its singular weakness - The DLA-X30 is an unforgiving projector. It can and will show you any limitations of your source material: If it’s on the blu-ray, you will see it on the screen. The DLA-X30 has the fidelity to reproduce even the smallest detail, even if that detail is a flaw, like compression artefacting for example. I’ve seen the DLA-X30 in a direct shoot-out with the PT-AE7000, using source material intended for a post production environment and burned to blue ray, where the JVC was showing compression flaws on the disc that the Panasonic simply couldn’t display.

Next up is a shoot out between the DLA-X30 and the PT-AE7000. Both are incredibly strong projectors, and while the JVC renders an incredible picture, there are things the PT-AE7000 does very very well also.

Presets and Getting the Projector Going

Given that so much about the X30 is based on the X3 I won’t bore you by rehashing a lot of what I wrote for that review. I’m also saving a lot of the tech stuff for the shootout with the PT-AE7000. Stand by for that.

Like any JVC in the last three years, presets and out of the box performance with the DLA-X30 is impressive. Don’t feel like you have to make significant adjustments to get the X30 is look great fresh out of the box. JVC has you covered, so feel free to experiment with different presets for different light conditions. This is where you really get a sense as to how bright this projector actually is. The Natural preset looks good in a dark room, as does the Cinema picture mode. The Stage preset was the brightest to my eye and was used as a starting point for some of the larger screens I tested with the DLA-X30. However, like any performance piece, the DLA-X30 responds well to tweaking. You’ll get serious improvements with a little time and energy.

So that’s the bottom line with the DLA-X30. It’s very much a continuation of the X3, and that’s a very good thing. I won’t insult or bore you with coming up with new ways to compliment this projector.

Read the original DLA-X3 review here (  http://www.avdeals.com/projector/reviews/jvc/dlax3-review.php  )