JVC DLA-HD750 D-ILA Projector review

**The News Bot** · 13-04-2009, 9:05 AM

Reviewed by Phil Hinton
It is the deep fluid blacks that make the JVC projectors famous and with the HD750 they have done it again with a performance the competition can only dream of matching. And adding in colours that are now natural and perfectly calibrated gives us a level of performance no other projector has yet matched in our review room.Overall, there is nothing in my opinion that can touch the JVC DLA-HD750 for under £20k in today’s marketplace. JVC has once again produced a true reference point for consumer home projection that will also appeal to the custom installation market. What else can I say other than go see one, and if you can afford it, push the boat out!
Read the full review...

IAN P · 13-04-2009, 9:38 AM

Great review once again Phil,very in-depth.

Pulse1 · 13-04-2009, 9:39 AM

What an excellent and indepth review Phil, looks like the 750 is as close to perfection as you can get in todays market. Was also pleased to see the THX setting is very close to the industry standards out of the box but fully agree with you that for the most accurate image the 750 has still to be adjusted as has every other display out there

Brian

Avi · 13-04-2009, 10:11 AM

Thanks Phil a nice update. I like the additional chart info and format (Calman ?).

AVI

mikeaitch · 13-04-2009, 3:54 PM

Its a measure of the esteem in whch these reviews are held that JVC have made the changes to elevate a very good product to a great one. Well done to you and JVC for making changes to this product in the UK as well as the US.

Having previously decided to wait for the next generation , I now have the 750 firmly in my sights

On second thoughts, a message from my wallet - curse you!!

**Phil Hinton** · 13-04-2009, 4:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avi

Thanks Phil a nice update. I like the additional chart info and format (Calman ?).

AVI

Yes, we are now using CalMAN Pro software with i1Pro probes. It gives us better flexibility to show exactly what we need to within the reviews. I also have to say it is far more sensitive and accurate than Colourfacts and HCFR software that was used in the past. However, the user interface is different!

Thanks for the comments so far guys, and I hope the delay was worth it. It certainly was in my opinion and the HD750 is now something special.

Vipers @ Zinc-HT · 13-04-2009, 4:31 PM

Thanks Phil, another excellent, very detailed review, I've had a 750 in my sights for the last couple of months now but just wanted to wait to see how you found it, looks like there's nothing stopping me now

KelvinS1965 · 13-04-2009, 5:53 PM

An(other) excellent review Phil.

This is exactly the detail I'd expect the magazines to go into when they review the higher end equipment rather than the fluff pieces that seem to be prevailent.

Interesting re the Calman software and i1Pro. I had considered this route myself after dissapointing results (and lack of repeatablity) with my i1LT and HFCR. If it's good enough for you......

Perhaps it's a shame I didn't have the faith in JVC sorting this when I ordered my HD350 instead, thinking that the extra £2k was largely wasted in my imperfect room as the extra CR wasn't very noticable (I had a home demo). I figured (wrongly as it turns out) that the CMS problems might be 'hard wired' into the HD750 and fiddling with firmware would only be a band aid fix....good to see I was wrong though.

PS. My HD350 isn't going to be sold having read this review, but I sure wish I'd ticked the 'hindsight' option when I placed my order.

LeDahu · 13-04-2009, 8:03 PM

Thanks Phil,

Great review...and fantastic performances.
I was really anxioux about the fix: the gap was so large!

When you say that you repeated six times: did you reproduce the same procedure or did you cross checked with different approaches/strategies?
For example, did you start correcting hue before saturation and then try the reverse in order to highlight some kind of interaction or dead-end?
Which stimuli levels did you check and how much were the deviations compared to 100%?
Did you try to match other standard than REC709 and was it so 'easy'?

Would you please write some recommendations / procedure step by step and explain the effets of the CMS controls and interactions (if any)

Quote:

I also have to say it is far more sensitive and accurate than Colourfacts and HCFR software that was used in the past

Dou you mean that the data collected by HCFR is wrong (not accurate) or that the iePro is not well driven?
Did you experience repeatability problems with iePro + HCFR?

Thanks again

**Phil Hinton** · 13-04-2009, 8:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeDahu

Thanks Phil,

Great review...and fantastic performances.
I was really anxioux about the fix: the gap was so large!

When you say that you repeated six times: did you reproduce the same procedure or did you cross checked with different approaches/strategies?
For example, did you start correcting hue before saturation and then try the reverse in order to highlight some kind of interaction or dead-end?
Which stimuli levels did you check and how much were the deviations compared to 100%?
Did you try to match other standard than REC709 and was it so 'easy'?

Would you please write some recommendations / procedure step by step and explain the effets of the CMS controls and interactions (if any)

Dou you mean that the data collected by HCFR is wrong (not accurate) or that the iePro is not well driven?
Did you experience repeatability problems with iePro + HCFR?

Thanks again

All six attempts followed my usual workflow, but I did experiment with differing approaches, each resulted eventually with the same results.
All stimulus levels that are important were checked (50, 75 and 100) and all were stable.
When using the CMS, I found slight adjustments to each primary first and working around and across gave the best results and quickest workflow solution. I tended to leave luminance until about 75% of the way through correction which worked best.
Hope that helps.

Tight Git · 15-04-2009, 2:07 PM

Thanks for an excellent review.

But what about the $64,000 question?

Well, actually the £2,000 question!

Is the HD750 really worth the extra over the HD350?

Being a TG, this is essential information.

**Phil Hinton** · 15-04-2009, 2:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tight Git

Thanks for an excellent review.

But what about the $64,000 question?

Well, actually the £2,000 question!

Is the HD750 really worth the extra over the HD350?

Being a TG, this is essential information.

That will depend on you, your room and the sources you use. But in terms of is there enough performance to separate the two, yes there is, the HD750 is worthy of being the higher end model. Improved contrast performance, THX mode and a fully working CMS. Of course, to get the full benefit it also needs careful set up and calibration.

Hope that helps.

Pecker · 15-04-2009, 2:38 PM

Bloody hell Phil, that's harsh.

At £5,500 it's better than anything this side of £20k, and it doesn't get a top tick for value for money ('Excellent' not 'Reference')?

Remind me never to haggle with you!

Great review, great product.

Steve W

Basil Plumley · 15-04-2009, 5:05 PM

Excellent review Phil and a really tempting product...maybe when this darn recession is over...

RipMaster · 15-04-2009, 6:00 PM

Thanks for the excellent review. Great to see such support from JVC. I've few (valid) excuses left now unfortunately.

eiren · 16-04-2009, 11:40 AM

Fantastic work and great review, Phil. You've given me everything I wanted to know about the 750 that I wasn't sure about. Now to decide whether or not it's worth the upgrade...

rigman · 16-04-2009, 4:04 PM

Thanks for the excellent review Phil.
I can now see why the review was delayed by so long and kudos to yourself and JVC for fixing the issues.

I can see I made the right decision by buying one.

Just waiting to finish my new room, upload the new software and will take your advice and get it professionally calibrated.

pheff · 16-05-2009, 4:29 AM

I am currently waiting for my FOURTH DLA-750 projector after suffering THREE duds! The first two did not work through the component inputs although they did work through the S-video and HDMI. The third one could not be accurately focussed and when I took it back to the retailer to check, it just showed red warning lights and a yellow LAMP warning light and refused to do anything. I wonder if JVC have sorted out all of the bugs in this generation of LCOS projectors? I hope so, as I was so impressed by the wonderful picture I saw via the HDMI input. This is the only reason I am prepared to still risk my money on a fourth attempt to get a reliably working projector.

Vasoboy · 23-05-2009, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pheff

I am currently waiting for my FOURTH DLA-750 projector after suffering THREE duds! The first two did not work through the component inputs although they did work through the S-video and HDMI. The third one could not be accurately focussed and when I took it back to the retailer to check, it just showed red warning lights and a yellow LAMP warning light and refused to do anything. I wonder if JVC have sorted out all of the bugs in this generation of LCOS projectors? I hope so, as I was so impressed by the wonderful picture I saw via the HDMI input. This is the only reason I am prepared to still risk my money on a fourth attempt to get a reliably working projector.

I am on my secound JVC DLA-HD750 D-ILA Projector in less than a week after having the same problems through component .I havent even viewed machine for more than 30 mins after setting up .Does any one know if thers is a fix to this problem or should i be asking for a refund

pheff · 24-05-2009, 12:48 AM

Hi Vasoboy,
Don't even bother trying to get a fix for this problem. I tried talking to the distributor but they know less than I do about the inner workings of the PJ and were scathing about my attempts to explain the problem to them. They try to make you believe that it is the fault of the leads, your equipment, etc.

I am trying out my FOURTH example and so far (just two days!) it seems to be working well. It is worth persisting as I am projecting on a 110 inch screen and the picture is simply gorgeous, spectacular, marvellous. Just get an exchange unit as a properly working 750 is a wonder to behold.