JVC long has been known as the developer of D-ILA (its brand of LCoS) microdisplay technology for home and professional projectors, but those models tend to be priced out of reach for many consumers, especially when they are of the 4K Ultra HD resolution or e-shift “pixel-shifted 1080p/4K” varieties.
On Wednesday, the company made a move to bring the price of at least pixel-shifted 4K into a more affordable mainstream consumer range by adding its first “4K DLP” projector with high dynamic range (HDR) support based on Texas Instrument’s DLP technology.
The projector, which will hit store shelves in May at a $2,499.95 suggested retail price, will accept 4K Ultra HD/HDR content input and will use pixel-shifting magic to make a 2716×1528 native image on the chipset appear as a full 3840×2160 pixels on screen at one time, tricking the brain into perceiving a stable 4K video picture.
4K projectors using the 4K DLP chip take native 4K signals and then apply some extensive video processing. The TI 4K UHD process produces independent single-pixel structures, where other pixel-shifting technologies for 3LCD projectors, for example, do not. Through rapid diagonal off-shifting of pixels, the 4K DLP process essentially doubles the number of 2716×1528 pixels perceived by the eye at one time to 8.3 million (4K).
The JVC LX-UH1 is said to use a newly developed TI TRP Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). It is also said to offer HDR support for up to 2,000 lumens of peak brightness. The new 0.47-inch TRP DMD works in combination with a high quality optical system to get its “4K” results, according to the company.
Amazon’s Camera, Photo & Video Deals
Amazon Fire TV 4K Ultra HD Set-Top Media Adapter with Alexa
Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote
Amazon Echo Plus Voice Controlled Wireless Speaker and Home System Interface
Amazon Echo Dot Voice Controlled Home System Interface
Amazon Echo Spot with Alexa and Screen
4K Ultra HDTV Specials From Abt
Best Selling Soundbars and 5.1 Surround Systems
The LX-UH1 uses a single Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) chip (instead of three separate Red, Green and Blue microdisplays like 3LCD or LCoS) and an RGBRGB (six segment) color wheel, to produce full color images with high brightness and contrast. JVC said the unit’s dynamic contrast ratio measures 100,000:1.
The LX-UH1 supports 100% of the Rec. 709 color space (it will accept up to BT.2020 content and scale it down to the capabilities of the display). The color space matches the gamut required for Full HD 1080p displays but is short of the 90% of DCI-P3 color space recommended for premium level flat-panel 4K Ultra HD TVs with HDR by the Ultra HD Alliance. There are currently no certification specs for premium 4K projectors.
The projector presents both the HDR10 and Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) flavors of HDR. The latter is an HDR Gamma mode for broadcasts and streaming services that does not use metadata like other HDR formats, making it optimal for live on-the-fly content. Currently, DirecTV is offering 4K Ultra HD channels with HLG HDR. Eventually, some cable and perhaps terrestrial broadcast stations will employ it in the future.
When viewing HDR content users have the option to engage a two-position automatic aperture to get the best possible image quality.
The projector includes two HDMI inputs, including one that features the full speed/full spec HDMI 2.0b/HDCP2.2 standard that is capable of handling data transfer rates up to 18Gbps. An RS-232C interface and a 12-volt screen trigger output are added for custom installation purposes.
For greater setup and positioning flexibility, the JVC LX-UH1 offers a ±60% vertical lens shift and ±23% horizontal lens shift, and 1.6x wide zoom lens.
By Greg Tarr
Have a question for the HD Guru? HD GURU|Email
Copyright ©2018 HD Guru Inc. All rights reserved. HD GURU is a registered trademark.
Stay connected