JVC DLA-X35 Projector – Image Quality

JVC DLA-X35 Projector - Image Quality

Basically all the projectors we review, including this DLA-X35, will look a lot better projecting on to your screen than they do in our photos. Although some images will reveal performance and support some points I make, they are mostly for “entertainment” for the following reasons:

Editor’s Note:  These JVC DLA-X35 projector screen images come to you, via a Canon 60D dSLR camera, Photoshop software is used to crop and save for web, (using massive image compression which does affect color), browsers, your computer’s graphic card, and even your monitor’s characteristics, all with their own color and contrast inaccuracies. There are color shifts, saturation differences, etc. Take them all, “with a grain (or a pound, or a kilo) of salt”.

With most reviews I advise when I find our photos to have picked up some visible color shift relative to the projected image. This is a strange thing, because it’s inconsistant from one projector to another. For example, the X55R exhibited some extra yellow in the photos, which I noted. Yet, this DLA-X35, by comparison, seems almost dead on, comparing screen image to saved photo.

Why? Not sure. I can speculate though. I expect it may have to do with projected light from the DLA-X35 and other projectors, covering a wider range than our eyes can detect (ie, more infra-red and ultra-violet. And therefore, that extra is affecting the cameras accuracy. Thus things we can’t see are altering the camera’s ability to save what we do see. I have used exactly the same color temp (6500K) and other settings for all our shoots since I started using the 60D over two years ago. I also note that when shooting two projectors side by side, neither looks exactly like the same colors when shooting the same scene individually, with the same settings. Hmm, magic?

Some day I’ll get to the bottom of this. But, meantime, consider these images to be pretty close to what I’m seeing on the screen. Closer than most. In this case, as with most shoots, I do reduce the projector’s color saturation slightly, as otherwise, images seem to end up a bit too saturated compared to what I’m seeing on the screen. I figure a minor reduction in saturation is a “no harm, no foul” adjustment.

DLA-X35 "Out of the Box" Picture Quality

DLA-X35 Projector - Flesh Tones

Close to excellent but not quite there. After calibration the color accuracy of skin tones is improved, but despite Mike’s calibration (including the Color Management System for individual colors) still managed to leave a slight hint of too much yellow or yellow/green.

Not that anyone but us “hard core” will care about that slight a shift.

I should note that for normal movie viewing I found best, most natural viewing when Sharpness was kept to no more than 10, and Detail Enhancement at 15. Most images here were taken with those settings.

This HDTV image (and all other sports images was taken with the X35 in Stage mode, the projector’s brightest, rather than the User 1 “best” mode used for all the movie shots.