JVC DLA-X55 Projector – Performance

Posted on July 15, 2013 By Art Feierman

On this page we take a look at the DLA-X55 projector’s brightness, sharpness, and image noise. We’ll discuss brightness in both 2D and 3D, as well. Also considered here are other issues including image noise, light leakage, “4K e-shift” and audible noise.

JVC DLA-X55R Brightness

It wasn’t exceptionally easy figuring out how bright this JVC should be. A good deal of the initial information I had (pre-release) didn’t seem to mention a brightness spec. JVC showed me the error of my ways. This JVC DLA-X55R – and the RS48, are rated 1200 lumens along with JVC’s more expensive models. The lower cost X35 and it’s RS46 equivalent are rated slightly brighter at 1300 lumens.

Mike’s highest measurements of the X55R were lower than last year’s X30 / RS45 projector, more in line with the more expensive X70R (this year, the new model is an X75R, but we haven’t reviewed that one yet (we plan to). Although the X55R, along with the less expensive X35, is supposed to have it’s in last year’s X30. That’s not the case, at least, for brightness.

Again lower cost X35 claims 1300 lumens while the X55R, X75R and X95R all claim a lower 1200 lumens. What is interesting, though is that last year’s X70R still managed to measure slightly brighter than this X55R. The X70R had measured 748 lumens calibrated vs. 703 with the X55R.

Ed.Note: We do not attempt to find every lumen, we only care about pictures that are very watchable. No doubt we could tweak settings and find at least 10% more lumens, but the only point would be to see how many we can find. We focus instead on “best” and “brightest” modes which are excellent and very watchable, respectively.

The next few screens will deal with pre-calibration information of the DLA-X55 R projector, including photos of how some of the modes look. Further down you’ll find the post calibration information including the measured brightness for D65 and “brightest” mode.

We will also look at the affects of JVC’s “4K e-Shift2” with comparative photos.

First are the lumen measurements for each of the preset and user modes. Also included was the measured color temp for white, for each mode.

JVC DLA-X55R Brightness

JVC DLA-X55R Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom) Pre-Calibration
Cinema	712 @ 6506, 451 @ 6827 in default Low lamp mode
Film	676 @ 5967
Natural	721 @ 6510
Stage	793 @ 7736
Animation	775 @ 8377
3D	793 @ 7755
User 1-5	721 @ 6518

Note, again this year Stage mode definitely looks a bit brighter, with a lot more pop. (with color temp at 7000K). Mike’s measured numbers don’t seem to reflect, any significant difference in brightness, but the image is the one you’ll want, say for sports, if there’s any real ambient light at all.

JVC’s DLA-X55R lacks the THX mode found on the higher end projectors.

Here are samples of the DLA-X55R projector in different modes: User 1 is our calibrated Best. We offer up the other modes calibrated. Stage is our “Brightest”, but User is so close in brightness that Mike didn’t feel the need to tweek Stage, which mostly would have improved only slightly, but at the cost of its brightness advantage.

Although there’s not a huge, measurable difference, but in watching this projector, Stage appears sufficiently brighter than the calibrated User 1 (just over a 100 lumen difference) that buddies who came over to watch some March Madness insisted on Stage mode, after switching back and forth. We had the room’s back lighting on.

User 1: (Calibrated)