JVC DLA-X95R Special Features 2

JVC e-Shift2 and "4K" resolution

Watch our video on the JVC “4K” e-Shift2 detail enhancement technology.

I don’t approve of JVC calling their e-Shift2 technology 4K resolution.

I understand what they are doing, and I can see real benefit as a dynamic detail enhancement and sharpening solution, but it’s not true 4K nor does it come close.

Think comparable to Sony’s Reality Creation, except that JVC’s solution involves hardware, not just image processing.  Having the e-Shift2 is a good thing.

e-Shift2 (this year’s version adds the “2”), makes the almost invisible pixel structure of JVC’s LCoS chips essentially invisible, even at a couple of feet away.

Panasonic for years, on their PT-AE projectors such as the current PT-AE8000U, has had SmoothScreen. It’s done differently, but also does at least one thing similarly: It makes the pixels more invisible at normal seating distances.

Another “proof” about it not being true 4K, is that these JVC projectors with e-Shift2 cannot accept 4K source material. It basically takes 1080p (1920×1080), and fires twice, 1920×1080 the first time, then shifts the image about 1/2 pixel diagonally, and repeats the process. That blurs the image, and spreads out the light to where the pixel mask is, thus the lower pixel visibility.  (That more expensiveSony does support 4K source material.)

Thus, JVC is addressing 4K, but they are merely overlapping pixels. Even if JVC could accept 4K, it wouldn’t provide the sharpness and detail of a true 4K projector like Sony’s VPL-VW1000ES, which is currently my favorite home theater projector, and winner of last year’s Outstanding Projector of the Year award.  Of course, that Sony is just over twice the price. What’s extra $13,000 between friends?

Let’s look at the JVC’s e-Shift2 in action.  Below, we have an image of a newspaper, from the most recent Spiderman movie.  Below is a photo of the whole frame that we’re about to use (less some minor edge cropping). For the serious look at e-shift2 in action, we’ll start by cropping down to around 10% of the scene.

In the sequence below there’s plenty to look at. (For future subscribers, there will be a video on e-Shift, when our redesigned site launches in May).

Remember as you look at these closeups below, that the image above represents just about the full frame. So, what may seem fairly dramatic here, is less so viewing the full frame. Still at close “normal” seating distances, you can make out all the things I’m talking about.

You will find that some settings appear more contrasty. You’ll also find that as you look at different settings, despite all that enhancement, there is virtually no change in actual readability of very small text: More different than actually better. Folks if this was real 4K, the readability difference from going from 2K (e-shift2 off) would be more dramatic, even with 2K content.

One more e-shift vs Epson comparison – on a simple Preview image before the movie trailers:

Editor’s note: Basically here’s an FYI for you to consider: If you are wondering why in the image above, the JVC (on the left) looks brighter on the right side, and the Epson looks brighter on the left side, that’s due to the camera being placed straight back from the center, and that this is a 1.4 gain screen so straight back is going to be a touch brighter, due to some roll-off caused by the off angle viewing of the outer parts of both images. If the camera was straight back from the middle of the JVC’s image, then both sides of the JVC 95 image would be equal, and the center of the JVC image appear a touch brighter.

Click Image to Enlarge