If you are looking for the ultimate home theater experience, you should definitely take a close look at Sony's flagship projector, the VPL-GTZ380, which is a 10,000 lumen, native 4K SXRD projector that retails for $80,000 (minus lens).
In 2017 when Art reviewed Sony's amazing VW5000ES projector, he said it was easily the best home theater projector he had ever reviewed. Over the next several years, the VW5000ES reigned supreme as the "King of Home Theater Projectors".
However, many professionals and hard-core enthusiasts that loved the picture quality of the VW5000ES and its highly-rated professional twin brother, the VPL-GTZ270, desired an even brighter, higher performance unit.
Price
$80,000
Technology
SXRD-3
Native Resolution
4K (4096x2160)
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)
10000
Contrast
∞:1
Native Aspect Ratio
4156
Lens Shift
Yes
Lamp Life
20,000 Hours
Weight
112
Warranty
3 years
Enter the VPL-GTZ380. Compared to its predecessors, the GTZ380 delivers much higher brightness and wider color gamut resulting in a massive increase in color volume. The unit’s X1 Ultimate chip also provides a huge boost in video processing power which further improves both SDR and HDR picture quality.
Yes, a huge amount of brightness is overkill when viewing SDR except on an absolutely massive screen. However, if you want the best experience viewing HDR content, 10,000 lumens of brightness isn’t really that extreme.
The GTZ380 is intended for applications where the highest image quality is critical. While the unit will be most attractive to video enthusiasts looking for the ultimate home theater projector, you will also see it utilized for other applications including film festivals, private screening rooms, and training simulators.
The XW7000ES new 0.61-inch native 4K UHD (3840×2160) SXRD panels delivered a sharp picture. Due to its X1 Ultimate video processor, the XW7000ES did an excellent job upscaling HD content. In addition, the projector-optimized X1 Ultimate processor combines signal HDR analysis and precise modulation of its 3200-lumen laser source to produce a stunning HDR picture.
The XW7000ES produced close to its rated brightness of 3200 ANSI lumens even in its most accurate picture modes. Many projectors deliver significantly less than their rated brightness when placed in their most accurate picture mode and it is not uncommon to see the brightness cut in half.
Price
$27,999
Technology
SXRD
Native Resolution
3840x2160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)
3200
Contrast
∞:1
Zoom Lens Ratio
2.14:1
Lens Shift
Yes
Lamp Life
20,000 Hours
Weight
31 Pounds
Warranty
3 years
When it comes to native contrast and black levels, very few home theater projectors except for JVC DILA projectors can match/beat the XW7000ES. I have not come across a single-chip DLP home theater projector that can even come close.
Lastly, the XW7000ES, like most Sony SXRD projectors, includes several “installer-friendly” features including a motorized lens with tons of zoom and lens shift, including position memories. Picture position memories are great for customers with masking screens or anyone who want to maximize the image size of 16:9 and widescreen on a 2.35:1 screen.
In addition, the XW7000ES has a large amount of zoom and horizontal/vertical lens shift capability, which makes installation a breeze, especially when trying to replace an older, previously mounted unit.
With a retail price of $27,999, the XW7000ES does command a premium price over most 4K home theater projectors, its outstanding SDR and HDR picture quality and feature set make it worth every penny. The XW7000ES would be a great addition to any premium home cinema and it is highly recommended.
At a retail price of $25,999, the JVC DLA-NZ9 / RS4100 is at the top end of the JVC 4K projector lineup. The JVC DLA-NZ9 is an HDR home theater projector that delivers true 4K resolution (4096 x 2160).
It uses the 18 Element, 16 Group, All-Glass 100mm Diameter Zoom Lens to ensure that all of the resolution provided by its native 4K imagers reach the screen.
The unit’s BLU-Escent laser light source technology can produce brightness up to 3,000lm for 20,000 hours of nearly maintenance-free operation.
The NZ9’s high native contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (1,000,000:1 Dynamic) combined with 4K resolution and JVC’s industry-leading black levels result in exceptional picture quality.
PROJECTOR SPECS
Price
$25,999
Technology
DILA 3Chip
Native Resolution
4,096 x 2,160
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)
3000
Contrast
100,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio
2.00:1
Lens Shift
Yes
Lamp Life
20,000 Hours
Weight
56 Pounds
Warranty
3 years
To maximize the HDR performance of the NZ9, it includes a couple of JVC proprietary technologies. First is Frame Adapt HDR which is dynamic scene-by-scene and frame-by-frame HDR tone mapping of HDR10 content. Next is Theater Optimizer which combines information provided by the user with the unit’s current status to provide a more accurate baseline on which to apply their dynamic tone mapping.
In addition, to supporting the HDR10 format used in UHD Blu-ray and streaming, along with the HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) format used in broadcasting, the NZ9 also supports HDR10+.
JVC offers two different series of D-ILA Home Theater Projectors which differ mainly in their cosmetic appearance. Both series are designed for home theater customers and production facilities but sell through different sales channels. For example, NZ (Procision) Series projectors are sold through retailers like BestBuy and Crutchfield, while the RS (Reference) Series models are available through the custom installation dealer network.
JVC is one of the premium manufacturers of Home Theater Projectors. Over the years, due to their high contrast, great black level, and native 4K resolution, their projectors have won numerous awards.
The NX9/RS3000 is one of only 2 projectors getting our “Premium Home Theater Award” because it utilizes JVC’s 3rd generation 0.69-inch 4K D-ILA devices to offer not only 4K resolution but higher native contrast than most projectors on the market.
The JVC DLA-RS3000 is an HDR projector with a native resolution of 4K (4096 x 2160). JVC’s proprietary 8K e-shift technology shifts pixels diagonally 0.5 pixels, quadrupling the picture perceived resolution to 8192 x 4320. While the RS3000 cannot accept an 8K signal and is not equipped with HDMI 2.1(HDCP 2.3) inputs, the unit can upscale 4K content to 8K before it is displayed.
It delivers rich, vibrant colors and is equipped with a 100 mm diameter lens which adopts an all-glass design with 18 elements in 16 groups to deliver a high-resolution image with sharp focus across the entire screen.
To improve its HDR performance, the RS3000 is equipped with Frame Adapt HDR which is scene-by scene and frame-by frame HDR analysis and dynamic tone mapping. JVC added this functionality to most of their native 4K and 8K e-shift Home Theater models in the fall of 2019. JVC recently introduced their new Theater Optimizer, which combines information provided by the user with the unit’s current status to provide a more accurate baseline on which to apply their dynamic tone mapping
JVC offers two different series of 4K D-ILA Projectors, which differ mainly in their cosmetic appearance. Both series are designed for home theater customers and production facilities but sell through different sales channels. We reviewed the JVC DLA-RS3000, which is nearly identical to the DLA-NX9.
Compared to the competition, I have yet to find a single-chip consumer 4K DLP projector that could come anywhere close to the color fidelity, contrast, and black level of a JVC LCoS projector like a DLA-RS3000. If you have the budget to step up from a 4K DLP projector to a 4K JVC D-ILA, you should absolutely do it.
The JVC DLA-NZ7 is an HDR home theater projector that delivers true 4K resolution (4096 x 2160). With a retail price of $10,999, the DLA-NZ7 is the least expensive JVC's 4K DILA equipped with a BLU-Escent laser diode light source. It replaces the award-winning DLA-NX7/RS2000 we reviewed in 2019.
Last year, JVC announced three new 8K D-ILA home theater projector models. These models all utilize their BLU-Escent laser light source, include 8K e-shift, and they were the world's first projectors to offer 48Gbps 8K/60p inputs.
The DLA-NZ7's ability to deliver high native contrast, combined with 4K resolution, results in exceptional performance. Since this is a native 4K unit (unlike a 2K pixel shifting projector), it can natively reproduce all 8.8 million pixels found in 4K content.
In the past, JVC's proprietary 8K e-shift feature, which shifts each pixel diagonally 0.5 pixels to increase projected resolution, was only available on the DLA-RS3000/NX9, which retailed for $18,000. The feature is now available on the NZ7, retailing for several thousand dollars less.
The unit's BLU-Escent laser light source technology can produce up to 2200 lumens of brightness for 20,000 hours of nearly maintenance-free operation. The DLA-NZ7's high native contrast ratio of 40,000:1 (400,000:1 Dynamic) combined with 4K resolution and JVC's industry-leading black levels result in exceptional picture quality.
The VPL-XW6000ES is a native 4K home theater projector with a retail price of $12,000. The XW60000ES has a rated brightness of 2500 and like the models in Sony's current Home Theater Projector lineup, it utilizes a Z-Phosphor laser light source that can provide up to 20,000 hours of nearly maintenance-free operation.
There are three models in Sony's new XW series lineup of 4K SXRD projectors. We have already reviewed the VPL-XW7000ES and VPL-XW-5000ES and we were pleased with both models' performance. We gave the VW7000ES our Premium Home Theater due to class-leading picture quality.
The VPL-XW5000ES ($6000 MSRP) is the least expensive native 4K three-chip projector available today. It's one of my favorite projectors, which is why I gave it a Hot Product Award. While the XW5000ES is a great projector, there are plenty of good reasons to step up to the XW6000ES.
The VPL-XW6000ES is available in White and Black. Sony provided me with a white version of the projector. Since most premium home theater projectors are utilized in dark rooms, their chassis are often black. However, in some situations, a white projector case can help the device blend in better with the surroundings. For example, if the projector is mounted on a white ceiling or placed on a white wall, a white case can make it less noticeable and visually intrusive during the day.
