Posted on September 3, 2019 By Art Feierman and Nikki Kahl
The JVC DLA-NX7 is the middle of JVC’s three native 4K projectors using LCoS technology. Although, we get to review JVC home theater projectors too infrequently, we are always impressed. Simply stated, there is nothing at its $10K price point that can touch the NX7. JVC is best known for offering the best black levels of any projectors on the market.
Even the better Sonys, and Epsons, which offer some pretty impressive black levels, don’t really cut it when compared to JVCs – but I believe you have to go all the way up to Sony’s $35,000 projector to rival the NX7. As such, the JVC DLA-NX7 is the winner of our Best In Class Price Performance Home Theater Award in the $5000+ Projector Class.
What you’re getting with the JVC DLA-NX7 is a projector that is ideal for a high-quality home theater, and one that is worthy of a dedicated space. The image really pops, and the great black levels give it more depth than is found on lesser projectors. It is reasonably bright as well, with a claim of 1,900 lumens! Calibrated, it came in less than 150 lumens shy of its claim – even in HDR10 Mode.
The DLA-NX7 is not just about performance – it is quite feature-laden as well. It supports both major forms of HDR – HDR10 and HLG (Hybrid Gamma Log), which is expected to be widely used in the future of broadcasting. It has two HDCP 2.2 HDMIs for accepting 4K content, so you can connect multiple 4K sources, such as a PlayStation 4 Pro and your 4K UHD Blu-Ray Player. Nice.
The NX7 switches automatically to HDR10 Mode when HDR signals are received, making watching your HDR content easier than ever. It also has Auto Tone Mapping, which adjusts settings to get the absolute best picture from your HDR content, without you having to lift a finger. The projector also provides deeper, richer colors by tackling the expanded P3 color space.
The JVC DLA-NX7 has a 17-element, 15-group all-glass 65mm diameter, high-quality 2.0:1 zoom lens with motorized lens functions, including a generous amount of lens shift (+80% vertical and +34% horizontal), and Lens Memory. That Lens Memory feature is important, because most folks buying this projector are generally very serious about their movies, and are far more likely to want to go with a Cinemascope style widescreen, rather than the traditional 16:9 HDTV-shaped screen.
This projector has several features designed to get you the best color possible. It has a color management system with a 6-axis matrix, as well as Auto-Calibration to keep the color accurate over the duration of its lamp life – which is up to 4,500 hours in Low Mode. The NX7 also has an ISF C3 (Certified Calibration Controls) mode.
Additional features include 3D compatibility, via an optical sensor (not included) and proprietary software from JVC, and nine settings of Installation Mode. Those settings are: Lens Control, Pixel Adjustment, Mask, Anamorphic On/Off, Screen Adjust, Installation Style, Keystone, Pincushion, and Aspect. These installation modes can be stored for various environments, and called up when necessary. The JVC DLA-NX7 has an excellent warranty of 3 years, parts and labor.
The JVC DLA-NX7 projects a scene from a movie.
The JVC DLA-NX7 could have easily won our Performance Award in this Projector Class for the 2019-2020 Home Theater Projectors Report, had it not been up against the Sony VPL-VW995ES. That projector is about three times the price of this JVC, at $34,999, so we decided to give the NX7 our Best in Class – Price Performance Home Theater Award, with the Performance Award going to that Sony.
Both are very serious in terms of picture quality, performance, and features. The Sony is best suited for a more sophisticated home theater – that is, totally dedicated, stadium-type seating, etc. – while the JVC would be best suited your typical dedicated home theater environment, as well as the most elaborate of home theaters. Either way, you’re paying for their world-class black level performance that would many any movie theater insanely jealous.
JVC DLA-NX7 Review
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