Projector Reviews

Measurements

Settings
Keep in mind that unit-to-unit sample variations, the viewing environment, the screen, and the source might render these recommendations less than optimum, though I hope they will provide a useful starting place.

I strongly recommend that you confirm the results on your sample by using one of the many display setup DVDs that are available, such as Digital Video Essentials. This will help you to set the user video controls correctly. Precision tools and an experienced calibrator, however, are still needed to precisely dial in the color temperature.

Image Menu
Contrast: -6
Brightness: +2
Color: -5
Tint: N/A in HDMI Sharpness: -1
DNR: 0
Color Temp: Memory1

• Red: 0
• Green: -62
• Blue: -5

Gamma: Normal
Offset

• Red: 0
• Green: 0

Blue: +3
Setup Menu
Image Profile: User1
HDMI Input Level: Standard
Function Menu
Lamp Power: Normal

Contrast

DLA-HD100, Normal lamp setting

Peak white level

• Full screen: 13.47fL
• 100 IRE window: 14.06fL

Black level: 0.0008fL
Peak contrast ratio: 16,000:1

DLA-HD100, High lamp setting

Peak white level

• Full screen: 15.46fL
• 100 IRE window: 16.20fL

Black level: 0.0009fL
Peak contrast ratio: 16,645:1

DLA-RS1, Normal lamp setting

Peak white level

• Full screen: 18.46fL
• 100 IRE window: 18.75fL

Black level: 0.0014fL
Peak contrast ratio: 13,075:1

DLA-RS1, High lamp setting

Peak white level

• Full screen: 22.28fL
• 100 IRE window: 22.61fL

Black level: 0.0017fL
Peak contrast ratio: 12,763:1

Peak white measurements were taken with a full-screen white field on my 78-inch-wide Stewart Studiotek 130 screen. Black level measurements were trickier, since the Minolta LS-100 light meter is accurate only down to 0.001fL. To get around this limitation, I placed a small piece of Studiotek 130 material about 30 inches from the projector, zoomed the lens to its minimum image size, and measured peak white and black levels, which were, of course, much higher than on my regular screen. I calculated the contrast ratio from the spot measurements, then calculated what the black level on the full screen must be based on that.

The four-digit resolutions in the black levels listed here were obtained by mathematical interpolation of both the small and full screen readings. Readers interested in the details can look for more information on how this was done in a future blog.

Overscan & Resolution

Overscan

• 480i/p: 2.5%
• 720p: 0%
• 1080i/p: 0%

Horizontal bandwidth at 1080i

• HDMI/DVI: 37.1MHz
• Component: 37.1MHz

HD bandwidth in both color (chroma) and black-and-white (luma) resolution were good out to the maximum limits of the HD format (37.1MHz). But it was slightly rolled off at the highest frequency. I would rate it as good at 1080i (HDMI and component) and good to excellent at 1080p (HDMI). The result was only slightly less impressive at 720p via HDMI and component.

The 1-pixel line in a sharpness pattern was crisp but slightly less fine at 1080i via HDMI than I've seen in the best single-chip DLP projectors. The component 1080i sharpness pattern and the 720p patterns via both HDMI and component were good but a step down from the 1080i HDMI result.

Grayscale & Color Temperature The pre-calibration results shown in the figures here were taken with the Low color-temp setting, which was closest to the D65 standard. The post-cal results were in the calibrated Memory 1 setting, with minor assistance from the Offset controls as indicated in the settings listed above.

In the grayscale chart, the closer each individual point is to x=0.313, y=0.329, the closer the white point at that brightness level is to D65. The darkness of each dot corresponds to the level being measured. Generally, a deviation of 0.004 or less in either the x or y coordinate is considered acceptable. Sometimes, we have to settle for greater deviations than that at either the bottom or the top of the brightness range, but the calibrated JVC meets that goal with room to spare.

The color-temperature tracking across the brightness range was good pre-cal and noticeably improved post-cal.

The color-tracking chart is a different way of looking at the grayscale results. The more closely the three color graphs overlap and form a straight line, the closer the result is to D65.

Color

Clearly, all the primary colors on the DLA-HD100 are oversaturated, with red and green the farthest off the mark. The white triangle outlines the HD100's color gamut, with the primaries at the vertices of the triangle; the black triangle encloses the HD (Rec. 709) color gamut.

This is the color gamut of the JVC DLA-RS1. Green and blue are virtually identical in both projectors, but red less oversaturated in the RS1.