Projector Reviews

JVC added new color profiles in a recent firmware update that are meant to maintain nearly perfect synergy between the JVC and the tone mapping provided by the HDR Optimizer feature of Panasonic's DP-UB9000 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. The color profiles coincide with the Panasonic's Basic and High Luminance Projector modes. (Panasonic's DP-UB820 player also has a Basic Luminance Projector mode that corresponds with the UB9000's high luminance mode.)

Basic Luminance uses the projector's color filter to provide the widest color gamut and is optimized for around 350 nits light output. High Luminance does not use the filter and is optimized for around 500 nits light output. Both modes emulate a specific dynamic range "package" that the full HDR signal (which could go up to 4,000 nits!) has to work with when displayed on projectors, which have a lower peak light output capability than flat-panel LCD and OLED TVs provide. (Generally, the higher the dynamic range of the original content, the more range you want to permit to avoid artifacts like clipping.)

While both methods delivered HDR images that looked far better than what we typically see with projectors, they weren't perfect. The Basic Luminance mode works well for most available Ultra HD Blu-rays, but occasionally needed fine-tuning for higher nit titles. The High Luminance mode is optimized for higher nit titles but delivers lower color saturation by foregoing the color filter. In the end, I actually preferred using the NX9's auto tone mapping coupled with the Panasonic's HDR Optimizer modes instead of the new color profiles. This allowed me to use the projector's BT2020 color profile with either output mode, and because Panasonic's player outputs a fixed MaxCLL, the JVC's auto tone mapping optimized HDR content just as well in my viewing tests. .–KRD