GET in SHAPE! Fitness Tech That Coaches, Motivates
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www.wifihifi.ca | June/July 2019 GET IN SHAPE! Fitness Tech That Coaches, Motivates PM42710013 YOUR EYES DESERVE THIS e-shift 5 WWW.CA.JVC.COM/PROJECTORS The ultimate home theatre experience demonstration is available in the GTA. Contact [email protected] for details. JVCKENWOOD CANADA JVC_AD_9x11.indd 1 2019-05-14 7:35 PM HANDS-ON REVIEW port, an RS-232 port for legacy system control, and a LAN port for IP system control. JVC’s DLA-NX7 True 4K I found the redesigned, backlit remote to be intuitive in button layout and comfortable to hold. But gone are the direct access buttons for Home Theatre Projector lens memory (I usually use all three of them for 21:9, 16:9, and 18:9) and HDMI inputs. It may not be a big deal for most people, but I prefer func- paired with the tion over form. Panasonic UHD DP-UB9000 Panasonic UB9000 UHD Player Within the same time frame that JVC announced the NX7, Panasonic announced its UB9000 UHD Blu-ray Disc Player player. Totally unlike its predecessor, the new player employs full metal construction with build BY DAVID SUSILO quality that makes it not only built like a tank, but with its weight exceeding 18 lbs., it is a tank! Being a reference player, the unit employs a I’VE BEEN USING JVC projectors for the past three projection screen, most users won’t see more than reference quality standalone analog stage unlike years, upgrading mine annually. The incremental 200 nits of peak brightness. This is a far cry from any other player in its MSRP $1,300 price range. improvements year to year, especially in the HDR fat panels reaching over 1,000 nits. In the case of Also, unlike any player within its range, it uses department, make the replacements worth the my Sony 55X900F, for example, the peak bright- a specially designed, centrally mounted optical investment for a cinephile like myself. ness on my panel can max out at 1,600 nits! transport (competitors use a computer drive to Last year, at CEDIA, JVC announced that for this The fx is JVC’s new auto tone mapping soft- cut costs, but they tend to be more prone to jit- years’ models, the company will be using a new ware and Panasonic’s HDR Optimizer. Together, ter). A separate power supply system between true 4K chip (no more eShift). I was eager to put the new software can automatically adjust the the audio and video circuitries are used, and my order in for the DLA-NX7 immediately. dynamic range of HDR10 content to better suit they sit on a dual, thick gauge, metal chassis. To This is the company’s mid-tier model, which the brightness capabilities of the image on top it of, the player includes Panasonic’s HDR seems to offer a sweet spot in terms of per- screen. (Note: The HDR optimization function on Optimizer, which allows you to customize the formance and asking price of $9,999, with a the projector and in the player can work inde- HDR output for content (including Netflix and compelling combination of class-leading bright- pendently and will work with any source and Prime Video) to match your display. ness, contrast, and native 4K resolution. Prior to display, respectively.) The player comes fully equipped with the usual this, no projector ofered the best of all three of USB input to play audio fles from MP3 to FLAC, these traits. You could only have two, at most. The JVC DLA-NX7 4K Home and video fles upwards to H.265 in 4K resolution, The NX7 (also sold as the DLA-RS2000, depend- Theatre Projector although DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD are not ing on the market) uses JVC’s new third-generation The NX7 is a relatively large projector, measuring supported when playing back from a USB device. native 4K D-ILA panels with a full 17:9 aspect ratio 19.8 inches by 19.5 inches by 9.3 inches, with a Ethernet connection is of the gigabit variety (unlike HD or UHD with a 16:9 ratio). The company weight of 44 pounds. This makes it over 30% larger with analog outputs that include stereo XLR claims advancements in planarization that help in volume and about 9 pounds heavier than JVC’s out. Dual HDMI outputs are also available with reduce light scatter and diffraction to increase previous generation lamp-based models. The full compatibility upwards to 4K/60 4:4:4 12-bit contrast performance over the previous genera- larger chassis yields better airfow and less audible or any video output combinations including tion 4K panels found in the fagship RS4500 laser fan noise to be subjectively 80% lower in volume European’s 25p and 50p frame-rate variants. projector. Additionally, JVC is using a new light level. The NX7 employs the same fully motorized engine design with higher performing wire-grid lens from previous years, ofering 2x zoom, a 1.4 to Setting Them Up in My Home Theatre polarizers and tighter quality control over the 2.8 throw ratio, and a generous ±80% vertical and The centrally mounted, fully motorized lens on lens. The end result is a more efcient projector ±34 percent horizontal lens shift. JVC claims 1900 the JVC projector makes setup a breeze. It took producing a sharper image with more contrast lumens of light output, >100 per cent P3 colour less than fve minutes for me to achieve a proper and light output. gamut support, an 80,000:1 native contrast ratio, image size and focus on my screen, exactly down Two focus points JVC has for this years’ mod- and an 800,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The 265- to one pixel accuracy. els are true 4K projection and improving HDR10 watt UHP lamp is rated for 4,500 hours. While JVC has been a class leader when it performance. This is a sore topic for projector On the back of the projector, you’ll find the comes to pixel delineation and focus uniformity owners, since even with a claimed 1900 lumens, usual two 18 Gbps HDMI 2.0b ports, a 3D emitter across the image, I found a slight softness on the the NX7 (or any home projector, for that matter) sync port (the same emitter I’ve been using for the right side of the screen when looking at a 1:1 falls behind most fat panel TVs when it comes to past three JVC projectors I’ve owned), a USB port pixel grid thrown by my Murideo video pattern image brightness. Even on a modestly sized 100” for frmware updates (fnally!), a 12-volt trigger generator. It wasn’t to the point of being too 34 www.wifhif.ca noticeable. And bear in mind that I can easily edented control over almost every aspect of its detect visual aberrations in >$20K lenses. But it’s image should you feel the need to venture past JVC DLA-NX7 4K HOME THEATRE present nevertheless. the preset factory picture modes. PROJECTOR Convergence, once the projector was warmed As for the Panasonic player, set-up is also very PROS up, was excellent. Not perfect, but much bet- easy. Once you go into the system settings, you ter than any sub $20K projector out there. The can choose the type of display you’re using from Deepest black level compared to others in its class built-in correction software can fix the con- projectors to LCDs to OLED. This way, the player vergence in no time. It took me less than five customizes its output to a given display and Native 4K resolution minutes to perfect the convergence, something optimizes the HDR output accordingly. I find it Amazing greyscale that usually takes me 30 minutes to do. interesting and refreshing that as part of the Amazing HDR automatic tone mapping The menu system is well laid out, with options easy setup, the player checked for new frmware unambiguously named to avoid confusion updates as well. CONS about what each one does. Such options include The only part that you need to take notice of Heavy basic Brightness, Contrast, Color, and Tint con- is that although you can select which type of dis- Big trol, and myriad other picture controls are play you are using in the system settings, you will available for more advanced calibration. Preset still need to activate HDR Optimizer by going to colour temperature options range from 5500K “option” and then activating that function while to 9300k, preset gamma options range from playing a disc with HDR for the frst time. Once 2.2 to 2.6 with additional HDR gamma presets you do that, however, you won’t have to do it ranging from 1.8 to 2.6 in the user settings, and again for subsequent discs/movies. you have several preset colour gamut options Once you have the HDR Optimizer turned on, to choose from, including REC709, DCI-P3, and there are more options to tweak brightness of menu system that aren’t image settings. Some REC2020. JVC includes diferent preset picture the image using the remote. It defaults to “stan- of these items include digital mask, lens mem- modes that are tailored towards diferent types dard,” but you can scroll through several options ories, anamorphic stretch modes,12-volt trigger of content. Natural mode is best for REC709 SDR depending on the lighting situation of the room. modes, and even convergence – which is highly content, while HDR10 mode is best suited for I fnd “standard” to be the one that gives the best important if you use an anamorphic lens.