Love it or hate it, 3D was inescapable at CEDIA Expo 2010, and alongside their premium and high end projector competitors, JVC has announced three new Reference Series 3D Home Cinema Projectors.  The entry-level "3D-ready" DLA-RS40U uses JVC's D-ILA imagine technology and features a single lamp rated to 1300 ANSI Lumens to achieve a native resolution of 50,000:1.Native contrast ratio refers to the intrinsic ability of the projector to show the complete range of image contrast simultaneously in every frame.  JVC avoids implementing a dynamic iris to artificially inflate contrast specifications, but rather uses a wire-grid polarizer to reduce stray light.  This means deep blacks and bright whites living together in harmony.In JVC's attempts to find the most film-like images in 2D and 3D, the DLA-RS40U uses an upgraded version of its Clear Motion Drive to reduce motion blurring, and ...

JVC’s XV-BP1 has a terribly bright light at the front of its unit, reminding one a bit of the flood lamps at the front of the spaceship in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  The brightness can potentially be off-putting, especially with close proximity to the viewing screen.  It might seem a little unorthodox to mention something aesthetic like that in the first lines of a review, but there’s a reason; aside from that, and a strange “happy accident” anomaly that jumps disc playback straight to the start of the programming upon boot-up, this 1080/24p, Profile 2.0 player delivers an impressive, unproblematic punch with its capabilities.  Though it might be quiet and flex quite a bit of audiovisual muscle, it’s the fact that the player is lightning fast that makes it a strong competitor against the standard onslaught of heavy-hitters ...

Introduction Given the iPod’s huge impact on nearly every segment of the home entertainment space, it’s surprising that TV manufacturers have not embraced direct iPod integration en masse. Sure, many have embraced the integration of digital media in general, through USB ports, memory-card readers, and streaming media. But few have taken an iPod-specific approach. Maybe that’s because many of the big names in TV also sell Windows-based PCs, and they’d really prefer you stream your music and videos via that platform. Whatever the reason, JVC has decided to buck the trend and develop a complete line of LCD HDTVs that feature an integrated iPock docking station through which you can listen to your music library and watch your videos, including copy-protected content purchased from the iTunes Store. The integrated approach seems convenient enough, but is it really a better solution than ...

Introduction JVC’s new DLA-RS-2 is the company’s new flagship 1080p-resolution front projector. It is a three-panel LCoS, or what JVC calls DLA (Digital Light Amplifier), which is a reflective variant of LCD display technology. The DLA-RS2 is the step-up from last year’s DLA-RS1, which remains in the company’s projector line-up at a lower price point. However, it improves in only one area of picture performance over the RS-1 with a higher contrast ratio, due mainly to better blacks. While the new projector adds some cool new features, it actually goes backwards in two key areas of performance. Higher contrast ratio on the RS-2 translates into a net loss of nearly 20 percent in light output from the RS-1, which was already marginal in this area. The new projector is conservatively rated at 600 ANSI lumens of light output, which means it ...

The Basics: JVC’s Procision line represents the company’s highest-end offerings in both the TV and projector markets. These products were developed for the custom-installation and high-end consumer channels, and they feature JVC’s most advanced technologies. First and foremost, in the case of this 47-inch 1080p model, is the inclusion of Clear Motion Drive II 120Hz technology, which doubles the TV’s frame rate from 60 to 120Hz to reduce motion blur. The TV also uses JVC’s 32-bit Genessa processing chip and a 10-bit panel, and features a number of advanced picture controls.  The Theater Pro II menu offers advanced color, detail, noise-reduction and gamma controls. The energy-saver control is actually an adjustable backlight. Smart Picture adjusts the image’s brightness, based on the average picture level of the content, while the Smart Sensor adjusts the image’s brightness based on your room’s lighting conditions. ...