The big picture
REGULAR READERS MIGHT recall the Tech Know review of Epson's petite EMP-30 LCD projector. It proved not only extremely compact, and relatively cheap at just over $10,000, but I found it provided a far more theatre-like viewing experience than the much-hyped plasma display. Now we move, price-wise, from the bottom of the pile to something closer to the top: JVC's $122,630 DLA-M2000 projector.
A relatively large apartment isn't essential if you entertain this piece of kit, but it does help. The box in which it arrived was big enough to seat four adults comfortably, and the screen case was 2.5 metres long. The JVC doesn't come with a screen, so if your flat is small you may like to consider a more compact model.
Despite dimensions of 505x265x393mm, the projector is reasonably easy to set up. It's bulky, but weighs in at a manageable 15kg and has a carrying handle. It has ample adjust-ments for colour and keystoning, an effect that occurs when the projector is angled up or down in such a way that the picture looks more like a trapezoid than a rectangle. The DLA-M2000 gave the most colour-accurate image I have ever seen in anything short of a true video-editing monitor.
JVC claims the DLA-M2000 creates an image so sharp and of such high resolution that it rivals 35mm film. This is achieved by using a variation on the standard LCD projector the company calls a direct drive image light amplifier, or DLA. And the claim seems true: I had to be right up to the screen before I could see any pixels. But is that a good thing? A basic complaint I have about large displays is that they push beyond the resolution of DVDs. The DLA-M2000, however, isn't affected by the annoying 'stair-stepping' effect of plasma displays, and I saw little compression noise.
If you're a big movie fan, the JVC may be just what you are looking for. While the picture was soft, it was soft in the way that movies projected from film in a theatre often look soft. I loaded Blazing Saddles and reclined in front of a two-metre wide image, and it was just like being back at the drive-in where I first saw the film in the late 70s. And if you do find the softness annoying, it's not really JVC's fault: the company is doing the best it can with the DVD image it is given. Considering the only solution would be to reduce the picture's resolution to match the DVD, JVC has done well.
But there are a few down sides to the machine. The Epson projector has a noisy cooling fan, but it is nothing compared to the DLA-M2000's fan, which sounds like my air-conditioner on full blast. The projector must be placed well away from your viewing position to dampen the sound, and the fact that the lens is not terribly wide also means a large room is preferred. The bright overscan from the machine was also distracting. Projectors always project an area of blank image outside the movie picture which is usually dark and unnoticeable; not so with the DLA-M2000. Make sure the screen you buy is exactly the right size for your projected image, meaning the overscan will be off the screen.
The DLA-M2000 is a fine device for those lucky enough to have $120,000 to spend on a projector. Presumably, if you have that kind of cash, you also have a chauffeur to bring it home for you, a large room in which to put it and money to spend on proper installation.
If you're interested, simply have your people call JVC's people directly on 2722-0320.
