JVC DLA-HD1

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By Brian Thomas, CNET.co.uk
Apr 4, 2007

The HD1 is among the first of a new batch of affordable home cinema projectors that offer support for full-HD picture resolution. But that's not all that's special about this beamer. It also boasts technology that delivers extreme deep blacks and lots of contrast visually--both of which are holy grails of the projector world.

Priced at around S$9,999 (US$7,099.55), the HD1 certainly isn't cheap, but it sports specifications that would have cost you three times as much just a year ago, so in some ways it's great value for money.

Editors' note:

This review is based on evaluations conducted by our sister site. Review ratings on similar products may differ due to differences in regional market trends and competing product lineups.

Design
Measuring 172 x 455 x 418mm, the HD1 is about twice the size of an average DLP or LCD machine and, as you would expect, it's quite heavy, too. JVC has done its best to camouflage this bulky frame with a sleek-looking piano-black finish and a luxurious silver stripe down the center. However, the size of this projector will still be an issue for many as it won't, for example, fit on an average book shelf. In fact, we'd say the only sensible option would be to have it professionally mounted on the ceiling, which you're going to have to budget a bit extra for.

	The HD1 is fairly bulky and heavy, but it's finished in a sleek piano-black coating with a stylish silver stripe down the center. (click for more information)

Nevertheless, the large size does mean that JVC has been able to kit it out with a decent range of connectors on the rear. You get composite and S-video inputs for hooking up standard-definition boxes, plus a single component-video and twin HDMI sockets for use with high-definition decks.

And while many projectors come with pretty pathetic remotes, it's obvious JVC has spent time on this one. It's long and slender, yet it also has large buttons that are arranged sensibly. We also loved the built-in light sensor that automatically illuminates the buttons when it detects that the room has darkened.

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