JVC - DLA-NP5

Image wise, nothing can best this model for the money. It's a solid buy if you don't mind the lamps.

DLP generally just can't keep up on black levels compared to the better Epson, Sony, and JVC models. The 5050UB has been long stated to be one of the best values for quality in the industry, but it is long overdue for a laser update to it. The NP5 is an easy one to call the 'best of the bunch', but the lamp light source instead of a laser really does suck.

I am big into D-ILA and currently have the DLA-NP5 (not laser but I think similar to NZ500, but not even as good). It’s very very good. I have a light controlled, dedicated home theater with Stewart Filmscreen screen as well. The blacks, image quality and everything is really impressive so I would lean the NZ500/700, but it’s probably personal preference or other subtle differences once you cross into this territory. You’ll love whichever of these you choose. Let us know which way you go and enjoy!

I have the same issue in an undedicated room with a little light and chose the Elitescreen 3D variant thinking the ALR screen will have a meaningful effect. It definitely looks good head on, but starts to lose brightness 10ft or so off-center, and is watchable up to 70deg. However, since my projector is a JVC NP5, it doesn't get bright enough to overcome a majority of the light that falls on my screen, so the ALR isn't really a feature that's needed IMO. If I could do it all over, I would just get the cinegrey and not deal with any speckling or hot-spotting. And yes, there is a major difference between the LS11000 and Ls12000, as long at you watch at night, your black levels will be vastly darker on the latter. I had the LS11000 for awhile and returned it because the blacks were a muddy Grey, and I prefer contrast over brightness.

The best projector in that price range is the JVC NP5, by far. But it’s not laser. If you want laser then Epson LS12000 is the way to go.

JVC NP5 if you can still find one. If not then Epson LS12000

Correct me if I’m wrong but the JVC NP5 has a low latency mode. Without the NP5 can have a high input lag (~165 ms) but with it enabled it can significantly reduce input lag to 36.5 ms in 1080p/60, 35.8 ms in 1080p/120 and 44.8 ms in 4k/60

Dude I'm with you here. I honestly and truly believe that after about $2-4k the benefits are negligible. It's the same with audiophiles, and I'm an audiophile with $4k IEMs, but I will **never** say shit like that poster. It's so snobby, arrogant, and pretentious. I think lifestyle projectors are just fine. JMGO, Hisense, and some others are giving JVC, Epson, and Sony a run for their money. I bought a JMGO N1S Ultimate and I'd say my $15k JVC is only marginally better--at most 10-20% better. I bought the JMGO on sale for $1.5k, the JVC I bought **used** for $15k. Suffice to say I'm no longer a "phile" of AV shit. The sweet spot is the "middle".

The nz500 cannot do 4k/120hz and has no 3d support as well, the np5 does , so that's a benefit if you like those things.

JVC wins in black levels and is best with 4K Blu-ray. Sony is a close second but much better with processing, detail, streaming, motion, sports, and gaming. Epson is brighter, but is insanely green. Once you have it accurately calibrated the brightness drops off lower than the Sony or JVC with none of the benefits.

Yup, NP5 is fine but NZ700 runs circles around it in contrast and brightness, especially after first 500hrs. Honestly, i wouldn’t…

Tried the np5?

I got one before nz500 was even announced. Annoying.

JVC np5 for home. IMAX dual laser for cinema.

And I had seen a JVC DLA-NP5 with 3600 hours on the lamp, it didn't feel dim at all to me. So with a brand new bulb it should be really good I guess.

I tested the JVC NP5 against a few different Sony projectors and found the Sony's to have sharper optics and better image processing. Black levels were not quite as good, but very close. If 3D is a factor - as it is for me - you can find a used XW6000 which supports 3d in a similar $5K price range though it will require an external 3d emitter, or you can get a VW715, which is 1800 lumens, lamp-based and has an onboard 3D emitter.

It's on sale because it's being replaced by a newer model with laser. If you don't mind lamps then it's probably the best projector at $4k.

Just purchased an NP5 after upgrading from an Epson 5050ub and wow, I didn't realise or think it would be this big of an upgrade. The picture just pops off the screen, it to me looks almost oled like. Not to mention how good the motion is too, didn't realise how much movie details I was missing due to judder and jitter. Very very happy with this projector and don't see myself upgrading for a very long time.

I have a 5050ub and also can't help the itch for an upgrade. It's obviously the best in its class and price point. But what in your guys opinion would be a worthy upgrade that's the next step up from it (without breaking the bank) I was thinking possibly a JVC NP5 but when I auditioned one I wasn't that impressed and thought my 5050ub looked as good if not better. I think I could rest peacefully if I knew I had a native 4k projector. If Epson had a native 4k projector at the 5050ub or ls12000 I would be done with upgrade itch. I love the 5050ub color and brightness is fine. My goal is sharpness I'm used to from my oled tv or as close as possible.

The NP5 has better HDR performance and 120hz support. It's not a massive upgrade but considering the NP5 came out 3 years ago the NX5 is getting pretty old. The NX line had some HDMI board issues that could pop up so there's more risk there. In the US the NP5 is selling for around $2500 USD but I'm not sure what the market looks like near you. You look around to see if any dealer is still holding on to a NP5?

Just to add. The NX5/NP5 are very good projectors and I think most would be very happy with them. It's not a bad buy (assuming it's the NP5 and not the NX5, the NX5 for $3k USD is too much).

Here are some good options. The Sony and JVc goes on sale occasionally and can get down to $5k. https://www.projectorscreen.com/store/ProductCompare.aspx?itemids=148626,148615,145843,144660,148233 The JVC rs1100/np5 is bulb based but it’s great. The Sony is laser as is the JVC nz500 (new release model). Both are native 4k. The Epson uses pixel shifting but is regarded as a top performer in the price range. I’ve got them all in our showroom and happy to get into details about all of them if interested; just DM me.

The NP5 is a great unit and at the current $4k sale price, it’s a fantastic value even when factoring cost of replacement bulbs. We’ve got one in our showroom and several left in stock (they are discontinued and won’t be replenished) and they have been selling pretty rapidly at this new low price.

In a dedicated room with light control, I would like to go with projection if I can. And if you're going with projection, then you have the luxury of having a larger screen and pulling the seats back a bit. Sitting 10ft away from a 100" screen and sitting 13ft away from a 130" screen both produce a 40 degree field-of-view (FOV), but I would argue that it fundamentally *feels* different. It has to do with how your eyes focus in on an image, and how distance impacts that. Somewhere in the 15-20ft range, our eyes' infinite focus kicks in. Obviously, in most residential sized rooms, sitting 15-20ft away from the screen is simply not practical. But I would say the closer you can get to that (without making drastic compromises elsewhere), the better. In a 18x24ft room, I would put in a 135" screen. The first row would be seated 13ft away from the screen (~41 degree FOV) and the second row would be seated 19.5ft away (~28 degree FOV). Ideally, it would have been a ~150" screen, but it's tough to get a decent 150" HDR image out of a $5K projector. Also, with 150" on a 8ft tall wall, the second row will have some of the screen blocked by the first row. A 135" screen fits your ceiling height and budget limitations better. For the projector, I would check out the Epson LS12000 and JVC NP5. If you shop around with various dealers, you should be able to get the Epson for $4000-4500 even though it has a $5K MSRP. For the JVC, there should be several close out sales on it right now. https://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-Pro_Cinema_LS12000.htm https://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-DLA-NP5.htm For the screen, given this is a light controlled room, and you don't plan to do an acoustically transparent screen, you don't actually need anything too fancy: https://www.amazon.com/STR-169135-Silver-Ticket-Cinema-Projector/dp/B00DGW15NU > My budget is about 5k for the television. If you decide to go with a TV instead of projector, then 10ft away from a 98" screen will be alright. I would recommend going with a TCL QM851G or Sony X90L. At this very moment, they are both above your budget, but they both regularly go on sale for $4-5K at this point: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tcl-98-class-qm8-series-4k-uhd-hdr-qd-mini-led-smart-google-tv-2024/6579450.p?skuId=6579450 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-65-class-bravia-xr-x90l-led-4k-uhd-smart-google-tv-2023/6544733.p?skuId=6544733

If this is a completely blacked out room and you're using it only for movies, I would get a JVC NP5: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/jvc-dlp-dla-np5-projector-2854113797933.html?mTd=1 Or if this is a room that will have some dim lighting and you will have a mix of different types of content (sports, gaming, etc), then I would get the Epson LS12000: https://avshack.in/products/epson-pro-cinema-ls12000-native-4k-laser-projector I cannot find it in India yet, but the successor to the JVC NP5, the JVC NZ500 is available in the US: https://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-DLA-NZ500.htm It will probably also be available in India in a few weeks/months. Finally, IMO the Sony XW5000ES is not a particularly compelling option in the US compared to what you can get from Epson and JVC at the same price. However, in countries like India, Sony's distribution and support tends to be better than the other two brands. So it's worth considering for you: https://avshack.in/products/sony-vpl-xw5000es-4k-hdr-home-cinema-laser-projector

Not well versed in this stuff but I got the Epson 5050 and didn't like it, switched to NP5 and liked it a lot more. Both a model below the ones you're looking at.

Same here, tried the bulb based JVC NP5 then the Sony and immediately knew I'd be keeping the Sony. I could see the DTM advantages the JVC had but the Sony was just a level up overall (for me). Assuming the JVC made the same leaps with the new light source it would be my choice easily. Like you though, really enjoying the Sony so not getting upgradeitis.

The NP5 / RS1100 is practically a steal at this price point. One thing not mentioned is that this unit has better native color coverage than its laser counterparts. I believe my unit hits near 95% P3 coverage without a filter, compared to roughly 85-87% on the laser units.

Nope. You can get a native 4k jvc for 6k