JVC - DLA-NZ8

Definitely the JVC NZ8. Native 4K. Native 120hz input/output. [https://www.jvc.com/usa/projectors/procision/dla-nz8/](https://www.jvc.com/usa/projectors/procision/dla-nz8/) If that's not in budget, then the Valerion models do a really good job with low latency. Many of the BenQ models do a good job as well. From the TK710 to their X3100i or X500i models.

JVC NZ8, loving mine. You will 2!

My vote for JVC. Because I’ve always been impressed by the build quality and more importantly the black levels. MadVR Core will be a great addition. (I use HDFury VRRoom for LLDV)

I just got the JVC NZ800 (retail around $16k USD). I was between that, the more expensive NZ900, and the Sony equivalents. I have a pretty nice set up to get nearly the most out of the projector (black out shades, dark ceilings, dark wallpaper, ect...) If you also have a nice viewing conditions, I would highly recommend the JVC NZ800. I have no buyers remorse over not getting the slightly brighter 900. The picture quality is better than anything I could of imagined. I didn't go Sony because I was able to get a better deal on the JVC through my local dealer. In the high end projector world, prices begin to increase exponentially while feature/benefit begins to have significant diminishing returns. As for longevity - its the reason i went with such a high end projector. Its very future proof. Native 4k that can run 120fps with very low latency (great for gaming) and can upscale to 8k. Also being laser - you wont be buying a bulb anytime soon. It can also handle screen sizes up to 200" so if you ever move or upgrade screen size, you dont need to worry. You do need to know a little bit about projectors for initial setup to properly calibrate it and get the most out of it. But there are some great resources online for that.

NZ800. Currently running this in my theater. More like mid range, can be had for 15k if you contact a dealer directly. https://preview.redd.it/68qpp97w4t6f1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8d1ae952f1af60271a387cee940fcaed60e7965

I have the NX7 (pretty close to NP5) and the NZ800….not side by side, but I’m still amazed every time I fire up the NZ7. 5 years same lamp, and while it must be dimmer, not replacing until I really notice it…you will love it.

The black level on the JVC seems to be superior but not when it comes to light output. It's really also hard to determine based on what the camera sees, that's not the same as what the eye sees. But it certainly looks like it's not as outlandish a match-up as it seems on paper.

They should not be this close. I don't have a monitor capable to watch this properly. It seems like the blacks are better on the JVC, but even still, they are not amazing (for $16k). It would have been worthwhile to show us some comparisons using a colorimeter or spectrophotometer. The Valerion held its own, at least on color reproduction. It did seem like the Valerion was sharper. Both handled the fast moving scenes quite well.

Finished my home theater rebuild. Went from a Sony XRD 1080p to a DLA NZ800 8K projector, 150” 16:9; Marantz Cinema 30, JBL Synthesis 7.2.4 speaker set up with two HSU VTN TF1 600W subwoofers. It is amazing. Total spent $50,000 on equipment, custom carpentry, paint, new carpet, and new chairs (September). Still missing a couple speakers due to JBL Backorder.

We splurged on a JVC DLA-RS3200 (same as the NZ800) which currently retails for $19K and a 144” 16:9 Stewart screen which was $3k. Contrast, brightness, and black levels are amazing. For our dedicated theater room it was worth every penny. We watch movies, TV, and play games on Switch and PS5.

Highly recommend the JVC DLA-RS3200 / NZ800. You should be able to find one for just a bit over your budget. Black levels and contrast are amazing.

I sell both and almost always recommend the Sony. These are both great projectors and if you're chasing the ultimate in black level... JVC wins. JVC was also better than the Sony in tone mapping IF you are coming from a Blu-Ray or Kscape. However, most people are not watching exclusively BD level content in perfectly black rooms. Most people watch with some levels of ambient light in rooms that are not all finished in black or dark video greys. Most people are watching content from streaming, sports, and gaming with a much smaller percentage of content coming from BD. Taking this into account the Sony processing for streaming, sports, low bit rate content, low resolution content, and motion is much better. With the additional full frame by frame tone mapping of the Sony it seems to be even more accurate than the JVC in the demos I have seen from my Sony rep. They had both units side by side and let me make all the adjustments I wanted. The Sony simply mapped more accurately than the JVC with everything I played. The other big difference comes in terms of calibration. Are you going to have a calibration expert come in and fully dial in your theater? To have a really good calibrator come in you're adding at least another $1000 plus travel expenses. The reason this really matters is the Sony is extremely close out of box, where the JVC needs a lot of work. If you're not paying an expert the Sony is usually a much better choice. Edit... I forgot to add gaming performance. In the previous generation Sony was limited to 4K60. The BP8 and BP9 are full 4K120 at sub 12ms. This is twice as fast as the JVC.

The JVC hits 85% P3 without the color filter, brightness drops even more with it just to achieve full P3. The Valerion hits it's comparable calibrated brightness at 99% BT2020. In that aspect the JVC is an absolute joke. Sure blacks and contrast are still great, but in typical viewing the Valerion has blacks that are far from distracting with good DTM. The tables are turning. JVC, Sony, and Epson need to start doing something besides being 10% brighter than last gen to be competitive. Dealers will make sure they have the high end market foothold though. Sales will remain there, but the products themselves will no longer be competitive.

JVC NZ800 is your only answer, especially for a 150" screen. If your doing 120" screen you can save more than half by getting the new JVC NZ500 or the NZ700 which are equally comparable to the 800. The only difference is no 3D, and less lumens and 8k e shift. So if you don't need the lumens for the bigger screen, don't care about 3d and the 8k is pointless as no content is 8k, save yourself $$ and get one of the other 2. I have the 500 and the picture is unbelievable.

Awful comparison. That JVC is so far from calibrated it’s not even funny. Who the hell buys a 15k+ projector and doesn’t calibrate it?

You definitely want to consider the SXRD-based projectors from SONY and the DILA-based projectors from JVC. Having come from a long history of owning SONY projectors, I can say the the JVCs have a much better black level and contrast as well as very good tone-mapping – key to getting the best out of HDR sources with a projector. A JVC NZ8 or RS3200 would be what I am currently using and would recommend in that price range.

I have a JVC NZ 800 and it is awesome. With a smaller, e.g. 120" screen, you can back down on the laser level to reduce fan noise and increase laser life and you can also close down the iris to improve contrast and black levels and still have enough nits for HDR. It is certainly the best projector in that price range.

There is a difference between the JVC NZ8 and the JVC NZ800. The NZ800 is the newest model replacing the older NZ8 and the newer JVC NZ800 now has some sharpness enhancements that rival SONY's Reality Creation. In general the JVC projectors have better contrast ratio and black levels compared to a similarly priced SONY and in the past SONY has had the edge in perceived "sharpness". I think that is no longer the case with the newer NZ800. I own one and it is very sharp. The JVCs also have the edge in dynamic tone mapping over the SONY, so for HDR (movies and Netflix) the better JVC tone mapping and contrast ratio/black levels give the JVC the edge over SONY. My last projector was a JVC NX7 and before that several SONYs.

Sweet! Wish I could have swung a NZ800, settled on a NZ500 (RS1200) with a 147” 1.90:1 screen. Also a Cinema 30 like you! Running 7.2.6.

My first projector was the 295ES too — I still remember it fondly for producing beautiful, cinematic images thanks to Sony’s industry-leading image processing. If you can afford to, then you’d probably notice a big improvement in your theatre experience if you move to a brighter laser-powered projector. A Sony or JVC would be good choices since both are offering laser projectors these days. I moved to a JVC NZ8 and it’s like a whole other level of brightness. I also just finally upgraded my receiver from the Denon AVR-X4500H that served me flawlessly for 5 years to an Anthem AVM 70, and I’ve gotta say that I’m really enjoying the sound signature of the Anthem — it has injected a whole new life into my theater and has me rewatching everything in my library. The holiday sales on much of this equipment are pretty great deals right now. Even if you’re not 100% certain, you could consider test driving a new receiver from Crutchfield and then return it later (you get a 60-day trial) if you change your mind. Enjoy whatever upgrade(s) you choose!

At below $20k, I'd suggest the JVC NZ800 or Sony Bravia 8 projector for a dark, dedicated room. If you need a lot of light output to deal with ambient light, the new Epson QL3000 may be the best for you. I am familiar with all 3 and happy to get into details if you'd like; DM me.

JVC nz800 at that price for a dedicated room on a 120” image. If you really want a banging bright image with great HDR at the expense of the insane black levels of the JVC, the Epson QL3000 is a good option. There is also the Sony Bravia 8 which is a contender. I’d be happy to get into details about these or anything else if interested, DM me. https://www.projectorscreen.com/store/ProductCompare.aspx?itemids=147352,148618,148440

With 75% for movie and tv shows I'd go with the JVC. Sure the Sony is a little better for gaming due to lower input lag, but the JVC is still low enough for gaming in general and not bad.

That 15% light output difference is not going to be enough to easily notice. You generally need a much more substantial lumen difference than that in order to translate to a human perceived difference. The NZ500 and NZ800 are the price-to-performance sweetspots in JVC's current line up. The JVC NZ700 also has the DCI Cinema Filter feature that produces slightly more accurate color when you enable it. The JVC NZ500 doesn't have that. But I don't know any JVC owners who actually use that filter option. You get very slightly more accurate color at the expense of a massive brightness hit.

Coming from JVC NX7. I’ve actually ordered and received the JVC NZ800. Got it for just under 12K. I thought this was probably my best bet, but just wanted some opinions to make sure I was on the right track. Also do some Xbox and ps5 gaming so I wanted the 120 refresh rate. Thanks for all the replies.

I'm not sure what you folks are looking at, but this is not close. The JVC is noticeably better in just about every perceivable metric, and leagues ahead of the Valerion in black levels. Is the Valerion a lot closer to the JVC when compared to how close other 4k laser projectors in the same price point could get? Absolutely. I think when comparing to it's actual competition like Epson and BenQ, yes it's remarkable. But compared to the NZ8? The only thing that's insane is that some of you think it's actually close. It's closer relatively speaking, but not close in general.

Nz8 is exactly the right choice. Especially with the discounts lately.

The used super high end 3 chip dlp projectors from barco, sim2, and DP are the highest bang for the least buck. You get a previously $30k projector for $500...bulbs are inexpensive. They are going to be 1080 and not 4k. They will mostly be SDR, although some have extended color space. What they will have is amazing contrast, motion, and clarity. With projection, resolution is secondary to the contrast of the picture. For reference, I have one of these and also have owned the 1080p JVC flagship projector and one of the laser 4k flagship JVC projectors... the newest JVC is a much better unit but the cost difference is significant.