JVC DLA-X700R Three-Chip D-ILA Projector Review

Chris Heinonen

For years JVC has produced the best contrast ratios of any home projector thanks to their D-ILA technology. They have been able to manage these stellar black levels despite being the only major company to not utilize any sort of dynamic iris system in their projectors. This year they have added a dynamic iris system to their projectors that promises to provide even deeper blacks than ever before. The JVC X700 also features their updated e-Shift3 that now accepts a 4K signal and offers more control than before. As everyone seems to be clamoring for UltraHD, can the JVC X700 deliver the goods while still using a regular 1080p panel?

Projectors

DTS Master Audio: Question About Output Formats

Brian Florian

Need help understanding DTS Master Audio. I have a Samsung BD-F5900 Blu-ray player attached to a Yamaha RX-V475 via HDMI. I have the audio on the Blu-ray player set to output unprocessed bitstream but when I play a movie, the receiver only displays DTS and not DTS MA. Is this because the receiver is only 5.1 channel and am I really getting the full lossless audio provided by DTS MA? Aside from the extra channel audio, should I set the player to output PCM and will I be getting higher audio by setting it to PCM?

- K. Mastrogiovanni
Galt, CA

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

Seymour Screen Excellence Enlightor 4K Acoustically Transparent Projection Screen

Chris Heinonen

At home, acoustically transparent projection screens have been around for years, but have always had flaws. The size of the holes required for allowing sound to pass through are often visible from normal seating distances in the home. Also, much of the light passes through the screen, and this reduces the brightness of the image you will see. A projector you can buy for $3,000 now has more than enough brightness to allow some loss through the perforations. We have also seen the introduction of woven screens that allow sound to pass through, but also have a fine texture that is invisible from a normal distance. One such screen material is the Enlightor 4K from Seymour Screen Excellence. Boasting ISF certification for image quality and said to be acoustically transparent from 100 Hz to 20 kHz, it looks to be a screen material that can give you that movie theater immersion at home.

 

Screens

Home Theater Movie Renter’s Guide – April, 2014

The SECRETS Movie Review Team

Keanu Reeves stars in the action-adventure epic, 47 Ronin. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, 47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and reclaim their honor. This band of ronin must seek help from Kai (Reeves)—an enslaved half-breed they once rejected—in their ultimate fight for redemption in a savage world of mythic and wondrous terrors. Kai becomes their most deadly weapon and the heroic inspiration for these outnumbered warriors to confront their enemy and seize eternity.

Movie Reviews

Connecting Internet to PC to AVR to TV

Chris Heinonen, Senior Editor

I, rather my wife, would like to view internet offerings on our home theater system, particularly the larger screen. I can find any number of articles on the physical connection to PCs/laptops (directly) to a TV but find little or nothing even in the AVR manuals on how to make physical connections to an AVR as well as what setup of the computer, AVR and TV...

- Frank Z
Connecticut

SECRETS Home Theater Q&A

BenQ W7500 Single-Chip DLP Projector

Chris Eberle

Looking over Secrets' last few years of projector reviews, it quickly becomes evident that the pricing sweet spot has settled around the $3000 mark. This makes sense since it's only a little more or less than you'd pay for a top-quality 65-inch flat panel. A few years ago, any TV over 50 inches carried a big price premium. When I bought my Pioneer Kuro in 2009 for example, I paid $2,900 for a 50-inch screen. I really wanted the 60-inch model but it was almost double the price at $5,600!

The REALLY BIG screen experience is still only available from front projection. Last year, I got to check out Mitsubishi's DLP, the HC8000D. This time, BenQ sent me their new W7500. For $2,799, it offers some great features and very high performance coupled with tremendous light output. Let's take a look.

Projectors

B&W 805 Diamond Bookshelf and HTM4 Center Channel Speakers

Mark Vignola

Bowers and Wilkin's (B&W) is a name that anyone even casually interested in audio and speaker manufacturers will undoubtedly know. With their distinctive look and stellar reputation, B&W speakers have found their way not just into many home audio set-ups, but also of the world's most iconic professional recording studios (raise your hand if you've seen the picture of an array of B&W speakers and Classé electronics at Abbey Road studios). Despite having known of B&W for as long as I've been involved in this field, I have personally had little experience with the speakers directly. I was therefore excited to have the opportunity to evaluate the B&W's 805 Diamond bookshelf and HTM4 center channel speaker and I am eager to pass along my thoughts.

 

Bookshelf Speakers