JVC DLA-HD350 review

JVC seems to have found a winning formula for its projectors – the ‘HD350 is another big-picture beauty Tested at £3000.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

JVC seems to have found a winning formula for its projectors – the ‘HD350 is another big-picture beauty

Pros

  • +

    Solid build, good looks

  • +

    motorized lense shift, zoom and focus ease the set-up process

  • +

    startlingly good picture for the money

Cons

  • -

    Remote can be sluggish

  • -

    strange positioning of inputs

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Projector Product of the Year 2009

JVC's range of home cinema projectors extends to a modest total of three machines.

Two of these, the DLA-HD100 and DLA-HD750 have already blazed a trail in this magazine, achieving five-star status in the process.

That just leaves this, the entry-level DLA-HD350 as the final piece of JVC's projector puzzle.

The exterior design is identical to that of its more expensive sibling, the 'HD750. It's an attractive slab of a projector, that's available in glossy black (pictured) or a striking, glossy white alternative.

The JVC uses D-ILA technology, as opposed to LCD or DLP, boasts Full HD resolution and, according to the blurb, features a native contrast ratio of 30,000:1.

Good feature-set
The supplied remote control won't win any style awards, and could be quicker to respond, but it is at least backlit to help you in a darkened room – and the projector's feature-set helps smooth out any operational bumps.

Built-in test patterns help you centre the projector on your screen. Lens shift (horizontal and vertical), zoom and focus are all motorized which makes life very simple too.

All the menus are clear and concise, and for keen tinkerers you can tweak in-depth settings such as colour temperature and gamma.

Pristine pictures
To help squeeze the internals into the chassis, the video inputs have been placed, unusually, along the side of the projector, towards the front.

This could be a little tricky for some set-ups, but it's just a case of making sure that your HDMI cable can stretch to one of two inputs. Once it's up and running, it's difficult not to admire the 'HD350's pristine picture.

See all our projector Best Buys

Performance is exemplary, the JVC exhibiting the punch, luxuriousness, smooth motion tracking and natural colour balance that we've come to expect.

Levels of contrast and black detail are both exemplary. When Nic Cage comes face to face with Earth's visitors in Knowing the 'HD350 isn't perplexed by the dark surroundings and uncovers a superb level of detail in the shadows.

So, the 'HD350 continues JVC's five-star projector streak and should make for an interesting comparison to current class leaders at this price point.

Watch our Awards video of the JVC DLA-HD350

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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