REPRODUCED FROM HOMECINEMACHOICE
The XW7000ES reinstates these features and delivers an insanely bright 3,200 Lum ens,but is priced to compete directly with the NZ8. Interestingly, neither Sony beam er has genuine dynam ic tone m apping,norHDM I2.1 inputs,so there’sno supportforHDR10+ or4K/120p. The XW7000ES reinstates these features and delivers an insanely bright 3,200 Lum ens,but is priced to compete directly with the NZ8. Interestingly, neither Sony beam er has genuine dynam ic tone m apping,norHDM I2.1 inputs,so there’sno supportforHDR10+ or4K/120p. Thisputsthe NZ7 isan enviable position.Itsports im pres ive features and specifications, has no directcom petitor,and issignificantlycheaperthan the Sony XW 7000ES and JVC'sown NZ8.Ifitcan deliver a perform ance com parable to its m ore expensive sibling,then m ightitbe the bestoption forany hom e cinem a fan seeking value form oney and adegree offuture-proofing? Keeping up appearances A JVC NZ8 takespride ofplace in m yown review system ,so Ihave a point ofreference,and the m ore afordable NZ7 im m ediately im pres es. It m ighttechnicaly be les capable butthis wasn’t readilyapparent.Now,that'snotm uchofasurprise regardsthe lum inance,because the hum an eye is rubbish when asked to com pare brightnes ,butI wasexpecting to seem oreofadrop-ofincontrast. W hile the NZ7 m easuresaround the claim ed 40,000:1,itdoesn’tlooknoticeablydiferent, even in m y com pletely blacked-out dedicated hom e cinem a, to the pricier NZ8. That m odel undoubtedly deliversm arginaly beterblacks,but they aren’ttwice asgood,orfourgrand beterfor thatm ater. The halway fightin The Batm an (4K Blu-ray)gives the perfectexam ple ofthe NZ7’scontrastprowes , withthedarknes looking suitablyblackand litonly by m uz leflashes from m achine guns. These highlightsrealypop astheypunctuate the action, while the projector teases out al the shadow details as the Dark Knight is briefly ilum inated m eting outpunishing justice with hisfists.
Thissequence dem onstratesanotherbig strength of JVC’s latest beam ers: clas -leading HDR10 dynam ictonem apping.Bloody,m uddyViking epic The Northm an (4K Blu-ray)clim axeswith a fightat nighton the rim ofan erupting volcano,and the lava is rendered with such precision that al the detailisretained in the m olten rock.It’sso realistic you can alm ostfeelthe heat. HDR m asterclas Like the NZ8 there’sadynam iccontrolforthe laser but,aftera prolonged period testing thisfeature,I reckon it'sbestleftof.You do getsom e verynice fadesto com plete black,butatothertim esthere are obvious brightnes fluctuations that can get annoying, m om entarily lifting you out of the contentyou're watching. The NZ7 doesn’thave the wide colourfilterfound on the NZ8,so coversaround 89% ofthe DCI-P3 gam ut,asopposed to nearly 100% .However,this m akesles ofa diference than you m ightexpect, and watching the 4K Blu-rayofInside O ut,with its deliberately expanded colour gamut, reveals briliantly saturated im ages thatretain a day-glow pop. Thedownsideto JVC'swidecolourfilterisa25per cent drop in brightnes ,and for this reason the HDR10+ m ode on the NZ8 and NZ9 disablesitto ensure a brighterHDR experience – so with discs with such grades,NZ7 buyers won't be m is ing out.Spinning the scene where Schofield wakesup atnightin 1917 (4K Blu-ray)found the PJm aking use ofHDR10+’s dynam ic m etadata to bring out detailintheshadows,whileensuring theblacksare deep and the flareshave real,wel. flair. The NZ7 sports the sam e upscaling as the NZ8, and it’s excelent. M y trusty Blu-ray of Sam sara looked pristine and detailed,with no signsofany procesing artefacts. However, unlike its big brother’s four-way 8K/e-Shift, the NZ7’s bi-directional version isn’t a revelation, and in generalIprefered to turn itof and sim plyenjoya native resolution with 4K content.
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