We covered the official reveal of the NZ500 and NZ700 last fall at CEDIA 2024, but now you can bring them into your home – both are shipping now.
Despite their more diminutive stature, JVC didn’t cut corners. Both the NZ500 and NZ700 use the company’s third-generation 0.69-inch D-ILA devices and its proprietary BLU-Escent laser light engine. That combo enables true 4K resolution with high contrast and a long-life light source—roughly 20,000 hours of maintenance-free use. For brightness, the NZ500 delivers a rated 1,700 lumens, while the NZ700 steps things up to 2,200 lumens, which should be sufficient for most light-controlled rooms and even some moderately lit spaces.
Contrast performance—always a JVC hallmark—remains a strong suit. The NZ500 is rated at 40,000:1 native contrast, and the NZ700 doubles that to 80,000:1. Both models also support JVC’s Deep Black Tone Control, a tool designed to push detail and realism in dark scenes without sacrificing color accuracy. If you’ve seen animated content or science fiction scenes come alive on a JVC projector before, you’ll know what that means visually—depth and nuance without crushed detail.
Both models are HDR-capable and support HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+ content, complete with JVC’s Frame Adapt HDR and Theater Optimizer technologies. That means real-time tone mapping based on scene-by-scene analysis and the specific characteristics of your screen. These aren’t passive HDR solutions—they actively adapt to squeeze every bit of dynamic range for eye-popping visual accuracy.
Physically, the projectors retain JVC’s fully motorized lens suite. That includes powered focus, zoom, and lens shift with generous adjustment ranges (±80% vertical and ±34% horizontal), making them flexible for a wide range of installations. Picture Position Memory is onboard as well, allowing users to save settings for different aspect ratios—ideal for anyone switching between widescreen movies and 16:9 content.
JVC also redesigned the projectors’ internal layout, including a new optical block and mainboard, helping to increase performance while maintaining thermal stability. In another practical move, the exhaust system has been redirected to the rear of the chassis. That helps reduce the likelihood of hot air blowing over your seating area—an underrated but smart update for anyone ceiling-mounting a projector in tight quarters.
What’s the difference between the NZ500 and NZ700 beyond the brightness bump? Mainly contrast and a few internal component upgrades. The NZ700 benefits from a slightly more advanced optical design and improved thermal management. But both projectors use the same native 4K D-ILA panels and BLU-Escent laser source, so overall image fidelity should be in the same league.
As for pricing: the DLA-NZ500 comes in at $5,999, while the DLA-NZ700 is priced at $8,999. Visit jvckenwoodusa.com for more information.
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