Pursuing visual beauty"Authenticity-oriented"What is product design?"DLA-NZ500 /DLA-NZ700"Development story

The "DLA-NZ500/DLA-NZ700" projectors, which the JVC brand is developing for overseas markets, are the 2024 models of the "D-ILA" series, which uses reflective liquid crystal elements uniquely developed by the JVC Kenwood Group. They have achieved the world's smallest size as a native 4K compatible projector and were awarded the Product category of the internationally prestigious design award, "iF DESIGN AWARD 2025". In product development, product planners, engineers, and designers worked together as one team, from technology development to casing design, and this project is a result of a consistent production system implemented by the JVC Kenwood Group throughout the series. Nasu from the Product Planning Department of the Media Business Division, Entertainment Solutions Division, JVC Kenwood, and Ohashi from JVC Kenwood Design reflected on the development process of this product.

An iconic projector series packed with JVC brand technology

First, please tell us about the background to the development of this product.

Nasu　The JVC brand has continued to produce projector products using a unique reflective liquid crystal element called D-ILA, and the identity of the series has been passed down from the first model developed in 1997 to the present day. In developing this product, we have taken advantage of the D-ILA element while switching to a laser light source, and have taken on the challenge of making it compact enough for an entry-level model.

Although laser technology had already been implemented in the series' flagship model, from the perspective of manufacturing and procurement costs, we had not been able to develop a product that matched the entry-level model price range. Meanwhile, competitors were offering affordable native 4K projectors on the market, so we started development of an entry-level model from scratch in order to expand our market share.

What was the first thing you did to get started on development?

Nasu　We started by redesigning all the circuit boards inside the projector, including the optical unit. In previous series, the height of the housing was determined to a certain extent by the size of the optical unit, so we aimed to make the optical unit smaller, while also keeping the height of the power supply, processor, etc. as low as possible, in order to design a compact housing.

Will such engineering work be carried out within the JVC Kenwood Group?

Nasu　That's right. When developing projectors, our product planning team at headquarters considers what kind of product we want to create and provides input to the engineers and designers within the group. I think the strength of the projectors we develop is that we can produce everything in-house, from component development to housing design. Looking at other manufacturers, I don't think there are many companies that can complete their products with such a high degree of freedom.

How does the design process begin?

Nasu　Mr. Ohashi of JVC Kenwood Design joined the project from the stage where the newly designed parts were incorporated into the chassis. First, we had him create roughly five different patterns of rough sketches, and he provided us with a wide range of ideas, from ones that closely followed past models to completely different shapes. We then discussed these ideas with our in-house engineers, sales planning, and in some cases, division managers, and we consolidated a general direction.

What did you start thinking about when starting the design process, starting with the rough sketches?

big bridge　I've been in charge of designing independent left and right wireless earphones and headphones, and with those products I've often had to think not just about functional ease of use, but also about how to give them character and appeal as a fashionable or lifestyle product.On the other hand, a projector is not something you can carry around with you, but rather a static presence that simply sits in a space, so at first I had no clues about the design and didn't know where to start.

So, first of all, we spent time gathering as much existing material as possible from senior designers who had been in charge of designing the series up until now, such as summaries of their thoughts on the development of previous models and hand-drawn sketches of the design process, and deepening our understanding of the series' identity.

Were the documents stored within the company?

big bridge　That's right. We asked them to gather up any remaining documents within the company, including materials on design philosophy created by designers who have since retired, and we went around asking them directly about how our predecessors designed at the time. The D-ILA is packed with JVC brand technology and is one of the brand's iconic series, so the designers who were in charge of it had a strong attachment to it, and it was great that they were able to teach us what we needed to know when designing it.

Nasu　(laughs) I'm sure you actually went to a store that sells projectors, right?

big bridge　That's right. At first, I went there to look for clues about the design, but when I tried out the previous D-ILA model in a proper viewing room, I was surprised at how much clearer the image was than I had expected.

The depth of the blacks is overwhelming, and in the almost pitch black image, you can sense the delicate gradations from black to dark gray and the depth of the space, creating a truly immersive experience. I think even movies you've seen many times will leave you with a completely different impression. I used to think of projectors as a product category, like audio, as something for enthusiasts, but realizing that the D-ILA series has an appeal that needs no explanation was a good opportunity to get motivated before starting to draw sketches.

"It was meant to be"Design

What is the design philosophy of the series that you sensed from looking at past materials?

big bridge　The shape of a projector's housing is determined to a certain extent by the optical unit and various other internal parts, so a designer's sketches are rarely reflected as is in the finished product. However, as I looked at the many sketches that were drawn with a flexible mindset, I gradually began to understand the identity of the series.

A major feature of the D-ILA series is its consistent design, which focuses on the axis of light emitted straight from the lens. A projector is simply an object that emits beautiful images, so rather than incorporating artificial shapes, we aimed to create a form that follows the axis of light emitted from the lens and the flow of air that cools the projector, resulting in a design that is "the way it was meant to be." This is a common design philosophy for the series.

The D-ILA series is a high-priced product, and can be said to be a cutting-edge product aimed at customers who want to experience the ultimate in visual beauty. With this product, too, we aimed to create an appearance that allows you to experience the superb performance without noise by taking a pure design approach that is appropriate for a genuine product that pursues visual beauty.

Please tell us how you considered each of the specific design elements.

Nasu　Another feature of this product is that the intake and exhaust system for cooling the unit has been completely redesigned: whereas the previous model exhausted air from the front of the product, this model has a system that draws air in from the front and exhausts it from the back. As a result, the vertical fins that were previously used to prevent the exhaust from covering the lens have been changed to horizontal fins, which I think gives the product a new look.

big bridge　As a designer, I thought that if we followed the face of the previous model, which had exhaust from the front, we would be able to create a sense of unity within the series, but because the intake and exhaust system was changed, it became impossible to make the face similar. However, if we had adopted a superficial design that did not match the function in order to create a sense of unity, we would have deviated from the concept of the series and moved in a design direction that was not appropriate for a product that aims for authenticity.

For this reason, we gave up on trying to make the shape similar, and went back to the origins of the series, creating a pure design that matches the optical axis and the new airflow. We often call this a "realistic design," and although the shape is completely different, we aimed for a design that would inherit the identity of the series in terms of atmosphere and appearance.

What was the most difficult part about designing something that was "destined to be like this"?

big bridge　A lot of thought went into creating a simple design that gives the impression of the optical axis emitted from the lens and the airflow passing through the housing. Because the lens that projects light is the main feature of a projector, we aimed for a minimalist design that would highlight this. We made the shape symmetrical from front to back and left to right to ensure that the light does not appear to be directional in any other direction than a straight line, and we considered how the product would blend into the space when actually installed indoors in a ceiling-suspended position, and designed a shape in which the shadows created by the product's curves create a beautiful, smooth gradation.

Although the corner radii look like they were simply drawn with a compass, they are actually made using irregularly shaped spline curves. However, this alone would create an optical illusion where the vertical surfaces would appear concave like a slice of bread, so we added a 10,000R arc to the sides to create parallax, making the surface appear simple.

This is a characteristic of box design, but if the sides are simply cut into an arc, when the product is viewed from an angle, it creates an optical illusion that the sides appear to protrude. To avoid this, it is necessary to add an approach R rather than an arc, but a normal approach R leaves a "designed feel" and takes away from the simple impression. For this reason, we spent a lot of time pursuing an R that would not leave any clues about the design. The design of this product can be said to be a collection of such ingenuity, such as bending it to make it look straight, or making it an irregular shape to make it look curved.

The process of putting together a product while asserting each other's opinions

Nasu　Do you come up with the design details yourself, or do you learn them from someone?

big bridge　We received advice from a wide range of people, not just those in charge of the series. Our senior designers have accumulated knowledge on how to correct optical illusions, so they would pass by and give us advice like, "You should do this here." Many people have a particularly strong attachment to this series, and we were able to create an environment where we could concentrate on the project, so I think we were able to focus on it thoroughly.

Nasu　I see. It was a project that attracted a lot of attention within the company. Hearing about the attention to detail once again makes me feel even more attached to the product. It has an especially clean design compared to the series to date, and I personally like simple designs, so I'm very happy with the finished product. In the initial design request form I wrote the words "a design that never gets old," and when I saw the finished product, I felt like I was in good hands with Ohashi. This was my first time working on a project with Ohashi, but I had great confidence in his stoic attitude towards his work.

What kind of ingenuity did you have to come up with to create a timeless design?

big bridge　To achieve a timeless, long-lasting design, we place importance on a straightforward and clear motif in relation to its function. Combining simple elements such as straight lines and circles can easily create the illusion of unintended shadows and distorted shapes due to differences in curvature, so we aimed for a universal design that is simple yet has minimal noise in its form by casually incorporating minimal approach R throughout.

Incidentally, the other day, when I was lining up this product alongside previous models, a marketing person from our headquarters happened to drop by and said, "You can't see the line between them," which gave me a bit of confidence that "our message is getting across properly."

As you discussed these design issues, was there any communication that was possible only because there was an engineering team in the same group?

big bridge　When we thought about what kind of product proportions we wanted to achieve, we made some requests regarding the design. Because some shavings would be necessary when shaping the final shape, we asked that the internal mechanisms, such as the lenses and optical units, be placed as close to the center line as possible, and that the modules not be scattered to the sides.

Nasu　That's right. I think it was a project where we, the product planners, designers, engineers, and salespeople, all asserted our respective areas of expertise and were able to bring together a single product. There were various constraints in terms of cost, but many of them were made possible thanks to Mr. Ohashi's persistence. Even though it's an entry-level model, it's a high-priced product, so we asked him to create a design that would maintain its position in the lineup.

big bridge　We wanted to make sure that it didn't look like a cheaper version when compared to the flagship model in the same series. Rather, we aimed for a design that would extract the core elements of the flagship model and have the appearance of a pure model.

Building an identity with an eye toward overseas expansion

This product is primarily aimed at overseas markets, but were there any times when you were conscious of overseas markets when working on the design?

Nasu　We share with our overseas distributors what the final product will look like from the first sketch stage. We also share sketches and mockups for each subsequent process, so we finalized the design while receiving feedback from not only our overseas distributors, but also from the people actually selling the product. In the case of the JVC brand, about 9% of sales are in the US and Europe, so we couldn't ignore the feedback from our overseas distributors.

Additionally, there are significant differences between the way products are installed between Japanese and overseas users, so when developing products for overseas markets, we often take this into consideration when designing them. In Japan, the ratio of desktop and ceiling-mounted usage is roughly half and half, but overseas, about 9% of users use projectors in a ceiling-mounted configuration. As Ohashi mentioned earlier, the design, which takes into account the beautiful shadows that result when the projector is mounted in a ceiling-mounted configuration, is also a result of taking into consideration the usage environment of overseas users.

What kind of feedback do you usually receive from overseas distributors during the development process?

Nasu　We have a strong desire to sell to fans of the previous series, so we have consistently been asked to create a design that is instantly recognizable as a JVC brand, even when compared to previous models. The optical axis expression that emphasizes the center lens is the identity of the series, so we often receive feedback on this point from overseas distributors.

How do you feel looking back on winning the iF Design AWRD 2025 award?

big bridge　I was certain that the value of the product itself was undoubted, but it's difficult to convey the quality of the images, and I think it's a genre where it's difficult to express novelty in design, so I was pleased that the overall level of completion was recognized. The iF Design Award is an award with a very strong presence in Europe, and in Japan, this is the first time the series has won a Good Design Award in a long time. It has also received very high praise from specialist publications around the world.

Finally, please tell us about any products you would like to develop in the future.

Nasu　Personally, I would like to create an even higher-end model. I would like to work on developing a product that will reaffirm its position as the pinnacle of home theater, one that anyone will find to have the best possible picture quality.

big bridge　I would like to one day create an entry-level product that incorporates D-ILA's imaging technology and can be sold at mass retailers. I would like to think again about how to get people interested in these authentic products. I would like to try designing a product that shows the difference between the D-ILA projector series and is not something that can be used in a conference room or in everyday life.