Hi!

Wow has the forum changed since I was here last a year and a half ago!

At that time the Qualia-004 was the projector to beat...

I am wondering which projector (Sony if it is) is now the one to beat?

Thanks!

The Sony VPL VW200 is their current flagship model.

Wow, its half the price of the 004.... :)

Better picture than the 004?

Check out the JVC RS1 or RS2

http://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-DLA-RS1U.htm

Tryg is right.

The RS1 "is the one to beat"

Nothing better.

Tryg is right.

The RS1 "is the one to beat"

Nothing better.

Hmmm... at a third of the price....?

They must be joking except they are not. The RS2 is clearly clearly better but based on one observation some are willing to conclude incorrectly. Beware of what you read. In many ways the RS1 or RS2 can not touch the 004 but in some ways the RS1 and RS2 best it. Beware of any moron or otherwise who tells you one scren basically fits all.

IMHO the VW60 is better than the RS1, which by Tryg's logic would therefore make it the Sony to beat.

:)

I think what everyone is trying to say is that only your eyes and some objective sightseeing is going to tell you what makes the 004 beatable by any projector. There is a long list of people with recommendations that are near and dear to their heart because of what they own.

Depends on what you think is important and what you see as performance. Would you go for single chip DLP for the punch and vibrancy of color? Do you go for D-iLA and it's picutre structure and contrast ratio?

What size screen, what are your lighting conditions.

Certainly fine to ask what people think. And the answers are probably like asking people which ice cream flavor is best. Most will be chocolate or vanilla, but after all, you might get 53 different answers.

The list would most likely be:

Sim2 HT3000e
Sim2 HT380
Sony VPL-VW200
JVC DLA-RS2
JVC DLA-RS1
Marantz VP11S2
Marantz VP15S1
Planar 8250

Perhaps a few others I'm missing.

Richard

IMHO the VW60 is better than the RS1, which by Tryg's logic would therefore make it the Sony to beat.

:)

I second your vote for the SONY VPL-VW60

I still love the Black Pearl (VW60) and it is still a great bang for the buck. So far nothing has matched or come close to the exceptional colors I get from the 200. Nothing...

What model number was the Qualia Ruby?

:confused:

VW-100. It wasn't badged as a Qualia, though.

IMHO, and for my HT, nothing has beats the Qualia 004. I have a large (5' x 14') 1.0 gain screen and none of the newer LCOS / SXRD projectors can handle this size screen. High gain screens are not an option as I can't stand hotspotting in any form or to any degree. Single chip DLP are not an option as I am very sensitive to rainbows. Any kind of Iris system produces very obvious and disturbing brightness and contrast shifts.

When I asked Sony at last years Cedia when they were going to have a Qualia 004 replacement, I was met with a deafening silence and a look of extreme disdain. After pressuring the rep a little bit (in other words, not dissappearing immediately into the crowd), I got a reply along the lines of "why would you need or want a projector that bright for an HT?"

3 Chip DLP may be an answer some day if they can get their contrast levels up to something comparable to the RS-2 without an iris and get their cost down out of the stratosphere.

All in all, the Qualia 004 was the best investment I ever made for my HT, and I still haven't found anything that compares to it in overall performance. Other projectors do better in specific areas, but nothing that is comparably priced to today's projectors has the overall build quality, the interchangable very high quality lenses (I use the mid zoom lens), and the brightness of the Qualia 004. BTW, 24PsF works perfectly well for me. I got 2200 hours from my original lamp and I am about 900 hours into my free replacement.

Vern

Oh, plllleeeeaaaassse. My Sanyo PLV-60HT has all of these beat!
Not only is it rock solid after roughly 8 years (still on it's second bulb), but it's bright as hell and unlike my RS1, can be used outdoors* in light rain on Outdoor Theater Night!

*not for use in mouth or rectum

Hi!

Wow has the forum changed since I was here last a year and a half ago!

At that time the Qualia-004 was the projector to beat...

I am wondering which projector (Sony if it is) is now the one to beat?

Thanks!

Well it all depends on what you want/need. The VW-200 is their flagship, but as Richard posted above, there are all sorts of options out there depending on what your requirements are.

When I asked Sony at last years Cedia when they were going to have a Qualia 004 replacement, I was met with a deafening silence and a look of extreme disdain.
Maybe they just don't want to go back to losing $10,000 on every extra unit they sell. ;)

The list would most likely be:

Sim2 HT3000e
Sim2 HT380
Sony VPL-VW200
JVC DLA-RS2
JVC DLA-RS1
Marantz VP11S2
Marantz VP15S1
Planar 8250

Perhaps a few others I'm missing.

Richard

At the Qualia price point we should add a Sim2 C3X 1080 to that list as well.

Yes, it seems to me that a year and a half ago the other projector that was getting a lot of hype beside the Qualia (and then the "baby Qualia")was the Sim2 C3... I take it the 1080 is the newest version...

For some reason, I still really like Sony.......

Isn't there to be a VW70 out by this fall? I.e., a new, up-dated/enhanced version of the VW60.

Yes, it seems to me that a year and a half ago the other projector that was getting a lot of hype beside the Qualia (and then the "baby Qualia")was the Sim2 C3... I take it the 1080 is the newest version...

For some reason, I still really like Sony.......

Very different "looks" the Sim2 is DLP, the Sony is LCoS.

Be sure you see the C3X 1080 though, it's the one with 1080p resolution. The regular C3X is 720p.

Hmmm... at a third of the price....?

It seems you are concerned with spending enough (rarely a problem we see). A lot has changed since the Qualia ruled the roost. Technology has trickled down quite significantly and the logical next step units from the Qualia's technology are really around the $10K and under mark. If you are concerned with spending more, you are looking at a shift in technology...and a real shift in the look of the image.

As has been pointed out by Richard, the higher price points are really ruled these days by the 3-chip DLP's which whether intentionally
Perhaps the more appropriate question would have been: what should I spend $30K on? At that price point, LCOS simply isn't competing these days. We can argue all day about how great the Qualia is, was, is still - but the fact of the matter is for the higher price point you are looking at 3-chip DLP's.

Just found the other of the 3 top ones I was looking at a year and a half ago....

The InFocus ScreenPlay 777 - it was $30,000, then $15,000 and now its $7500

Gotta love price lowering with technology, lol...

Yeah it is crazy how fast the value drops

i tenth the statement that the Sony wv-60 black pearl is the one to beat! It is simply an amazing picture at a very good price. I have not seen a better picture than this pj especially when mated with a sony blue ray dvd player.
Sorry, the RS1 and RS2 cannot touch the black pearl!

Sorry, the RS1 and RS2 cannot touch the black pearl!

That would be a rather minority opinion, especially in regard to the RS2.
You've directly compared the RS2 to the Sony Black Pearl?

How specifically did the Black Pearl beat the RS2?

That would be a rather minority opinion, especially in regard to the RS2.
You've directly compared the RS2 to the Sony Black Pearl?

How specifically did the Black Pearl beat the RS2?

I compared both and I think they are very close overall. The Black Pearl is more flexible with the iris. Of course the JVC has better CR but I barely notice the difference during everyday viewing. Fade to blacks are very apparent though in favor of the JVC.

Just found the other of the 3 top ones I was looking at a year and a half ago....

The InFocus ScreenPlay 777 - it was $30,000, then $15,000 and now its $7500

Gotta love price lowering with technology, lol...

Thats not actually price lowering with technology. Its a fire sale for a discontinued unit that never sold well.

Those are stock units being sold for less than half the actual manufacture cost.

The Sony VW200 is the only LC based machine that I've actually liked.

Unless you are willing to go to 3 chip DLP, it should be on your demo list along with the rest listed above.

Sorry, the RS1 and RS2 cannot touch the black pearl!

After owning the VW50 and VW60, I prefer the RS1. The VW60 has some great features such as lens control and an excellent iris. Unfortunately, it's native contrast doesn't compare to the RS1 and it's the reason why I prefer the image that the RS1 throws. I'm hoping Sony catches up with the JVCs in this regard. If they had the same native contrast, I'd probably prefer the Sony because of the features and quietness. They are so similar in performance that I can see some prefering one over the other. But statemaents like "cannot touch" really aren't credible.

IMHO, and for my HT, nothing has beats the Qualia 004. I have a large (5' x 14') 1.0 gain screen and none of the newer LCOS / SXRD projectors can handle this size screen. VernWhat is the bulb wattage and light output of a Qualia 004? Thanks.

You can readily reserarch the specs on the 004 over the internet. The ANSI lumens idf I remember correctly are 2000. i don't remember the bulb wattage. HOWEVER bulb replacement cost is $3000 MSRP. 004s came with a certificate for one free replacement bulb.