Apologies in advance to those of you who consider yet another RS1 thread inappropriate...

I find it intriguing that Projector Central singles out two projectors as the stars of CES--the new Epson 1080 and the new JVC RS1--yet there is virtually no discussion of a comparison of these two projectors on this forum. In fact, almost all comparisons focus on the Sony Pearl as the gold standard in this price range. I realize some of you are not fans of Projector Central, but it would seem that this would be a very worthwhile comparison. Given its lower price and relatively high lumens, the Epson may be the "sleeper"/dark horse this season.

So, anyone take a good look at both of these projectors at CES? I will likely be getting the RS1, like many of you, but I do wonder about the Epson.

I'm not sure why it's not talked about more but this forum does get on a tangent sometimes regarding specific PJ's (RS1), screens (High Power), subwoofers (HSU/SVS), etc, etc.

Edited: due to me not knowing a THING about the Epson... :)

The Epson is an LCD projector. From what I've seen in the past, I expect its performance will be similar to that of the Panasonic AE1000 and the Mitsubishi HC5000. The Pearl is mentioned more often in comparison with the RS1 because they're both LCOS projectors, so it's a natural comparison.

Also LCOS now eclipses LCD contrast performance by far.

Hmmm, interesting answers. Still hoping someone has actually looked at both of these projectors...

Perhaps LCD is inherently inferior, but maybe the C2fine panels have caught up a bit, helped to narrow the gap?

By what I can tell, the Epson will street for more than the JVC, but include a spare bulb.

The Epson may be brighter than the JVC, and it will have a better warranty. Other than that, I do not see any compelling reason for choosing the Epson over the JVC. But if the Epson proves to be significantly better than the Panny 1000 or the Mits 5000, it may be worth consideration.

By what I can tell, the Epson will street for more than the JVC, but include a spare bulb.

So, the JVC with an MSRP of $6,300 is going to street for less than the Epson with an MSRP of 5,000? Why is that?

Probably because it's often said that Epson is only available at list price, but back when I was interested in a 510 several people said they had gotten discounts from dealers.

As discussed extensively on the Epson thread, this projector can be ordered with warranty from overseas and overseas importers for CONSIDERABLY less than any other LCD or lycos 1080p projector on the market....

I heard the Epson's street price will be the same as the MSRP ($5K) plus extended warranty and free bulb. Thus the JVC preorder (or an order from my local dealer) puts that one cheaper, but no extra bulb.

Epson marketing in California told me the week before CES2007 that they were not going to demo anything publicly or privately at CES. They were going to have a local Texas marketing rep call me to discuss a Texas demo, but I have not yet been contacted. I have ruled out any further consideration of Epson projectors since they did not demo at CES and have not followed up with me. I did see demos of the JVC HD1 and RS1 (in addition to other) projectors at CES and was quite pleased with them.

If the Epson wasn't even at CES, it is very odd that PC said the epson was a CES highlight...hmmm.

If the Epson wasn't even at CES, it is very odd that PC said the epson was a CES highlight...hmmm.

Odd indeed. Maybe they got a private showing somewhere. It would be very, VERY odd if PC did not even mention JVC since it was well known that JVC was demoing at Caesar's. The JVC was definitely a highlight for me.

PC did mention the JVC as one of the two highlights from CES--the other highlight being the Epson. Perhaps they will do a comparison review...