Hello,

My mind is boiling after a dozen of reviews.

Which projector to get?
Pearl?
HD81?
HC5000?
AE1000?


I really only want to watch movies... The distance is 4 meters. The room is dark enough.


As for now the leader is Pearl, but the words "blurry image" are frightenting....


Please help.

"As for now the leader is Pearl"
...............
You better do some reading, I think you missed a projector :).
Welcome to AVS Zebog

You forgot the Epson Home Cinema 1080

You better do some reading, I think you missed a projector :).
Welcome to AVS Zebog

Which one did I miss?

Epson? Ok, count that in....

But please, can you name the best sub-4k projector?

You forgot the Epson Home Cinema 1080

Cute :)

I should have said "a projector or three". Hmmm.. JVC might be worth looking into Zzbog.

'But please, can you name the best sub-4k projector? "
...........
Not yet, you have bump it up a little :).

Yeah, I know...

But isn't JVC well above $4000??

I have it on good authority that Lumen Lab makes the highest quality projectors on the market, and the lamps are only $30!

Yeah, I know...

But isn't JVC well above $4000??

If you want one of the "best" under $10k give Tryg or Jason at AV S a call, you will be very suprised what they can do.

You should read this comparison review

http://www.projectorreviews.com/Best1080pProjectors042007/index.php

When you get to the conclusions page, there are several head to head comparisons too

Ron

Oh well... but I have only $4000 :)

Judging by the review at projectorreviews, Sony PEARL is the next to JVC qualitywise...
But the image is not really sharp.

Also the not so high brightness of Sony bothers me

Can anybody comment?

Unfortunately I can't just go and have a look at any of the projectors - I'm bound to make a blind buy...

Rboster already gave you a great resource. Read, learn, begin to obsess about it until you fit in here. :)

You need to think about a few things:
1) Do you see rainbow/color separation artifacts? Go to Best Buy or something and look at the DLP-based RPTVs. Find a big one, get something on the screen with a lot of bright and dark areas. Look from one side of the screen to the other, quickly. If you are bothered, then remove HD81 from your list.

2) Do you want LCD? The question will be contrast, and is not easily answered unless you can find an LCD unit on display somewhere. If absolute black level is something you freak out about, then remove the AE1000, HC5000, and Cinema 1080 from your list. If not, then figure out which of those you want (Panny for the smoothness, HC5000 for the sharpness, Epson for the brightness). Again you should really find something on display to get an idea.

3) Don't worry about Sony sharpness. Unless you really like digital-looking images, it will be just fine. I don't know why people are concerned about how elite their pixel structure is when they are just watching a representation of film, which has no pixel structure. Blurry is ridiculous. Now maybe if you watch video-based HDTV all the time, or game most of the time, it could be a consideration.

You can't be concerned about brightness until you know (and share) what screen size you're going to use and what screen type/material you will use.

Judging by the review at projectorreviews, Sony PEARL is the next to JVC qualitywise...
But the image is not really sharp.

Also the not so high brightness of Sony bothers me

Can anybody comment?

Unfortunately I can't just go and have a look at any of the projectors - I'm bound to make a blind buy...


According to Tom Norton, of Ultimate A/V, the Sony matched the JVC in some instances. The link below is of page 3 of his JVC review. The key to getting a good Pearl is to make certain that the convergence is as close to perfect as possible. As far as brightness is concerned you might want to consider DaLite's High Power screen.

http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/207jvchd1/index2.html

from the aforementioned UltimateAV review of the JVC

It was shocking just how closely the two matched. When viewed on its own without a direct comparison, the Sony still showed itself to be a very fine projector?the best available (in my opinion) for under $5,000. I had no complaints about its image in any respect. But on a direct comparison to the JVC, the latter pulled ahead in three areas.

First, the JVC was sharper. But not by a huge amount. Contrary to the popular Internet myth, the Pearl is not soft. Soft-er, but that's not the same thing.

Judging by the review at projectorreviews, Sony PEARL is the next to JVC qualitywise...
But the image is not really sharp.

Also the not so high brightness of Sony bothers me

Can anybody comment?

Unfortunately I can't just go and have a look at any of the projectors - I'm bound to make a blind buy...

These comments floor me I did alot of looking when I was making a decision and the Sony blew me away on how sharp and bright the picture was. Once setup and calibrated it was even better. Buy one and start enjoying it.

Nate

The best projector under $4000 isn't out yet :)

You better do some reading, I think you missed a projector
Jimmy is talking about the Panasonic AX100...:D

Benq W9000 should be on your list.

Jimmy is talking about the Panasonic AX100...:D

Come to think about it... :o ;)

What about Panas Ax100?

It isn't 1080, is it?

So how can it be considered?

Or should it be?

That article pretty much sums up what I have seen. After looking at almost all of the projectors on that list the RS1 comes out on top. Sure it would be nice to have a 12v trigger on it but.. Man for picture and black levels JVC spanks the others.

Who knows maybe JVC will lower the price on the RS1 soon, I doubt it when there is no one that really reachs the same level as the RS1 in certain areas. I miss my Sony G90 but honestly the RS1 is a major step forward can't wait to get it.

When people write things like "blurry images" you have to put it in context.
If you are being ultra picky then compared to some other pj the Sony may be a little
soft. However, for the money it throws a great picture. (By the way, I am not saying
it is the best since I have only seen the Sony and AE 1000 out of the pj's you listed).

What about Panas Ax100?

It isn't 1080, is it?

So how can it be considered?

Or should it be?

There is a little inside humour going on here. I don't think you should add
it to your list.

search for a used jvc rs1.
when that turns up it will be your best choice.

Didn't the JVC just come out? How long will it be before a used one hits the market?

Didn't the JVC just come out? How long will it be before a used one hits the market?

I think you are correct....technically, there have been members that have sold them after receiving their units and for whatever reason need to want to sell them. You can search the classifieds....but those are even selling at new prices. So to say search for a used one as the other member did is a little bit premature.

I think we'll see folks in the fourth quarter as CEDIA info or new product hits the market become availale....but by then JVC may have lowered their price. You might want to consider buying a bridge projector for a grand, then buying a JVC in 6 to 8 months. You would might take a $500 hit when reselling the bridge projector, but your savings on the JVC (IMO) would be more than $500 by that time for a new unit or certainly a used JVC.


Ron

People are recommending a $6K+ projector that isn't widely available? The Pearl can be had for well under $4K delivered, and at 4 meters, you can throw a very bright and sharp image as large as 106 to 110" diagonal or so. From what I've read, the JVC is a (slight) improvement, but not a 50% price difference.

I am interested in buying a projector as well in this price range and the two projectors currently in my mind are the hc5000 and the pearl. Although many people say the pearl is the best thing under $4000, some also say that the hc5000 has a WOW factor. So my question is, at what distance does hc5000's wow factor go away (meaning pixelation is no longer visible and the sharpness of the hc5000 and the pearl is difficult to compare). And finally, when the pearl is projected at those distances, will there be a significant loss of brightness that it becomes bitter to watch?

I am interested in buying a projector as well in this price range and the two projectors currently in my mind are the hc5000 and the pearl. Although many people say the pearl is the best thing under $4000, some also say that the hc5000 has a WOW factor. So my question is, at what distance does hc5000's wow factor go away (meaning pixelation is no longer visible and the sharpness of the hc5000 and the pearl is difficult to compare). And finally, when the pearl is projected at those distances, will there be a significant loss of brightness that it becomes bitter to watch?

If you are going to be seated 1.5 x image width back from the screen, you don't need to limit your choices to 1080p projectors. That opens up the possibilities for a really good 720p DLP projector which will give you better color than the HC5000 and better focus/sharpness than the Pearl. I'm thinking of something like the SIM D35.

If you are going to be seated 1.5 x image width back from the screen, you don't need to limit your choices to 1080p projectors. That opens up the possibilities for a really good 720p DLP projector which will give you better color than the HC5000 and better focus/sharpness than the Pearl. I'm thinking of something like the SIM D35.

Woah there. You can easily spot the difference at 1.5x screen width. If someone has good vision they can see the pixel structure on a 720p pj at up to 2x screen width on very bright scenes (i'm at 1.7 with a H78 and can occasionally spot the SDE on white text and other bright areas). So a 1080p pj will eliminate SDE for these people if nothing else. I've heard that at 1.5x the difference is more than subtle and at 2x it is subtle. If more than 2x it isn't likely worth the extra for the extra resolution.

Ditto what gobrigavitch said.

Also, even if SDE and pixels can't actually be seen, I think, for me at least, I can kind of tell if it is my eyes that are limiting the resolution or it is the projector. If it is the former then the "looking through a window" effect kicks in and the projected scene seems like reality. If it is the latter, then that perception of reality is diminished. It is hard to exactly quantify the threshold for this effect but I think below about 1.75X screen widths the reduced resolution of 720p starts to become an issue and it is quite noticable at 1.5X. Others would likely disagree....

Brent

Extremely happy with my HC5000, FWIW. Upgraded to it from a BenQ PE7700 for the 1080p ability.

If you can work the JVC into your budget, buy it. If not go with the Pearl. I did (before the JVC was released) and I am extremely happy. Light output is very good, even for some viewing with a couple of lights on. The image is smooth and film-like, but not soft. The reviews are correct that unless you compare the jvc and the Pearl side by side the differences (with the exception of absolute black level) are not noticable. I would pick the Pearl again over any of the other options other than the JVC. I don't think you will have any regrets if you get a good one. Make sure that you get it from a reputable dealer in case you have convergence or shading problems so you can get it replaced. Otherwise, just enjoy. We can all be comfortable the the "next greater thing" is just around the corner and it will undoubtably "blow the JVC (and the Pearl) away"), but if you chase that next thing you will never catch it cause once you do, the "next next best thing" is just around the corner and in the meantime, you are missing a lot of time that you could be really enjoying a great picture! Go for it!