As I toss up between these two, I'm trying to work out what brightness to expect. What is confusing me are the posts describing the VW60 as somewhat dim.

However, Greg Rogers had the VW60 as noticeably brighter (957 v 791) in the absolute brightest mode and brighter by a similar margin in best picture mode.

Art at ProjectorReviews, on the other hand, had 665 lumens for the Sony and 887 for the JVC.

So who is correct? Or is there that much variation between different examples of the same model?

I always had the asumption the jvc in it's 'best' mode was one of the brighter projectors at it's amazing contrast numbers.:confused:

Brightness varies from PJ to PJ (in the same model). I sent back a new PJ because of the dim output. The replacement was much brighter and I was happy. I have read similar stories from RS1 owners also.

The VW60 is plenty bright, unless you watch movies in room with more than a little ambient light. In a light controlled room, there's no question that it's a really good projector.

I can open the blackout drapes on the left side of the screen, leaving the vertical blinds closed, and watch sports in the afternoon. If I open other drapes that oppose the screen, it'll washout.

Remember that movie theaters operate at less than 20ft. lamberts when making your choices.

I have full light control (with a shadow box and dark walls) for movie watching, but sometimes have a small reading light on when watching TV or sport.

Screen is 120", PJ distance would be 14.5 feet.