I just got my RS2 up and configured somewhat and seeing how there are other discussions on other threads about setup, I figured it would be good to have one place to talk about how we are all configuring our new projectors.
So here we go:
I upgraded from a Dilard'ized G11/Panamorph/9ft wide Firehawk to the RS2/Panamorph UH380 w/M380 transport/10ft wide 2.40 SMX AT screen.
The only thing I've done so far is set the focus and made one red pixel adjustment. Pixel perfect now. Wow, what a great image!
Here's the first thing I noticed on setup. The image zoom, now automatic vs. manual on the RS1, zooms from the center outwards in all directions. In all directions equally; unless that is, you have the pj mounted higher than the center of the screen. Then it zooms differently on the top vs. the bottom because the image is being thrown on a downward angle. This should not be an issue if you plan on setting up your image to the top of the screen initially and thereafter use the V-Stretch mode/anamorphic lens combo to do widescreen material.
My setup:
Projector is 100" off the floor, center of lens.
Top of screen is 87" off the floor.
Projector is 18 ft back from screen.
Panamorph lens/sled mounted in front of the projector with the included support plate. It is a little tedious to mount the Panamorph system but well worth it. IMO, you must use the chain supports for this setup for proper weight load balance. See picture below. EDIT: All motorized Panamorph systems now come with a thicker mounting plate so the support chains are no longer needed. Nice.
Having everything as perfectly level as possible results in almost perfect image geometry with the lens in the light path.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
With this combo of distances, this is about the max you can go with the pj being higher than the top of screen. There is almost no more adjustment with the manual lens shift downward. You can give the the pj a little downward tilt in front, but you will lose perfect image geometry.
Starting from a full zoom in position and moving to a full zoom out position, the image moved UP 13" on the top and DOWN 54" on the bottom because of the downward light path.
The saving grace, and thank you Shawn Kelly from Panamorph for helping me get this straight, is that when using the Pannie setup I should rarely, if ever, have to adjust lens shift or zoom. With the new 'V-Stretch' scaling in the RS2, enabling that and having the lens motor'ifically slide into place to expand the image to the full 2.40 screen width, that keeps the image full screen at least top to bottom. Wow, that Shawn didn't cut no corners with his latest entry. When you take that stuff out of the box, you really feel like you got your monies worth. I've always been a huge supporter the the anamorphic lenses. Well done Shawn.
EDIT: 02-09-08
With 40 hours on the RS2, I finally had time to set levels with a test disc.
I used the Avia dvd first thru an Oppo970 upconverting player set to 720p and then a Toshiba A30. All measurements directly from the DVD players to the RS2. All settings in the dvd players at default.
First the Toshiba using HDMI, upscaled:
Gamma at 'normal', color temp 'middle'.
Contrast -1
Brightness -1
Color 0
Sharpness 0
Tint 0, tint is not adjustable on the RS2, I'm assuming because of the now individually adjustable RGB colors.
With Gamma at Theater 1, color temp 'middle'.
Nice to see there was little need for adjustments vs. the factory 'normal'.
Contrast -0
Brightness -2
Color 0
Oppo player using HDMI, upscaled to 720p:
Gamma normal
Contrast 5
Brightness 0
Color -2
Gamma Theater 1
Contrast 5
Brightness -1
Color -2
EDIT: Feb. '09. 250 hrs. on the bulb
Settings using DVE BR disc thru a PS3, HDMI direct to the RS2:
Gamma 2.4 with the 5 point bump up at 5% IRE, color temp middle
Contrast -3
Brightness 1
Color -3
The resulting image is outstanding. Contrast and image depth is fantastic. Color levels seem to be a little strong, maybe too much for some, but to me with a couple ticks less saturation, they look great. There is a lot of user adjustability in the menus. Very nice!
This is one fine projector. I can't imagine anyone not being extremely satisfied with it.
Edit 4-19-11
At 638 hrs. on the bulb I had Jeff Meier do a full calibration. The results:
Initial light level 3.0 fl in 2.35 mode. Final light output 3.3 fl and 4.5 fl in 16:9 mode. 170 lumens at 638 hours.
Pre on/off contrast ratio 5078, post cr 13052.
Pre gamma 2.02, post gamma 2.21
Color temp, gamma curve and gray scale RGB ratios were reasonably close pre cal and spot on post cal.
I happen to have had the new Panamorph lens, the DC1 in my possession during the cal as well as my regular lens, the UH480. We did a light loss comparison with both in and out of the light path.
Light loss for the DC1 was 0.6% and 1.7% for the 480. Not bad at all. Those numbers were much lower than I expected and definitely not noticable between the two.
That's about it. I haven't had much time to do any serious viewing yet but initially the image looked pretty darn good after the calibration. I'm considering going to a Seymore screen material to replace my SMX material to pick up a little more brightness. I have a sample of it and it's a bit whiter than the SMX material.
Issues:
Lens shake:
Many have experienced a shaking of the image during deep or strong bass passages, myself included. The easy fix is to use the pink foam that came packed around the lens and fit it snugly back in around the lens.
VStretch IR:
There is no 'one touch' IR command for VStretch on the early RS2's. See note below. You will need to go into the menu to engage/disengage VStretch or do an IR macro to do it. I use a macro and it works perfect. The RS2 is very quick in handling IR commands. The only catch is that when you do your macro, you must include commands that back you all the way out of the menu to the start. Otherwise, you will not be in the starting position of the menu the next time you engage/disengage VStretch.
I will try to compile pics and links from the pages of this thread as pertinent info comes up:
Projector Overview:
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/f...l_id=MDL101733
Reviews posted on the JVC website:
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/a...&feature_id=09
Throw Distance Calculator:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-...calculator.htm
For those interested in a true widescreen experience using all the RS2 has to offer, an anamorphic lens is a must have. Check out the Panamorph system. I have it and it rocks! Click on the screen to watch the video.
http://www.panamorph.com
Lamp Replacement:
Follow the links to the lamp and DIY method. Several owners have done this with great results.
toddius' excellent how to post(#4068) w/pics:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/957044/rs2-pro-fpj1-owners-setup-discussion-thread/4050#post_22476884
Lamp hour counter reset:
In standby mode.
Press Exit, Enter, Hide then hold Arrow down for 2 seconds or more.
Standby indicator will flash for 3 seconds and then go back to standby.
Once turned back on counter should be back to Zero.
Link to the Osram bulb many are using:
http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lamp69471.html
Quote from Alan Gouger on page 12:
"Guys try running the RS2 with Gamma set to 2.4
Then go in and bump 5 IRE 5 points. Set contrast to + 10 and brightness + 3.
The picture is incredibly CRT like. The projectors black level is able to handle the lower CRT gamma curves.
My experience with these settings any BD or HD DVD title that previously showed banding and posturization is now just as clean and solid as CRT. Amazing.
This is quite the projector."
I personally use this gamma and it is fantastic. My C & B ended up being a little lower than +10 and +3 based on the DVE HD/Avia disc and my personal taste, but to each his own.
Neutral density filters:
"Hi for all concerned. My ND Filter is a B+W 82mm ND 0.6 -2BL 4x Filter.
It screws straight into the front lens using the existing thread. There is no light reflection that Greg Rogers tells you to watch out for. It works bloody well." Thanks to Badas for that one. Do a Google search for many results.
And thank you to Badas for this one:
"A couple of weeks ago we were having a big discussion on ND Filters. I have always used them on my projectors. It takes away that raw digital effect. I had discussed using a 0.3 ND filter instead of a 0.6 ND as the lamp loses power. My Lamp is at 1280 hours and the light output was getting a lot lower.
I took my advice and got a 0.3 ND filter. I am happy to report that this trick works very well. It has let more light on screen but has retained that analoge look that ND filters produce. So when I have a new lamp I will use a 0.6 ND filter. When the lamp Dims (about 1000 hours) I will use the 0.3 ND Filter. If you are using a 0.6ND and find your lamp dimming try a 0.3ND.
I got mine from Amazon: Tiffen 0.3ND 82mm."
If you are considering the ND filter, make sure you check out Badas' comments on page 111 regarding filters and zoom range.
Quote from Matt Natale:
"Good News and Bad news.
Your RS2's main version must be 229 for these commands to work. There is no way to upgrade.
New RS-232 commands:
V-Stretch ON: 21 89 01 5653 31 0A
V-Stretch OFF: 21 89 01 5653 30 0A
New IR commands:
V-Stretch ON: 0000 006C 0001 0012 0142 00A2 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 033F 0013 003D
V-Stretch OFF: 0000 006C 0001 0012 0142 00A2 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 033F 0013 003D"
What this means is that if you have a later build of the RS2, like the RS2X instead of the original RS2U, these codes for V-Stretch ON/Off will work without having to do menu macros.
The ir codes below are on a Word doc. Copy and paste these using an ir program, like Pronto Edit.
Chris
RS2 IR Codes.doc 62k . file
So here we go:
I upgraded from a Dilard'ized G11/Panamorph/9ft wide Firehawk to the RS2/Panamorph UH380 w/M380 transport/10ft wide 2.40 SMX AT screen.
The only thing I've done so far is set the focus and made one red pixel adjustment. Pixel perfect now. Wow, what a great image!
Here's the first thing I noticed on setup. The image zoom, now automatic vs. manual on the RS1, zooms from the center outwards in all directions. In all directions equally; unless that is, you have the pj mounted higher than the center of the screen. Then it zooms differently on the top vs. the bottom because the image is being thrown on a downward angle. This should not be an issue if you plan on setting up your image to the top of the screen initially and thereafter use the V-Stretch mode/anamorphic lens combo to do widescreen material.
My setup:
Projector is 100" off the floor, center of lens.
Top of screen is 87" off the floor.
Projector is 18 ft back from screen.
Panamorph lens/sled mounted in front of the projector with the included support plate. It is a little tedious to mount the Panamorph system but well worth it. IMO, you must use the chain supports for this setup for proper weight load balance. See picture below. EDIT: All motorized Panamorph systems now come with a thicker mounting plate so the support chains are no longer needed. Nice.
Having everything as perfectly level as possible results in almost perfect image geometry with the lens in the light path.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
With this combo of distances, this is about the max you can go with the pj being higher than the top of screen. There is almost no more adjustment with the manual lens shift downward. You can give the the pj a little downward tilt in front, but you will lose perfect image geometry.
Starting from a full zoom in position and moving to a full zoom out position, the image moved UP 13" on the top and DOWN 54" on the bottom because of the downward light path.
The saving grace, and thank you Shawn Kelly from Panamorph for helping me get this straight, is that when using the Pannie setup I should rarely, if ever, have to adjust lens shift or zoom. With the new 'V-Stretch' scaling in the RS2, enabling that and having the lens motor'ifically slide into place to expand the image to the full 2.40 screen width, that keeps the image full screen at least top to bottom. Wow, that Shawn didn't cut no corners with his latest entry. When you take that stuff out of the box, you really feel like you got your monies worth. I've always been a huge supporter the the anamorphic lenses. Well done Shawn.
EDIT: 02-09-08
With 40 hours on the RS2, I finally had time to set levels with a test disc.
I used the Avia dvd first thru an Oppo970 upconverting player set to 720p and then a Toshiba A30. All measurements directly from the DVD players to the RS2. All settings in the dvd players at default.
First the Toshiba using HDMI, upscaled:
Gamma at 'normal', color temp 'middle'.
Contrast -1
Brightness -1
Color 0
Sharpness 0
Tint 0, tint is not adjustable on the RS2, I'm assuming because of the now individually adjustable RGB colors.
With Gamma at Theater 1, color temp 'middle'.
Nice to see there was little need for adjustments vs. the factory 'normal'.
Contrast -0
Brightness -2
Color 0
Oppo player using HDMI, upscaled to 720p:
Gamma normal
Contrast 5
Brightness 0
Color -2
Gamma Theater 1
Contrast 5
Brightness -1
Color -2
EDIT: Feb. '09. 250 hrs. on the bulb
Settings using DVE BR disc thru a PS3, HDMI direct to the RS2:
Gamma 2.4 with the 5 point bump up at 5% IRE, color temp middle
Contrast -3
Brightness 1
Color -3
The resulting image is outstanding. Contrast and image depth is fantastic. Color levels seem to be a little strong, maybe too much for some, but to me with a couple ticks less saturation, they look great. There is a lot of user adjustability in the menus. Very nice!
This is one fine projector. I can't imagine anyone not being extremely satisfied with it.
Edit 4-19-11
At 638 hrs. on the bulb I had Jeff Meier do a full calibration. The results:
Initial light level 3.0 fl in 2.35 mode. Final light output 3.3 fl and 4.5 fl in 16:9 mode. 170 lumens at 638 hours.
Pre on/off contrast ratio 5078, post cr 13052.
Pre gamma 2.02, post gamma 2.21
Color temp, gamma curve and gray scale RGB ratios were reasonably close pre cal and spot on post cal.
I happen to have had the new Panamorph lens, the DC1 in my possession during the cal as well as my regular lens, the UH480. We did a light loss comparison with both in and out of the light path.
Light loss for the DC1 was 0.6% and 1.7% for the 480. Not bad at all. Those numbers were much lower than I expected and definitely not noticable between the two.
That's about it. I haven't had much time to do any serious viewing yet but initially the image looked pretty darn good after the calibration. I'm considering going to a Seymore screen material to replace my SMX material to pick up a little more brightness. I have a sample of it and it's a bit whiter than the SMX material.
Issues:
Lens shake:
Many have experienced a shaking of the image during deep or strong bass passages, myself included. The easy fix is to use the pink foam that came packed around the lens and fit it snugly back in around the lens.
VStretch IR:
There is no 'one touch' IR command for VStretch on the early RS2's. See note below. You will need to go into the menu to engage/disengage VStretch or do an IR macro to do it. I use a macro and it works perfect. The RS2 is very quick in handling IR commands. The only catch is that when you do your macro, you must include commands that back you all the way out of the menu to the start. Otherwise, you will not be in the starting position of the menu the next time you engage/disengage VStretch.
I will try to compile pics and links from the pages of this thread as pertinent info comes up:
Projector Overview:
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/f...l_id=MDL101733
Reviews posted on the JVC website:
http://pro.jvc.com/prof/attributes/a...&feature_id=09
Throw Distance Calculator:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/JVC-...calculator.htm
For those interested in a true widescreen experience using all the RS2 has to offer, an anamorphic lens is a must have. Check out the Panamorph system. I have it and it rocks! Click on the screen to watch the video.
http://www.panamorph.com
Lamp Replacement:
Follow the links to the lamp and DIY method. Several owners have done this with great results.
toddius' excellent how to post(#4068) w/pics:
http://www.avsforum.com/t/957044/rs2-pro-fpj1-owners-setup-discussion-thread/4050#post_22476884
Lamp hour counter reset:
In standby mode.
Press Exit, Enter, Hide then hold Arrow down for 2 seconds or more.
Standby indicator will flash for 3 seconds and then go back to standby.
Once turned back on counter should be back to Zero.
Link to the Osram bulb many are using:
http://www.replacementlightbulbs.com/lamp69471.html
Quote from Alan Gouger on page 12:
"Guys try running the RS2 with Gamma set to 2.4
Then go in and bump 5 IRE 5 points. Set contrast to + 10 and brightness + 3.
The picture is incredibly CRT like. The projectors black level is able to handle the lower CRT gamma curves.
My experience with these settings any BD or HD DVD title that previously showed banding and posturization is now just as clean and solid as CRT. Amazing.
This is quite the projector."
I personally use this gamma and it is fantastic. My C & B ended up being a little lower than +10 and +3 based on the DVE HD/Avia disc and my personal taste, but to each his own.
Neutral density filters:
"Hi for all concerned. My ND Filter is a B+W 82mm ND 0.6 -2BL 4x Filter.
It screws straight into the front lens using the existing thread. There is no light reflection that Greg Rogers tells you to watch out for. It works bloody well." Thanks to Badas for that one. Do a Google search for many results.
And thank you to Badas for this one:
"A couple of weeks ago we were having a big discussion on ND Filters. I have always used them on my projectors. It takes away that raw digital effect. I had discussed using a 0.3 ND filter instead of a 0.6 ND as the lamp loses power. My Lamp is at 1280 hours and the light output was getting a lot lower.
I took my advice and got a 0.3 ND filter. I am happy to report that this trick works very well. It has let more light on screen but has retained that analoge look that ND filters produce. So when I have a new lamp I will use a 0.6 ND filter. When the lamp Dims (about 1000 hours) I will use the 0.3 ND Filter. If you are using a 0.6ND and find your lamp dimming try a 0.3ND.
I got mine from Amazon: Tiffen 0.3ND 82mm."
If you are considering the ND filter, make sure you check out Badas' comments on page 111 regarding filters and zoom range.
Quote from Matt Natale:
"Good News and Bad news.
Your RS2's main version must be 229 for these commands to work. There is no way to upgrade.
New RS-232 commands:
V-Stretch ON: 21 89 01 5653 31 0A
V-Stretch OFF: 21 89 01 5653 30 0A
New IR commands:
V-Stretch ON: 0000 006C 0001 0012 0142 00A2 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 033F 0013 003D
V-Stretch OFF: 0000 006C 0001 0012 0142 00A2 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 003D 0013 0013 0013 0013 0013 033F 0013 003D"
What this means is that if you have a later build of the RS2, like the RS2X instead of the original RS2U, these codes for V-Stretch ON/Off will work without having to do menu macros.
The ir codes below are on a Word doc. Copy and paste these using an ir program, like Pronto Edit.
Chris
RS2 IR Codes.doc 62k . file