Coderguy's Top Projector Picks - Page 2

Nope, but others have compared them, I'd say it's split. I however have had many projectors here with DC 3 (even the Mits hc4000 has DC 3, but a lesser DMD size).

From my reading in this forum, I have seen several people compare the JVC to higher end DLP's like the Samsung a900b or Runcos/Planars. Let's say comparing with a Planar vs. the JVC, I'd say at least half preferred the JVC and the other half preferred the DLP. The thing is though, most of these .95" ones are FAR FAR more expensive than the RS-45, so it's not even really a fair comparison. I think it really depends on a user's viewing habits. The DLP has better motion, but I don't think the added sharpness is going to help anymore, the RS-45 is really freaking sharp, I'd say there are only a handful of DLP's under $3000 sharper than the RS-45, the Benq w6000/w1200/w1100, and the Mits hc4000 is a TINY bit sharper, but the Mits isn't as uniform for sharpness across the screen as the JVC is. I haven't seen a single LCD projector be sharper than the JVC RS-45, the older Viewsonic Pro8100 LCD and Mits hc6800 were MAYBE as sharp, maybe, but probably not, I think the RS-45 is sharper even then those when you evaluate it from seating distance. The biggest difference between a JVC and any DLP is going to be motion and ability to handle a poorer signal for TV, DLP's are better at that than LCOS or LCD.

If you play any dark movie (Harry Potter or anything like that), there is just no DLP that is going to have a chance against the JVC once the projector is properly calibrated.

My RS-45 has just incredibly superb sharpness for a NON-DLP from seating distance, text looks very DLP-like. Let me put it this way, even for HTPC text, the JVC is the sharpest projector I've owned other than the Mits hc4000 (and I wouldn't say on text the difference is even noticeable). JVC has figured out how to make some really sharp projectors even with LCOS technology.

No idea, but if I had to guess, I'd say the Mits hc4000 wins in 2D even though the blacks aren't quite as good, but it could go either way. I'd have to see both to know.

It'd be a trade-off, the Acer is most likely not as sharp as the Mits, the lens is cheaper on the Acer.

Also, the Mits is very good in so many areas, and the black levels are not bad even without an IRIS considering the HIGH native contrast of the Mits (about 50% more than the Acer). Most importantly, the Mits calibrates perfectly, and even OOTB it isn't that far off (Gamma is spot on, but color-wise green is off a bit and so is red at first). The Mits also uses Dark Chip 3 vs. the Acer's dark chip 2.

The Panny wins in dark scenes, I've seen the two projectors. Reviewers are too quick to judge a projector solely by dynamic contrast from the IRIS, even when another projector isn't ALL that far behind. The Mits wins in gaming, sharpness, all bright scenes, pixel fill, native motion, and several other areas. The Mits is behind the Panny in black levels because of NO IRIS, but IRIS'd black levels are a tad overdone or fake anyhow to some extent. Some would prefer the Panny, but there are definitely a split mix of differences between these two projectors, they are polar opposites on strengths and weaknesses.

 

Edited by coderguy - 11/11/12 at 11:53pm

The pro-reviewers also don't talk about ghosting in 3D correctly, you must go read Zombie's thread for that. For instance, the Mits hc4000 actually has ONE of the best images I have ever seen at handling poorer sources or noise in bright scenes even under $5000, and some of the lowest lag for gaming, and is sharper than most projectors near its price. Btw I own a $3000+ JVC and have owned many projectors in the past 2 years. I just setup an Epson 5010 for a friend as well. As much as I love the JVC and Epson, the Mits handles poorer sources better, and this includes 1080p Netflix, only once I get to VUDU streaming levels or Bluray would I say my JVC can keep up with the Mits's cleaner processing (when not judging by contrast of course). I also preferred gaming on the Mits over the JVC, as well as sports. I no longer own the Mits, I own other projectors, they each have strengths and weaknesses. The Mits was just killer in some areas, even though it was cheap.

I am nit-picking, all projectors have issues, trust me on that one, that is why I have gone through so many different ones.

It should be noted that I prefer LCOS over DLP for movies (mostly on bluray or VUDU), and DLP for gaming or sports and some general TV. BTW, I think the Panny 4000 is the best projector for some folks, but I do like the Epson better if judging purely by PQ, sorry I am just being honest. As far as the Mits, I only like the Mits better than the Panny overall if factoring in gaming and TV and sports, for just movies it is a harder call, but I might lean towards the Panny, but not at the current price difference. I do not have brand-loyalty, but we all have our own BIAS's. People could call the pro reviewers out on ridiculous assertions as well, we see it all the time.

You ended up with an RS-20 didn't you?
That's a great projector as well, heck it calibrates better than our RS-45's.

Not really specifically, but the category was "overall image", I guess overall really means the do-it-all image. I could add some addiitonal categories in the sub-$2k section, such as Best Overall image for movies under 2k, in that case though I'd give it to the Epson 8700ub and runner-up to the Benq w6000 and Panny 4000 most likely.

The way DLP has to be manufactured prevents them from easily implementing a huge amount of LCD-like lens shift, only the Benq w6000/w7000 has a decent amount of lens shift if considering from center-point of the screen for any reasonable price. I do not expect this to change. The Epson 8350 is a good projector and as a new buyer you cannot really go wrong. The LCOS units do have considerable amount of lens shift more like LCD's, but not quite as much as an Epson has.

I only recommend the Pro8200 for certain uses, just like any projector I recommend is based on price range and the user's requirements. The Pro8200 is good for gaming under $800 if you need a bright image, but some projectors beat it in movies, like the Mits hc4000. In some ways the Epson 8350 also beats the Viewsonic in movies (depends how close you sit to the screen, 8350 slightly better blacks, but Viewsonic produces a smoother image), but in gaming I'd give the edge to the Viewsonic although the 8350 is still very good for gaming as well, although it's been a while since I have seen or played with an 8350 (about a year or more).