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HD8300/VPL-HW50es/HC7900DW

post #1 of 9
1/11/13 at 5:34am
Thread Starter 
I've been trolling the forum gathering all the information possible for my upcoming first projector purchase this spring... I was hoping for some user opinions for the above for my 80% 2D - 20% 3D viewing. My screen will be 92" with 0.9-1.1 gain screen as I will have lighting control. The BenQ isn't in the running given their warranty and user issues I've seen... I really wanted to put the JVC in the mix due to the amazing 2D performance, but I've heard of "bad bulb" issues, and "horrible crosstalk". Because I have plasmas in the house and really love those pictures, I'm leaning to the DLP as I'm told that's the closest I'll get to a 92" plasma pj in this price range. The Sony seems to be the safe bet doing everything well, better blacks too but maybe not as sharp even though its processed... I've heard native is always better, JVC vs Iris, JVC wins... native blacks... Sony VS DLP, DLP wins, better sharpness... The HC7900DW got rave reviews from Art and given the significant price difference I had to put it in there, maybe a touch sharper than the Optoma and better black detail but not better blacks...

Man... this is tough! I know most people are thinking, "you'll be blown away which ever way you go... first time projector owners always are...." and that may be true but I want to rest assure I've made the right decision...

So, with that being said and without placement issues and strictly on picture performance and build quality... what do the great users of AVS think?
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post #2 of 9
1/11/13 at 3:40pm
These DLP's do not look sharper from seating distance when viewing moveis or video than the Sony or JVC LCOS projector because they lack advanced sharpening filters. Some DLP's will look sharper on text for sure.

I would look into the Sony hw50 instead, unless your absolute most important attribute is perfect DLP 3D.
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post #3 of 9
1/11/13 at 3:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by coderguy View Post

These DLP's do not look sharper than the Sony or JVC LCOS projector because they lack advanced sharpening filters.

I would look into the Sony hw50 instead, unless your absolute most important attribute is perfect DLP 3D.

I have to agree with Coderguy on this one. I owned a HC7800D and it wasn't very sharp in particular. I actually went through two units because the first had a couple issues. Both units were not as sharp looking as a JVC DLA-X3 that I had afterwards. If you want something sharper than the JVC units you're going to need to buy a nicer DLP unit that has the money to spend on better optics. The lower end JVC units have the advantage of using the same lens as the higher end units. JVC can do this because if they're only producing one lens so they save a ton on R&D and production costs.
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post #4 of 9
1/11/13 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Very interesting, thank you for the info, so it sounds like this is moving towars a Sony and jvc battle, that explains all the vs threads... Guess I was wrong with my understanding that native is better.... So what's the dlp advantage? If you say the Sony and jvc are better at sharpness and blacks does that leave the dlp better at color and skin tones? Is the jvc 3d and build problems really not as bad as they seem? I am leaning towards the Sony thanks to coderguy...
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post #5 of 9
1/11/13 at 4:51pm
Not at all. DLP can produce a much sharper looking image, it's just that in this price range you aren't going to see too many DLP projectors that have decent black levels and a superior lens that can show off how sharp DLP can look. If you were to move your budget up a few thousand then you could start to look at one of those DLP models. If I were choosing a projector in your price range I'd go with the Sony HW50. It has better motion than the JVC units, it does 3D better and it has really really good contrast.
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post #6 of 9
1/11/13 at 4:59pm
As an example. A very cheap BenQ (who are known for having some of the sharpest images on budget DLP machines) looks VERY sharp compared to the Sony 50ES, but as you'd expect the contrast ratios on it aren't too great in comparison to the Sony 50es:

BenQ W1070:



Sony 50ES:

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post #7 of 9
1/11/13 at 5:48pm
The problem is most DLP's have inferior sharpening algorithms compared to todays' LCOS, and most of the movie content we watch from seating distance needs an artificial boost more than natural sharpness, hence (JVC) e-shift + Darby or Darby + RC (Sony). Some DLP stil look better on text and IMAX type stuff. DLP motion is a lot better in 60hz (29/30fps) content, but I really don't see a huge difference in 24p content between DLP and LCOS, sometimes maybe. I could A/B the Benq motion vs the JVC, but don't feel like it ATM...

I would rather watch movies on an LCOS, most TV or cable on a DLP (generally speaking).

I have the w7000 DLP for 3D, and so far my only complaint is the sharpening is broken in 3D mode, it either works at the highest number or not at all. It's not a big deal for cartoons, but I really noticed I needed more sharpening for Grand Canyon 3D, and this has nothing to do with the Benq sharpness capability. It is partly because cameras can only focus on certain points at once, so focus is rarely perfect depending on their technique. Sharpening helps counteract this a bit to make some detail appear more defined and even in focus again.
Edited by coderguy - 1/11/13 at 6:11pm
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post #8 of 9
1/11/13 at 6:12pm
Hi Chris, I sent you a PM.
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post #9 of 9
1/11/13 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the awesome information seegs108 & coderguy, that's exactly the info I was looking for and it really does help someone that's never seen and/or doesn't have the luxury of seeing the difference side by side and so your input helps immensely.

Thanks again.
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