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Epson 6050UB vs JVC NX5/NX7

113K views 573 replies 88 participants last post by  coderguy 
#1 ·
Anyone with experience of these models have an opinion on the value proposition of these projectors? I have a dedicated theater with total light control and my aging Sony HW50 1080P projector. I want excellent contrast and 4K/HDR, and didn’t think the Epson would compete but I jut saw the Epson running at a theater store and it looks pretty darn nice. I can’t demo a JVC around here that I know of.
 
#2 ·
I own the 6050. I have a 120 Seymour Glacier White Screen 16x9. Velvet black pit dedicated theater. The 6050 throws a sharp detailed image. HDR performance is really good . Blacks are really good. The JVC projectors are sharper and have better blacks. Higher contrast with the JVC does present an image with more depth and better shadow details. The Dynamic Tone Mapping firmware update that came out for the JVC lineup in October only further increased its HDR advantage over the Epson. Brighter image overall without sacrificing specular highlights and shadow details. The HDR is much more set and forget on THE JVC. Your room conditions will really allow either projector to live up to it's full potential. The JVC has the better overall performance. If you had a non light controlled room and really needed the extra lumens maybe the Epson would fit your room better but that is not the case. The NX7 is slightly brighter than the NX5 and has the DCI-P3 COLOR filter which will give better saturation of colors and will help with HDR. Only you can decide if the price differences are worth the better performance. But the differences between all 3 are noticeable under the correct room conditions and viewing high resolution content. How close you will sit does impact how much of a difference you will see for faux 4k versus native 4k. On the typical 120 inch screen the detail brought out by the additional pixels of true 4k are readily apparent at 10 ft and closer. Further out the differences are less apparent. But regardless of viewing distance the HDR , contrast and sharpness of the JVC 4k projectors will be appreciable by most video enthusiasts. Your average viewer would notice probably only when you point it out to them. I have seen all three projectors under optimal viewing conditions and if money were not a factor I would choose the NX7.

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#6 ·
I find it interesting that you recommend the JVC if money isn’t an issue (it always is) but bought a 6050UB which is the other I’m considering, which sort of implies it was “good enough”. That’s what I’m trying to get a feel for and you’d be a good person to tell since you’ve seen both and own one of them. If I can feed 4K, get good or great contrast/blacks, good motion, gold upscaling, etc from 4K eshift 6050UB, plus get an extra lamp and longer warranty (plus mount as I understand it) and it’s 5x better than my Sony HW50 for $3000 less than the JVC NX-7... that’s hard to say no to. How about when compared to the NX5?
 
#4 ·
Definitely worth considering if you can find one with a warranty. The NX7 and NX5 are still at the top and the 6050 is much easier to get HDR performance from. You can get great HDR from the 970r but you need customized curves . The 790R wins for Contrast and black levels over the other projectors. It is an amazing pixel shifter.

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#7 · (Edited)
Is your room blacked out entirely?

What is your Screen Size, and how far from the screen do you sit?

Will you be doing 4k gaming?

------------------------------------

The main reason to take the NX-5 over the previous JVC is because of the tone mapping for streaming, or if you are a gamer that wants 4k.

The NX series are sharper, but this should really only benefit gamers or people sitting very close MOST of the time. However, the NX series might be slightly cleaner, but to me it'd still be a hard call between the NX-5 and JVC RS-540 / x790 if your decision is ONLY based on contrast.

I've seen native commercial 4k projectors WAY sharper than JVC's, and in that case it made some difference, but it wasn't dramatic. I looked at the pixels up close because I was the only there on a Tuesday morning. Some of those commercial projectors, even though they are 3 chippers, have such perfect alignment that they appeared sharper than a single chip DLP. However, they are like $50k+ projectors, so in that case I'm assuming the MFR uses a completely different alignment system. I have seen some commercial 4k projectors that weren't that sharp also, but seen a couple that were mind blowing.

I still say contrast is more noticeable than sharpness from most peoples seating distances, unless you are gaming.

The Epson will have a more aggressive Dynamic Iris than the JVC's, which only kick-in on pure black pretty much (maybe a tiny bit with a few white pixels).
This can be both good or bad at times, as DI motion will be easier detected on the Epson.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Is your room blacked out entirely?
No windows, so total light control. Wall where the screen is, is painted dark brown. The rest of the walls and ceiling are a medium tan/brown.

What is your Screen Size, and how far from the screen do you sit?

Will you be doing 4k gaming?
120” screen, 1.2 gain matte material.

Sit about 14-15 feet away. Thinking that favors the 6050UB since that’s probably a distance far enough that its 4k-shifting will probably be indistinguishable from native 4k.


This can be both good or bad at times, as DI motion will be easier detected on the Epson.
DI motion? Dynamic Iris? Is this referring to black pulsing from the DI?
 
#17 ·
If I were sitting that far back, I would take the contrast over the resolution, am certain about that. From my own seating distance, 8' to 10' (variable reclining positions) from 118" Scope, I would have to A/B it to know. From that distance, it's an easy decision other than the tone mapping and better CMD mode I guess. It can go either way, but for me personally, I'll take the higher contrast of the RS-540. Problem is sharpness is so content-dependent anyhow.

At 12+ feet, pretty much all content looks 4k at that screen size, really close to it anyhow.
 
#21 ·
At least near term, most content isn't 4k anyway. Streaming isn't and a lot of UHD BD's have 2k intermediates.

With all the problems the 540 has had with the iris system though, I could not recommend it.

If I were buying right now I would either save money and get the 5050 or pony up for a NX7. Like Mike pointed out, street prices and a free $600 lamp put the NX7 close enough to the NX5 to make it the obvious choice in that price range.
 
#18 ·
I’m in same situation. We stream all content through a roku player and my Epson 5040 sucks for hdr. I want a projector that I don’t have to fiddle with the settings for everything I watch. I want set and forget. But here is the rub. I have windows and during the day we watch sports and I hate to close the blinds. Sun dosnt hit the screen dead on but it’s bright in here. The 5040 has no problem with the ambient light for sports. I want a jvc nx7 for its hdr maping but I’m afraid during day it doesn’t have enough punch. [emoji2371]


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#20 ·
I’m in same situation. We stream all content through a roku player and my Epson 5040 sucks for hdr. I want a projector that I don’t have to fiddle with the settings for everything I watch. I want set and forget. But here is the rub. I have windows and during the day we watch sports and I hate to close the blinds. Sun dosnt hit the screen dead on but it’s bright in here. The 5040 has no problem with the ambient light for sports. I want a jvc nx7 for its hdr maping but I’m afraid during day it doesn’t have enough punch. [emoji2371]
Dual projector setup then I guess.
 
#19 ·
For the price difference I would just go for a Epson 5050UB. You can get really good pricing on them.
 
#65 ·
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#35 ·
I also owned a JVC 790R and I would not recommend it. The eshift JVC models look soft next to the NX5/NX7 and the gap in contrast is not much when you see them in person.
Sharpness is completely dependent upon seating distance, and that is completely untrue at his seating distance.

The gap in contrast between an RS-540 and NX-5 is quite a lot, even the gap between an RS-45 and a JVC RS-420 I can see it.
You can see differences in contrast as little as 25% (barely), 50% (usually), double (really easy).

The RS-540 can do triple to quadruple the native depending which measurements you believe.
 
#36 ·
You can believe what you want, but there is a noise associated with 1080p panels shifting to produce a 4K image. Whether it's noticeable from 12 to 14 feet away depends on the individual. I was simply stating that there are differences between the 2 models, but only they can decide if those differences are worth the upgrade.
 
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#37 ·
This forum is over-statement city at times, there has always been differing noise on different projectors. Noise isn't a good reason to choose one projector over another, and stuff doesn't become magically visible only after someone owns another projector. I've seen cleaner projectors than a JVC, but on reference level content, it isn't going to be much and seating distance makes noise less because the noise is tiny.

Also, not sure how reliably anyone truly compared image noise, as that's a complicated thing to compare due to gamma variances.
 
#42 ·
I don't agree, because I know the max level of cleanliness achievable on a projected image, and it's a lot less important than contrast. I don't need to see specific projectors to know this.

There are many projectors cleaner than the JVC's, but it's not a good excuse to choose them over contrast.
 
#47 ·
He is sitting 14' away from 120", people are not properly considering the variables. He said rarely might he sit 12', but even at 12', good luck with that.

Main reason to buy, image noise aside, is the tone mapping feature, but it's definitely going to be a trade-off for contrast vs. tone mapping. Sharpness and "image noise" at his seating distances are going to pale compared to those 2 features, as is in his case.
 
#49 · (Edited)
I agree with the above, the tone mapping makes it a hard decision, and also the NX-5 will hold its value better, but it is more expensive. The Panny for movies, yes the Panny can do a static adjustment in the tone mapping for streaming, but he has a 1.2 gain 120", he won't need it as he can use the aperture to compensate, and even custom curves at that level are somewhat optional, though it will improve it. He has brightness in spades, even if his screen is only 1.0 gain.

The Panny for streaming is a horrible UI for streaming, so I don't use it even though it has the ability to increase the brightness with the Dynamic Range slider. I do use it for movies though, very helpful.
 
#50 ·
Haven't seen the NX7, but I own the x790/RS540 and have put 1300 hours on this unit (along with about 100 hours on my first X790). With everything I have seen with these eshifters ( I also owned the 520 for a few months) and all the comparison reports I have read from folks I trust like Manni who has extensive experience with the RS500 and now his RS2000, I would 100% go with the NX7 in your shoes OP. Here is the biggest reason IMO to go with the native 4k JVC that has not been brought up here and rarely does (this still amazes me) is image stability. The shifters image becomes more and more unstable in the form of a type of image pulsating the further you close down the manual iris and from what Manni has reported in his comparisons which you can go back and read, this has been fixed in the 4k models. This image pulsating drives me nuts with SDR on my X790 where I use the iris closed down in the -12 to -10 range. I've owned this projector for over two years and have NEVER gotten used to this. HDR is not an issue since I use a wide open iris where the image stability is good enough and significantly and noticeably better vs a mostly closed iris.

My plan is to upgrade to a native 4k JVC at the end of this year when the replacements hit. I cant wait to dump this X790 due to the image stability issues in favor of a 4k JVC. :cool: Just my opinion/experience, but I feel very strongly on this with all the headache I went through over this ugly pulsating with JVC 2 years ago where they also tested/confirmed what I was seeing and were actually the ones who discovered it gets worse as you close the iris more and more which they had me test/confirm as well.

Good luck whichever route you decide to go! :)
 
#52 · (Edited)
The shifters image becomes more and more unstable in the form of a type of image pulsating the further you close down the manual iris and from what Manni has reported in his comparisons which you can go back and read, this has been fixed in the 4k models. This image pulsating drives me nuts with SDR on my X790 where I use the iris closed down in the -12 to -10 range. I've owned this projector for over two years and have NEVER gotten used to this. HDR is not an issue since I use a wide open iris where the image stability is good enough and significantly and noticeably better vs a mostly closed iris.

My plan is to upgrade to a native 4k JVC at the end of this year when the replacements hit.
That's fine, I can see a pulsing in HTPC use, but this wasn't what the previous posters were talking about. This doesn't bother most people, as even opening the DI to -8 and then you still have contrast that is going to blow away the NX-5 or NX-7. This is really hard to see in movies, but you are on a smaller HP screen, which makes it that much worse.

There really is no right answer here, it's personal preferences. I can tell you what I'd like more of is contrast, not sharpness, but of couse both would be good. Until the NX series has better contrast, not going to do the upgrade, going to move from the RS-420 to an RS-520 in a year or two if the NX series doesn't get higher contrast.
 
#54 · (Edited)
That's great, but should we also choose sharpness if we're sitting 20' away?
I mean at what point does contrast no longer matter.

For all the years you guys were selling projectors with 10k+ more contrast, now it suddenly doesn't matter to have a 3x multiple?

This isn't a small difference in contrast, it is MORE difference than an RS-46 vs. an RS-66.

I'm taking the contrast for sure at his seating distance, pulsing be darned. The pulsing is annoying on HTPC use if it is the same pulsing he is talking about, but other than that, it's not even visible in games, just when reading on the HTPC.

I've never seen the pulsing in a movie, never noticed it, and I was looking for it. On an HP screen at 100" or less, I'm sure i could see it with these light canons.
 
#57 ·
Only post I will make on this because I know you love to argue and I have zero interest in that. :rolleyes: Just to be clear, the pulsating I am talking about was first noticed in real world material, a Nintendo Switch game to be exact (one of the Mario games). I notice this pulsating with nearly EVERY blu ray I watch, or anything where I use a closed down iris when the right type of scene pops up which yes, is usually something with a brighter background like your HTPC example. That is the problem. It affects real world material and I dont feel I am blowing this out of proportion by any means and if anything this doesnt get anywhere near enough attention especially on AVS.

Also, I dont think it's any coincidence that the pulsating gets worse as the iris closes more and more and the native contrast goes up. This could very well be why you dont see it more on your 420 because the pulsating is not as extreme with it's much lower native. Or your just not as sensitive to it as I am which is fine. This is just a theory though and I could be wrong, but it is interesting at the least that the image stability gets worse as you close the iris more and more and the native goes up.

Beyond all that, spew away about 2 projectors you havent even seen. :rolleyes: The last post response is yours as I wont respond back so have at it.
 
#55 ·
With a sharper native 4K picture, you have the option to sit closer. My seating distance has not stayed the same over the last 12+ years. With 1080p DLP's I was stuck at no closer than 12' - I could start to see pixel grid. Eshift allowed a closer seating distance, and native 4K even closer still. But the HDR DTM will be visible even further away. Every time I see an RS1000 I'm reminded how sharp it looks - even compared to my RS4500 !
 
#56 · (Edited)
He has the option, but it doesn't seem likely he is going to use it given he prefers to sit 15' back for 120", and that is where his seating is. I'm not making the recommendation based on some 'possibility', I asked him where he will probably sit.

I can tell anyone what my recommendations are if they may do X or Y, then always buy the most expensive projector, it sounded like he wanted to save money.

IMO, I strongly (Very strongly) disagree about contrast being discounted for sharpness at these seating distances.

The HDR DTM is the big difference, but it comes at the cost of a significant difference in contrast, more difference than an RS-46 vs. and RS-66. It's a lot of contrast to leave on the table for a trade-off of DTM ability.
 
#66 ·
Sure it's a big improvement in some areas and a big step back in contrast.
Resolution and sharpness is less important than contrast, but every year we have these debates.

The difference in sharpness isn't even the same for everyone, it's a combination of luck and how the sharpness was on their last projector, and what content they are now watching to what they were watching before, and seating distance.
 
#70 · (Edited)
That's fine for the few people that watch in the above conditions, I am at -8 to -12 most of the time, and the contrast is much higher even on the RS-540 at 0 aperture compared to an NX-5. The RS-3000 is a little closer contrast-wise but it's a lot of extra money.

The main reason I bought the RS-420 was because I was hoping the DI would make more difference. Tested the DI at a dealer on an RS-540, but I couldn't find the right content to play quick enough, could only find blackout scenes. Didn't know the JVC DI was so 'dead' on anything not pure black.

I'm very happy with the RS-420 for what I paid (bargain really), but I would not be happy with this contrast in the higher price ranges. I'm really picky about contrast more so than other stuff.

Tone mapping is a different issue, that is mixing the two issues, whereas there is a way around that issue anyhow, especially for those on smaller screens the contrast difference becomes more important, not less. I understand you guys have to sell projectors, so sorry if speaking about it hurts sales in any way (doubt it does, who listens to me anyways right)? I'm not going to reframe my own opinion though, I just personally prefer contrast over sharpness in most cases, not all.

Not a doubling of contrast to notice a difference, differences are noticed non-linearly by our eyes, can be as little as 25%, depends on room conditions and brightness level from one brightness to another. Doubling is noticeable without even an A/B comparison under some conditions.
 
#73 ·
That's fine for the few people that watch in the above conditions, I am at -8 to -12 most of the time, and the contrast is much higher even on the RS-540 at 0 aperture compared to an NX-5. The RS-3000 is a little closer contrast-wise but it's a lot of extra money.

The main reason I bought the RS-420 was because I was hoping the DI would make more difference. Tested the DI at a dealer on an RS-540, but I couldn't find the right content to play quick enough, could only find blackout scenes. Didn't know the JVC DI was so 'dead' on anything not pure black.

I'm very happy with the RS-420 for what I paid (bargain really), but I would not be happy this this contrast in the higher price ranges. I'm really picky about contrast more so than other stuff.

Tone mapping is a different issue, that is mixing the two issues, whereas there is a way around that issue anyhow, especially for those on smaller screens the contrast difference becomes more important, not less. I understand you guys have to sell projectors, so sorry if speaking about it hurts sales in any way (doubt it does, who listens to me anyways right)? I'm not going to reframe my own opinion though, I just personally prefer contrast over sharpness in most cases, not all.

Not a doubling of contrast to notice a difference, differences are noticed non-linearly by our eyes, can be as little as 25%, depends on room conditions and brightness level from one brightness to another. Doubling is noticeable without even an A/B comparison under some conditions.
1000, 2000, 3000 and 540's all come from the same place. As another poster stated earlier, 540's are still available, so don't understand your comment about sales. I have compared RS640 to RS1000 and I know a lot of people that have compared RS540 to either RS1000 or RS2000. Pretty much any person that has compared, side by side has gone with the new 1000 or 2000. Yes contrast is lower, but not that much lower when talking HDR and even though it is lower, people are still picking the new models for the other advantages. Some people keep talking like there is not much 4K content, yet that is 90 percent of my viewing. Granted a lot of it is not filmed in 4K, but it is still better than what I see, when playing a regular BD.
 
#72 ·
I'm glad to know that there are so many 'haters' of the old e-shift models, will be very happy to take these off your hands next year @ $500 until I can find that 150k:1 'golden sample' RS-540/640.

Go watch Britannia 4k streaming, tell me how bad the sharpness is after the fact...
 
#85 ·
I’ve also tried two different lamps. They both do it. Adjusting the iris doesn’t make a difference. It seems to happen more on less quality material. Meaning streaming vs a Blu-ray. But it still happens on some Blu-rays.
 
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#90 ·
Does the NX5 have more contrast than the 5050 in real world usage? I am in the same boat and debating between the NX5 and 5050. I am leaning towards the NX5 but my concern is having enough lumens in low lamp mode on the NX5. Seems like both projector noises on high makes them not usable. Projector is 12' away hitting a 110" grey screen.
 
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