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105 Posts
Hi All
I'm in the market for a JVC projector to replace my trusty PT-AX100 and have a slight problem...........my budget is pretty limited to around £2,000, so a brand new HD350 is currently out of the question (costs around £3,000 at present in the UK). Having seen the difference between a PT-AE3000 and a HD350, I'm not interesting in compromising with a £2k pj...it has to be a JVC!!
Ideally I'll pick up a HD350 when the HD550 comes out and they reduce the price of the older model to clear stock, but there is a real possibility that they still won't fall into my price range, unless I'm lucky and find a demo model being sold cheap. Another option therefore may be a second hand or ex demo HD100 (or the Pioneer 9000) as I have seen a few ex demo or second hand ones floating around at the £2k price point. I've never seen one in action (just a HD350 which was very impressive) so have done some reading around on them. The following is my attempt to summarise the pros & cons of the HD350 vs the HD100......I was hoping that somebody that had more knowledge of these models could perhaps chime in and offer their views?
HD350 advantages:
* Sharper (better lens)
* Brighter
* Quieter
* 'Bright corners' possibly no longer an issue (improved quality control)
* More control over the image (though still oversaturated colours)
* Adjustable iris
* Fully motorised lens cover, zoom, focus & lens shift.
* Possibly better processing (though I will be watching 99% Blu-Ray so maybe not that important?)
HD100 advantages:
* Possibly better blacks and contrast?
I do find it confusing as when the HD350 & HD750 were introduced, the HD1 & HD100 remained in the range for a while and JVC themselves stated that the heirarchy was HD1
Really I'm trying to gauge whether I should hold out and hope to snag a HD350, or try to source a HD100 or a Pioneer 9000 sooner? In my mind the better lens and sharpness is a good benefit, as is quietness and being fully motorised (I move the image up for 1:85 movies and this always ends up making the image crooked on my AX100 which takes ages to correct). The brightness issue I'm not sure about......I'm projecting onto a 110" screen in a velore / velvet lined batcave, but with a short throw of about 11'......maybe the HD100 would be plenty bright enough, then again the adjustable iris of the HD350 could be used to tailor the brightness to what was required?
To those that have seen both in action, is there really that much difference between the two, and which would you say is the best? I know either will be a massive step up from a AX100, it's just that whatever I go for will have to be kept for many years to come (no yearly upgrade for me!!) and so I want to be sure that I make the right decision (it may well not be possible to demo a HD100 or a Pioneer 9000 before purchase). I don't want to be impatient and buy a HD100 or a Pioneer then regret not buying a HD350 instead for the next 5 years.
Cheers, and many thanks for all the help that you are able to offer.
Regards
Stu
I'm in the market for a JVC projector to replace my trusty PT-AX100 and have a slight problem...........my budget is pretty limited to around £2,000, so a brand new HD350 is currently out of the question (costs around £3,000 at present in the UK). Having seen the difference between a PT-AE3000 and a HD350, I'm not interesting in compromising with a £2k pj...it has to be a JVC!!
Ideally I'll pick up a HD350 when the HD550 comes out and they reduce the price of the older model to clear stock, but there is a real possibility that they still won't fall into my price range, unless I'm lucky and find a demo model being sold cheap. Another option therefore may be a second hand or ex demo HD100 (or the Pioneer 9000) as I have seen a few ex demo or second hand ones floating around at the £2k price point. I've never seen one in action (just a HD350 which was very impressive) so have done some reading around on them. The following is my attempt to summarise the pros & cons of the HD350 vs the HD100......I was hoping that somebody that had more knowledge of these models could perhaps chime in and offer their views?
HD350 advantages:
* Sharper (better lens)
* Brighter
* Quieter
* 'Bright corners' possibly no longer an issue (improved quality control)
* More control over the image (though still oversaturated colours)
* Adjustable iris
* Fully motorised lens cover, zoom, focus & lens shift.
* Possibly better processing (though I will be watching 99% Blu-Ray so maybe not that important?)
HD100 advantages:
* Possibly better blacks and contrast?
I do find it confusing as when the HD350 & HD750 were introduced, the HD1 & HD100 remained in the range for a while and JVC themselves stated that the heirarchy was HD1
Really I'm trying to gauge whether I should hold out and hope to snag a HD350, or try to source a HD100 or a Pioneer 9000 sooner? In my mind the better lens and sharpness is a good benefit, as is quietness and being fully motorised (I move the image up for 1:85 movies and this always ends up making the image crooked on my AX100 which takes ages to correct). The brightness issue I'm not sure about......I'm projecting onto a 110" screen in a velore / velvet lined batcave, but with a short throw of about 11'......maybe the HD100 would be plenty bright enough, then again the adjustable iris of the HD350 could be used to tailor the brightness to what was required?
To those that have seen both in action, is there really that much difference between the two, and which would you say is the best? I know either will be a massive step up from a AX100, it's just that whatever I go for will have to be kept for many years to come (no yearly upgrade for me!!) and so I want to be sure that I make the right decision (it may well not be possible to demo a HD100 or a Pioneer 9000 before purchase). I don't want to be impatient and buy a HD100 or a Pioneer then regret not buying a HD350 instead for the next 5 years.
Cheers, and many thanks for all the help that you are able to offer.
Regards
Stu
