[rboster]

This thread isn't to question JVC's image quality. I think any owner or reviewer will tell you it's still one of the top in performance. This thread is to pose the question about quality of parts, firmware, wear and tear...the longevity of the mechanics both short term and long term? My hope is to create a thread to capture both good and bad relative to JVC's longevity of their projectors. I do realize that most people who have had issues will respond vs those who are happily watching their perfectly functioning units. My sense is over the last couple of model years, JVC has had issues of quality control: short lamp life etc. My secondary hope is that as consumers we'll have a "sense" of the good and bad of a very popular brand. The best consumer is an educated consumer.

If possible, please post the model, the date of purchase and any issues that you've had with your unit:

I purchased my JVC DLA-x700R 1/9/14. I had very few issues till 1/7/15, when my power assembly went out. Long story, but Mendrontix, JVC's authorized repair service sent the projector back and I had a crack and chip in the rear of the case. I sent the projector back to them for replacement of the case. I received it last night and am seeing a line the height of the image 1/3 from the left for about 50% of the time. Either it's something that was already breaking down with a JVC part or damage was caused by the repair lab or shipper on route back to my house. JVC's position is to honor their warranty, which is code for there isn't anything we will do for the customer beyond paying for the repair. Upon research in the owner's thread for my model, I notice at least one other member seeing a similar issue. He see's multiple green lines and thinks it a sync issue related to HDMI input. That's sounds like a fair analysis. So I suspect it's an HDMI port or internal part related to image syncing with the projector.

This boils down the purpose of this thread. Is losing 3 months of the first 15 months of ownership acceptable in terms of a 8k projector? That begs the question about quality control and performance expectations as consumers. If JVC finds this within reason, it would point to my experience being an isolated case, law of averages. OR, is this the new norm for necesary repairs for JVC projectors within the first couple of years?

Let me know your good and bad experiences with JVC projectors? I will link this thread in the under 3k forum too for those that frequent can add to their experiences.


PS: I've asked one of the mods to change my thread title. the "Maybe not..." is inflammatory and goes counter to the purpose of my thread. I guess I'm still a little upset about my current issues

 

[Toe]

That sucks and sorry to hear all that. I guess my question at this point is who is your dealer and why are they not helping you to get a working projector??

My power supply went out in my RS45 a few years ago and I wasn't impressed with the service I got either, but at least it got fixed. Hope you can get this resolved soon.

 

[rboster]

That sucks and sorry to hear all that. I guess my question at this point is who is your dealer and why are they not helping you to get a working projector??

My power supply went out in my RS45 a few years ago and I wasn't impressed with the service I got either, but at least it got fixed. Hope you can get this resolved soon.

Toe how long have you had the projector before the need for repairs, do you still have the projector, who did the repairs and would you buy an jvc again?

Thanks for your feedback

Ron

 

[RobZ]

Sorry to hear. That is frustrating! I have owned many projectors over the years (Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Optoma) and I have never encountered issues with any of my JVCs (RS1, RS2, RS20). My RS20 has served me very well for years without a glitch so I was VERY hesitant to upgrade recently (RS4910). However, I am aware that many others have had issues with their RS20s. I'll likely keep the RS20 just in case (throws an excellent image and I still have a new spare bulb). From a tech standpoint, I have experienced similar to you with several televisions but all have been Sony and Samsung and neither company ended up delivering a working display in the end. Even worse, all of these were there top models (XBR and Samsung plasmas).

 

[Toe]

Toe how long have you had the projector before the need for repairs, do you still have the projector, who did the repairs and would you buy an jvc again?

Thanks for your feedback

Ron

I sent mine to the service center in Long Beach California a few years back and I had it about a year before it broke as I remember. I still am using this RS45 and have not had any issues since fortunately. As I remember, I was sent an email when the projector arrived at the service center, but no email telling me what the problem was, that it was fixed and shipped back which I thought was crappy. I finally called to get an update after a few weeks and they told me they shipped it back to me the day before This would certainly be good info to know along with a tracking number so I can make arrangements to intercept it!

Having said all that, I would certainly buy another JVC for my 2d viewing. I have owned an RS1, RS40 and RS45 and love their 2d PQ! I can understand you having a bad taste in your mouth though after this experience. Probably a good idea to sell/upgrade before the warranty runs out for this reason. My warranty is long gone on my 45 and I am holding my breath nothing goes wrong! Then again, what good is the warranty in a situation like yours when you never get a working projector! Frustrating

 

[Seegs108]

Are you trying to access how likely it is for a JVC to fail? I think the hard part about getting an assessment on this is that you're only going to hear about the times people had issues with JVC projectors without taking into consideration how many fully functional units there are out in the wild (which is the vast majority of them).

As Toe points out, you still have a bad taste in your mouth from the experience. I've had 10 different JVC units (RS10, RS20, X3. X30, X55, X90, and 4 different X500's). One of the X500's (which was purchased as a b-stock) had a bad board and had to be sent into Mendtronix as it's JVCs official repair center now. It took 4 weeks total including shipping to and from Mendtronix to get it fixed. They were prompt in response to my emails and it seemed like they were very competent in knowing where to look to find the issue. I was without my projector for about a month but I'm just happy it wasn't for longer. I've had other projectors in for service that were away for longer periods of time with terrible customer relations. Because of this experience I'd have no issues whatsoever buying another JVC. These are delicate units that can break if mishandled in shipment (or in the case of the b-stock, shipped around a lot. It seems this was the case after they attempted to sent it back to you the first time. I'm just happy they have a relatively easy process to go through if a unit does get damaged.

 

[rboster]

Are you trying to access how likely it is for a JVC to fail? I think the hard part about getting an assessment on this is that you're only going to hear about the times people had issues with JVC projectors without taking into consideration how many fully functional units there are out in the wild (which is the vast majority of them).

As Toe points out, you still have a bad taste in your mouth from the experience. I've had 10 different JVC units (RS10, RS20, X3. X30, X55, X90, and 4 different X500's). One of the X500's (which was purchased as a b-stock) had a bad board and had to be sent into Mendtronix as it's JVCs official repair center now. It took 4 weeks total including shipping to and from Mendtronix to get it fixed. They were prompt in response to my emails and it seemed like they were very competent in knowing where to look to find the issue. I was without my projector for about a month but I'm just happy it wasn't for longer. I've had other projectors in for service that were away for longer periods of time with terrible customer relations. Because of this experience I'd have no issues whatsoever buying another JVC. These are delicate units that can break if mishandled in shipment (or in the case of the b-stock, shipped around a lot. It seems this was the case after they attempted to sent it back to you the first time. I'm just happy they have a relatively easy process to go through if a unit does get damaged.

Seegs, your contributions are terrific at AVS, much appreciated. In this case, would you say you experienced the same hours and type of use that an average customer would have with the JVC's...being their primary projector for couple thousand hours over a year or two? Or was your contact more of short term "reviewer" experience of a couple hundred hours over a couple months?

I certainly understand and stated as much in the original post, that most ppl responding would naturally be those that have had issues. My "hope" is to attract both and you are a testament that those with good experiences maybe inclined to post too.

I think it's well documented the issues that JVC had due to early lamp failure, which has been acknowledged and rectified in follow up models. I am not stating we have a similar situation. But, I am curious about failure within the first two years of ownership. For me personally, how situations like this are handled and how JVC responds to a customer's issues will let me know if I should buy their products in the future. So in this thread (for me) anecdotal evidence will be interesting to read. For me personally, getting ready to send my projector in for a third time since January 7th and JVC's response being "that's what the warranty is for"...tells me this particular situation leaves a lot to be desired. Realistically, I'll have 3 to 4 weeks (assuming they can easily determine the issue and the part is not on back order. One portion of the case was on back order for a month...I asked them not to replace it since it was not part of the damage) without the projector. This will mean I'll have lost the use of the unit for 3+ months of the first 15 months of ownership. I would hope JVC would view that as NOT the norm and respond accordingly.

 

[rwestley]

I have also owned JVC projectors for several years and have had generally good luck. I think the units sold by the pro division generally have better support. I would suggest that one contact JVC if there is any problem with Mendtronix and explain the situation. If they broke anything I would demand a replacement projector.

 

[zombie10k]

Ron, I would be equally upset, this should be escalated to management at both co's.

my first RS55 had an issue out of the box that displayed these lines but only when e-shift was enabled.

Thanks to a Cine4home teardown, I knew there was 2 processor boards for the e-shift, so I took the projector apart and found several loose connections going into the board. Once I secured it, it was perfect thereafter.

seegs let's go to work for Mendtronix, we could likely smoke any of the techs they have working there.

 

[Seegs108]

Seegs, your contributions are terrific at AVS, much appreciated. In this case, would you say you experienced the same hours and type of use that an average customer would have with the JVC's...being their primary projector for couple thousand hours over a year or two? Or was your contact more of short term "reviewer" experience of a couple hundred hours over a couple months?

I certainly understand and stated as much in the original post, that most ppl responding would naturally be those that have had issues. My "hope" is to attract both and you are a testament that those with good experiences maybe inclined to post too.

I think it's well documented the issues that JVC had due to early lamp failure, which has been acknowledged and rectified in follow up models. I am not stating we have a similar situation. But, I am curious about failure within the first two years of ownership. For me personally, how situations like this are handled and how JVC responds to a customer's issues will let me know if I should buy their products in the future. So in this thread (for me) anecdotal evidence will be interesting to read. For me personally, getting ready to send my projector in for a third time since January 7th and JVC's response being "that's what the warranty is for"...tells me this particular situation leaves a lot to be desired. Realistically, I'll have 3 to 4 weeks (assuming they can easily determine the issue and the part is not on back order. One portion of the case was on back order for a month...I asked them not to replace it since it was not part of the damage) without the projector. This will mean I'll have lost the use of the unit for 3+ months of the first 15 months of ownership. I would hope JVC would view that as NOT the norm and respond accordingly.

I've had my current X500 for 7 months now and have a few hundred hours on it. I would imagine if there was something majorly wrong with a unit, the issue would manifest fairly quickly, not after a few years/thousands of hours of use. A bad board, unacceptable convergence or lens sample, an issue with a fan, an issue with the light engine or even a problem with the power supply should show up fairly quickly. There is the possibility that excessive heat and/or excessive dust build up could cause issues, but I would consider these issues brought about by the user and not something fundamentally wrong with the projector or how it's manufactured. You should be using the projector in a clean environment (filtered air vents) and with proper ventilation (not in a closet or on a tight up against the wall) and in a room that is air conditioned. That's not to say "normal" heat that the unit creates cannot cause issues (reference the glue going bad on the previous chassis' optical block), but this chassis is going on it's 5 year of use. I'm assuming they've straightened out any common issues caused by heat.

 

[rboster]

Thanks everyone for your insights and thoughts. Jason that's really interesting relative to the e-shift being the issue. I wouldn't have thought of that. Right now it's a single line. I've taken everything out of loop direct to the jvc with two source components and different hdmi cables and both reproduced the line. I've seen the line with two different blu ray players and our goggle tv receiver..so I'm fairly certain it's the projector. I'll try disabling the eshift. Information like this is helpful in hopes of helping jvc and mendrontix help me.

Ron.

 

[ultrahidef]

rboster, I'm just curious if you purchased from an authorized dealer? Most guys think they won't get warranty if purchased from non authorized dealer but as long as warranty is registered in a timely manner from authorized or non authorized dealer the warranty claim should never be an issue. Luckily I've only had to test the issue once and after 11 years the repaired TV is still working.

 

[rboster]

I've had my current X500 for 7 months now and have a few hundred hours on it. I would imagine if there was something majorly wrong with a unit, the issue would manifest fairly quickly, not after a few years/thousands of hours of use. A bad board, unacceptable convergence or lens sample, an issue with a fan, an issue with the light engine or even a problem with the power supply should show up fairly quickly. There is the possibility that excessive heat and/or excessive dust build up could cause issues, but I would consider these issues brought about by the user and not something fundamentally wrong with the projector or how it's manufactured. You should be using the projector in a clean environment (filtered air vents) and with proper ventilation (not in a closet or on a tight up against the wall) and in a room that is air conditioned. That's not to say "normal" heat that the unit creates cannot cause issues (reference the glue going bad on the previous chassis' optical block), but this chassis is going on it's 5 year of use. I'm assuming they've straightened out any common issues caused by heat.

Thanks for the update and thoughts. Yes, my room is dedicated and set as a home theater. Just having the power assembly fail wouldn't be a warning sign to quality control. And it's obvious the case cracking and chipping was mendtronix packing and UPS handing of the package. This line issue is either a faulty part (jvc) or lab tech creating a problem when replacing the case or inproper handling and packing by ups/ mendrontix. At this point it's a tip ball....all I know is I'll be sending the projector back for a third time in 65 days. JVC's response today: "that's what the warranty is for". That's not very customer focused response.

 

[Seegs108]

JVC's response today: "that's what the warranty is for". That's not very customer focused response.

What would you have liked them to say instead? Some feigned response of sympathy wouldn't have helped your situation anymore. The only "better" response would have been to give you a new unit. But if they did they with every case like this I doubt they'd be in business still.

 

[rboster]

rboster, I'm just curious if you purchased from an authorized dealer? Most guys think they won't get warranty if purchased from non authorized dealer but as long as warranty is registered in a timely manner from authorized or non authorized dealer the warranty claim should never be an issue. Luckily I've only had to test the issue once and after 11 years the repaired TV is still working.

Yes, it was an out of town authorized dealer. I made the purchase while visiting family. Mendtronix confirmed the work falls under the warranty, so I have only been out of pocket the initial $100 it costed to ship and insure the projector for the initial repair of the power assembly.

 

[rboster]

What would you have liked them to say instead?

Considering third issue in 65 days, I would have liked two options: replacement with a new or refurbed unit or agree to work with mendtronix to fast track the repair of the unit.

 

[Seegs108]

Considering third issue in 65 days, I would have liked two options: replacement with a new or refurbed unit or agree to work with mendtronix to fast track the repair of the unit.

They're not the only projector manufacturer who handles things like this. I had a NuVision ProVu P2 that was damaged in shipment to someone I sold to here on the forum. Vivitek was the one who handled the warranty for the projector. It needed to be sent back 4 times to get everything right. I asked for the same thing and you'd think someone as large as Vivitek (their parent company is Delta) would have been able to do it, but they told me the same thing; that's what the warranty is for. I even explicitly asked for a new unit on the third and fourth time at the repair facility and they wouldn't replace it. It was finally fixed after the fourth attempt. Their service department was friendly and sympathetic but there must be some kind of policy to never replace a unit unless it would cost them more to fix it. JVC must do the same. I would imagine others do the same.

 

[rboster]

They're not the only projector manufacturer who handles things like this. I had a NuVision ProVu P2 that was damaged in shipment to someone I sold to here on the forum. Vivitek was the one who handled the warranty for the projector. It needed to be sent back 4 times to get everything right. I asked for the same thing and you'd think someone as large as Vivitek (their parent company is Delta) would have been able to do it, but they told me the same thing; that's what the warranty is for. I even explicitly asked for a new unit on the third and fourth time at the repair facility and they wouldn't replace it. It was finally fixed after the fourth attempt. Their service department was friendly and sympathetic but there must be some kind of policy to never replace a unit unless it would cost them more to fix it. JVC must do the same. I would imagine others do the same.

That's too bad. I certainly try to keep in mind companies need to make money, so I want to be reasonable. One thing that mendtronix can and should do is change their packing. After the projector came back cracked and chipped I spoke with mendtronix customer service and she said they have a lot of issues with shipping damage. My comment back was jvc I sure has invested a lot of time and development on the packing of their projector, to prevent damage. I would imagine their percentage of damage is low vs mendtronix. So either replicate it or use the existing jvc packing that was used by the customer (they threw my box and packing away). Sadly, I don't think I would be spending anytime today if they had done that during the first repair. And I could watch ku beat iowa state on the jvc with a smile on my face

 

[R Harkness]

I"m on my 3rd JVC projector (RS20, RS55, RS57) and have had no issues. FWIW.

 

[rboster]

I"m on my 3rd JVC projector (RS20, RS55, RS57) and have had no issues. FWIW.

Seeing the image jvc puts out, I can understand buying three in a row. Weren't you having issues with your 57? Green lines showing up and having to restart the projector to get rid of them? Reason I ask is I was concerned my issue may be the start of what you were experiencing.