I had great difficulty choosing between a JVC RS46 and Panasonic AE8000. They are close in price but this was a secondary concern. I was reasonably satisfied with my previous AE7000 but was extremely disappointed in Panasonic's warranty service. I was able to have both the AE8000 and RS46 together to compare.
Setup:
136" Carada Criterion 2.35:1 screen (roughly width of 144" 16:9/1.78:1 screen)
13' Viewing Distance
Panasonic AE8000
JVC RS46
Canon 50D, Identical exposures for comparison photos
Here are my findings:
JVC RS46
Pros:
Black Level
Sharpness
Pixel Convergence
Cons:
Visible Lens Light Leak on 2.35:1 screens with 1.78:1 image
"Screen Door Effect" can be faintly seen on light images 136" 2.35:1 @ 13'
Bit of Image/Lens smearing visible in high contrast specific scenarios
Panasonic AE8000
Pros:
Lens Memory Functionality
No Lens Light Leak
No Visible "Screen Door Effect"
Bright
Cons:
Convergence
Uniform Focus
Black Level
A word of warning to my fellow CIH screen owners: If you buy the JVC, you really should use masking panels for 1.78 images. The Lens Light Leak is easily visible on the unused screen space when displaying 1.78:1 content on a 2.35:1 screen on anything other than very bright images. It isn't visible when in 2.35 mode and the 'leak' is off screen. ***As of 6/18/2016 I have not made masking panels and it no longer bothers me and I never notice it anymore***.
Regarding Lens Memory: The Panasonic handles this much better than JVC RS46. With the AE8000, you manually set the Lens Shift. After that, everything is electronic. The Panasonic will electronically zoom out, focus and move the 2.35:1 image to the top of the image sensor, 'grouping' the black bars at the bottom. Its a simpler, superior and much faster implementation of Lens Memory. It also ensures that ZERO light from the projector is above the screen. The JVC mechanically moves the lens for each memory setting. It is noisy and slow, and quite honestly, with frequent moving parts, I'm a bit concerned with long term longevity. The JVC lacks pixel perfect precision in the lens shift: Every time I select a lens memory setting on the JVC it is ALWAYS off by several inches and ALWAYS required a manual height adjustment. I've tried several different ways of saving it but it never ever goes back to the exact same position it was in when I saved. The JVC lack of pixel perfect precision in the lens shift and is frustrating and completely unacceptable, quite frankly.
3D: 3D was horrendous on my (previous) original and replacement Panasonic AE7000, crosstalk was terrible and I got instant headaches. I'd say the AE8000 and RS46 are very similar in terms of 3D quality, both are much better than my previous AE7000, but they have a long way to go to be comparable to IMAX or RealD in a movie theater. The AE8000 is definitely brighter, but it isn't better. I noticed flicker on both. I am completely comfortable watching 3D on my JVC RS46 in ECO lamp mode with the Iris all the way open in 136" 2.35:1.
Summary:
The RS46 looks pretty great and the black levels are much better than the AE8000, this really showed when looking for shadow detail. I could see things on the JVC that were simply black on the Panasonic. I wasn't able to achieve even focus across the entire image on the Panasonic, the JVC was much better with this, although not perfect. There is not a convergence option with the Panasonic, there should be. Panasonic's "Smooth Screen" works, pixels are far less noticeable on the AE8000...if only they were in focus and converged a bit better. Lens Memory works just fine on both, I personally much prefer Panasonic's implementation as the JVC always requires manual height adjustment. 3D seemed similar on both, but the added brightness helped the Panasonic, although I was just (barely) fine with the 3D brightness of the JVC.
My final decision: I'm choosing the JVC RS46, although I see some pixelation during light scenes at 136" the image is sharp. I cannot see any pixelation whatsoever when wearing 3D glasses or in 1.78:1. I'm currently making masking panels for 1.78 mode.
Comparison Photos:
Identical exposures for comparison photos.
I did some minor tweaks to the picture, and I did NOT calibrate the images. ECO Lamp Mode on both, Brightness set -8 on Panasonic, 0 on JVC with Iris at 0, Cinema 2 on Panasonic, Cinema on JVC.
The colors looked a bit 'punchier' on the Panasonic, I cycled through picture modes to find something to subdue the Panasonic or 'pop' the JVC, no dramatic change. This could be calibration or just the nature of LCD vs LCOS.
Comparing Pixelation and clarity:
Comparing Pixelation and clarity:
Viewing at 13':
Black Levels:
Shadow Detail:
Image Clarity:
Shadow Detail:
Shadow Detail:
White Uniformity
Black with Pause Button (Notice vertical 'smearing' on JVC)
Focus Test (Near outside edge, as clear as possible in center of screen):
Focus Test (Near outside edge, as clear as possible in center of screen):
Visible Lens Light Leak with 1.78 Black Image on 2.35 screen. (Lower right corner of image. More noticeable to the eye)
- ( but I seen the full HD 3D passive on the 84" X9005 Sony Tv , and it was the most beautiful 3D I ever have seen for now )
