[Jeff Owen]

I have the opportunity to purchase a demo JVC G15 Dila (calibrated) with low hours or a brand new sharp 9000 for about the same price. Noise will not be an issue as I can place the projector in an adjacent room. I do not have either of these available locally to view to make the choice myself,,, given the praise of either of these projectors here on the forum, I think either would be great,,,, but if one could pay about the same for either, what would be the popular choice based on pure video quality and why. I am assuming I will purchase a scaler like the rock +, faroudja NR, etc....

Thanks

 

[Tryg]

Can you view them at all? I you can view any D-ila I would recommend it. The color from the zenon bulb is great, the 93% aperture fill on the pixel is a huge selling point, Also HDTV is untouchable.


For me I went with the D-ILA because I will not watch a movie and see the Rainbow artifact at any price. so that limits it to D-ila, LCD or 3 chip DLP.


Also, do you know the upsides and the downsides of both technologies? Do some searches.


A few things to consider.


HTPC, scaler, stb ie: what's gonna be hooked to it?

room placement?

operating costs?

do you like to tinker with things?

how anal are you about picture quality?

Have you ever had a digital projector?

 

[DarrenW]

I have not seen the sharp 9000 but I am a very proud owner of a DILA and a Rock+. This combination is exellent. HD is breathtaking.

 

[kromkamp]

Same perspective. I havent seen a Sharp 9000, but with a DILA you have greater resolution, greater pixel fill factor,true 3-chip colors and a high quality Xenon bulb.


Does the DILA come with any remaining warranty? This could be an issue.


Otherwise, if bulb life and fan heat and noise are non-issues, and you are going to get a scaler, then DILA is a no-brainer for the same price.


Andy K.

 

[Jeff Owen]

Thanks for everyone's input.


To answer questions:

Andy: yes comes with warranty, going with scaler, fan noise can be mitigated


Darren, how do you compare HDTV to DVD with this combo?


Tryg: No one within 300 miles has either of these projectors on demo. For scalers, Considering the Faroudja NRS+, the Rock +, and Key Digital Leeza. Placement behind my room in a closet (plan on running a fan for ventilation). Operating costs are costly! I tinker with my audio geer constantly, I assume I would with my video, first projector, I have been saving for a couple of years (previously a 60" pioneer elite big screen....)


Thanks

 

[thebland]

D'ILA.


Jeff

 

[Dean McManis]

Jeff,


I've seen the Z9000 and it's very nice, especially for someone who wants a quiet, plug-and-play FPTV.


But I chose a G15 for my HT and still haven't seen a better looking picture from any other consumer digital FPTV.


Especially with your room setup, the G15 sounds like your best choice.


-Dean.

 

[DarrenW]

Darren, how do you compare HDTV to DVD with this combo?


Jeff,

So far IMO HD is king of color and resolution. The picture quality of DVD's with the Rock+ are incredable. This is my second scaler, and I must say it made a big difference. I have been told that if I go to SDI on the Scaler and my DVD player I will achieve results very similiar to HD. TAW is very close to having this upgrade available. As soon as TAW has this upgrade available, I will be sending my unit in. I will then get with Tom to do the upgrade on the Denon 3300. Once completed, I will post my results.


Dila's are awesome. It is the best image at the price point I have ever seen. Another + is the fact that you can purchase the Dilard software. I think this is a big + for the Dila's. I know you said the unit is pre-calibrated. You can use Dilard for backing up you settings, automation, and for re-calibration. To me, this is a big +.


DarrenW

 

[Rick Tywoniak]

I am not a tinkerer and I love my D-ILA. With the Rock+, hush box, I just set it up and the picture is absolutely awesome. This forum helped me out a lot, but I think that setting up one of these projectors is pretty easy. The Rock+ is also easy to install. I am sure the other scalers are similar. If you are in the SF Bay area, you are welcome to come see my set up. It is not 300 miles but...


Finally you may want to also think about these additions. I have on order but have not taken delivery:


ISCO II lens

SDI input (Rock+ or Vigatech)

SDI capable DVD player (Immersive or TAW)

 

[Tryg]

Jeff,


If this is your first digital projector you are going to be blown away by the G15(or the 9000 probably). Many of us have had many years of living with inferior digital projectors to get to where we are now.


Once you set it up properly you will probably visit many stores that demo lcd and dlp and walk out of there with a huge smile on your face. The smile that says, neener neener neener, my projector kills those others. Plus once you get used to the whites and colors that the xenon bulb produces all the others will look a little weird. At least if you're picky.


I suspect you could find somone on this forum or elsewere in the Spokane area to give you a demo. Just look around a little.

 

[smitty]

Another vote for the JVC G-15 DILA. I love mine, which I have paired with a Rock+. The picture is excellent. I have heard very good things about the Sharp as well, and it probably avoids certain hassles associated with the DILA (e.g., fan noise, heat), but I understand that some people still see rainbows from time to time. To me, this would be a deal killer. Even if you don't see them now, what if you see them after you've owned the projector for six months? There's no guarantee that won't happen. In fact, I did not see rainbows on the 3-element DLP's until after watching about 4 to 5 hours. Then I saw them in spades. Thus, if the picture is your primary issue, as it was with me, I would recommend the DILA.

 

[JustMike]

I have the 9000 on order. The factors in my choosing it over the D-ILA (which I prefer on general technical merit) were:


1) Noise. I don't have the "in another room" option you had, so I would have had to purchase a hush box -- that would be extra expense and hassle.


2) Need for calibration. I didn't want to go to the hassle. However, since the one you have a line on is already calibrated, this sounds like a non-issue.


3) Lamp cost. The D-ILA lamps are stupendously expensive. The DLP lamps are expensive as well, but are longer-lived and cheaper than the D-ILA. I think that it worked out to approximately half the per-hour lamp cost with the 9000.


4) Need for an external scaler. I *think* that most people use an HTPC or an external scaler like the TAW Rock or Faroudja NRS with the JVC. The Sharp has quite a good internal scaler, so for DVD's you can get by without this expense. I may purchase a Faroudja because of its reputation at making broadcast and satellite NTSC watchable on big screens, but I'm going to try the Sharp and also the DVDO (which I have lying around) first. In any event, the NRS for the D-ILA is about $1k more expensive than the ones for all other resolutions, so this is again a cost factor.


5) Contrast ratio. I don't think that the D-ILA, even calibrated, matches the 1100:1 contrast of the Sharp. They do look very good, especially on a GrayHawk-type screen, though. If you can use a gray screen and have perfect light control, this is probably not an issue.


On the positives for the JVC: the complete lack of rainbow, the excellent fill factor and the total lack of any moving parts (except the fan).


It's a pity you can't see the Sharp and the JVC in person. I was fortunate enough to be able to audition both. I liked them both quite a lot, and decided that the no-hassle nature of the Sharp plus its perfect throw-distance match to my room made it the winner. However, my next projector is more likely to be a D-ILA or other LCOS technology, just because I think it's the technically more elegant solution. I just didn't find any that were plug-and-play to the extent that the Sharp is.

 

[jlm]

justmike:


you nust be getting a fantastic deal on the sharp; otherwise, why have you had to wait so long? I thought the units were in stock all over. Maybe you're going to get the 2002 model with dvi?

 

[David Mendicino]

It's good to see some long time rainbow crusaders in the mix here (smitty, and his tragic dwin transvision tale, for one).


Other than that, though, I would also take serious consideration of lamp cost. If you have cash to burn, than it means nothing. BUT, if you don't ....things can get expensive for the xenon bulb of the G15.


I am sure in most other ways the DILA is a better bet. The fact that the sharp is 16x9 means nothing, as the DILA has the same resolution, if not greater, in 16x9 mode.

 

[Larry Raulston]

If you can get either for the same price D-ILA is the better choice. A new G-15 is more expensive to purchase and the bulb costs are higher. I have a G-15, watch only HDTV at the present time until I get a scaler, and I love it. The picture is awesome on my 66"X116" grey screen. I have seen the Sharp and it has a very good picture, but it is a little softer than the D-ILA and the colors are not as rich and vibrant as the D-ILA. The D-ILA is noisier, but I have installed it in a hushbox therefore that is not a factor. It does have to be factored into the total costs. I have plenty of contrast ratio (said to be 570:1 by Cliff Pavin when he calibrated it). The blacks seem to be plenty bright to me, and the picture is almost always bright unless the source is dark to begin with. I have looked at a lot of projectors during many visits to showrooms across the country and to a CES type show in Chicago several years ago and it is the best that I've seen except for one ultra expensive prototype analog projector by Sharp that I saw in Chicago at McCormick Place a few years ago.

Larry

 

[Zeke013]

Quote:

Originally posted by jlm justmike: you nust be getting a fantastic deal on the sharp; otherwise, why have you had to wait so long? I thought the units were in stock all over. Maybe you're going to get the 2002 model with dvi?

I hadn't heard that the 2002 9000s had DVI. Is that a done deal? When do they arrive?

 

[jlm]

zeke:


i was teasing justmike; the speculation is that next year's models to be seen at ce* in jan will maybe have dvi;


the expectation with all of this gear is that it will eventually satisfy us; i'm sure none of us really want to be satisfied, however. as bill snell, another Oregonian, like me, once put it so succinctly: Horniness is where it's at"

 

[Tryg]

Ok, I jsut saw the Sharp and the Yamaha today. I think my uncalibrated G1000 beets them. A calibrated G15... Absolutely No Contest!


I still don't see how anyone could pay over $3k for the rainbow effect!?!

 

[JustMike]

Tryg,


I listed my reasons for choosing the Sharp above. Let me add to what I said a comment that it has very mild rainbow effect (as perceived by me) compared to the slower DLP color wheels. It was mild enough that I either found it invisible (on some material) or not bothersome (on the material where I could see it). It seems clear at this point that rainbow susceptability varies from person to person, so that's something that each person must decide on their own.


I'm glad you're happy with your G1000. I've seen a calibrated M20 (like a G20, but with non-zoom lens), and it was a very nice picture indeed. However, I didn't find it enough superior to the Sharp to justify the hassle of dealing with the hush box and the rest. Again, personal preference. I'm renting my house, so an elaborate installation is unacceptable. The Sharp is plug-and-play.


Had the Hitachi 5500 been around when I ordered the Sharp a couple of weeks ago, I might have waited to audition that projector before making my choice. It doesn't need the hush box, and it has the throw I need, so it might have been a good choice. Impossible to know without seeing it.

 

[Zeke013]

Quote:

Originally posted by jlm zeke: i was teasing justmike

Phew - I was worrying that I had somehow missed something that important in my last 114 hours lurking on this board. Thanks!