Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Projector/Screen/AVR/BR Player/VP…advice

Dean,

Firstly, I’d suggest that you go out and see first hand a few different projectors. LCOS, DLP and LCD all have their pros / cons. Each technology has its own unique look that may / may not appeal to you. Considering the fact that you are entertaining the purchase of an RS-20, at this price point it would be a good idea to view different models before committing that kind of money.

The RS-20 is a fantastic projector, despite its warts. The RS-20 and HD750 are functionally, identical. The RS-20 is sold and distributed by JVC’s chain of professional dealers, which comes with a higher level of technical support and QC. I do not know all the specifics with this, but have heard enough to want this service. The main differences between the RS-20/HD750 and the RS-10/HD350 are 1) native contrast ratio is higher with the RS-20/HD750 2) RS-20/HD750 has CMS 3) RS-10/HD350 has higher lumen output 4) RS-20/HD750 has a THX preset

The RS-20/HD750 CMS is broke. JVC is working on a firmware upgrade to correct this, but only time will tell if will fix it or not. I am doubtful. The THX pre-set is remarkably close to Rec 709. You can calibrate grey scale tracking and make the THX pre-set look very good, but unfortunately, you can not change sharpness or Gamma when using the THX pre-set.

If you are a color ‘purist’, you would be better off sacrificing some native CR and go with the RS-10 and buy a Lumegan Radiance XE for its CMS and HDMI 1.3 audio / video processing. The price difference between the two projectors would offset some of the costs of the Radiance (they run about $3500). With the Radiance, you will also get top notch video processing / scaling.

As I stated in Peter’s thread, I am not impressed with the RS-20’s video processing. But, I use a DVDO VP50pro, so it’s not a “fair” comparison. The Pro is one heck of a video processor (at a premium cost). The RS-20 does do better than the 3808, for what that’s worth.

If you are not affected by DLP rainbows, I would give the Planner 8150 a very serious look. It has better ANSI contrast than the RS 20, which gives you that “3D” look. It also handles panning better with little to no motion blur that is inherent with LCOS and LCD. The Planner and RS-20 street prices are very close. Reports so far is that the Planner also does very well with video processing.

Screen choice is often not given the thought it deserves. People try to cut costs with screens. I suggest you not skimp on the screen. I would look at Stewart. Many love the Daylight High Power, but I have not ever seen one, so I can not comment much on it. I do know that projector placement with this screen is critical and it has a narrow viewing cone, which may not be practical depending on your seating arrangement. High gain screens are either loved or hated. All high gain screens will have “sparkles” that pop out at you during bright scenes that may bother you. I’d suggest viewing one to see it if bothers you or not. Folks that love them love the punch that they deliver. If you have a completely light controlled room, you may want to stick with a pure white, zero gain screen. The zero gain screen will give you more of a “movie theater” look. Videophiles tend to favor zero gain white screens. The drawback is they do not have that “punch” that high gain screens have, which can be nice as the bulb starts to degrade and lumen output falls off. Expect lumen output to drop to 50% or less within 500 hours. With the screen size you are considering, you may have no choice but to go with a high gain screen depending on what FL you prefer. The projector that you choose will dictate what your options are. You’ll have to do the math, and figure out what the FL is, taking bulb lumen drop off into consideration. Most folks like a minimum of 12 FL, but some like it as high as 30. Only you can determine what you prefer.

FL = total screen area / projector lumen at calibrated D65 grey scale / 50% for bulb output drop off.

Example: RS-20 with 500 hours on it, calibrated to D65 is “about” 400 lumens. Your screen size is pretty big. You have roughly 60 square feet of screen. When you divide that into the lumen output of 400, you get a rough foot lambert of 6.6 FL if you use a zero gain screen. This is pretty low. You would need a screen with a “real” gain of 2 or higher to get you into minimum FL range.

If you go with a scaler, such as the DVDO Edge, I would suggest you buy a 2.35 screen and anamorphic lens for a constant image height set up. The cost of the lens may be out of your budget, but you can find them at pretty good prices if you don’t mind buying used. If you do not want to go CIH, the Edge will still be a nice addition as it will do remarkably well with SD-DVD and SD / HD-broadcast. The Edge and 3808 is a very good combination. As of this date, I have not seen any other AVR that appeals to me or has given me any desire at all to swap out my 3808. If you can afford it, I would go with the Radiance XE over any other VP as it is the only option available that allows complete CMS calibration.