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

Equipment I’m considering right now:

Projector: JVC DLA-RS20
Screen: 123.8” wide 1.78:1 Carada Precision Brilliant White (1.4 gain) or DIY equivalent (142” diagonal)
AVR: Denon AVR-3808CI
Player: OPPO BDP-83 (maybe but not sure if I want BR yet)

For the following uses:

15% Standard Def 1.33:1 DVD (mostly animated)
15% Standard Def 1.78: DVD
10% Standard Def 2.35:1 DVD
20% Xbox360 games:
10% Computer games: (strategy only)
15% Direct TV HD
15% BR DVD

Some comments by Mike (mdrew) over in Peters thread have lead me to seek a reality check before purchasing anything.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=252533&fpart=3

Everything will be in a 21.5 x 13.5 x 8 to 12.5 (vaulted ceiling) totally blacked out room. Screen on a false wall at the partially open end of the room where the wall reaches 9.5 feet high. Seating, projector and speaker placement are totally open (suggestions welcome).

This thread has some pictures of the unmodified HT room for this equipment:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthre...true#Post249449

JVC DLA-RS20 - is this projector still worth the money even if the video processor’s implementation has been crippled. I will be switching between aspect ratios a lot and also want as big a picture as I can manage for a projector around or under 5k.

Screen: 123.8” wide 1.78:1 Carada Precision Brilliant White (1.4 gain) or DIY equivalent (142” diagonal) - I would like to get/make a nice general purpose screen and not have to keep replacing it. I’m willing to pay for the best if it will make a difference and last.

AVR: Denon AVR-3808CI - sort of looks like a no brainer if I buy now. Any advantages to waiting for it’s replacement or upgrading to the next higher model? I’m willing to consider separates if it’s worth it but really don’t know anything about the cost + complication vs value ratio.

Player: OPPO BDP-83 (maybe but not sure if I want BR yet) - not completely sold on BR yet but would like to try it out. How do HDTV pictures compare with BR on a big screen. On my 56 inch Samsung at 6 feet I could barely tell the difference between HDTV and standard def upscaled on my Oppo 981.

New entry:

DVDO Edge - Any advantage to using this with other sources if it turns out the Oppo BR implementation of the chip is a good one? I plan on watching lots of upscaled DVDs. If Oppo implementation is poor how much difference will this make on a 124 inch wide screen?

Your help/experience are greatly appreciated as I feel even more baffled by this than my speaker purchase a couple years ago.

Cheers,
Dean

Hey Dan i'll try to help as best as my limited knowledge can.
In regards to the projector I would check out JVCs newest DILA, mitsubishis latest, or Pioneers Kuro projector that just took a price cut. In regards to Bluray, i would buy Oppos new player when it came out without hesitation. The image AND sound quality is taken to a new level with BR. I am still using a 720p Sanyo Z5 and PQ is immediately noticeable between SD and HD content.
I apologize for not giving you the projector models or links but im at work using my iphone, and i left my HT mags at home today. Ill try and edit this tonight to help you out. There are others here however that are more knowledgeable and will help.

For whatever reason it wont let me edit so here we go with the Projector Model Numbers.

JVC DLA-HD750
Mitsubishi HC7000and
Pioneer Pro-FPJ1

I've got the Z2, still going strong, but if I was looking for a new 1080p projector, it would be the new Panny which can automatically adjust for 2.35 and 1.78/1.85 material, and lose my anamorphic lens.

Do you have a link to that projector?

Thanks for the feedback on the projectors.

Joel - It looks like the JVC DLA-HD750 is supposed to be basically the same as the this one that I‘m looking at, any idea what the differences are?

http://www.projectorreviews.com/jvc/dla-rs20/index.php

I have also been considering the projector I think Randy is recommending but I was hoping to get one bright enough to fill the whole screen which I think the JVC will.


Randy - I’m guessing your talking about this projector:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/panasonic/pt-ae3000u/index.php

It was going to be my choice largely for the automatic resize feature you mention. I’m just not sure it will be as bright as I want.

Regardless of the projector I get I was planning to get the biggest screen I could fit and if necessary mask it down to the usable size of the projector. My intention being that when I eventually upgrade projectors I can always move the masking to get a bigger screen if the projector I get now cant fill it.

Thanks,
Dean

I have the Panny PTAE-1000. Still going strong on the first bulb with over 3300 hours on it (kids play xbox constantly). I like it a lot and if I were to get a new one, it would be the new Panny PTAE-3000 as sirquack mentioned. I also have a Carada screen (can't remember the material type). Very well built and easy to put together. Good value too.

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.

Wow thanks Mike!

You’ve shown me exactly what I was afraid of, that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Your post distilled down dozens of pages of forum posts and has been a great help. I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions after more research.

Thanks,
Dean

I ran across this while researching and thought it was pretty cool. You may have already seen it but I figured I repost it for anyone who hadn’t.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgrGjJUBF_I