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Posted By: Jeff_in_the_D Front Projector preferences - 06/01/12 04:32 PM
I am interested in a front projection system for my Theater.
What are some of you folks using for gear for the projector itself matched to a fixed wall screen?
Something in the 2k to 3k range ($s) projector.
A 100 to 110 inch dia. screen would be great.

thanks in advance
Jeff
Posted By: nickbuol Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/01/12 08:19 PM
Depends on what you are looking for. If 3D isn't important to you, the General consensus in that price range is that JVC RS45 has the best picture. If you want to watch a decent amount of 3D, then you would be better to look elsewhere. I would have to look at some of the info, which I can dig up later if need be, but the JVC just isn't as bright as other offerings, and has more ghosting issues than other contenders (again, just for 3D). But if you love *real* contrast and inky dark black levels, which together give the JVC the edge over others, then look there. I picked up the RS45 based off of a ton of research after I originally thought that I was going to get a Panasonic 7000. Not sure of current pricing, but I got the RS45 for $2700 which was even cheaper than other compairable products and j get a better image.

The JVC isn't without flaws of course. 3D isn't as good as other options, and there is a design issue with the JVC bulbs, however if you manage to get your bulb to fail or hit about 50% light output while under warranty (usually happens around 400 hours of use), then it gets replaced for free.
Posted By: Gary Vose Sr Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 01:40 AM
Hi Jeff,

JVC,Epson, and Panasonic, would be the major players in your price range. The JVC I would concur with nick, seems like we were both doing some home work on this matter. Their technology is different than the other two, which allows for the inky blacks, and better shadow effects. With proper calibration, the JVC will leave you with a slightly better over all picture as well, according to the reviews I've read. Another big plus is, they engineered a sealed light housing, which keeps those pesky dust blobs from developing and having to be cleaned out, unlike the other two.


Epson,and panny has the same technology, with a couple of different features each. Both have more light output, better frame interpolation, and better quality 3D than the JVC. The Panny 7000 has the better 3D over even the Epson models. Panny also will run at 480 Hz, again more than the other two. There are other differences between them, I would research extensively and go with what works best for you in your room.

One other thing Jeff, the new line of projectors will be out usually starting the end of Oct.through Nov, for the Holiday season. If you can wait, the feature set on the new models will be better. Also the models out there now, will come down in price, if you chose that route. There's a large Electronic show in Sept. where they display all the new models to be released. One good thing, is about July,or Aug. information will start to be known about these soon to be released models. This should help you to determine maybe which model year projector best suits your needs.
Posted By: nickbuol Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 03:14 AM
Be aware that while October is the start of new model season, that you may have to wait a couple of months past that for actual delivery depending upon actual release dates and availability.

Product years are such a pain (and a blessing). It seems like right when you get one thing "squared away", something newer comes along.
Posted By: dakkon Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 04:23 AM
I have an older Benq projector. It's a 720P DLP, I like it and I would buy another Benq. However, the new JVC's look tempting. I have a 135" da lite, be forewarned though... When your use to watching TV, or movies on a 100+" screen, your friends 60+" flat screen TV will seem quite puny.... I am having to "suffer" with a 60 rear projection DLP for the time being....

When i was using my 135" screen i was sitting around 10' away... I had a 96" image for a while, at about a 5 foot sitting distance.. the sizes were about comparable when sitting distance is taken into account..

How far away from your screen will you be sitting? Also, the Benq was a short throw projector which was nice for me since i was moving around quite a bit....


The one thing that i did not necessarily like about using the projector as my "TV" was that the room had to be blacked out to enjoy it, with a non-front projector product, ambient room lighting isn't an issue.


your price range covers products from panasonic, as well as Benq.. According to projector central the JVC product is about 3,500$... I had a buddy who had an optoma projector at the same time i got my Benq, my Benq had a much better picture than the Optoma..

By BenQ was circa 2004, so it has been a while since i have researched projectors, and the quality of the above brands could have changed since then.

Hope this helps.
Posted By: michael_d Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 03:05 PM
Originally Posted By: Strider53
I am interested in a front projection system for my Theater.
What are some of you folks using for gear for the projector itself matched to a fixed wall screen?
Something in the 2k to 3k range ($s) projector.
A 100 to 110 inch dia. screen would be great.

thanks in advance
Jeff


This is a pretty complex subject. I'm not real sure what it is you are asking, as the options are quite extensive.

I am currently using a Sony vpl-95es. 2D and 3D are both excellent (although I HATE 3D and rarely watch it). I have a JVC RS20 listed on Ebay for $1800 that the Sony replaced. My screen is a 2.35 ratio Stewart Firehawk and I use an anamorphic lens for a constant image height set up.

If you could be more specific, you may get more pointed answers.
Posted By: nickbuol Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 03:08 PM
Here is a listing of some (ok, a LOT) of options depending on what you are looking for. Just look at post #1. This information was based off of actual tests, as well as general consensus of AVS forum members.

2012 Top Projector Picks
Posted By: Gary Vose Sr Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/02/12 05:04 PM
Originally Posted By: michael_d
Originally Posted By: Strider53
I am interested in a front projection system for my Theater.
What are some of you folks using for gear for the projector itself matched to a fixed wall screen?
Something in the 2k to 3k range ($s) projector.
A 100 to 110 inch dia. screen would be great.

thanks in advance
Jeff


This is a pretty complex subject. I'm not real sure what it is you are asking, as the options are quite extensive.

I am currently using a Sony vpl-95es. 2D and 3D are both excellent (although I HATE 3D and rarely watch it). I have a JVC RS20 listed on Ebay for $1800 that the Sony replaced. My screen is a 2.35 ratio Stewart Firehawk and I use an anamorphic lens for a constant image height set up.

If you could be more specific, you may get more pointed answers.


I agree, a general question usually leads to a general response. There seems ( but not surprisingly to me ) to be a wealth of knowledge here on this subject matter. Information that you could be gathering, which would help you in your final analysis in picking the right projector for your needs.
Posted By: Jeff_in_the_D Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/03/12 12:46 AM
I was looking for just that, some general likes and dislikes-
hoping if anyone had a negative experience with a particular manufacturer or specific model they would mention it.

3 D does not interest me, a projectors ability to produce great black levels does.
My Theater is a dedicated, light controlled room approx 13 ft x 28 ft. Seating will most likely start around 12 ft from the screen.
Have completed some basic investigating, much remains.
Thanks for the replies and the link.

Jeff
Posted By: Nick B Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/08/12 04:17 PM
I've been researching projectors for the past several years. As far as reviews go it seems that you should look towards JVC, Sony, or Epson in that price range to give you the best picture for your money. If I had the money right now, it would be a tough choice between a JVC and Sony, though I would probably go with a JVC. The JVC's seems to always have the best performance in terms of contrast level and black levels, which to me is the most important feature for a display in general. Okay, making sure that the projector is bright enough to give you a good picture for the screen size is probably equally important, but there isn't too much difference there with these three brands in this price range.


I'm waiting to hopefully move into a more permanent house (not a rental) before I get a projector. I was hoping that JVC and Sony would try implementing LED lamps successfully at reasonable prices by then. The biggest obstacle seems to be that they just aren't as bright as the current technology, which limits the size of your screen to have a nice picture. But the possibility of not having to change the bulb every 1000 to 1500 hours and having the picture change within that time would be amazing. Unfortunately I don't think that we will have good JVC and Sony projectors with LED lamps anytime soon. All the manufacturers have been busy giving everyone 3D, that most people don't want. Now they are moving to 4K. Which is exciting, but there probably won't be much content to use with it anytime soon.
Posted By: Gary Vose Sr Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/08/12 06:54 PM
Originally Posted By: Nick B
I've been researching projectors for the past several years. As far as reviews go it seems that you should look towards JVC, Sony, or Epson in that price range to give you the best picture for your money. If I had the money right now, it would be a tough choice between a JVC and Sony, though I would probably go with a JVC. The JVC's seems to always have the best performance in terms of contrast level and black levels, which to me is the most important feature for a display in general. Okay, making sure that the projector is bright enough to give you a good picture for the screen size is probably equally important, but there isn't too much difference there with these three brands in this price range.


I'm waiting to hopefully move into a more permanent house (not a rental) before I get a projector. I was hoping that JVC and Sony would try implementing LED lamps successfully at reasonable prices by then. The biggest obstacle seems to be that they just aren't as bright as the current technology, which limits the size of your screen to have a nice picture. But the possibility of not having to change the bulb every 1000 to 1500 hours and having the picture change within that time would be amazing. Unfortunately I don't think that we will have good JVC and Sony projectors with LED lamps anytime soon. All the manufacturers have been busy giving everyone 3D, that most people don't want. Now they are moving to 4K. Which is exciting, but there probably won't be much content to use with it anytime soon.


I agree with most of what you have said here Nick. My understanding is, there will be some LED projectors out in the market place, in two, to three years. My guess is, it would be three, to four years after that before we see the pricing pull back some, to where they would be about 20-30 percent more expensive than the same equivalent projector of today.

There is also laser projector technology coming as well, but at a much greater cost. I also will be purchasing a projector within the the next 6-12 months. AS cost effective technology comes our way, I like most, would be entertaining an up grade to my then current projector, that I haven't even purchased yet.
Posted By: Nick B Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/08/12 11:11 PM
Gary,

Home Theater magazine reviewed the 1st generation Runco/Vidikron LED projector 2 years ago, if I remember correctly. This was when 3D was the new thing for home theater. It cost approximately $15,000. The contrast and black levels were very poor for a projector in that price range and it's brightness only made it suitable for smaller screens. I think that there was also a 2nd generation Runco/Vidikron LED projector reviewed within the past year. The cost came down slightly but it was still in the $10,000 to $15,000 price range and only had a slight improvement in picture quality overall. Yes these are the first attempts at getting the same performance out of an LED lamp in a projector, but we have a long way to go still.

I may be wrong but it doesn't seem like other manufacturers are even pursuing LED lamps in projectors at this point. At CES and CEDIA there have only really been 3D projectors announced and this year 4k was the big announcement. To me having a LED lamp in a projector like the JVC model with similar performance would be much more exciting than 3D or 4k. For the past several years there have been glasses free 3D displays at CEDIA and CES, even though the technology is nowhere near being ready for the public. But, not really any LED based projectors.
Posted By: Gary Vose Sr Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/09/12 01:29 AM
Nick,

Once again, I agree with most of what you have said here. I knew about the release of the Runco/Vidikron projector two years ago, along with the associated issues that you had mentioned (I knew after hitting the submit button earlier I might get called on this). Nick in my earlier post, the second sentence is key to that whole posting. " My understanding is " followed by the rest of that sentence, was information I've gathered though internet searches over the last 15 months or more.These are obviously not my fact based comments, I only detailed some of what I have read over time.

When it come to these manufacturers, there is pretty much, no knowing what they are working on for their next generation projector, or the one after that one, or the one after that one. They try to work secretively, so they can corner the marketplace when their product is ready for sale. So who knows when the first feasible LED projectors will be available, I only know what I've read.

In this model year line-up, I can think of three companies with either huge advancements, or taking technological steps forward.

JVC with 4K.

Panasonic with panels that run at 480 Hz.

Epson with about 1/3 more light output.

Too my knowledge,(unless I missed something) this information wasn't out until the manufacturers wanted it out. That happened a few weeks or so, just prior to the upcoming electronic show back in September.

It obvious to me Nick, we have both been doing our homework on this subject matter, which I think one should, when contemplating spending all that cash on a big ticket item.
Posted By: Gary Vose Sr Re: Front Projector preferences - 06/24/12 11:21 PM
Originally Posted By: Gary Vose Sr
Nick,

Once again, I agree with most of what you have said here. I knew about the release of the Runco/Vidikron projector two years ago, along with the associated issues that you had mentioned (I knew after hitting the submit button earlier I might get called on this). Nick in my earlier post, the second sentence is key to that whole posting. " My understanding is " followed by the rest of that sentence, was information I've gathered though internet searches over the last 15 months or more.These are obviously not my fact based comments, I only detailed some of what I have read over time.

When it come to these manufacturers, there is pretty much, no knowing what they are working on for their next generation projector, or the one after that one, or the one after that one. They try to work secretively, so they can corner the marketplace when their product is ready for sale. So who knows when the first feasible LED projectors will be available, I only know what I've read.

In this model year line-up, I can think of three companies with either huge advancements, or taking technological steps forward.

JVC with 4K.

Panasonic with panels that run at 480 Hz.

Epson with about 1/3 more light output.

Too my knowledge,(unless I missed something) this information wasn't out until the manufacturers wanted it out. That happened a few weeks or so, just prior to the upcoming electronic show back in September.

It obvious to me Nick, we have both been doing our homework on this subject matter, which I think one should, when contemplating spending all that cash on a big ticket item.



Here is a very informative official news release pertaining too this matter. After reading it, check out the individual hopes, and aspirations, though their comments. http://www.projectorcentral.com/projecto...mp;entry_id=529
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