Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Read all about it. My new 1080p JVC DLA-RS1 (LCoS) projector is up and running and I offer some initial thoughts regarding this remarkable unit here.

I hope this article is informative and I'll be happy to field questions regarding it in this thread.

Enjoy.

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Glad to hear that you are loving your DLA-RS1! (I had no doubt that you would.) It truly offers an amazing picture - especially for the price. I find it hard to believe that in a 1080p world one is going to see a finer picture for a Home Theater application.

This latest HT chapter all began for me back in 2006 at the CEDIA show in Denver. We were sitting at the SONY press conference waiting for it to start and I thought I saw a Sony "Ruby" projector up on stage. I casually remarked to Parker Clack who was sitting next to me that the Ruby was something that I would consider once the price dropped down below $5000. Little did I know that it was the $4995 "Pearl" and from that point on I knew a 1080p FP would be in my home before CEDIA 2007. I was very impressed with the Sony VW50 ("Pearl") and even went to see a shootout with it and the JVC RS-1 prototype. (Actually JVC couldn't get their hands on the Pearl so they used a Ruby instead.) As impressive as the shootout was (in favor of the RS1 prototype) it still didn't answer all my questions. Being a prototype, JVC wouldn't commit to the final specs nor the final price of the finished product. They wouldn't even answer such basic question as, "Will it support 1080p/24?" because of the unfinished nature of the specs (understandable but a bit frustrating.)

At the show I had a verbal commitment from Sony to do a test run of the Pearl in my Home Theater (especially since they were familiar with my history with one of the first Sony VW10HTs when they were introduced.) In typical Sony Corporate waffling fashion, this plan never reached fruition so I decided to wait to see the finished JVC model before replacing my 720p Runco DLP.

And boy am I glad that I did. Yes, the RS1 costs a bit more than the Pearl but it really does outperform it (and the Pearl is a very nice unit itself.) Sony is about to introduce new models to replace both the Pearl and the Ruby (probably by CEDIA in September if not sooner) and I have to feel that some of this in direct response to the presence of the JVC DLA-RS1.

In other words - you made a fine choice. I, like you, am amazed at the blacks that this FP produces. Can you say, "CRT black?"

I can.

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

RayJr,

Thanks for sharing. It looks like we've had similar experiences. I look forward to seeing you at EMA.

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Quite frankly, I haven't watched much SD source material on my RS1 since I've installed it because I'm so engrossed with HD content (HDTV, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, next-gen gaming, etc.) However, the little SD material I've looked at (Pan's Labyrinth, etc.) looks fine.

While it is true that the better a display, the more that it shows off a source's flaws, the fact that the resolution of the JVC is better than the 720p Runco and bigger than the 1080p 58" HP doesn't translate to objectionable viewing of SD sources - not even SD TV (although I still prefer to watch SD TV on a smaller screen - the HP - for TV esthetic reasons). And I should add that all my SD DVD watching comes from an HDMI 480i (native) source player (The Denon 2930ci) fed into the DVDO iScan VP50 which is known for its fine handling of 480i source material. In other words, the SD DVD material is about as good as it's going to get with today's technology. It's not HD, but it's better than straight out of the box SD.

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

And the PS3 just got a firmware upgrade to Version 1.8 yesterday. It now does two significant things.

1. It upscales SD to 1080p
2. It outputs 1080p as 1080p/24

I still think that the DVDO VP50's handling of 480i upscaling via VRS (Video Reference Series) Precision Video Scaling is the best in the business but any of these other options for upscaling SD to 1080p is better, in my opinion, than feeding 480i directly into the RS1 (or most other displays for that matter).

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Actually, all my projectors (Sony VW10HT, Runco CL-710 and now the RS1) brought a smile to my face at various levels of satisfaction. All produced a nice HD picture (even the Sony LCD was 720p seven years ago) and, of course, each one offered a step up from the previous model.

I will say that with the acquisition of my RS-1 I no longer have to try to rationalize my black levels with an "almost CRT-like" statement. The RS-1 produces contrast and black levels that are so good that I can't come up with any justification for putting up with all the baggage that comes with a CRT. I think most RS-1 owners would agree with this assessment. Only the true die-hard CRT user would probably argue this and at this point it becomes a matter of personal preference to me.

My two cents.

Re: HD-1/RS-1 Firmware Update Link

Thank you, RayJ. I saw your post over on AVS and I'm glad you reproduced it here for those interested. As far as I'm concerned, I have no problem with your posting the information here. I would imagine that if JVC were to protest for some legal reason, etc. then we would remove it. However, if it's o.k. with JVC it's o.k. with me.

Enjoy the show!

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Patrick,

I agree with your assessment of the situation. Like you said, the Home Theater Forum isn't in the hardware business like that "other" forum, so I see no conflict of interest sharing such information as long as you aren't a dealer yourself. If you were, then we'd ask you to check it out with Ron Epstein or Parker Clack for clearance.

Incidentally, I, too, purchased my first FP (the Sony VW10HT) from Dennis Shepard at MVS 7 years ago (probably 8 years if you include the wait list time). At one point, when the VW10HT was delayed I almost went with the JVC you purchased as an alternative option. While I'm glad I waited I'm also glad that JVC has made 1080p DLA (LCoS) so affordable (and so quiet!) as to be hard to resist. I would have purchased my RS-1 from MVS myself since they are (were?) offering a great trade-in for your old projector ($1500 or something like that) off of list ~$6250 for the RS-1. If you do the math you will see that this makes the price of the RS-1 extremely attractive. But as it turns out a very close friend is a dealer for JVC and I did even better than MVS (Dennis understands).

In a related matter, does anyone know what the "group buy" price for the RS-1 was at that "other" forum? Just curious.

Enjoy your new projector when it arrives.

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

I'll be very interested to read your opinion of the RS-1 when it arrives, Patrick, especially since you are upgrading from a previous JVC model. Thursday should be a very exciting day in the Bennett household!

Re: Impressions of my new JVC DLA-RS1 Front Projector

Yes, Patrick, I remember the JVC/Sony "discussions" (especially in regards to MVS which carried them both) from the 1999-2000 time frame. As I recall, I did consider the JVC (especially when the VW10HT Sony was delayed) but two things deterred me at the time. One, as you said, was the fact that it was a native 4:3 device and I wanted native 16:9. I realize that this could be corrected with a lens but I wanted to keep things simple. Additionally, didn't the JVC at that time have some fan noise issues? The VW10HT was whisper quiet compared to it.

In any event, both projectors back at the turn of the century served us well and look how our FPs have converged at this point!