Which of these projectors would you recommend? (1 Viewer)

[justslappy]

I bought a home with a home theater, but it needs a new projector. A consultant offered these 4 options:
1-JVC DLA RS45 -- $4100
2-JVC DLA RS4800 -- $4900
3-Optima HD 3300 -- $2700
4- Optima DLP -- $4700
Good prices? Which is best? Better alternative? Less expensive but still good quality alternatives?
thanks.

 

[schan1269]

JVC period. Then it is if the "particular projector" has the features you need/want for your particular install...ie...
Anamorphic lens
Lens shift
Amongst others...

 

[Jim Mcc]

Those prices are very high. Are they installed prices? The projector you choose depends on a lot of things, to make sure it will work in your room.
1) Desired screen size?
2) Throw distance(measured from lens to screen) when mounted?
3) Ceiling mounted or shelf mounted?
4) Do you need lens shift?
5) Do you want DLP, LCD, or LCos?

 

[justslappy]

These prices are installed. But I was hoping for something $2,500 or less. Any recommendations? (screen is 12-15 feet from projector. screen approx. 96x50. Room is very dark.)
thanks

 

[Jim Mcc]

There are numerous choices for under $2500. Why didn't you answer questions 3, 4 and 5? Once you do, we can suggest a couple projectors for you.

 

[justslappy]

Mounted on the ceiling. Sorry but I don't know, nor did my consultant explain or mention lens shift or DLP, LCD, or LCos.
Thanks

 

[schan1269]

A projector salesperson who didn't explain the differences/benefits of DLP, LCD, or D-ILA/LCoS???
A projector salesperson who didn't mention lens shift?
Find another store.

 

[schan1269]

By the way, start here...
http://www.projectorcentral.com/
Unless you know the differences between the 3(technically D-ILA and LCoS are the same...) styles of projector...and why you might need lens shift or anamorphic...
A projector sales person can feed you whatever he wants to "make profit" instead of the selling you the projector style you want with the features you need for the room.

 

[justslappy]

Thanks for the link.
OK, various experts think my consultant's recommendation of the JVC RS45 ($100 installed) is the way to go. (Again, my screen is 91 inches by 51 inches. The projector is 11 feet from the screen, at a height of 9.5 feet.)
But I'm curious if I can save some money and buy a less expensive ($1500-$2500 installed) projector without sacrificing a lot of performance. Thoughts?
thanks

 

[schan1269]

The only other option is getting the HD250/pro and there is "usually" no reason not to buy the RS45...
The RS45, hands down, is the best

 

[Type A]

Hey, welcome to the forum Jeff!
Owner of the RS1X here and a BIG fan of JVC projectors, glad to see you are looking at them.
I like the 45 but that $4100 price makes me cringe. I think the 250 can be had new from a factory authorized dealer for $2100, did you read projectorreveiws.com reviews for both these models? Sure the 45 is better but Im not sure its that much better, matter of fact I would purchase the 250 in a heartbeat if the 45 was that much more $$$

 

[Jim Mcc]

Jeff, the HD250 is right on the border for minimum brightness for your situation. If you buy the HD250, you will need to use a high gain screen, or use the bulb on high power(bad idea). Talk to your "consultant" about using a high gain screen. When you say $100 installed for the RS45, that's the labor fee just for installing the projector?

 

[justslappy]

I meant to say the RS45 was quoted to me as $4100 installed.

 

[schan1269]

What is the "walk out the door" price?
Unless you have some ridiculous installation, I can't see why the price is that high.
(caveat, I'm used to wholesale, I haven't "paid retail" for anything in 10 years...but I used to work for a wholesaler)
Things I've been "given" over the years...(not just me, the companies gave it away for "promotional" or "sales goals met" etc...)
Yamaha RX-V 2065 (sold it)
Toshiba XDE-500 (of course this thing made a huge THUD in the marketplace, Tosh had to dump them off somewhere...I gave it away)
LG BD390 (gave "branch managers" a free one for first hand real world knowledge...it was given to me by our branch manager as he already had one)
Tosh 40" first generation 240hz(gave it to a relative)
Numerous Pinnacle speakers (mainly subwoofers)
Working "wholesale", the only real perks(cause the pay sucked) were the free crap you got(when sales goals were met by individuals, branches or company wide) and the free trips to CES, BrandSource and CEDIA. (Las Vegas for free....)

 

[Jim Mcc]

What's really killing your budget is the labor, of course. Are you sure you can't install the projector yourself? It's not very hard, unless you have some weird problem room. Did this room already have a projector? If so, it's not a case of just swapping it out? I would never pay someone to do my install, but that's me.