Finally previewed the JVC DILA RS1

[draganm]

well this is not easy to admit for a die-hard CRT guy but I saw the RS1 last Sunday and it knocked my socks off. I sat down, they turned it on , my jaw hit the floor, simple as that. 8O That thing had unbelievable punch, smooth as silk, sharp as a tack, and the CR was nothing short of amazing although I did not see any REALY dark content like Mines of Moria. It was being fed Blue Ray Casnio Royale projecting on a 2.35 CH screen and a motorized lense so you can switch from 16:9 to 2.35. This added $8K to the RS1's $6K base price. I have to admit, if I had the $14K to blow I would be sorely tempted.

BTW, saw a sony Pearl next to it as well and it didn't look as bad as I expected but it was definitely not something I would ever pay $3K for. Next to the RS1 it was a joke. colors were not as saturated, it was softer, and the Pearls CR was terrible, even with the Auto Iris on. Once again, sony gets it's ass handed to them in a big way.

[JonMarsh]

Not surprised at your comments, Draganm! I've got a few friends in different parts of the country which I've really had to push to get to go audition the RS1, instead of a variety of also rans (in my opinion) including the Pearl. In my opinion it's the current standard in Digital projectors at any price up to $10K. I don't feel a need to rush out for one myself, but for anyone setting up a new system these days, (several lucky friends getting new homes shortly), it's the only thing I recommend.

[Hdale85]

What is the rated CR on it? How many lumen output? I wish I had 6 grand to blow on a projector :B Thats the biggest reason I'm looking at used crt's is price to performance ratio.

[Chris D]

Yes, this is definitely one projector I'd like to own. Really liked the performance.

[George Bellefontaine]

I havent seen it demoed but what reviews I have read tell me this is a PJ I should own.

[Steve Goff]

I've had an RS1 for a few months now, and it is in some ways the best projector I've seen. It has a few drawbacks, but the picture is usually quite wonderful. At the price, especially the initial sale price that I bought it at, nothing can touch it.

[JonMarsh]

It's the native panel contrast ratio without any trickery like dynamic iris that makes the deal! Color primaries could be a little more exact, and with some video sources you'd want an external processor, but I'm quibbling here over nits. :W

[Dean McManis]

Yeah, I'm hoping to get a chance to take a peek at one soon.
I've owned several JVC D-ILA FPTVS and this projector sounds pretty amazing.

I'm just waiting for this level of performance to hit a sub-$2500 price point, which I'm expecting to see in about a year.

[Hdale85]

A year you sure about that? 15k:1 CR on a sub 3k projector without an auto iris? I don't see that happening within a year. I can see the RS1 dropping below or at least around 5 grand which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

[Steve Goff]

Yes, the contrast ratio is that high, though few could measure it. And the ANSI contrast ratio is also quite high, though not as high as a couple of new 1080p DPL projectors, the Sharp and the Marantz. It is sharper that any CRT projector I've seen, including the G90 and my (former) NEC XG852. It is the closest I've seen to a CRT for absolute contrast ratio, and better than any CRT for intrascene contrast ratio.

[digitalman]

yah i have seen the JVC a couple of times myself and it is the best deal out there right now, though i wouldnt pay 8K for a lens for it. Just get a cheap DIY lens and be done with it...

[Dean McManis]

A year you sure about that? 15k:1 CR on a sub 3k projector without an auto iris? I don't see that happening within a year. I can see the RS1 dropping below or at least around 5 grand which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

It was a little over a year ago when most of the nicer 720p projectors were costing $12K-$15K. 8)

But then came the new breed of 1080p front projectors, with Optoma’s HD81 being the first to ship at $7999 MSRP.
Well under the expected $10K introductory price point.

...Then a couple weeks later Mitsubishi launched their HC5000 at $4495. :E

Panasonic went even further, shipping their PT-AE1000U for $3999, then quickly came out with a mail-in rebate offer, lowering the street price to around $3500.

Epson then set a new 1080p low price point of $2999, at which point Panasonic raised their mail-in rebate to $1000, to bring their price under $3K.

BenQ’s W10000 came out at $6995, and then introduced an even less expensive version, the W9000.

Sony's VW50 Pearl, launched at $4995, and can be found (along with the Mitsubishi HC5000BL) for under $3500.

JVC's impressive RS1 started with a MSRP of $6995, which dropped to $6295 before the first one even shipped, and I've already heard of some people buying them for under $5K with special discounts.

After that Optoma cut their MSRP of the HD81 from $7999 to $4299, and added a $300 rebate to bring it down under $4000.

So even though nobody would have thought that it was possible two years ago, you can now find several 1080p front projectors for around $3K today, with great picture quality and high contrast (using variable iris).

So it's actually not too much of a stretch to see manufacturers being able to match the JVC RS-1's great capabilities, at a sub-$3K price point in a year's time.

I'm also hoping for over 2000 lumens, and an LED light source while I'm at it, thank you. :T

[draganm]

So even though nobody would have thought that it was possible two years ago, you can now find several 1080p front projectors for around $3K today, with great picture quality and high contrast (using variable iris).

lets not confuse my praise for JVC's DILA RS1 with a horrible POS with a motorized Iris and phony contrast Ratio like the VP50 Pearl, Kay? :lol:

[Dean McManis]

Sorry, but $3K is $3K, and the Pearl looks simply fantastic to me for that price, as I'm sure do the Panasonic, Epson and Mitsubishi 1080p FPTVs.

You always pursue top quality regardless of price or simplicity, and that is admirable.
But comparatively these new "bargain" 1080p FPTVs do set a new price performance standard for home theater use.

I am also holding out for more, simply because I have seen such a rapid evolution of the picture quality at the same time that prices have been dropping, but it shouldn't be too long of a wait now.

[Hdale85]

Well we probably have a couple more years yet before an LED FPTV is going to be available. At least at a reasonable price. I don't know honestly we'll have to see. The new Samsung RPTV's with the LED light engine are out and a lot cheaper then I thought they would be. So who knows?

[draganm]

Sorry, but $3K is $3K, and the Pearl looks simply fantastic to me for that price, as I'm sure do the Panasonic, Epson and Mitsubishi 1080p FPTVs. You always pursue top quality regardless of price or simplicity, and that is admirable. But comparatively these new "bargain" 1080p FPTVs do set a new price performance standard for home theater use.

no not really, I persue the best picture at a given price point. If had the $6K to blow my Marquee 8500 might come down in exchange for a JVC RS1 ( either that or a 9"LC CRt projector). however, I would not switch my PJ for a Pearl, Epson, or any of those other junkers for $3k. AAMOF, if I was starting from scratch I would still choose a really nice 8" CRT projector over the Pearl.

I am also holding out for more, simply because I have seen such a rapid evolution of the picture quality at the same time that prices have been dropping, but it shouldn't be too long of a wait now.

I can see JVC dropping their prices a little but I don't see a reason why they should slash it to $2K . It looks to me like like they hold the patent on the DILA technology and it's king of the hill bar none. So they don't really have a lot of incentive to make it cheaper. Of course Sony could just steal the technology like they did with the Blue Ray laser and fight it out in court. That's really the only thing they're capable of anyway, marketing with a gaggle of lawyers to back them up. :a> SONY corp.

[Dean McManis]

But you are comparing new projectors against old/used ones.

It's like comparing a used car with a new one.
You can certainly get a great deal buying a used Rolls Royce that costs the same as a new entry-level Lexus, but it's important for a buyer to understand all of the ramifications of buying used, especially with CRT FPTVs.

You understand them and still see the value advantage, but others do not necessarily share the same priorities (and skills) as you do.

There are absolutely no new CRT FPTVs available for anywhere near $3,000, and in fact I don't think that anyone sells new CRT FPTVs in the $6K (RS-1) price range either.

You can get reconditioned/rebuilt ones, but those still usually have 15-20 year old electronics (which cost tons if they break), even if the CRT tubes have been rebuilt.

And of course most CRT FPTVs are going to need a quality scaler too, wheras the new digital 1080p FPTVs have excellent built in scalers, and they take in HD video via HDMI, which is becoming more and more important as far as HD peripherals and HD-DSS goes.

I'm definitely NOT expecting to see JVC drop their RS-1's price down to $3K within a year. In many ways it's surprising to see them coming out with such and impressive FPTV for just $6K today.

I am however expecting to see the next generation of digital 1080p FPTVs capable of producing an equivalent or superior picture to the RS-1, without using iris technology, for under $3K in a year.

And seeing the advances in price-performance over the last year with digital FPTVs, this is not unlikely at all. :T

[Hdale85]

There are now HDMI and DVI cards for many of the CRT projectors. Actually there is a DVI-VGA adapter that accepts 1080p and HDCP protected stuff that works with any CRT projector or display that has VGA without HDCP. Crt projectors are very nice and if I have a dedicated space for a theater anytime soon they are a very viable option for me due to cost to performance. And places like CurtPalme have great customer service and is a very reputable when it comes to shipping/sales/support of CRT projectors. Although having an RS1 would be awesome

[Dean McManis]

Thanks for the info Dougie. :T

I have to admit that I have not kept track of the CRT FPTV market and support peripherals for years now.

It does make sense that somebody would take care to build an electronic rosetta stone to keep CRT FPTVs connected to the newest HDMI HD peripherals. 8)

[draganm]

There are absolutely no new CRT FPTVs available for anywhere near $3,000, and in fact I don't think that anyone sells new CRT FPTVs in the $6K (RS-1) price range either.

true: new CRt pj's cost between $12k and $36K, I could never afford one

You can get reconditioned/rebuilt ones, but those still usually have 15-20 year old electronics (which cost tons if they break), even if the CRT tubes have been rebuilt.

false: the oldest CRT projectors being sold today are about 10 or 111 years old, Very easy and cheap to repair. According to Curt Palme, a typical repair is $350. the excpetion is a rare and compicated sony G90, those can be more.

And of course most CRT FPTVs are going to need a quality scaler too, wheras the new digital 1080p FPTVs have excellent built in scalers, and they take in HD video via HDMI, which is becoming more and more important as far as HD peripherals and HD-DSS goes.

false: and HD fury DVI to RGB transcoder card is a whopping $150. Add a $250. toshiba HD-A2 or $400. blue Ray player and you will really see something to rival even the RS1 :T

I'm definitely NOT expecting to see JVC drop their RS-1's price down to $3K within a year. In many ways it's surprising to see them coming out with such and impressive FPTV for just $6K today. I am however expecting to see the next generation of digital 1080p FPTVs capable of producing an equivalent or superior picture to the RS-1, without using iris technology, for under $3K in a year.And seeing the advances in price-performance over the last year with digital FPTVs, this is not unlikely at all. :T

i'm not so sure, the problem is that as the price keeps dropping the quality does as well to some degree. the JVC has some problems as well with convergence adjustment that's too coarse, bulb output drop-off in the first thousand hours, and Yellow blobs or bands on white scenes. If it breaks outside of warranty, a single repair can approcah %50 of it's retail cost to buy new. Even with it's imperfections it's still a great product and a great value but I would be surprised to see something spank it within a year or two, much less for cheaper $.

[benthx]

Hello Guys

Fairly inactive for a while. First let me identify myself. I am a JVC PRO Dealer located in Australia.

I am happy to answer any questions for the HD1 or RS1 including set up etc......I am very familiar with CIH and this is part of my operations.

I canot talk about prices etc....... but happy to help with true information not skewed by normal sales talk.

Time to give something back to the online communities.

Thanks
Ben

[draganm]

Hello Guys
Fairly inactive for a while. First let me identify myself. I am a JVC PRO Dealer located in Australia.Ben

here in the states the RS1 is about US$6K dollars, a pretty good value. AFAIK, down in Oz it costs AUS$8500. = US$9690.
While the RS1 is an excellent performer, it's still a disposable product that mades to last a few years under everyday use. Somone would have to have a hole in their head to drop $10K on something like that. :lol:

[wildfire99]

If you're paying over $5k for an RS-1 you're paying too much...