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Highly Recommended Award
Our Highly Recommended designation is earned by products offering extraordinary value or performance in their price class.
JVC has earned a dedicated following of enthusiastic videophiles who eagerly await news of their latest home theater projectors, all built around JVC's proprietary D-ILA light engines. Every year, due to the company's glowing track record for performance, a standing backlog of orders always needs to be filled before they can get around to issuing samples for review.
JVC's newly released 1080p home theater projectors for this fall include the DLA-RS15 ($5,495), the DLA-RS25 ($7,995), and the DLA-RS35 ($9,995). These models are also being marketed by JVC's Consumer Products Division as the HD550, HD950, and HD990) This review will focus on the RS25 (HD950). To put things into perspective, the differences between the three models are these:
Contrast specs: The RS15 is rated at 32,000:1, the RS25 is 50,000:1, and the RS35 is 70,000:1.
Lumen specs: The RS15 is rated at 1000 lumens, and the RS25 and RS35 are 900 lumens.
THX Certification, ISF Calibration modes, VGA input terminal, and Color Management System (CMS): The RS25 and RS35 have all of these, the RS15 has none of them.
Manual Aperture: The RS25 and RS35 each have 16 steps between maximum and minimum settings, and the RS15 has three steps.
Warranty: The RS35 has a three year warranty; the other two models come with two years.
In short, there isn't much difference at all between the RS25 and RS35. The RS25 is basically an RS35 with slightly lower full on/off contrast and a two-year warranty.
Features in common between all three models include a powered 2.0x zoom/focus lens, powered lens shift, Clear Motion Drive (frame interpolation), custom gamma adjustments, anamorphic vertical stretch, screen correction modes, and an automatically retracting lens cover. The connection panel on the side of the unit offers two HDMI 1.3 inputs, one component, one S-video, one composite, an RS-232c port, and a 12 volt trigger to activate an anamorphic lens sled. (The two higher priced models also have a VGA port that is missing on the RS15). All three models look identical, in elegant glossy black casework, and they all weigh 24.7 lbs.
The JVC DLA-RS25 (a.k.a. HD950)
Brightness: With some vendors quoting up to 2000 lumens or higher for 1080p models, many buyers get concerned with a model that is rated at only 900 lumens. And the fact is, if you are looking for a super bright home entertainment projector you can use with the lights on, there are other models that will do that better and cheaper than the RS25. But if you are interested in replicating the commercial movie theater experience in a classic dark home theater, the JVC models are plenty bright. In fact their Cinema modes are actually brighter than comparable Cinema modes on several competing units that have much higher ANSI lumen ratings.
On our RS25 test unit, we measured Dynamic mode at 841 lumens. Other precalibrated modes available include THX, Cinema 1, Cinema 2, Cinema 3, Natural, and Stage. All six of these measured between 750 and 800 lumens. While they don't vary much in light output, they do vary in color temp, saturation, and gamma presets. For dark theater viewing, our preference was to start with the Cinema 1 mode and tweak it up a bit to get the best picture quality from the RS25 that it is capable of (more on this below).
All of those lumen readings were taken with the zoom lens at widest angle, the manual aperture wide open, and the lamp setting on high. Changing any of these reduces lumen output. With respect to the zoom lens effect, there was a paltry 24% drop in brightness when moving from maximum wide angle to maximum telephoto. This is the least loss of light we've seen on a 2.0x zoom lens; we typically see loss of about 40% on a zoom lens of this range. Moreover, if you set the lens to the zoom's midpoint, which is its optical sweetspot, it loses only 9% from its wide angle position. Excellent!
Switching the lamp power from High to Normal cuts light output by 31%, which is a bit more of a drop than we see on most lamp power adjustments (typical reductions are in the 20% to 25% range). The shift in lamp power cuts the THX mode from 758 to 519 lumens, which is still plenty of light for a 120" screen.
The projector's factory default is to Normal lamp mode, and at this setting the expected lamp life is 3000 hours. Operating in High lamp mode reduces anticipated life to 2000 hours. The retail price of a replacement lamp is $399, which is typical for this class of projector.
Fan noise in Normal mode is extremely quiet. We'd call it on the verge of silent. When in High lamp mode, fan noise is more noticeable. It is a low frequency whir that shouldn't bother anyone, unless they are sitting right next to the projector. The loudest fan noise you will ever encounter is with lamp power on High and the High Altitude setting on. Here fan noise becomes apparent, but even in this situation it is not objectionable due to its relatively low frequency.
Other than zoom lens placement and lamp power setting, your third way to control light output is with the manual aperture. At wide open, you can get the brightness discussed above. But each click of the aperture control will close it down and curtail light output by about 3 to 4%. Closing it down all 16 steps reduces brightness to 45% of what it was when the aperture was wide open. This is a great tool for adjusting light output to exactly what you need for the screen size and screen gain you are working with. As far as I can recall, JVC projectors are the only models that have this feature.
Contrast. The RS25 is rated at 50,000:1, and the RS35 at 70,000:1. There is no difference in the projectors except for the fact that the RS35's components have been cherry picked to squeeze a bit of extra contrast out of them. We don't have an RS35 here to do a side by side visual comparison, but we would expect the difference to be a slightly blacker black on the RS35. However, the difference couldn't possibly be dramatic, since the RS25 already has the blackest black levels of any projector we've yet seen, including the Epson 8500 which is rated at 200,000:1.
Regardless of contrast specs, what everyone wants to know is how the RS25 actually looks on screen compared to competing 1080p projectors like the Epson 8500 or the Panny AE4000. There is no simple answer to this. The RS25 looks either higher in contrast, or lower in contrast, or equal in contrast to these competing units, depending on the average light level and dynamic range of the scene being projected at the moment. In a dark scene with highlights (a cityscape at night for example), or a scene with a lot of pure black with relatively few highlights (say, rolling credits or the Sony Pictures logo), the RS25 looks higher in contrast than any of its competitors. With this type of material the very deep blacks of the RS25 are riveting.
As the amount of black in the scene is reduced and average light level is increased, the RS25 loses its advantage. In some scenes it looks identical in contrast to the 8500UB or the AE4000. In brighter scenes with sufficient dynamic range, the 8500 UB, and particularly the AE4000, can look higher in contrast. Thus, none of these projectors beats their competition in contrast performance all of the time. Each has certain types of material at which it excels relative to the others.
However, this much is true: when the scene is of average light level and moderate to high dynamic range, the difference in apparent contrast between the RS25 and its competitors is not dramatic. Though the 8500UB and the AE4000 surpass the RS25, the difference is not anything that most viewers would consider to be huge. On the other hand, when it comes to scenes with lots of black, the RS25's advantage over its competition is much more evident. All of these models look very solid standing alone, and it is only when they are placed side by side in a dark viewing space that the differences become apparent.
THX Mode. The THX certification is intended to indicate conformance to industry standards including D65 color temperature, 2.2 gamma, and Rec.709 color gamut. In theory, two projectors operating in a "THX certified" mode should look the same, at least in color balance, since they are supposed to be calibrated to the same standards. However, when setting the RS25 and the Epson 8500 side by side with both in their respective THX modes, the pictures are different in color balance. So despite the impression of perfection you might draw from the THX logo, don't assume that the THX mode on every projector is perfectly calibrated and couldn't benefit from a bit of adjustment.
With regard to the RS25, the THX mode on our sample is biased slightly toward yellow/green. This cannot be adjusted since color temperature controls are locked out in THX mode. Furthermore, color saturation looks low at the factory default setting of zero. However, this can be adjusted. The HD color bar pattern indicated that a +11 setting for color saturation was accurate, and we preferred the picture that the RS25 delivered at this setting.
Extensive color calibration and gamma adjustment controls are available on all other operating modes on the RS25. This projector is capable of delivering a magnificent picture once it is fine tuned. Given its price of $7,999, a professional calibration is pocket change in comparison, and well worth the incremental investment.
Clear Motion Drive. JVC's implementation of frame interpolation, Clear Motion Drive, works extremely well for live performance subject matter in 1080p/60. If you are watching a Cirque du Soleil performance or Swan Lake Ballet on Blu-ray, or the Eagles Farewell I Tour on HD-DVD (will they ever get around to releasing this masterpiece on Blu-ray?!), the RS25's picture shows a real boost in clarity and depth with Clear Motion Drive activated. And even more good news ... there are absolutely zero artifacts to contend with. The picture simply looks more pure, details pop with more clarity, the stage looks more three-dimensional, and one gets the sense that the actors have a more immediate presence. With subject matter that has a lot of motion, the benefit is particularly obvious as motion blur is reduced. But even subject matter that has little motion, B.B. King in concert while seated in his chair for example, or Dianna Krall at the piano, there is a subtle but genuine sense of increased reality. The so-called "digital video" effect from frame interpolation that doesn't look so good in movies works to great advantage with this type of material. You want the impression of being in the same room with the performers. If you are watching any live performance material in 1080p/60 on the RS25, turn Clear Motion Drive on High for the best possible picture quality.
Clear Motion Drive also has a tangible beneficial effect on HD sports broadcasts as far as reduced motion blur is concerned. But with other types of material it is less successful. Most of the time there is little visible benefit to using it on standard def DVDs that are upscaled to 1080p/60 by the player. The picture looks about the same either way on many DVDs, with a slight bit of improved clarity on some.
Clear Motion Drive does not work well on 24 fps film sources being transmitted in 24p. There are simply too many distracting artifacts to make it usable. When it comes to movies, it is the least successful of the frame interpolation systems we have seen on home theater projectors. We preferred to leave it off for this type of material.
Placement, throw distance and lens shift flexibility. All of the JVC models just released throw a 120" diagonal image from a distance of between 12 and 24 feet. For the optical sweetspot of the lens, a throw of between 16 and 20 feet is ideal. If you want seats at about 1.33x the screen width, they would be at 11.5 feet from the screen, so the projector would be comfortably behind the audience. The vertical lens shift covers a total span of 2.6 picture heights, and horizontal shift is a maximum of 1.7 picture widths.
Though it is easy to ceiling mount this projector (and most users probably will), ideally we would prefer to place it on an open shelf above and behind the audience and use the least amount of lens shift as possible. If a rear wall mount is considered, keep in mind that the unit itself is 19" long, and a rear clearance of 8" from a wall is required for proper heat dissipation. This means the front of the projector will extend out 27" from the wall. So a typical bookshelf installation is not in the cards.
A note on the Air Filter. In addition to maximizing optical performance, shelf mounting also makes it easier to access the air filter for periodic cleaning. JVC recommends this be done "regularly" but does not specify beyond that. This filter is fragile and needs to be washed carefully and air dried before putting it back in the projector. Vacuuming the filter is not an option, as it will damage the material.
Competition
The most direct competitor to the JVC RS25 is the Sony VPL-VW85, priced at $7,999. Both of these are LCoS-based projectors. JVC calls it D-ILA and Sony calls it SXRD, but these terms are marketing names for their respective implementations of LCoS technology.
Another new 1080p model in the same price range is the Optoma HD8600. That model has just arrived, and we have yet to do any side by side work with these two models.
Since the Sony VW85 has not yet arrived, we have no way to compare them visually, but we will be working on the HD8600 this week. In the meantime, here is a comparison chart of basic features which lists the data that we have on these three models at this point in time.
When it comes to comparing the RS25 to lower priced models such as the Epson 8500UB, the Mitsubishi HC6800, and the Panasonic AE4000, the big question of course is, "What do you get for the extra cash?" The RS25's most obvious advantage over all of the lower priced models is superior black level. In scenes with a lot of black, the RS25 stands clearly in a class of its own. It also has very bright Cinema modes, the brightness of which can be fine-tuned with the manual iris. I don't recall any of the other lower priced models having this feature.
When setting the RS25 against another unit on the same shelf and projecting the same distance, it will usually show a brighter image than a competing model that is also set in its optimum cinema mode. Part of this is due to its inherently bright cinema modes, and part is due to the limited amount of light loss from its zoom compared to the zooms on, say the 8500 or the AE4000. These lumen differences can be mitigated to some degree with proper installation, so it is important to take them into account if you happen to encounter a side by side comparison.
In terms of general picture quality with HD source material, the comparisons become a bit more murky. Despite its superior black level, the RS25 is not the hands down winner in all situations. Lower priced models have become extremely competitive with high priced 1080p projectors. The Panny AE4000, while not as bright in comparable cinema modes, shows higher contrast and somewhat greater picture depth in many average scenes. It has a smoothness and clarity that the RS25 can match but cannot surpass. And the AE4000's frame interpolation system is head and shoulders above that of the RS25 for 24p source material.
We are continuing to do side by side comparisons, and more will be written on this as we develop the material.
Conclusion
The JVC DLA-RS25 is another beautiful projector in the JVC tradition. It puts out a superb image with the deepest blacks of any digital projector we've ever seen. Its bright cinema modes, and the ability to fine tune their light output with a precision manual iris, makes it an ideal choice for a variety of rooms and screen sizes. Though the Clear Motion Drive does not do well with 24 fps movie material, is it not really meant to. Clear Motion Drive works beautifully with HD sports as well as a variety of live performance subjects in 1080p/60, and there are many 1080p home theater projectors that don't have this feature at all.
JVC's challenge is simply that of price. Historically speaking, the $7,995 price tag is eminently reasonable for a projector of this caliber. And the RS25 certainly is a step forward in quality beyond the RS20 that it replaces. The challenge is that image quality in the lower priced 1080p projectors has gotten extremely competitive. The leap in price from $2500 to $8000 does not buy a quantum leap in image quality. But if you have the cash and the desire to see the deepest black levels possible on your home screen, the RS25, or perhaps the RS35, are the clear choices. In this regard, nothing in the lower priced options comes close.
For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our JVC DLA-RS25U projector page.
That is a huge price to pay for some increased black levels...
This should not come as a surprise as we have seen this in other electronics such as receivers and speakers. The higher end will, however often still be the last word in certain areas of performance and may introduce technologies that will later drift down to the more affordable, although the latter is also becoming less of a rule. Regardless, it is heartening to see that for the average enthusiast; he or she can enjoy say + 90% of the best's performance, at a fraction of the best's cost.
Besides if you value black levels that much, you should get a CRT projector anyway, since any good CRT will still beat the JVC RS25 (and even the RS35) in that area, especially in brighter scenes...
Hard to believe anyone into HT would actually use FI for movies, FI is a great feature for higher framerate material, such as sports, or HDTV broadcasts. But it looks extremely bad on live action movies, but to each his own...
@Bjorn No... think about it for a bit. JVC is better where it matters the most, and it's not a slight difference, it's a very noticeable one. Why would they lower their price when there's absolutely no other manufacturer that can match even their discontinued products? An old RS10 B stock model that was going for around 2k not too long ago outperforms any of the new LCD's, JVC is pretty safe. The PT-AE4000 could be even cheaper, and some people still would never pick it over any JVC offering (even an RS1 outperforms it where it counts: picture quality) The fact is, Panasonic, or Epson don't have much influence over the pricing of JVC. JVC on the other hand, has a lot of the "premium" projector manufacturers quite worried, and have made those guys drop their prices a lot.
So, basically, JVC isn't aiming for people on a tight budget, and there seem to be more than enough people willing to pay a premium for the best, and in their eyes it could actually be seen as quite a bargain, considering only a few years ago you had to pay more than 20,000 for the high end stuff.
I've seen you post something similar over at Art's blog, and i can tell that you're the first guy not to be convinced by your own argument, since you keep wanting for JVC to drop their price so you can just pick it over the Panasonic. If you truly believe they are that close in performance why even talk about JVC all the time, get a Panny 4k and be done with it?
I think we both know the answer to that one, they are not close, and this isn't a product like say... a box of chocolates, where you would expect to pay about 2x the price, for 2x the chocolate.
It's like comparing a Corvette Z06 to an Infiniti G37. Yeah, the Z06 is much faster than the G37 but the G37 is fast enough and in most situations you can't take advantage of the Z06 speed. However, the G37 has convenient features that the Z06 does not have that you can use in the real world like a backup camera to help you park, and a gearbox that can be used to similate a stick shift like the Z06 but gives you the convenience of an automatic when on hills etc.
The Panny and Epson gives you real world contrast that you see in most scenes, but the JVC gives you that pop on occassions (like on an empty highway with the Z06) when the scenes are extremely dark. Give me real world driveability and convenience at a lower cost.
Based on the review, it appears the Epson and Panny deliver a superior picture for standard DVDs to the JVC when their FI system is engaged with their sharpening enhancement features. So, if Standard DVD's look better on the Epson and the Panny than on the JVC, and they all look great with live HD broadcast material and sports and I assume animated movies with their high light scenes will look just as good or not better on the Epson and the Panny than on the JVC, then why would anyone pay an extra $6K for the JVC to get an upgrade in picture quality in dark scenes only? I expect to see a huge difference in picture quality for an extra $6K! For an extra $6K, the JVC should have the superior FI systems that work best and enhances the picture quality of standard DVDs and not the lower end models. The JVC contrast should be superior in all scenes and not just dark scenes for the extra cash. Hey, if you have an extra $6k to dish out for superior black levels in dark scenes more power to you.
Could it be because you are a JVC owner yourself, worried that your projector will drop in resale value? It certainly seems that way.
For the record, I'm not on a tight budget, I'm a value concerned consumer who WILL not pay 2-3x the money for 0.9 to 1.5x the performance, which btw is where I believe the price should be as well, at the very least for the RS15 model. Like I already said, if all you want is the absolute best black levels then you should buy a 9" CRT anyway, not a JVC LCOS.
The Epson has superior black levels than the Panny, but you need more black material to notice. The same can be said of the JVC, and indeed Evan made a similiar comment when comparing these 3 projectors. He even said that both the Epson and the Panny appeared to be higher in contrast in lighter scenes or about the same in moderately light scenes. the JVC only stood out in the darker scenes.
Lastly, Evan appears to be fair in his comparisons, so when he said the Panny's picture quality could be equal, but not exceeded by the JVC, why would I doubt him. And when you throw in a standard DVD the Panny and the Epson will beat the JVC in picture quality. There are people (including myself) with a huge collection of standard DVDs. All that other stuff you said about being frustrated with the Panny and it's auto iris feature and the dark scenes etc.; make you sound like you're from JVC and collecting a pay check.
After 2 more generations, how is the JVC, Panny, Epson compare to those state of the art USD 30K projector just 2 years ago. Any chance getting close ?
Man, I remember that guy about to shelter 30K for the SIMS at that time after seeing the demo.
On the other hand, every single one of us have watched Blade Runner and grimaced and the dull grey imagery. Lack of good black level just sticks out like a sore thumb, especially since most of us have some sort of truly black material surrounding our screens as a constant reference point of what a REALLY black image would look like.
So yes, black level performance gets a lot of attention because it's probably the #1 image fault so easily identified nearly every time we watch something (although this only applies to people watching in pitch-black rooms).
Most movies have dark scenes in them... I mean what movie doesn't really? It's in those scenes that the JVC blows your mind. Is it worth another 4k... I don't know, but it sure makes it difficult to spend the $2500 that could go towards the JVC on something else.
As for me I could buy the more affordable HD8200 which looks great on it's own but I just can't do it now, not after seeing the JVC. I guess I'll just wait till I have the money or the price goes down, open box return maybe?
I almost felt that I was not spending enough when I heard what the AE4000 cost. But after reading the comments on the JVC I believe I am making the right choice.
Lets face it in two years all of these models will be replaced by much better ones and to upgrade $8k every few years to get the best of what the market has to offer is going to get very expensive.
Get my drift..
No comments since early November? I find that odd.
I've finally calibrated two RS25s and one 35...and have to say that Evan nailed this review (in SO many ways), but I've got two cents more.
Everyone is harping on there being 'only' increased black levels when that is indeed NOT the case. But if it WERE the only difference, for those who want to get lost in their image...drawn in as if looking through a window...mesmerized into that suspension of disbelief...it is the MOST important aspect of a projector's performance.
I've been around high end CRT projectors for well over fifteen years, and have been really unhappy with most fixed-pixel projectors until now. (there have been few exceptions, but I simply cannot endorse anything more expensive than $10,000 with good conscience, unless the client 'needs' an anamorphic lens option or a curved screen) I simply could not watch them for very long...their milky-gray shadows and inconsistent color temperatures across the spectrum have ALWAYS distracted me from full immersion. There was always something to destroy the illusion I ENJOYED with 8 and 9-inch CRTS properly setup.
In high-traffic situations, especially here in Michigan (until this month's smoking ban) where restaurant and bar projectors quickly fill with dust and worse, any NON-sealed lightpath is sure to be a problem. Same at home with smokers, too...and if the filter gets clogged and the imager overheats, the whole thing is toast.
Bad enough even THIS thing has a filter that needs maintenance, because MOST of us will forget. Same with the damn bulb replacement until it fails the night before the biggest video event of the year (damn that Murphy and his law). When are those LED projectors supposed to happen? I've been waiting since meeting the genius behind the PhlatLight LEDs back in...what...2002?!
The lens of this JVC projector is more than a winner, but I didn't have the body of data to compare...HUGE kudos to Evan and his team for putting this unit in perspective with the rest of the industry.
I wonder if the inconsistency in THX performance between manufacturers can be explained away by an older bulb in the other unit (because they chance color output over time) or by different calibration equipment (although THX would have some spec for that, I'd hope!) or simply inconsistent HUMANS at the trigger.
I'd like to mention that this is the first projector I've seen with the tiny screw next to the HDMI jacks to secure the fine locking HDMI cables from suppliers like Key Digital. I'd like to see MORE suppliers do this, or some enterprising person create a small support harness that can take the strain off the HUGE plugs that we are now seeing with imbedded LEDs for HDMI signal status.
There is MORE than enough justification, btw, for 'high-end' clients to pop for the 35. It had slightly better convergence between the panels (although I'd LOVE to see many more fine points in this adjustment, there always seems to be a half-pixel error or slightly more)...but the hand-picking of components, manual calibration, AND extra year of warranty (not from some fly-by-night organization that will teach YOU the real meaning of 'lifetime') all serve to add value to this chassis.
But to be honest, I only was able to 'upsell' my recommendations to my friend/client when the distributor had a special that allowed it to be sold for only $1,000 more...he could justify even $1,500 for the differences but the full $2,000 retail bump was just enough of a barrier...and with time on two 25s, it is likely that I'd buy the lesser one, too...unless that 'sale' comes back!
But since I have nearly full access to his 35...I don't have to spend the money just yet. It IS mesmerizing enough for me to not be able to turn it off. I cannot say that about ANY other non-CRT projector I've ever witnessed until now...but my standards are well-calibrated!
Cheers and more, John Gadfly and Rogue Philosopher
You won't be able to watch anything else, trust me ! And it will be VERY frustrating to watch a dynamic iris contrast image after that.
