Review of Competing 3D Front Projectors using active glasses

TheForce

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Oct 13, 2003
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I went to the CES show in hopes of seeing a JVC 3D projector to evaluate for my purchase. This was their $4500 model the RS40-X3. It was on display but they only demoed their Flagship model that sells for $11000, the X9 in the series.

I also saw demos on 3 others, the Sony which sells for $10000, The Samsung that sells for $10,000 and the Sharp, which competes price-wise with the JCV X3 at $4500.

Here is what I saw-

Overall PQ in 3D was based on image brightness, color saturation, detail, and ghosting. None of the projectors had observable ghosting that used active glasses.

From best to worst:

1. Sony and Samsung are tied for first place mainly due to very high quality, bright and colorful image. Has 2D to 3D conversion feature. Accurate color and 3D depth is very solid like with no observable ghosting and artifacts. Screen in use was a 1.4 gain white for both. Sony is out now and Samsung is available in April as I recall.

2. The JVC X9 at $11000 was a second place mainly due to the limited demo being a video clip that was dark and lacked bright color. I'm sure it is capable but JVC chose not to demo this quality. However, as a dark image goes, the PQ was very good with excellent detail in the blacks. The screen was a Black Diamond. Available now.

In the lower price budget I saw one which was demoed by Sharp at $4500. The image PQ was equal to the Samsung at twice the price. However, the lack of projector features made this projector of questionable usability for many.
The projector has manual zoom and focus, but lacks lens offset which is a serious limitation for home theater viewing using ceiling mount, unless you like sitting with having to look upward at the screen. This makes my neck tired so I have my screen near the floor with ceiling mount and this requires a lens offset feature in the projector. There is a way around this but it would require the use of keystone adjustment and a compromise in the focus from top to bottom. If you buy this you will need to mount the projector dead center of the screen height and width. IMO, this is a huge mistake on their part to leave this out, even if a manual adjustment. Also, this Projector lacks a dust filter and could be prone to dust shadows in the image over prolonged use.
Good price and good quality picture but the lack of features makes this a risky projector.

As I said, the JVC X3 was not demoed but if my budget was restricted to $4500 then the JVC would be the choice. Note: the JVC requires purchase of glasses and 3D sensor extra. The Sharp comes with built in sensor and 2 pair of active glasses.
 
Got my JVC yesterday. Haven't hung it up yet as I need some pieces for the mount to work. I did try it sitting on a bunch of boxes, though. It is plenty bright (almost too bright). Tried parts of Guardians (dark) and Avatar. Picture was amazing. Can't wait to get it mounted.

S~
 
Got my JVC yesterday. Haven't hung it up yet as I need some pieces for the mount to work. I did try it sitting on a bunch of boxes, though. It is plenty bright (almost too bright). Tried parts of Guardians (dark) and Avatar. Picture was amazing. Can't wait to get it mounted.

S~

Looking forward to your review! ;)
 
Today I wanted to zero in on the right choice of projector for me. After running back and forth from the Samsung demo to the Sony demo, I finally made the decision-

If I am going to spend $10K to get what I want, I will go with the Sony- Reasons:

Both are equally as bright in 2D and 3D
Sony had a smoother delivery and the contrast was superior, even to the X9 at JVC. 240 HZ vs. 120 for the JVC and Samsung.
Sony and Samsung both offer 2D to 3D conversion
Sony comes with 2 pair of glasses and has been shipping from stock in NJ warehouse for awhile now.


If my budget can't stand the $10k for personal reasons, the only acceptable option is the JVC X3 but I want more reports and screen shots before I spend $4500 less discounts. Lets just say that the demo of the X9 ( $11K) upon seeing it 4 times did not excite me while the demo of the Sony impressed me more each time.

Making a decision is hard but I prefer to have options rather than only one out there to buy.


I understand there is to be an Epson out soon too.
 
mike123abc said:
The reviews of Sony vs JVC DILA go back and forth. Both are considered excellent.

Mike. While I admit I prefer Sony camcorders, I am totally neutral on the monitors. Unfortunately there is no single perfect one that I have seen.
 

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