Want to buy a new projector.

I'm waiting for a reasonably priced LED projector.

JVC makes great units....sorry I have a Runco dealer down the road and simply have never viewed one from their budget to extreme offerings that justified anywhere near the expense. Sony, JVC, Mitsubishi all make models as good for the average theater guy for way more reasonable prices.

Check out Panasonic PT AE400O - I was amazed. Far better than any LCD TV. Great blacks. Great warm color. Moderately bight and needs a dark room for a large screen to perform at best ....but I think this projector is one of the first few modern units to come out that finally compete with old generation projectors in the 20K+ range.

I watched the market for about five years and only switched once these mid priced units became good enough.

FWIW - have a $1,000 42" LCD 1080P Sharp Aquos flat screen and it is the biggest piece of crap I ever bought. I hated the damn thing from day one - absolutely terrible blacks...teh projector beats it by an order of magnitude even though it covers a 120 Inch screen!!!

I will never ever by anything made by Sharp ever again. They use false marketing with contrast claims that are totally bogus.

I second the 4000 it prooves there is no need to spend a pile of money to really enjoy a great projector its great for LCD, I prefer LcOS some prefer DLP but point is there no reason to spend thousands upon thousands. As cheap as its all gone it amazes me more folks have not adopted the large screen experience.

I agree with Chadnliz, regarding the need to spend big bucks on a 1080p projector. You can get a simply stunning image from many of the sub $2500 units on the market right now, and black level as good as it gets for less than $4k on the streets, starting with the JVC pieces. Once calibrated properly, I seriously doubt anyone could quible the difference in performance vs price at these ranges.
Runco makes some very good products, but for the money?...your payin big mark up for the name and reputation here.

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My home theater crazed buddy says the Epson 8350 is the one to get.

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Epson 8700 has strengths over Pana 4000...both are great.

Chadnliz...I've owned the panny 4000u. I also had an epson 8350 for a short while (had some discoloration issues, so dumped it. What strenghts do you see in 8700 over 4000? Any actual experience with these two projectors?

I though Epson had to me a slight more film like image, less of that pop that can verge on too strong. Thats just me plus blacks IMO were a bit better or more to what I like. Pana 4000 is great for sure and some complain of bulb life on Epson but both are very solid values that underscore that you simply dont need to spend huge amounts of cash for a truely great big screen experience.

I bought the Panasonic PT AE4000, really happy with it. I did however find when I became a Screen Innovations dealer I brough in a Black Diamond screen for the demo room and wow that improved the picture 30%, needless to say it has been in my home ever since. I sugest not killing the buget on the projector but like audio, look at the system as a whole.

If you like that really brigh white pop look at a DLP projector.

SI BD screens are great for viewing in lighted conditions, and improving black level and contrast of images, no doubt! What I do NOT like from the technology is the "shimmery highlights" the screen produces when bright material, white fields, etc are displayed. It's a bit distracting, and not transparant to the source, IMO. Trade-offs....

Thanks for the suggestions about the Epson and the Panasonic I will look into them. I have found lower cost projectors do not produce film like images with good depth of field, They usually look like TV quality images. That's why I have purchased projectors high in the cost range.

Look into JVC LcOS for sure, a bit more but still way more reasonable than Runco.

Agree with doing the JVC. After viewing Runco they are great but IMO a lot of the same viewing experience can be found in JVC's and other units at a lower cost than most Runco's.

JVC is a great projector and if you don't mind doing used, there are always the top of the line from last year that are steller performers for the money. The newest thing on the new models is 3D which personally I never cared for but to each their own.

Also look at Sim if you like high end DLP offerings. The Runco's you are looking at with the color wheels are DLP's and can be a different feel compared to the Panny model.

I've owned a few Epsons and enjoyed them but prefer the look of the JVC as I think its more natural and also gives me a feel of being the most theater-like image possible.

Also regardless of what you get, get it calibrated for the best. JVC's can look good out of the box but can always be improved upon.

I have owned the panasonic 4000 since it first came out. It was an upgrade from an Infocus 4805 and it have not disappointed me at all. 1080p is amazing.

Cant go wrong with the 4000 no doubt! I had a Pana 1000 and was gonna get the 4000 but a $10k Sony LcOS fell into my lap for $750 and it didnt even have 200 original hrs on it so couldnt say no.

The JVC's are to beat.

Try the FAVI-Rio LED projector it has all current technology with HDMI/blu-Ray and 20,000 hour bulb life.

Hi, I bought one of the last Pioneer Ellite Projectors before they were discontinued. It's a rebadged JVC, it's a killer projector, I had 2 sony's before and it's no contest.

I'd highly recommend checking them out before you make a final decision.

Have a look at the JVC projector line up.
They make great projectors and on a price vs performance are hard to beat for PQ.
You will love the picture, run silent and have a great reputation.
When I was looking to replace my present projector the JVC was at the top of my list.
Good luck,

Be careful with the current JVCs.The RS50s are known to have lamp life and brightness issues. A lot of the owners are dumping them for something else.

If you like DLP..then a Sharp ZX17000, Benq W6000, Vivitek H5080 or Infocus SP8602 are your best bets below $4000. The Optoma 8600/8700 retails for a bit more since it has very high quality lenses to choose from.

By going with the 3 chip projectors, you're going to lose the razor sharpness that only a single chip DLP can do, so keep that in mind.That's unless you get a very expensive 3 Chip DLP. Bright scene POP is another strong point of DLP. DLPs still rule in motion..no other tech can match them as yet. The LCOS rule in black levels for the darkest scenes. LCDs fall along the same lines as LCOS but not as refined..They look more like big LCD TVs on the wall.

There's a trade off with all techs LCD,LCOS and DLP. Most that like DLP don't have the same feeling after viewing certain LCD or LCOS projectors. It is a different look and feel. Some people can't see the difference. You sound like some one that can..better stick with DLP if you can.

Using a simple phrase to describe the difference from LCD to DLP , it is like comparing a painting to a window. The DLP looks like a window, the LCD a painting..no depth IMO.
LCOS projectors like Sony and JVC have a softness to them, as does the Panasonic AE4000, which uses a smooth screen technology. If you're into razor sharp images..then stick with a Runco LS5 or one of the DLPs listed above.

Good luck with your hunt!

I have purchased the JVC RS50.
Will comment on it after it is calibrated.
Thanks to all.

Congrats ! I am sure you'll love it!

I have a question on your sources. Do you like your meridian or oppo better for your projector? I got rid of my DVD player (Esoteric DV50) and I kind of miss it. Been doing Direct TV pay per view and the sound going via by DCS.

You maybe like both...Oppo for blu ray and Meridian for regular dvd. I've seen a few of the Meridians going for a very nice price used....

Thanks !

I like the image better from the Oppo. I kept the Meridian for DVDA, I have around 30 audio disks. It sounds better than any other DVDA player for DVDA disks I have tried including the Oppo into my G68. Plus I cannot get enough money for it if I sell it, so I will keep it for now.

I think the picture on the Oppo 95 is great, but I am not crazy about the movie sound. The player is too lean and detailed for my taste. I like a more natural sound. Yes I am using HDMI not analog outputs.