JVC RS1 and Sharp XV-Z20000 1080p Projector Comparison Review - General Performance-3

Sharp XV-Z20000 Audible Noise Levels

Those who are audible noise adverse will be unhappy with the Sharp, they might barely tolerate low power mode, but definitely not high power.  Of all the current 1080p home theater projectors reviewed so far, the Sharp is definitely the loudest.

Don’t get me wrong, the Sharp is probably quieter than most home theater projectors of just two or three years ago, but, my point is, there are some very critical of any distraction at all, and the Sharp isn’t for them. The one "amusing thing" is that Sharp, in its brochure touts its quietness. A strange thing for a projector that is likely the noisest in its class. Something similar might be if Volkswagon spoke of the accelleration of their Beatle, as lightning fast. Hmmm!

Review continues below of this advertisement.

JVC DLA-RS1 and Sharp XV-Z20000 Lamp Life and Replacement

Dead tie here. Both projectors claim a 2000 hour lamp life, whether in low lamp or high lamp power. Both projectors allow for the lamp to be replaced without having to remove the projector from its ceiling mount (if you are ceiling mounted, of course that's an issue). There is one advantage however for the Sharp. The JVC, like other 3 chip projectors (mostly LCD), has filters to clean or replace. The Sharp on the other hand, like most single chip DLP projectors, has a sealed light path, and no filter to change. Mind you, this is a fequency issue. Sharp warns that intake or exhaust vents can get clogged (since they don't have filters), and may need to be cleaned. The JVC, on the other hand should have its filter cleaned "regularly" according to its manual. (Now, that is seriously vague).

Some projectors ask for cleaning as frequently as every 100 hours, and others every 1000. From a practical side, my own RS1 has been running over 400 hours, without a filter cleaning, and is still running pretty cool. I figure I'll do a cleaning around 500 hours. Obviously if you have your projector ceiling mounted, getting up there to remove, clean, and reinsert the filter can be a pain. However, the JVC's filter slides right out of the bottom front, takes but a second to remove, and another to replace, plus the time it takes to clean it. For most, this is a minor nuisance, and not something that is going to figure into whether to purchase the RS1 or another projector.