Home Theater Projector Review: JVC DLA-RS2 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons

Another serious competitor is Optoma's HD81-LV, the brightest of the home theater projectors (excluding the 3 chip DLP projectors). It is far brighter than even the JVC, producing about twice as many lumens in best mode. While the JVC is excellent out of the box, the Optoma needs tuning. The Optoma is particularly good at producing an image that is rich looking, and especially on dark scenes produces a picture with a lot of depth. In that regard, I'd give it a slight edge over the RS2. The JVC, however is the more film-like. The Optoma is less transparent, in that its image seems a little hard by comparison. Unfortunately for Optoma it is about the most limited projector, in terms of placement flexibility, with only a 1.2:1 zoom lens, and no lens shift. It also possesses a large offset, so for larger screens you also need taller ceilings. The JVC wins hands down in that area. The Optoma HD81-LV is less of a direct competitor, than an alternative for those needing maximum brightness.

Perhaps the biggest threat to RS2 sales, however, is the RS1. So far JVC is keeping the RS1 in the lineup, and right now the price spread at MSRP is $2500. The RS1 is only $5495 in the US, vs $7995 for the RS2. While the RS2 may have the advantage in black levels, the RS1 is the brighter of the two models.

Overall, the quality of all of the 1080p projectors is really very good, even the most entry level. The JVC RS2, however is a significant step up