Home Theater Projector Reviews: JVC DLA-RS1, A 1080p LCOS projector

Posted on February 8, 2007 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

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JVC DLA-RS1U Specs
Price	6995
Technology	LCoS
Native Resolution	1920x1080
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim)	700
Contrast	15,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio	2:1
Lens Shift	Yes
Lamp Life	2000 hours
Weight	25.5
Warranty	2 years Parts and Labor

JVC DLA-RS1, A 1080p LCOS projector - OverviewOur Hot Product Award

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I might as well ruin the suspense. As many of you know from reading my reviews, there are so many variables, potential strengths, weaknesses, special features, etc., that there is never likely to be one perfect projector better than all others, at everything. That is especially true, if we are not looking at the ultimate high end home theater projectors with prices from $40,000 and up! With that in mind:

The JVC RS1, simply, is, overall, the best home theater projector I have seen, under $10,000. The RS1 is the sixth of the eight 1080p projectors currently shipping, that I've reviewed, but I'm also including the Epson Cinema 1080p which will be the next 1080p projector review, and which I have seen close-up. (The 8th projector is the SIM2 D80, which I hope to review in April.)

To read about the new up-and-coming JVC projectors, check out our blog.

The RS1 has a $6295 MSRP, putting it in the same general pricing range as the Optoma HD81, and BenQ W10000, but a couple thousand dollars more than the other serious LCOS 1080p projector, Sony's VW50 - the Pearl, which is $4995 MSRP, but well discounted. Unlike the other projectors, JVC does not have any authorized online resellers, but prefers to sell through traditional, "local" home theater dealers.

The RS1 projector is a three chip LCOS design. JVC has been marketing LCOS technology projectors (LCOS is a type of LCD display, LCOS standing for Liquid Crystal On Silicon. LCOS is a reflective technology, like DLP, whereas traditional LCDs are transmissive (light passes through them). JVC has been selling LCOS projectors for many years under their D-iLA trademark. Some Sony projectors, like the VW50 Pearl, and VW100 Ruby, are also LCOS, although Sony calls their version SXRD.

The JVC RS1 certainly has the best image quality of the seven 1080p projectors I have had a close look at.

That doesn't mean the RS1 is the best projector for you, there are still trade-offs, of course, but this projector is, overall, "a cut above".

I will say this up front. The RS1 has the best black levels I have ever seen on a fixed pixel projector. It still can't match the "perfect" blacks of a CRT, but is a magnitude closer than any other projector that I can think of.

I'll get into all of this in the image quality and performance sections. For now, however, here are the basic facts on the RS1.