JVC DLA-RS15 – Review Summary

JVC DLA-RS15 Projector - The Bottom Line

Which means the JVC RS15 really looks great, and if it doesn’t, it’s more likely the fault of the disc you put in, than the JVC projector (You can always use the Blu-ray of The Fifth Element, as a good reference disc.)

Yes there is a slight green blue shift in the very dark areas that you might spot on dark scenes if looking for it, but it really is most noticeable in a side by side, not during normal viewing. I believe I’m trying to say, the flaws are slight, don’t get worked up over them.

Some enthusiasts who like to play, and do their own calibrations will, not be as happy with the RS15 as they would with other JVC’s and some competitors, because of the lack of a full color management system. Less toys to play with.

One more time: The JVC RS15, overall, has a nice and vibrant look to the picture. It looks lively, without, in any way, seeming over the top. A fun picture? That might work to describe it. For the RS15 I like that term vibrant, over “pop and wow”. Vibrant plugs into the same sentence as “natural” a lot better than “pop and wow” and “natural” go together.

Overall, the picture is nicely refined, with those really pretty skin tones. A very natural looking projector, The RS15 is fourth generation of the projector that literally rewrote the standards for great dark scene performance. If we all didn’t know that there were more expensive JVCs, the RS15 might be considered by many, as the best under $10K projector. Me, I’m still trying to figure that out, as I will likely considerig the RS15 for an award, in the upcoming 1080p Projector Comparison Report.

JVC DLA-RS15 Brightness

I said the same thing about the RS35: Where’d the lumens go? A mystery. I do not know any reason why an RS15 would measure about 10% less bright than the RS25 we reviewed a few months ago, but it does. I’ve looked for leaks, but don’t see any.

Strangely the RS15 measured almost identically to the RS35, both down from the RS25. (I’m not thrilled with the 650 lumens measured, but it’s still more than most projectors in their best movie mode.

Brightest mode came in around 750 lumens, it’s only about 15% brighter than best mode. And, more to the point, it’s a lot less bright than the average 1080p projector, when you want the maximum lumens. That lack of more “brightest” mode lumens is my only real complaint with the projector.

Placement flexibility is excellent, close to the best. the 2:1 zoom should work in just about every room. The only real limitation is that some projectors have a little more vertical lens shift. Only a very few projectors, like the Panasonic PT-AE4000 and the Epson projectors have a bit more vertical lens shift. JVC, though motorizes theirs, for convenience (lens shift as well as zoom and focus). By comparison, most projectors with lens shift, tend to have manual shift. As to zoom and focus about half of the home theater projectors sold out there have those motorized.

The very bottom line: There’s potentially a small improvement in black level performance compared to the RS10 reviewed last year, but it’s been too long, and images don’t reveal any noteworthy difference. Let’s just assume the RS10 was great last year, and the RS15 a touch better (and more featured) this year

From watching the JVC DLA-RS15, I’ve concluded, that this is a projector with great blacks, excellent skin tones, very good shadow, very good color accuracy, and lots of best mode lumens.

The picture is natural, yet vibrant. On a nice large screen like my 128″ Firehawk G3, the RS15 lights up the screen and performs beautifully. I can see the black level difference when I switch to my RS20, but it’s hardly a huge difference.

The JVC DLA-RS15 like the other JVC projectors has no real obvious weaknesses – other than it could have more lumens in brightest mode. There are no “rough edges” to the picture quality.

Hey, this projector looks great. I tend to get jaded, trying to describe the small flaws of an excellent projector. Keep your perspective. Most of what we complain about here, in a review of a higher end projector like the RS15, wouldn’t even show up on 98% of people’s radar.

The Last question: “Based on what I’ve seen, from the RS15 and RS25 review units, which to buy?

If the bucks are tight, and you aren’t a purist, the RS15 will serve you beautifully. Primarily you are giving up a bit of black performance and a touch of color accuracy, but those finer points aside, to almost everyone, the RS15 and the the RS25 look more different than one being better or worse. It’s when you get that dark scene up, the black levels of the RS25 stand out. The rest of the time, oh, so close.

JVC DLA-RS15 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities