JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings2 Posted on January 26, 2009 By Art Feierman 1. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Review - DLA-RS20 Projector Highlights - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Overview2. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Special Features - THX Certification - Color Management System (CMS) - Motorized Lens System3. JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Tour - JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Appearance - Control Panel - Input/Output - JVC DLA-RS20 Menus4. JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Tour2 - JVC DLA-RS20 Remote Control - DLA-RS20 Lens Throw - DLA-RS20 Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens5. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality - DLA-RS20 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones6. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality2 - Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Black Levels Comparison7. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality3 - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail and Black Levels Comparison 8. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality4 - Space Cowboys Comparison - Satellite Comparison9. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality5 - Shadow Detail and Dark Blacks Comparison10. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality6 - Projectors Comparison - Thumbnail Comparison11. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality7 - The Night Train Comparison12. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality8 - Overall Color & Picture Quality13. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality9 - JVC DLA-RS20U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports14. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance - JVC DLA-RS20 Brightness - DLA-RS20 Projector - Uncalibrated - Cinema 2: 722 lumens - The Effect of zoom lens positioning on brightness15. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance2 - Sharpness - Sharpness Comparison16. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance3 - Computer Monitor Comparsion - JVC DLA-RS20: Bottom Line Sharpness17. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance4 - Light Leakage - JVC DLA-RS20 Image Noise - DLA-RS20 Audible Noise18. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings - JVC DLA-RS20 Color Temperature - Cinema 2 mode - THX mode - Temperature Measurement19. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings2 - JVC DLA-RS20 Basic Settings20. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings3 - JVC DLA-RS20 Post Calibration Grayscale - Gamma settings - JVC DLA-RS20 RGB Settings - Color Temp settings - CMS Settings21. JVC DLA-RS20 – Projector Screens - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Screen Recommendations22. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors - DLA-RS20 vs. Epson Home Cinema 6500UB, Pro 7500UB23. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors2 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Mitsubishi HC7000 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. BenQ W2000024. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors3 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z3000 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Optoma HD81-LV25. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors4 - DLA-RS20 vs. InFocus IN83 - Bright Areas Comparison26. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors5 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Panasonic PT-AE300027. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors6 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. JVC DLA-RS2, DLA-RS1028. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors7 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Sony VPL-HW1029. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Warranty30. JVC DLA-RS20 – Review Summary - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector - The Bottom Line - Brightness31. JVC DLA-RS20 – Review Summary2 - Audible noise - Fancy features - Bottom Line32. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Pros - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Cons - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Typical Capabilities33. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Specifications JVC DLA-RS20 Basic SettingsIn addition to calibrating Red Green and Blue for a correct grayscale balance (6500K), there are a number of other settings that come into play. Typically Contrast and Brightness (white balance and black balance), need to be done first. Color saturation and gamma also need adjustment. Our final settings (the default settings for Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Tint are all 0, in all modes). Mike made adjustments to these, and the Color Temp settings for each of the seven modes: Cinema1 Cinema2 Natural Stage Dynamic THX Contrast -2 -4 0 -2 -3 -1 Brightness 1 2 2 4 1 1 Color Sat. 0 -5 0 0 10 0 Tint 0 -3 0 0 0 0 Color Temp 5800 6500 6500 7500 High Bright 6500 Gamma Normal B Normal C C Normal Lamp Mode=High (unless noted otherwise) Iris fully open All other settings at default (untouched) Zoom set at mid-point for all measurements Note, the JVC does not have User savable settings (you can customize all modes with the exception of THX), which are minimally customizable. (Note for THX mode, only Brightness, Contrast, Color Saturation Tint and Lens Aperture, but not Color Temp, Gamma or CMS). You can put in the settings you want, but there is no “Save function” that can be recalled, after changed. Thus, if you have customized, Cinema 2, for example, then decide to change its color temp, it will remember the new setting but it will forget the old settings you had put in. Be sure to jot down all of your settings as you customize a mode, or use a User mode. Otherwise, you might try adjusting something, not like the result, and not be able to remember what the old setting was. To get the Most out of the DLA-RS20, a calibration is necessary. Only the THX setting is technically very good. Oh the brighter modes are watchable for sports, etc. (very cool – blue shift). The thing is this. The JVC’s Color Temp settings alone, do not get you to where you want to be. In addition is the JVC’s CMS. In the Color Management System you can individually adjust each primary and secondary color for Hue, Saturation, and Brightness. This is important for this JVC, as the the colors are in general oversaturated. We normally don’t even use a CMS for this level of calibration in our reviews. This is one of the few projectors with excellent potential that requires calibrating individual colors to get the most out of the projector. Without working in the CMS, you might as well just set the projector for THX, and enjoy (not a bad thing!) As I said, THX is pretty good, but the RS20 can do better. (Though, I suspect the THX folks might argue differently.) Adjusting CMS to get desired results can be difficult on some projectors and that is the case with the JVC for reasons I won’t bore you with. Mike, as usual, picked up the projector for calibration. He did the CMS, and all the other goodies. Unfortunately, when he returned it, this time, the projector did not look anywhere as good as expected, due to the tricky nature of JVC’s CMS settings, affecting each other. The best image he came up with was in many ways not as good as THX, and the most annoying aspect was a slight greenish cast to skin tones. So, off to the various forums for me, to see what is going on. For those of you who haven’t visited AVSforum.com, AVforum.com, etc., this is where the hardcore enthusiasts hang out, as well as some “newbies”. Some of these folks are on their 3rd, 4th, 5th home theater projector, and many are fanatical. I hooked up with a couple who have the RS20 already, and as one put it, he already put in something like 60 hours calibrating his. DON’T PANIC. Realize there is always slightly different performance from one unit to the next, due to the slight variation in lamps, but generally, we have found that the settings we publish from our calibrations, seem to work well for most. I’ve been communicating with a guy who goes by “lovingDVD” on the AVSforum. I had tried settings for CMS that he published, combined them with our Color Temp settings made a minor adjustment to our Color Temp, and ended up with a spectacular end result. 30 minutes of viewing several things later, and I decided I must have an RS20 of my own. I checked with him for permission to publish his CMS settings here, with the rest of our settings, and he gave me the OK. So, thanks “lovingDVD”! On that note, for those of you technically inclined, or even those of you who like to get overwhelmed, here’s a link the Calibration thread for the JVC RS20/HD750 on the AVSforum. Warning, it gets technical, (I suspect most folks active in the calibration threads on the forums have engineering degrees, or are professional calibrators, and they have the gear to measure everything) Those threads overwhelm me at times, and as I write this, this JVC thread already has 90 pages of content. For most of you, I think you’ll find that plugging in all of these settings listed below, based on our work as well as “lovingDVD” and others, will more than please you. If you hire a professional calibrator, I recommend one who knows this projector, or at least point him to this thread. 1. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Review - DLA-RS20 Projector Highlights - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Overview2. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Special Features - THX Certification - Color Management System (CMS) - Motorized Lens System3. JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Tour - JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Appearance - Control Panel - Input/Output - JVC DLA-RS20 Menus4. JVC DLA-RS20 Physical Tour2 - JVC DLA-RS20 Remote Control - DLA-RS20 Lens Throw - DLA-RS20 Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens5. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality - DLA-RS20 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones6. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality2 - Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Black Levels Comparison7. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality3 - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail and Black Levels Comparison 8. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality4 - Space Cowboys Comparison - Satellite Comparison9. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality5 - Shadow Detail and Dark Blacks Comparison10. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality6 - Projectors Comparison - Thumbnail Comparison11. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality7 - The Night Train Comparison12. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality8 - Overall Color & Picture Quality13. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Image Quality9 - JVC DLA-RS20U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports14. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance - JVC DLA-RS20 Brightness - DLA-RS20 Projector - Uncalibrated - Cinema 2: 722 lumens - The Effect of zoom lens positioning on brightness15. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance2 - Sharpness - Sharpness Comparison16. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance3 - Computer Monitor Comparsion - JVC DLA-RS20: Bottom Line Sharpness17. JVC DLA-RS20 – Performance4 - Light Leakage - JVC DLA-RS20 Image Noise - DLA-RS20 Audible Noise18. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings - JVC DLA-RS20 Color Temperature - Cinema 2 mode - THX mode - Temperature Measurement19. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings2 - JVC DLA-RS20 Basic Settings20. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings3 - JVC DLA-RS20 Post Calibration Grayscale - Gamma settings - JVC DLA-RS20 RGB Settings - Color Temp settings - CMS Settings21. JVC DLA-RS20 – Projector Screens - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Screen Recommendations22. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors - DLA-RS20 vs. Epson Home Cinema 6500UB, Pro 7500UB23. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors2 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Mitsubishi HC7000 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. BenQ W2000024. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors3 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z3000 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Optoma HD81-LV25. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors4 - DLA-RS20 vs. InFocus IN83 - Bright Areas Comparison26. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors5 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Panasonic PT-AE300027. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors6 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. JVC DLA-RS2, DLA-RS1028. JVC DLA-RS20 – Competitors7 - JVC DLA-RS20 vs. Sony VPL-HW1029. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector – Warranty30. JVC DLA-RS20 – Review Summary - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector - The Bottom Line - Brightness31. JVC DLA-RS20 – Review Summary2 - Audible noise - Fancy features - Bottom Line32. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Pros - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Cons - JVC DLA-RS20 Projector: Typical Capabilities33. JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Specifications JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings JVC DLA-RS20 Projector Calibration and Settings3