Best Projectors of 2021 - Editor's Choice Awards - news discussion

Out of interest, what makes that such a slam-dunk for you? I'd be surprised if you couldn't get an NZ7 for close to that after a couple of calls around. Native contrast should be better on the JVC, the brightness is similar, you have the option of using the JVC DTM, probably wider colour gamut, more forward looking input capabilities with HDMI2.1, etc. About the only thing on paper the Sony has going for it at the moment is a bit more installation flexibility and you can actually buy it today, maybe a bit more intra-scene contrast.
I’d be surprised if there are NZ to be found full stop let alone discounted. But ok on an even basis there probably isn’t much between them. Better motion and quicker handshake / input switching on the Sony? Better contrast on JVC?

I think lumagen plus 790 would be a better value combo than lumagen plus NZ7.

Also I’m a tad narked at JVC and their rush to abandon the middle market not to mention UK pricing. I’m not sure I want to support that.

Oh and I do need fairly flexible installation.
 
We already know the JVC have far superior calibration capabilities and tracking, and then Sony is known for banding/ low bit resolution on the screen, and that cant be saved by any external processor.
Don't forget JVC's dust blobs, bright corners and woeful contrast uniformity....
 
Do the Sony’s have ‘browning’? I’ve not read loads about them, but I’m sure I’ve read somewhere about SXRD and browning.
 
Erm, nope, not on mine. My 590 hasn't exhibited any banding or low bit resolution.
Thats odd. Could you snap a closdup of the low end of a 8bit gray ramp?
 
Do the Sony’s have ‘browning’? I’ve not read loads about them, but I’m sure I’ve read somewhere about SXRD and browning.
Sounds like something that would be caused by overheating. Not something I have ever seen.
 
To be fair to the site, don’t they also do a best value winner on some things? Although some equipment like the Trinnov’s and Sony‘s are out of reach for many, I do enjoy hearing about them. Knowing what’s best in a category helps, otherwise we’d all be content watching movies on cheap supermarket special televisions.

Its not as though AVforums haven’t reviewed several budget projectors in the last year. This is about the best, no?
I cant even see a review for budget or cheap projector anytime recently, I guess thats why they cant make a budget recommendation but thats even worse if their reviews are only catering for the high end, I guess they must know their audience and dont feel there is one for sub £1000/£500/£250 projectors.
 
I think they cater for the lower end too…



You might have a point regarding low budget <£1000 bracket.
 
I cant even see a review for budget or cheap projector anytime recently, I guess thats why they cant make a budget recommendation but thats even worse if their reviews are only catering for the high end, I guess they must know their audience and dont feel there is one for sub £1000/£500/£250 projectors.

Home Cinema projectors are always going to be niche product. Traditional projectors will never become a mass-market product, so the prices will stay high.

I do think it's unfortunate that JVC don't have any 'affordable' bulb based products anymore (in the £3000-£4000 price bracket like they used to do). My JVC RS440 from 2018 is a superb product, but sadly long since discontinued. I personally couldn't justify the price of their newer models (they are absolutely fantastic products and I don't think they are over priced - but they need something less expensive in their line up).

I guess while JVC can sell as many high-end laser-light projectors as they can build - then they'll keep producing the higher margin models.

I think you'll see more reasonably priced short-throw projectors in the next year or two, as the prices have already come down very steeply, with the likes of HiSense entering the market. These products are easier to live with, and have a more mainstream appeal.

Epson have some excellent home cinema projectors for around £2500 and you can pick up an EH-TW7000 for less than £1000. Unfortunately, Epson projectors seem surprising absent from AVFORUM reviews. I've previously had two Epson models and I was very pleased with them - but the can't match the black levels of a JVC (nothing can).

Regards,
James.
 
disappointing to see a total lack of budget offerings, is this site moving even further toward high end niche products, if so why?, I doubt that 1% of people here would have this sort of money to spend.

Unfortunately, good Home Cinema projectors are expensive. Not the fault of AVFORUMS.
There are cheaper projectors available which can be used for movies, but the black levels and colour accuracy are terrible.

I think you'd be surprised how many people on AVFORUMS would be prepared to spend a significant amount of money on a projector, almost certainly higher than 1%.

I just don't think the manufacturers can build really good projectors for the price you'd like to see. You'd get a much better and more accurate picture from a less expensive TV, than a cheap projector.

To be The Devil's advocate for a moment - I really enjoy reading in-depth reviews about the very best products on the market - even if they are well beyond my price range. I would much rather read one of Ed's reviews of a gloriously expensive turntable or read one of Steve's reviews of a £15K laser-light projector, than read any reviews about cheap sounds bars (I realise I'm flogging a dead horse!). It's the same reason I also subscribe to, and read "Widescreen Review" - to read about the best products available.

I think AVFORUMS has a pretty good mix of products to suit most budgets and they definitely take the time to test and review less expensive, but high quality products.

I'm sure it's sometimes hard to strike the right balance.

Regards,
James.
 
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I’d be surprised if there are NZ to be found full stop let alone discounted. But ok on an even basis there probably isn’t much between them. Better motion and quicker handshake / input switching on the Sony? Better contrast on JVC?

I think lumagen plus 790 would be a better value combo than lumagen plus NZ7.

Also I’m a tad narked at JVC and their rush to abandon the middle market not to mention UK pricing. I’m not sure I want to support that.

Oh and I do need fairly flexible installation.
I'm not going to wade too deep in on this, so I'm just going to commit a drive-by here and say this...

There is no comparison between a JVC without a Lumagen, and a Sony with a Lumagen. Apart from the widely acknowledged superior DTM the Lumagen offers, do not forget (and people always forget in these chats) that the Lumagen Radiance Pro is not a DTM box. It's a box of many tricks that can be applied to rescue any material, in any situation.

It applies superior dithering. It can fix raised black levels at the touch of a single button. It will scale the image any which way you please. Its sharpening tools are superior to Sony's own Reality Creation. You can add additional gamma curve presets using the 'black' and 'white' settings to bring punch to material with a low dynamic range (SDR or HDR). It can map all incoming material to the P3 colour space then send it to the projector as BT2020. You have your 3D LUT colour calibration. You can watch any material in any aspect ratio. You can use it to reprogram your EDID chain. Change the delay for audio or video to ensure they are perfectly in sync, per input and per output. You can calibrate 3D video to absolute perfection. And finally, yes, you also have one of, if not THE best DTM solutions in existence.

What does the JVC have? In review after review (most of) the Sonys beat (most of) the JVCs subjectively on colour, objectively on motion handling and image sharpness while the JVCs tend to have marginally better blacks.

This is why the previous poster said they would take a Sony and a Lumagen over a JVC. And I fully support that statement. Your mileage may vary, of course. Opinions are like A-holes etc. But I do speak from some substantial personal experience. I am not dissing JVC at all, they make VERY good projectors. But compared to any projector in a similar price bracket with a Lumagen added, there is no contest.
 
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This is why the previous poster said they would take a Sony and a Lumagen over a JVC. And I fully support that statement. Your mileage may vary, of course. Opinions are like A-holes etc. But I do speak from some substantial personal experience. I am not dissing JVC at all, they make VERY good projectors. But compared to any projector in a similar price bracket with a Lumagen added, there is no contest.
I also have a Radiance Pro. As does the OP I was asking the question of it seems. So the comparison you put forward (Sony + Lumagen, vs JVC) seems to be a manufactured one (as there's no real reason to not continue to use the Lumagen). I would in all likelihood, even if the DTM was good in NZ, as I rely on other features of it in my HT.
 
I’d be surprised if there are NZ to be found full stop let alone discounted. But ok on an even basis there probably isn’t much between them. Better motion and quicker handshake / input switching on the Sony? Better contrast on JVC?

I think lumagen plus 790 would be a better value combo than lumagen plus NZ7.

Also I’m a tad narked at JVC and their rush to abandon the middle market not to mention UK pricing. I’m not sure I want to support that.

Oh and I do need fairly flexible installation.
I guess Motionflow vs CMD vs no motion enhancement is a matter of taste.
I'm not sure input switching speed between the 790ES and NZ7 has been compared yet, and it seems like a minor thing. The NZ7 HDMI hardware is all-new.

The bit better flexibility is probably the one thing that could swing it for me, as I'm almost at the short throw end on an X7900 and the NZ7 has a smaller 16:9 image at that throw.

If the pricing is about the same (the Sony still supposedly retail is £12K, £9999 is an RS price) and the features are more or less a wash, I can't square the "better value" comment. They seem very similar value.

I agree the pricing isn't where I'd like it, but all they've done is taken a leaf out of Sony's playbook for laser PJs - I actually think the new JVC range probably represent better value than Sony, given the feature set, as you can't get wide colour gamut on Sony until you get up to a 5000ES, the 3000 lumen option, etc etc.
 
this kind of awards are always a problem when they dont consider all on the market... instead only look at what is released in a year... gives a bit of a fake result .... :D

oh the only thing released this year was a turnip ... so the turnip gets first price and 2nd and third :D

sony did a name change and literally minor refresh and scores as a result ... only thing it deserves is the turnip award :p
 
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this kind of awards are always a problem when they dont consider all on the market... instead only look at what is released in a year... gives a bit of a fake result .... :D

oh the only thing released this year was a turnip ... so the turnip gets first price and 2nd and third :D

sony did a name change and literally minor refresh and scores as a result ... only thing it deserves is the turnip award :p
😂 Painfully accurate. It’s a great way of baiting other competitors to send their offerings for review, I guess. If JVC care they might send across an NZ in time for the 2023 shortlist.
 
While I wouldn't agree with characterisation of the Sony as a turnip, I do love a good turnip.
probably good characterisation of most enthusiasts explaining to the dearly beloved(being non sexist here) on spending a kings ransom on a turnip(how dearly beloved sees it) :D
 
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I agree the pricing isn't where I'd like it, but all they've done is taken a leaf out of Sony's playbook for laser PJs - I actually think the new JVC range probably represent better value than Sony, given the feature set, as you can't get wide colour gamut on Sony until you get up to a 5000ES, the 3000 lumen option, etc etc.
The Sony's get 89-92% of P3 (model variance) with no light loss. I am perfectly happy with that personally. My 760 has crazy colour punch. Certainly nothing that gets me hankering for more.
The 5000ES is the 5,000 lumen option BTW, as its name suggests. The GTZ-380 is the 10,000 lumen option. JVC offer no models to compete there!
 
this kind of awards are always a problem when they dont consider all on the market... instead only look at what is released in a year... gives a bit of a fake result .... :D

oh the only thing released this year was a turnip ... so the turnip gets first price and 2nd and third :D

sony did a name change and literally minor refresh and scores as a result ... only thing it deserves is the turnip award :p
Are you sure you don't mean the 'Crafty Marketing Award'. ;)
 
The Sony's get 89-92% of P3 (model variance) with no light loss. I am perfectly happy with that personally. My 760 has crazy colour punch. Certainly nothing that gets me hankering for more.
The 5000ES is the 5,000 lumen option BTW, as its name suggests. The GTZ-380 is the 10,000 lumen option. JVC offer no models to compete there!
I was comparing more at the "affordable" end of the market where they have price competitive options (that was the original point I was answering). I know the 5000ES is 5K lumens, but Sony don't get 5K lumens until they hit £50K (I don't think I have enough organs of value on the used market). The £25K Sony vs JVC is now 2200lumen vs 3000lumen, or the option of having close to 100% P3 at probably slightly more lumens than the Sony has without.

Don't get me wrong, if you need a laser today, tomorrow, or for the last 3 years, the Sonys for many would be the perfect choice, but they look to be a difficult choice for purchase in the near future, outside of certain scenarios already discussed.
 
I was comparing more at the "affordable" end of the market where they have price competitive options (that was the original point I was answering). I know the 5000ES is 5K lumens, but Sony don't get 5K lumens until they hit £50K (I don't think I have enough organs of value on the used market). The £25K Sony vs JVC is now 2200lumen vs 3000lumen, or the option of having close to 100% P3 at probably slightly more lumens than the Sony has without.

Don't get me wrong, if you need a laser today, tomorrow, or for the last 3 years, the Sonys for many would be the perfect choice, but they look to be a difficult choice for purchase in the near future, outside of certain scenarios already discussed.
I see what you are saying now.
Yes JVC have upped their value massively compared to the equivalent Sony models.
Notwithstanding the reviews to come, I would not buy a Sony today, based on the raw specification of these new models and JVC's historic contrast performance.
 
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Unfortunately, good Home Cinema projectors are expensive. Not the fault of AVFORUMS.
There are cheaper projectors available which can be used for movies, but the black levels and colour accuracy are terrible.

I think you'd be surprised how many people on AVFORUMS would be prepared to spend a significant amount of money on a projector, almost certainly higher than 1%.

I just don't think the manufacturers can build really good projectors for the price you'd like to see. You'd get a much better and more accurate picture from a less expensive TV, than a cheap projector.

To be The Devil's advocate for a moment - I really enjoy reading in-depth reviews about the very best products on the market - even if they are well beyond my price range. I would much rather read one of Ed's reviews of a gloriously expensive turntable or read one of Steve's reviews of a £15K laser-light projector, than read any reviews about cheap sounds bars (I realise I'm flogging a dead horse!). It's the same reason I also subscribe to, and read "Widescreen Review" - to read about the best products available.

I think AVFORUMS has a pretty good mix of products to suit most budgets and they definitely take the time to test and review less expensive, but high quality products.

I'm sure it's sometimes hard to strike the right balance.

Regards,
James.
I don't think this is the case at all. My current projector cost £550 and is very decent for my needs. Yes, if I spent more then it would be even better, before diminishing returns kick in. So I think manufacturers do build really good projectors for under 1k, certainly good enough to get that big screen smile.

But the bigger point you are not seeing is that for the majority of people, they have an 'average' budget. Yes that is subjective, but I think compared to those who can spend 3k - 12k on a projector there are FAR more people on here could/would spend £500-£1k on a projector and ultimately the crux of the mater is that after a certain price point it doesn't matter how good the projector is. If it's too much then it's too much and the award/review doesn't mean much because for 95% of people it doesn't help them. It's like saying "you only get a good tv at 3k (good black levels, colour accuracy etc) so what's the point in reviewing 1k tv's that are not as good?". You review them because MOST people will spend that much money on a TV, otherwise you are reviewing TV's for the few, not the many and ultimately, what's the point in doing that? 10 people now know what TV to buy, 1000 people do not.

I'm really not having a go at the author, I think this place is fantastic and the article itself was really well written, but omitting a price point that the vast majority fall into makes the Awards utterly irrelevant to myself and I would imagine, most of the people who are on here.
 

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