If there are new projector models, they're usually announced at Cedia, which takes place in September.
These are low-volume products without a lot of competition at each price point, so it's natural that they don't get updated as often as, say, televisions. Three to four years between successive projector models is fairly normal. After putting a new model into production, the manufacturer needs to get a bunch sold to see a worthwhile return, which takes time. Design tweaks that can be incorporated into the same chassis may happen a little more often, but even then, unless that manufacturer is at a technical disadvantage relative to their competitors, there's no business case for continually making small hardware changes to products, since it can undermine trust in the current model. JVC have of course been able to significantly upgrade their N-series software, so that's kept those models in a strong position.
The way I see it, if you want a projector now, and nothing new has been announced, then it's best to buy one now. You can always upgrade when something worth upgrading to comes along. On the other hand, if you don't mind going without a projector for what could be a couple of years then sure, wait for new models. Life is short though.
The time to get a new projector finally arrived at the end of last year for me, so I had no hesitation ordering an N7. Wish it would show up though .
You say secondhand projectors lose a ton of money, but have you seen what good used JVC 7900 and 5900s go for even now? Used N5s and N7s rarely come up, and sell for close to the new price at the moment. Even after new models are announced, the previous JVCs tend to hold a lot of their value, since there’s usually a significant wait before the new models are available to buy.
But I get that everyone’s mileage is different. People buy or upgrade when they feel it’s right for them. A lot of folks here seem to buy a new OLED tv or AV amp every year, lose significant money doing it, and don’t seem to worry about it.
Me, I got out of projection a very long time ago, and finally decided last year that the time had come to get back in. But if you already own, say, a 5900, and haven’t changed it already, you probably have less of an itchy credit card.
I’m guessing it’ll be end of this year at best before new upper-tier models from Epson or JVC become available. JVC maybe longer. The current models are great performers, and there’s not much that can compete with them at the price. But like I said, if youre happy to wait to see what comes along, do.
yes .. news flash two ....
Projectors and AV gear depreciate no matter when you buy them no matter what you buy its going to get out dated, replaced ... superseded... you cant hold back progress...
yes can hold back buying something ... but then you also hold back enjoying it
its a FOMO problem either way...
for some i guess there is the FOMO...fear of missing out ...that hey if i buy this current thing, then as sure as the sun will rise...a new thing will come and will miss out buying that instead.. !
then theres the FOMO of hell if I dont buy the current thing... I will miss out enjoying it now ... !
pick your own FOMO and dont blame the problem on the OEMs... they got to keep the till going ka...ching... in some ways its not a problem for them, whether now or later its going to still go ka-ching
sorry i have not seen any data to support this line of thinking, however if it is a belief of yours, i respect that.An N5/N7 bought at the start of its lifespan has held its value longer than an N5/N7 will being bought now.
my studies to master level have included economics and it is very much down to supply and demand that are factors in pricing when comes to both 2nd and new prices. however this is a lot more complex an issue. its all about perceived value and we are getting into marketing here. and what price you can place on something for the incremental benefit.The reason for this is sadly because projectors, as they get older, don't seem to get the discounts normal technology does. They seem to hold their price until a new model and then drop by 30%.
Projectors remind me of Macbooks. You always want to buy a Macbook at the start of its life cycle because even at the end, you're paying the same price for the same Macbook.
TV resale here is very sh!te basically have to give them away...there is a new model almost every years and there is huge discounting at the box movers... everyone has TVs and if getting one ... most i know just go to box mover and get a new one.Comparatively with TVs, the prices drop more in line with their age.
As it looks now, the new N series we have today will be the troublesome one, like the first X series, it seems there is a significant amount of issues with the N5/ N7 / NX9, and ill guess they will be very hard to sell out of warranty once there is a updated model, which might not be the next one, we likely have to jump to the 3rd generation of the new chassis before we are where the X35 was in regard of quality.jvc x35 ... did i bother buying the models that followed ? no ...why would i ...next stop was x7000 and this was significantly huge jump up in price ...but i got good resale on the x35 you know why ? because there was stuff difference between the x35 and the models that followed and i had a unit which has a great rep...the x35 was the first bug free jvc to follow a string of prior JVC with issues... the x35 put out a stunning image. and mine was a great example and i am a seller with good reputation and put some effort into my sale.
I have returned a RS2000 and a N7 now, ill really like a good sample, but the extreme contrast drops in the corners, and the color uniformity issues just killed the otherwise amazing projector, the most troublesome issue on this current series must be the dust issue on the panels, specially the units hanging is developing fairly fast, so some sort of redesign is needed of the light engine to put the dust out of focus, the old X series light engine was very good in that regard.jvc n series certainly had issues on release... this can always be the case with a first born and completely new ground up design...good reason I didnt buy one on release..not only had friends but my retailer telling me to stay away. wasnt till much later that year was comfortable enough to buy and glad I did
zero issue here with my N7 and have had mine over 12 months now and about 500 hours... we are pretty good here with our consumer rights way beyond manufacturer warranty with what we call statutory warranty.. also have a good retailer so not particularly worried
projectors are always delicate things. you want to buy from a good retailer that will come to bat for you. only projectors have had issues with was 2 epsons ...first one doa in 8 hours...only fix from epson which took 3 months of fighting and thats even with retailer and workshop pushing ! finally they replaced with the new model as the older gen had issues. the 9000 series went in and out of workshop more times than recalled ... but got great resale as I stated earlier..
the other projector had a problem with was x7000 that picked up some issues 150 hours in and few months into ownership. retailer had a new one delivered to me even before the old one was picked up ! how's that for service ? new one was an absolute peach and as stated resale was good and to expectation.
as far as i can make out jvc n series are extremely sought after, and capable off outstanding result am very happy with.
if you want to buy a projector either brand or model with track record of zero issues, there would be no projector you would buy
buy (what ever it is) and be happy... keep your fingers crossed and have a good retailer and consumer rights to back you up !
I still have a few 3 eyed monsters as well, and that one is just a JVC NX9 killer when it comes to movies like Harry potter, even the best of the NX9 cant keep up there, it however comes back with brighter movies, the CRT wins on low light scenes and motion handling still.I cant help you with any lemons you might have had. it can happen with any brand and model I know off and all kind of issues you are talking off here. I know one person who bought and returned at least 3 sonys )optical block issues, dust you name it, to then go to a n9 and is now happy. others with epsons that have been in and out of repair shop like my old one did yes they suffer with dust and all sorts of things too. and certainly as i said the N series were not without issues either, am sure you can still have some issue with them they are not infallible nothing I know is. but as i said what helps with projectors is a good retailer and warranty and support to back you up.
I can only speak with regards N series and my own experience...where been very happy when got it, even happier with first firmware update. over the moon with the second major update then to have professionally calibrated I honestly cant imagine how things could get any better ...but ive been there before with every projector i have had..sitting there thinking gee how good is this how can get better ...but with own experience i know with the step change between models i have upgraded too the gains have been there. real ones to take things significantly forward...
cant hold back progress as I mentioned .it doesnt necessarily come with each incremental model release but it does come... or we'd all be still siting in our rooms watching some 720p LCD from the 90s or harbouring a big hulking 3 eyed monster CRT
if happy and siting back pretty chuffed with the x500 thats great to hear. contentment is what its all about... its what kept me from upgrading usually some 3-4-5 years with projectors no real need to upgrade to next new thing with some incremental update ...leaving the updates till something genuinely worth having came along. some folks can go longer ... know the guy with his jvc hd1 still going ...couldnt care less what else is out there. keeps popping in ebay bulbs... probably keep it going till the thing dies
Think a lot of consumers are like that, im more of a perfectionist, making my own testing calibration and repair/ mods, you will be surprised how much most pro calibrators are slacking as well, on the JVC its fairly easy to get a hint, if they set the offset to different values there is likely a lot to gain by recalibrating it. Try look at your calibration report and see if the out of black gamma was ever tested.hi strides I think this is where you and me differ quite a bit. i couldn't give a flying about a paper test(know exactly what it is) and rather watch a movie instead. I couldn't also care less on whether it matches perfectly with spec. but yes the picture it puts out does matter to me... and i do know what good looks like. put its effort to best of my capability to setup and also had pro calibrated for good reason. have had the benefit of exposure to some magnificent machines over the years. the jvc or any machines we are talking about here aren't best in the world, all have some flaws but certainly all capable of pretty decent things whether sony epson or jvc. all have pros cons.. as am sure any new model coming can be as well.
I know folk go on about lotteries but i have perhaps been lucky with jvcs i've had. happy enough to enjoy and appreciate what they do...thats whats important to me
I totally respect the view you have and totally entitled to itThink a lot of consumers are like that, im more of a perfectionist, making my own testing calibration and repair/ mods, you will be surprised how much most pro calibrators are slacking as well, on the JVC its fairly easy to get a hint, if they set the offset to different values there is likely a lot to gain by recalibrating it. Try look at your calibration report and see if the out of black gamma was ever tested.
this is the beauty of things though...at end of it ... it doesnt really matter much whether you or me are happy when comes to someone elses buying decisions.... at end of it its totally upto them as to whats necessary as deciders in their buying decisions or being totally satisfied...None of us knows anything better than the best we have experienced, so on forums like this there is people on all levels, in my experience it dont make much sense to talk about you or me being perfectly happy or not, the only thing i can relate to here is objective data, and thas where most consumers like you dont want to go, the paper test is a easy god way to get a idea of the level of dust on the panels, and contrast uniformity situation on your sample, and being aware is the key to get it sorted out while its still under warranty.
am totally sure you can find fault with anything. but I think folks will differ in thinking. eg last thing id want is a 3 eyed monster as far as setup goes I know what that used to take. am very happy the dark dim blurry days of the 3 eyed monsters are long gone and upkeep they needed. and its not like everything that followed dont have a chance to keep up. I know most folk with the 3 eyed monsters that moved on and quite happy with things from last decade or so. we are all different I guess...but I dont personally think we have had it any better... its quite amazing just what we can achieve in the home these days... am reminded of that each time I switch my projector on and watch a movie.If your happy with your sample thats perfect, im quite sure i could find quite a few issues on all projector, my main issue with the N series is that its in a price level where i dont think the very rough tolerances is ok, not saying SONY and Epson is not even worse. You would be surprised how many current projectors not having a chance to keep up with a well setup old 3 eyed monster, and how short lived current generation projectors are these days in comparison. Marketing has done well the last 30 years making consumers used to new is better, and that its ok if it dies right out of warranty.
one of the benefits of our consumer law here and it goes beyond warranty that the contract of sale and hence any dealings only need be with the retailer. we have no need here or should we be dealing with jvc. and jvc am pretty sure where we are not even setup for that reason for anything direct to public... I totally agree with regards retailer though. good ones are gold... like the one who warned me off buying a n7 when first released... dodged a bullet there am sure.One thing is sure JVC has the worse service of them all, hard to find more rude and arrogant projector manufacture, which is why you need a strong dealer to wrestle JVC when you get issues with your unit.