Mitsubishi HC7000 - Competitors-4

Posted on November 19, 2008 by Art Feierman

Brightness is a whole different matter. The IN83 is almost three times as bright as the HC7000, whether comparing best, or brightest modes. Too much brightness perhaps? No, you can always use the IN83's manual iris to bring the brightness way down, and make a minor improvement in black levels at the same time.

The Mitsubishi and these InFocus models are all sharp, not enough difference to quibble over. Warranty: Both offer a standard 2 years parts and labor warranty.

HC7000 vs. JVC DLA-RS1x, DLA-RS2 DLA-RS10 and DLA-RS20

Interesting, very interesting! All the JVC models should have anywhere from a small (RS1x and RS10), to significant advantage in black levels, compared to the Mitsubishi HC7000 projector. Of the four JVC's, only the RS1x lacks anamorphic lens support, but, when the RS10 and RS20 first ship (December and January, respectively), they may not have a viable anamorphic lens solution immediately available. The lens/sled combination that works with the RS2, won't work with the newer models because the lens is set further back into the projector. This is solvable, but if you are in a hurry, a new solution may not be immediately ready, if you want to go with a 2.35:1 Cinemascope ratio screen.

The Mitsubishi wins in terms of sharpness. All the JVCs will be brighter in best mode, and all but the RS2 will likely be much brighter (up to twice as bright). In brightest mode, things will be closer, with the RS2 being about equal to the HC7000. The RS20 will be slightly brighter, but the RS1x and RS10 should be about 20% brighter.

In other words, the JVC's can handle slightly larger screens, and much larger screens (depending on which JVC) if all you care about are movies, or you are willing to watch your HDTV and sports in a dark environment.

Click to enlarge. SO close

I did run the HC7000 side by side with the JVC RS1 rather briefly. It was hard to get a good feel as there was no way, in best mode, to get the two projectors even remotely close in brightness. In brightest mode, the RS1 has better color accuracy than the HC7000. The JVC's with their LCoS panels seem to be a little slower, with a touch more motion blur.

The JVC projectors have more fan noise, and price wise, the RS1x and RS10 should straddle the HC7000. The RS20 and RS2, however, are a definite step up in price, with the RS20 likely to cost you an extra $3000!

In many ways, the HC7000 does remind me of my RS1, thanks to great black levels, however, because of the lumens, for those not buying a smaller screen, one of the JVC's is likely to be a slightly better choice.

Click Image to Enlarge