DLA-RS1200 / DLA-NZ500

Anything less than a JVC would be a missed opportunity. The UST models absolutely do NOT keep up with the long throw models. The DLP chip itself still holds them back. Samsung, specifically, is not a projector manufacturer at their core and they don't know how to handle warranties or actual issues. Plus, they are just using the same DLP chip that everyone else has access to. To be clear: NO SINGLE CHIP DLP PROJECTOR HAS ELIMINATED RBE. That's important to understand. No matter what anyone says, a single chip DLP projector has the potential for RBE issues. It is not brand specific, it varies from model to model. One projector can have nearly no RBE from the same manufacturer that has almost no RBE with another model. No. Not only wouldn't a UST blow your Sony out of the water. It would be a significant downgrade. The proper answer is the JVC DLA-NZ500 - period. Maybe the Epson LS12000, but the JVC is considered one of the best overall. Native 4K 3 chip LCoS technology from THE industry leader in that market. Sony is decent, but generally people go with the JVC over the Sony most of the time. [https://www.jvc.com/usa/projectors/](https://www.jvc.com/usa/projectors/) In 2025, The Hook Up did a shootout between 6 premium home theater models. This is worth a watch... [https://youtu.be/B4\_MhHsZvkU?si=xO0-3sOlfZDBBodg](https://youtu.be/B4_MhHsZvkU?si=xO0-3sOlfZDBBodg) At the end of the day, JVC is a incredibly well rounded and reviewed product.

JVC is the way I would go, every day of the week. They are both bright enough for SDR viewing, and neither is appreciably brighter than the other. Relatively speaking, they are really going to be, at best, okay for HDR content. As with most projectors, they just lack the brightness to really punch on HDR content. Modern models which are getting a lot of traction, like the Valerion or XGimi models are brighter, but still aren't incredibly bright with HDR content. They just handle the larger screen sizes more easily. But, as you said, they lack the contrast of the LCoS models. This can be problematic for people who have issues with DLP as well. Your eye can't tell the difference between a 10% difference in light output, so visually, you would get very little in terms of brightness between the two models. JVC has a much greater overall focus on front projection compared to Sony. But, both companies make good products.

If black levels ate important to you, andyou ate in a light controlled room JVC NZ500 is definitely on the top of your list.

I just replaced my 2012 JVC X-30 with the NZ500, and I'm loving it so far! I wish the fans were a tad quieter at full power but I'm in love with everything else.

We switched from a 120" wide scope screen and jvc rs640 with Lumagen and hdfury LLDV support to a tcl 98" qm851g calibrated by ChadB, and we have no regrets. The 98" is mounted on a rolling stand with 24" of variable vertical shift. The jvc rs640 had native contrast only recently equaled by the nz900. The calibrated miniLED surpassed the jvc in every way, despite the rs640 having the benefit of excellent Lumagen DTM and DV support of hdfury LLDV. An emissive tv in your dark theme HT will offer an incredible experience. There have been excellent suggestions for improving the epson ls12000 tone mapping, but the poor native contrast will forever impact fade to black and deep black and shadow detail performance. If you must stay with projection, maybe a move to a nz500 would offer a significant upgrade and the lowest cost and least hassle. Good luck with your choice.

None of the above... Try to find a good deal on a jvc nz500. It will offer very good built-in DTM and better native contrast for better deep black performance. Your other thread regarding a 98" miniLED would be the best and cheapest option if you can live with the screen size.

Best bang for the buck in the $5k price range, jvc nz500. You might be able to spend less if you call around.

It’s your life and your money. Do whatever you want. But you’re asking the void for free advice. So IMO any TV screen would be a huge downgrade in immersiveness and audio quality in that room. If you want better image quality, get a better projector (and screen, if necessary). You’re apparently in the UK so options and prices may vary. But a JVC DLA-NZ500/ RS1200 is $7k. A Sony VPL-XW5000ES is $6k. I’d choose either one of them over the Epson. A $30 EZCOO SP12H2 HDMI splitter with custom firmware can unlock Dolby Vision capability, and with an AppleTV set to always output Dolby Vision, you would see a big improvement with a lot of streaming content. A custom gamma curve and other calibration tweaks will take it even further. I’m not familiar with BenQ projector and whether you can manually force that projector into an HDR compatible picture mode in BT.2020 color space. But maybe do your research and give it a shot if feasible. That might give you the ROI you’re looking for. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/alternative-devices-for-enabling-lldv-please-read-posts-1-2.3254266/#replies The next step up in price would be an HDFury device that might allow you to add the HDR info frame to automatically switch your BenQ into a HDR compatible picture mode to make the LLDV EDID trick work. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/dolby-vision-including-hdr10-conversion-w-dtm-on-projectors.3097934/#replies If the price of a new decent quality (albeit still entry level) 4K laser long throw projector is giving you heartburn, there’s always the used market. You could score a deal on a used Sony laser or JVC laser or JVC w/ bulb that will serve many people well at relatively low cost. https://www.avforums.com/forums/projector-projection-screen-classifieds.90/ https://www.avforums.com/threads/sony-xw5000es-laser-projector.2541005/ A used Lumagen Radiance Pro 4240 or 4242 could be found for a few grand that will give you excellent picture quality with 4K upscaling capability and DTM for all source devices and all content no matter whether SDR, HDR10, DV or HDR10+. There are still some caveats and limitations. But picture quality is generally not an issue unless you happen to be a 0.001% videophile type person for which only OLED will suffice and you’ll gladly sacrifice audio quality for it. https://www.avsforum.com/threads/new-lumagen-radiance-pro-series.2172017/#replies

People pay professionals good money to help them with answers to your questions. Equipment choice alone is barely half the equation. Good design and good integration are critical to achieving high performance. This isn’t something you should just freestyle, as there are many tradeoffs to manage based on your subjective preferences. Design informs equipment choice. It’s an iterative process as you converge on design and equipment choice simultaneously. Long throw projectors generally offer better image quality than UST at the same price point. UST are nice if you’re worried about people casting shadows or if this is a general entertainment space hosting karaoke night and dance parties. If it’s just for watching motion pictures while seated then get a long throw projector. For $5k I’d try to score a deal on a B-stock Sony VPL-XW5000ES or a lightly used JVC D-ILA projector, preferably with laser light source but if you’d rather spend less then a bulb is fine. You can find some screaming deals if you don’t mind bulbs and fake 4K pixel-shifting. If your viewing distance is >10ft then it shouldn’t matter. https://www.avsforum.com/forums/front-projector.252/ Fixed screens are cheaper than motorized screens. Acoustically transparent screens are nice because you can place the LCR speakers behind the screen, which not only looks better but sounds better. But this is also where you need to be careful as there is interaction between viewing angles/ screen size and speaker positions and seating distance. All have to be in harmony. Woven screens usually look and sound better than perforated screens, but this depends on the exact screen material, budget, viewing distance and preference. Like I said, there’s lots of tradeoffs to manage. I’d recommend minimum 7.1.4 speaker configuration, even if you have to built it in stages as funds allow. My preference in that size room is 9.1.6 but that’s going to break your budget in terms of AV processor capability, speaker count and amplification requirements. You’ll want a minimum of two subwoofers. What exactly do you mean by “sound conditioning is already taken care of?”