The CEDIA demo that changed my mind
I've owned six different reference projectors. One trade show demo still surprised me.
My own home theater has doubled as our company’s demo theater for years, which means it’s been through a rotating cast of some of the best projectors on the market. Over time I’ve owned three different JVCs — the RS420/X570R, the RS2000/NX7, and the RS2100/NZ7, which are the same projectors sold under two names depending on the market — and a Sony VPL-VW715ES. If a projector is genuinely good, I’ve probably lived with it long enough to know.
At the time I went to CEDIA Expo, the RS2100 was in my theater. Epson had their Q-Series lineup on the floor, and the unit that caught me was the QB1000 — 3,300 lumens, laser-driven 3LCD, with a fast, sharp image and noticeably strong HDR tone mapping. I was watching it next to my own reference point, that JVC, and the difference wasn’t subtle. The brightness was better. The sharpness was better. Motion handling — the thing that usually gives lower-end projectors away during fast action — was better too.
I don’t say that lightly, and I’m not the type to get won over by a trade show floor. Show lighting and curated content can make almost anything look impressive for 5 minutes. But I went home, bought a QB1000, and the impression held up. Not long after, I also picked up the model just below it, the LS12000, and was equally impressed. That one ended up staying in my own theater permanently, which means I can demo it for clients in a real room rather than a curated show booth — and it’s become one of the projectors I sell most.
I’ve since sold two QB1000s to clients as well.