Here are a few more details about that side-by-side comparison. The Sony was set up with its iris set to "On, " which engages a fixed iris setting, not the dynamic iris of the "Auto" setting. While JVC did not offer this information up front, they were not hesitant to admit it when asked. They said they used it because it was the only way they could match the peak output levels of both projectors. After they had run through all the demo materials, in which the Sony was a bit flat-looking and didn't "pop" like the JVC, I asked them to repeat two of the selections with the Sony's iris on Auto. They did, and the snap returned to the Sony's image. Unfortunately, it was also now brighter than the JVC, in fact a little too much so; the JVC looked more natural. I would have fiddled with the other controls on the Ruby to try to equalize things out, but that would have been too much of an imposition in a show demo. We'll learn more when we get our hands on one for review when the projector becomes available in 2007.

Tom,
How about noise level of the projector? Any recollection? The grates in the front look formidable.
Fred