Is the 1.78:1 ration screen the way to go for most general and easy use ?? Without masking I didn't think the wider ration screens were they way to go...the screen I priced out for this system was the Carada 118" Criterion 1.78:1...just wanted to double check.
Good question. Obviously, opinions can differ quite a bit here, but AH seems to be a bit more pro 1.78 than some other forum like AVS, but there are still some nice scope setups here.
The skinny of it all: Either way is a compromise, no matter how you slice it. So, which compromise fits best in your room is the question to ask. If height limited, with plenty of width, go wider. If width limited, with plenty of height, go 1.78. If neither is a limitation, well . . .
And I'm speaking in terms of equal PQ. Some just don't like the idea of putting another lens in front of the PJ. There is natural distortion, pincushioning, so the choice of lens is paramount according to many. Look at ISCO III, perhaps Panamorph as well. Yeah, you'll need the VP to make this usable (and the RS10 may have it, not sure), as well as the lens sled (automatic is nice, esp at 10').
Why is it a compromise, no matter how you slice it? Because if I set it up perfect for 2.35, 1.78 may become overwhelming. If I set it up perfect for 1.78, 2.35 is simply not nearly immersive as it should be. Now, some will say that many of the best and/or funnest films will be in 2.35, but there's a lot of good stuff in 1.78, many cartoons, BoB, Avatar, every concert BD that I've seen, etc.
Some more reasons why 1.78 may be a better choice: Not everything is 2.35 or 1.78. Some movies are in 2.00, or other ARs too. I think of The Last Emperor, for example. I have no idea how well something like How The West Was Won works on a scope setup, whether in smile-box, or 2.89 or whatever the funk it's called. Or how about The Dark Knight? Only with a 1.78 screen can you get all of the video information (unless you like hitting pause every time the AR changes to redo scope/VP, which would be double digit times).
I think what most of us do with 1.78, and a big 1.78 at that, is find our perfect personal compromise between 1.78 and 2.35 viewing.
No doubt that a scope screen is sexy. But just think about how much smaller 1.78 is on there. The real sexiness, the real solution for all possibilities, is an automated masking system, however, you will need to redo focus/zoom for any particular desire, possibly. Mucho moula. (edit: ok, I exaggerate, even then, I would calibrate pic for the middle-ground, in-between size, so that going smaller or bigger will not stray too far from ideal settings.)
Also, I looked into the manual for the RS10U which isn't too revealing about the lens shift capability -- and I wanted to be sure that mounting the screen probably about 30-34" inches from the ground and with the projector mounted at ceiling 10' foot height probably, about 12-15' feet back from the screen the lense shift will work taking into consideration zoom and everything else...
I may get around to hunting the shift abilities, but it's quite healthy. You can get direct answers by calling vendors, I'm sure like at PP, where they have this nice calculator for throw:
http://www.projectorpeople.com/promos/projcalc.asp?sku=DLA-RS10U&itmname=JVC+DLA-RS10U
In my experience with their calculator for the RS1, they are very "safe" about it, and the real world limitations exceed what is given by the calculator.
Oh, tip of the moment: further placement for increased contrast, and closer placement for brightness.
Ok fine, another tip: many JVCs, and I am almost certain it's the case for the RS10, you will increase ANSI contrast with some use of vertical shift.
