I've been thinking about replacing my current projector (see sig), and have been contemplating the JVC line. The more expensive models have presets for ISF and THX. Are the presets worth the thousands of extra dollars to someone who has no trouble adjusting a video display to his liking? How can the manufacturers provide accurate presets when they don't know your throw distance or your screen characteristics?
By themselves, of course they aren't worth it, but the added costs is about the overall package; think about it.
Any pro calibrator will start with the THX preset as that will always be the most accurate OTB. The concept of calibration is very much like with audio, in that you start with "macro" adjustments down to "micro". As you place the speakers for best performance first; you don't place them haphazardly thinking that notch filters will make it all perfect.
Accuracy of video, well, a huge component of that is color accuracy, and that will matter whatever your throw distance. The dark/bright, that's the really easy stuff, anyone can do that. Colors, not so easy at all.
Another question: why spend hundreds of dollars on professional ISF calibration? Isn't your projector going to need recalibration every few hundred hours as the bulb ages?
Yes you'll need to recalibrate, but at least you started with accuracy to begin with, and any deviation will be from "perfection". It won't be deviation from awful to worse. Obviously, it's not nearly the value as with a flat panel. Myself, I won't ever pay someone the money (unless I was a lot richer), and if I ever throw money at video, it is either a new PJ, or more likely, a CMS with colorimeter.
