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Meridian MF10 Projector = JVC DLA-RS2 plus Ripoff

by Clint DeBoer — March 17, 2008

That's an expensive label!

It's not uncommon the see manufacturers occasionally re-brand a product with their own moniker and sell it as their own. We've seen this in the past with Rotel re-branding APC power conditioners, and Atlantic Technology re-boxing the same AV processor it sold under the Outlaw Audio moniker. None of it is really criminal and most times (as in the Rotel example) it simply allows customers to have matched components and maintain the uniform look of a branded system. Sometimes, as in the case of Meridian's latest product, it really seems like it's all about finding a new way to make money off unsuspecting consumers.

Are we being mean and unfair? Well, considering we haven't looked inside the box - yes, a tad bit. But in all actuality, having reviewed many many projectors, there are only so many things you can do to improve the picture. When the specs match up so closely, and the only exterior differences are a white Meridian logo on the top of the unit (instead of JVC) we question the validity of tacking on an additional $7,000.

Let's look at the known specs for each:

	JVC DLA-RS2	Meridian MF10
Display Tech	D-ILA 3 x 0.7-inch 1080p	D-ILA 3 x 0.7-inch 1080p
Lumens	600 ANSI	700 ANSI
Iris	None	None
Lens	16-element lens	16-element lens
Zoom	2x motorized	2x motorized
Lens Shift	80%H + 34%V	80%H + 34%V
Contrast Ratio	30,000:1	30,000:1
Control	RS-232C	RS-232C
HDMI	2 x HDMI 1.3	2 x HDMI 1.3
Deep Color	Yes	Yes
Noise	24dB	24dB
MSRP	$7,995	$14,995

It seems relatively clear to us that Meridian is simply giving its dealers a way to make a cool $7,000 or more from their branded DLA-RS2 projector. I'm sure there's a chance Meridian made some adjustments along the way, however we doubt they did more than superficial changes, nor that any of those changes would have resulted in anything actually visible.

The 700 lumens rating on the MF10 is only via third party news reporting and has yet to be verified from Meridian , so we're not sure even that single spec indicates a true difference. Both projectors are certain to be hot items worthy of any serious home theater enthusiasts - we just hate to see wealthy and unsuspecting consumers taken to the cleaners simply because they allow a custom installer to sell them on a "Meridian" projector.

For more information or to make your own comparison, please feel free to check out the official websites:

Audioholics is thinking about putting out its own line of AV receivers. Maybe we can take a flagship Onkyo, upgrade some capacitors, put our logo on it and sell it for twice the price? Hey, anything is possible, right!

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