My Favorite LCD Projector

16:9 Full HD, High Contrast Home Entertainment Projector

The Sanyo PLV-Z2000 was released last year. This fall Sanyo has decided to release the Z700 ready for the holiday season. There are some significant changes but let’s get to the Z700 first. At a surprising low the Z700 comes in at a low price of 2000 dollars. Considering how all other LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) projectors are being sold for about a couple of thousand more this is not a bad choice. It has a lot of similar qualities to other projectors out there that have 1080p. Unfortunately, the lamp life is unspecified at this point.The replacement lamp only seems to come to about a little more then 350 dollars. The warranty that comes with it is a full-on three-year warranty. So far the best warranty to date for LCD projectors. Other LCD projectors either offer a one or two-year warranty with an option to buy for further years to come.

Everybody loves consumer-friendly items and the Z700 offers a smooth film like picture.

The fan noise is very quiet. From a normal viewing range you can actually see no screen door or pixilation effects. The zoom lens is a long 2.0x with three full picture heights of vertical lens shift as well as two full picture widths of horizontal shift. This makes it accessible to mount or install anywhere within your choice of theatre space. For the price you pay; this is not a bad projector made to give off 1080p. White exterior makes it easy for the projector to just disappear when installed on your white ceiling. A shutter comes down when the projector is not in use to ward off any dust.

Features:

WXGA (1920 x 1080)  1200 ANSI Lumens  15000:1 Contrast Ratio  16:9 Aspect Ratio

Compared to other units the ANSI contrast for the Z700 is at about 277:1. This is not bad because it is still about the same amount compared to their direct competition from last year.

Unfortunately, the Z700 is a kind of step down when it comes to the Z2000 model which measured at 350:1. Now other brands do have readings that fully exceed 400:1 and can understandably be seen by the side by side viewing. Even with that said the Z700 when used in a dark room has a wonderful picture that has no flatness to it. Just try to limit your screen size and the picture will remain smooth as can be. A 100” screen would be ideal to keep the picture as perfect as can be. Any larger and then you might start to notice muddiness and flatness.

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There are five pre-set calibrations this time (seven were on last year’s model) for varying light situations. Such settings now are Creative Cinema, Brilliant Cinema, Natural, Living and Dynamic. This is okay though because the average brightness in optimized mode has been increased to a good amount.

As well, you can make any adjustments you want with seven user programmable memories. The range for the lumen potential can go from just above 200 to almost 1200 ANSI. It is recommended that for the most satisfying calibration in optimal video to use Creative Cinema. When used this way the lumen generated about 411. For more light and less contrast you can use the Brilliant Cinema mode which will produce about 685 lumens. Now remember that low-lamp modes must often reduce your lumen output. LCD projectors like the AE3000 and HC7000 are only reduced by 22 percent. The Z700 reduces by almost 37 percent. That said it is perfectly okay to keep your lamp in full mode. Little fan noise will come from it as well.

The Z700 also has five programmed color temperature options. They range from warmest to coldest and go from a Low2 to a High2. For film it would be best to utilize Low1 and then make any adjustments you want from there. Remember the color accuracy on the Z700 is pretty excellent, so just adjust to your preferred setting and go from there. Visual pixilation has been reduced to almost nothing because of the 1080p resolution LCD panels. The inter-pixel gap is very small. Even the screen door effect is very subtle when up close. Just step back a little bit; you can’t even notice any inter-pixel gap at all.z2000

• Widescreen LCD Projector
• 14-Bit Gamma Correction
• 1,200 ANSI Lumens (Vivid Mode) 
• 15000:1 Contrast Ratio
• Full HD Resolution at 1080p offering a full 1920x1080
• Exclusive Topaz Real HD Technology
• 3D Color Management System
• Lens Maximization of Image Detail
• New Optical System for Reliability and Performance (D.I.O.S.)
• Advanced Lens Shift for Various Room Environments
• Virtually Silent Fan Design
• Illuminated Infrared Remote Control Included
• AC Power Cord Included
• Net Weight 16.1 lbs.

 

Installation in a small room is okay because of the low fan noise and 165W lamp. As everybody knows high wattage lamps can raise room temperatures sometimes up to 10 degrees (especially in small theatre rooms). The 165W lamp is perfect for any room setting and will not affect the room temperature to any record highs. The fan exhaust is on the right side of the projector. Make sure you at least leave some available room for heat to escape. Air and heat exhaust can cause dust particles to gather. That is why it is recommended to clean the filters out periodically. If you want a nice clear image you may want to clean the filter on a semi-regular basis. The Z700 actually comes with a manual squeeze blower that can remove such dust particles from staying. Actually Sanyo is the only vendor to have such a feature for its home theatre projector.

The Z700 is a wonderful LCD projector to have if you really don’t want to spend an arm and a leg. It comes with a three-year warranty. It has excellent color accuracy and is very consumer friendly. If you want a 1080p LCD projector at a price that is very reasonable then I would suggest the Sanyo PLV-Z700.