reviews

HCC Review - Sanyo PLV Z2000 Cinema Projector

November 2008 (Updated)
HCC Editors' Choice

Sanyo PLV - Z2000 1080P HD Projector

Sanyo and Epson have been fighting it out in the 1080 class and till now Epson have had one big advantage, their 3 year warranty that includes the lamp. We've just supplied a lamp to a Panasonic PT-AE 1000 owner with a 6 month old projector, $$ ouch! Sorry but we try to tell you.

3 year lamp warranty is a great offer.

Sanyo are now offering (Genuine Australian units only) a 3 year warranty to match Epson including the lamp (4000 hours) on the made in Japan PLV-Z2000.

If you have a white ceiling the Z-2000 is also white so you won't notice it up there, also it's the quietest in the class. The class leading lens shift is twice as good as the Sanyo Z5 which was already impressive. What this means is the projector can situated be off center to the screen.

This means you can put the projector almost anywhere in the room (Check specifications regarding the range of the lens shift and zoom).

See the Z2000 projector with a DNP daylight screen and you've got a 100 inch plasma killer even in a well lit room. In a light controlled room on a quality standard projection screen it's as good as most people will ever need, how can you improve on this? We were blown away with the clarity and colour accuracy.

New Epson EMP TW2000 review here

Get Real

What does the massive 15,000 (real) to 1 contrast ratio mean? First it's not to be confused with full on/off CR which is a sales tool and can't be reproduced in real cinema material. Some claim a higher CR, you can forget it. What 15000:1 means is that you have all the contrast you'll ever need.

Sanyo state their 12-bit drivers make for superior colour reproduction and the Sanyo new "Normally Black System” greatly boosts contrast. Also the 3D Colour Management – individual control of saturation, gamma and hue – “Deep Colour” compatibility via HDMI – 12-bit driver allow for over 68 billion colours and 216 billion possible colour combinations.

Having lived with a 10 bit Epson EMP-TW2000 (Aussie version) for a while (I tend to install projectors in my home theatre for longer periods to see what they're like to live with) you can tell the Sanyo Z2000 has a better image, it's hard to put your finger on it, it just looks more life-like. I know this is splitting hairs, they are both great projectors. I was happy with the Epson but in terms of noise the Sanyo is the clear winner due to lack of it.

The Sanyo has a much larger air intake filter I think this helps. For all intents and purposes it's silent.

In the real world most source material CR is nowhere near 15000:1 so in fact it's almost overkill. Don't even get me started on what the eye can see in real time it's not as much as you'd think. One candle light on in the room and it's all so much hot air.

That's why pilots use red torches when flying at night.

Pixels

Even up close you can hardly make out the pixel structure on the screen, from any sort of normal viewing distance it's impossible. The image is as smooth as silk.

When we first saw the Sanyo PLV-Z5 we thought it's going to be hard to improve on it, the PLV-Z2000 is an improvement but not by as much as you'd think. Looking at the resolution and specifications is just a guide because from 4 or 5m back there is only so much your eye can discern.

Screening review

We tested the Sanyo PLV Z2000 using Blu-Ray disks such as the Legends of Jazz, Into The Blue, Tiger Woods07 Game on PS3 and a Sony HD video camera so we could get the overall picture so to speak.

The Screens used were (a) Longhorn Lumiere (b) LP Morgan. Both fixed screens and for a buzz we tested a DNP SuperNova Daylight projection screen. All were 92 inch diagonal in size.

There was little difference with the fixed screens, the massive improvement was with the DNP Supernova but only when you pumped the lights up to well beyond what most people would consider "Cinema" lighting conditions. Showing you pictures we've snapped of the screen won't do it justice so just take our word for it, first rate.

If you want a demo call the guys at AIM (ausmedia.com.au) the bulk stores won't set one up so it looks any good because all they want to sell you is flat screen TV.

The DNP projection screen basically filters out most of the light that comes from the ceiling so you can have your down lights on and still watch your movies. Just like a Plasma/LCD TV but at a fraction of the cost for the same size. The term "Daylight Screen" is somewhat misleading as nothing works wonders in a sun lit room. Have a look at your reflection in a Plasma TV if in doubt.

Bright Spark

We found under brighter conditions such as you may have in a family or lounge room the Sanyo Z2000 Dynamic mode really lifted the image without excessive crushing of the colors or contrast, the skin tones were still life like.

Hide me in the corner

Considering some people in smaller apartments will be taking advantage of the lens shift and mounting the projector on say a book case, the silence will be appreciated. This is without doubt the quietest projector around. My notebook PC makes much more noise!

Less is More

The white sleek design is up to you, some will love the simple stylish design that fits in with the expensive apartments way of white crisp lines, others would rather it looked more at home in Transformers the movie.

If it's mounted on the ceiling and matches the colour what does it matter? Ditto the back/side book shelf. Many overlook the dust door that closes to protect your investment when not in use, it also makes the lines all that more streamlined if you're looking at it as a conversation piece.

Chips with that?

The Sanyo PLV Z2000 HD LCD uses D7 c2Fine chips that do not degrade over time, put another way you'd compare this LCD model with 3 chip DLP models costing a lot more. Against single chip DLP projectors there is no choice it's a clear victory for the non colour whizzing wheel Mr. Z.

Conclusion

The Sanyo PLV-Z2000 is the value HD projector all others should be judged by. Unless you're using a test pattern, side by side at under 1m distance it's not possible to say for sure which is which as most all 1080 LCD projectors use the same C2fine LCD engine.

The Sanyo is the only model with a dust door (Closes in front of lens) but should some pesky dust get past it Sanyo have provided a special cleaning tool (puffer) that you poke into maintenance ports to blow the dust out of the image engine. Most others lack this and in the event of the smallest bit of dust getting stuck in the wrong place it's off for an expensive service. Now I have wooden floors I find dust comes from nowhere all the bloody time so for dirty old me it's a great feature.

Depending on how they set up the dynamic iris and measure contrast ratio (all lies*) or in the case of Panasonic use their "Smooth Screen" technology you'll get a different impression of the capabilities of each model. In the real world it's often academic. If you're sitting that close to the screen that you can actually see the difference you should be watching a TV.

*Full on/off CR is a joke it's there for the advertising guys to play with.

None of the new HD models here or on the way are duds, they all have little features that you may be looking for, this could be as simple as the colour of the case or in dusty rooms an automatic dust shield.

Unless you really like review splitting hairs or you get all hung up on advertising hype, your decision may come down to a few points such as:-

• Does it produce a first rate image?
• Is it quite enough for my intended installation position?
• Can it be mounted where I want?
• Does it protect itself against dust damage?
• Is the warranty free from silly conditions?
• Can it connect to all of my input sources?
• Does the colour match my ceiling?
• Do I trust the brand?
• Do I need true 1080HD?

If you answer YES to the above then consider the Sanyo PLV-Z2000.

You'll be blown away once you feed it true HD programs. You really can't go wrong, everyone loved the Z5 and they will love this model even more.

HCC © November 2008

HCC Editors' Choice

Specifications Subject to change without notice

Projecting Full HD without sparing any detail with high resolution and high contrast ratio of 15,000:1 *1 * See Sanyo web site for notes.

New Epson EMP TW2000 review here

Warning
Sanyo PLV-Z2000 is marked 110 Volt [LP-Z2000] only if imported from Japan or USA. Try taking a 110V non-approved or C ticked for Australia dead projector to Sanyo Australia (240V) and you're in for some problems getting service.

Double check on Sanyo.com.au web site before buying on-line.

Retailers of products not certified for Australia can be fined $20,000.00 [Link]