Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Projector problems??

I have a Z3 and sit almost exactly 1.5x the screen diagonal. No SDE at all. I used to sit at about 1.25x the screen diagonal, and still didn't notice anything with the Sanyo product. My screen is 104" 16:9 format I really like the size. Nice and big. I've viewed some HD content from over-the-air sources, and they look great at 720p. I know that there are some 1080p projectors that are getting to be more affordable ($3000 price range), but Hutzal is right. The Z series from Sanyo is the best bang for your buck. At about $1500 from an authorized dealer for a Z5, it is cheaper than what I paid for my Z3 2 years ago. A close contender is the Panasonic PT-AX100U. It sells for about $1900, but they have a $400 rebate right now. (The Z5 is like $5 cheaper after you factor in a rebate. I hate rebates though.) The Sanyo also has a 3 year warranty vs. 1 year for the Panny.

Information about both:

Sanyo PLV-Z5

Panasonic PT-AX100U

Depending on seating location and the size of the screen, you most likely will do great with a 720p... But, some people just can't accept that, and have to have 1080p... My father-in-law "HAD" to have 1080p in his new 50" flat panel. 1.5x is 6'3", but the closest seat is almost 10' away... He wasted money in my mind...

I don’t know all the BR quirks, but I did read somewhere a while back that some of them do not support lossless audio. This was one reason I use a PS3 for BR playback. It supports L-PCM via HDMI. But be careful with your terminology. Bitstream is a compressed format. L-PCM is not. Only HDMI 1.3 devices can pass the DD-HD and DTS-M audio streams, with is basically a bumped up bitstream file that the receiver will then process.

When I went from a Pany 900 to the Pany 1000 I did not notice a considerable difference in regards to resolution unless I stand less than three feet away from the screen. Where I noticed a significant (for the better) difference was with Contrast, Color, Blacks and Sharpness. For example; the HD/DVD version of the Mummy II has a dark scene where they are all traveling in the balloon with a dark scene with starts in the background, close up facial shots and a very colorful balloon. Watching this on the new projector just slams the senses because you can clearly see everything. Even all the shadow detail whereas with the 900, some was there, but much detail was lost.

It’s that way with all movies I watch now. I’m constantly thinking “dam that looks good” almost to a point of distraction.

I think that you will be very happy with the Z5 seeing how this is your first projector. But if you really want some eye candy, consider the Pany 1000 or Epson 1080P units. They are both about the same price. The Epson has more lumens whereas the Pany has a more film like image and is quieter. They both come with a three year warranty as well.

Again, read the reviews at projector review. There are a couple very good reviews comparing all the new projectors.

I am looking at the new onkyo receivers with the 1.3 for my blu ray/ hd dvd if and when I get those. I was wondering, if there how much diference is there between the color and the black levels of the epson 1080 and the sanyo z5. Are there noticable differences in pq to the point you would definitely prefer one over the other. ieEnough so that it would be worth the extra money at this time. Setting aside the 1080 vs 720 resolution. Or does it make since to just buy the z5 for really a great price and just wait for 1.3 1080 projectors in a few years that will be the sanyo's price now??? Also, does anyone know how much of a difference the reon chip in the new onkyo's will work? Will this work to upscale all input signals for a better picture on my screen(cable satellite, dvd, video games?)Will this be worth it or is this a money wasting feature?

JH, the presence of Reon video processing in the new Onkyo 875(due mid/late June)has been exciting a lot of interest. It's said to have the best deinterlacing/scaling available. As usual, the question would be if the processing would be in fact visibly better than what the TV set(or projector)would do itself.

Though it is not widely stated the Toshiba HD-XA2 uses the Silicon Optix Reon HQV processing technology also.

Right, but note that the processing in the player would affect only the discs it plays and not other source material(cable, OTA, etc.).

The Epson is the only HDMI 1.3 projector on the market right now. So you’d have that covered. I have not seen the Z5 or the Epson in person. Sorry, I can’t tell you if one would look better than the other. I can only speculate, and that speculation is that the Epson would be better overall.

Another promising 1.3 AVR is the upcoming Sherwood Newcastle. Axiom will be selling it this fall I believe.

The new 1.3 Denons are also rumored to have Reon processing.

But keep in mind that anyone can screw up a wet dream. Just take a look at how bad JVC screwed up the RS1 projector with the Reon chip. Just cause a gadget has the new toys, doesn't mean they'll work worth a crap.

And in all truth, you don’t need HDMI 1.3. It’ll be a good two years before true color is on disks. Per my crystal ball.....