Projector question, Opo or the Sanyo?!

[admin_exported]

Hi, I'm soon going to treat myself to a budget projector (my first) and had decided upon getting the Optoma HD20/200x as is seems good value for money etc.

However, after reading reviews for the Sanyo PLV-z700 on many sites (including this one) I'm tempted to spend a little more in order to achieve a better picture.

I've not had a chance to demo the two projectors yet and as a result am worried about the pros and cons to the Optoma's DLP vs. the Sanyo's LCD tech. I'm sure I'll be most happy with both but my main concerns are the Opo's potential rainbow affect and it's lack of placement flexability. However I'm actually more concerned with the Sanyo at the moment as it's LCD. Do LCD projectors look the same as LCD tvs? If so that'll be a deal breaker for me as I find LCD tv's picture quality unacceptable.

DO NOT wish to start another debate between LCD & Plasma etc, it's just IMO I find LCD's movement unwatchable/unnatural etc. Every LCD i've seen looks terrible. My friend has a Samsung UE40B7000 (5 stars in WHF!) and even after calbration (settings taken from various expert websites) and fiddling with all the various picture settings, i found the picture terrible on anything other than Bluray-and even that had unnatural motion. Again, this is only my opinion/preference but my trusty old Panny PX70 just blows it away in every department except detail due to the lower res etc. As you may have guessed, I'm a plasma man so if the Sanyo Projector looks like LCD TVs i'll save myself the money and go for the Opo!!

If anybody has experience with either of these two projectors i'd appreciate any feedback or opinions etc.

thanx in advance.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Hi Butch,

Can't comment on the PJ's above but i can on the DLP vs LCD. Personally i changed to an LCD PJ from DLP. DLP was fine but seemed to lack vitality compared to my Panny LCD. DLP also suffered from colour banding. Can appreciate why you have concerns about LCD's that you have seen. Most are set up so badly that i wonder why some customers buy them, seriously with a PJ calibration is the most important thing. Personally i prefer LCD, my PJ has a 15 milliseconds refresh rate (50hz)and i have no trouble with everything from Wipeout HD on my PS3 to Avatar. Agree that 24fps Blu-ray can look a little odd at first when we are used to a faster frame rate. Also keep in mind that the video processing and scaling are often pretty good to support a larger picture.

I would say that DLP does look more like a plasma picture than LCD though. Seriously if you're spending £1,000 ish try them for yourself. Take your own BD player and own discs so that you can make a comparison. You didn't mention your viewing distance but a large Plasma may be the answer. The 3D Samsung 50", 6000 series is not much over a grand and you don't need to buy a screen. Enjoyed this screen when i tried it. PJ's are great but if you're too close it is all too easy to find yourself critising the picture rather than enjoying the film.

Lastly, the performance of any kit really does depend on the quality of the source material. I remember when 'Phandom Menace' DVD was considered a great AV disc. It looks awful now.

Best of luck,

Cookie Monster

 

[Anonymous]

thanx cookie,

yeah sorry didn't mention about distances etc!! I'll be approx just over 3m from the screen and was gonna go for a 84" screen, so that should be fine shouldn't it? also, I've already got a 42" plasma for general use so going to a 50" isn't a big enough jump in size compared with a projector for similar money etc.

demos are the way forward tho and i'm sure i'll be amazed at both!! My worries about the sanyo are probaly misplaced and with a slightly better picture than the optoma and more flexibilty with the throw ratio and lense shift-it's probaly the better option for me.

Just wondering if it's £300 better tho?!

 

[Chewy]

I can heartily recommend Optoma PJ's. I haven't seen the exact model you are lookig at, but I had an Optoma HD73 before my current projector and it was a fantastic bit of kit, excellent image for the price.

I have no experience of the Sanyo PJ, but to be honest Sanyo is not a name I personally associate with quality AV gear.

LCD PJ's don't look like LCD TV's which, I have to agree, I have never liked the look of either, they always seem to look so unnatural. That said LCD PJ's they do tend to produce a slightly more clinical picture, where as DLP always seems a bit more filmic. DLP's tend to be brighter too, but suffer more with poorer black levels as a result. Plus view some high contract sequences on a DLP to make sureyou don't suffer from the infamous 'rainbow' effect, before you buy.

TBH if you are looking at the £1,000 price point, there are loads of options. Don't disregard older models that are now heavily discounted, as they could give you better image quality than the current PJ's at this price point.

And to echo what Cookie Monster said, a bit of time spent calibrating your display properly can make a night and day difference to image quality.

 

[kinda]

Hello,

I demod the Optoma HD20, and eventually went for the Epson EH-TW3500 LCD. I'm sitting 3m from a 2m wide screen, (can't remember what inch size it is), but picture is every bit as good as I remembered demoing on the HD20, and I think vividness of colour and saturation are probably a bit bette, and it's better in brighter conditions.

From the distance I sit the picute only looks rubbish with low quality TV stations. BBC SD or DVDs look fine upscaled, and I can't wait to try out BluRay.

I'm not a big LCD fan, (only just got rid of CRT!), but the projector LCD picture isn't the same as that to me, with no motion issues. Motion jerks inherent in the film or video are amplified on a bigger screen obviously. I'm as happy with my projector image quality as I was with my old and well-regarded CRT, and I do like vivid but realistic colours.

I looked at the Sanyo, but I wanted to sometimes use the projector in daylight and the Sanyo seemed a little too dim, and also in some reviews I read wasn't that well regarded, but I've never seen it in action.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Hi Butch,

Sorry forgot to mention. Check out www.projectorreviews.com for a detailed look at PJ reviews. Very indepth site with photos, calibration details etc.

Also, 3 metres would be too close for me but as mentioned by others its the source quality that makes the difference.

Good Luck,

Cookie Monster