I ordered the Sanyo PLV-Z60 the other day and it will be here on Tuesday.
I've had the Infocus SP4805 for 4 yrs (still on the original bulb) I was just down watching a movie and thinking it doesn't get better then this.
The picture is still gorgeous. I wanted to upgrade to at least 720. I couldn't find a nice DLP to fit my needs. Most new ones have an outrageous offset. I'm in a basement with 7' ceilings so I went with the LCD.
One, I'm nervous about going to LCD from the DLP and the light output is much less. The 4805 is such a light canon. My space is a dedicated theater room with complete light control to a 92" screen with seating at 13'.
Projector is ceiling mounted at 12'.
Has anyone gone from the 4805 to the Z60 or something similar ?

Since you've gotten no replies to your specific question, I'll just add that the PLV-Z60 is an excellent projector and incredible value. I've upgraded from a Z2 and can say that the increases in black levels and contrast of the PLV-Z60 is very noticeable. The Z2 was rated at 800 lumens and the Z60 @1200. I definitely notice the brightness increase. Picture is very sharp (HDMI from HTPC).

Anyway, good luck with the Z60. Please post your experiences.

Please post your thought after you have hooked this one up. I still have my 4805 with a 93" screen and I'm waiting for the upgrade as my money grows. I'm looking at 720p and possibly a entry level 1080p. Screenshots are always welcome.

I think what worries me the most are the reviews saying how dim it is.
I am 12 1/2 ft. from a 92" screen so I don't think I would see a lot of difference between 720P and 1080P. (not twice the money difference anyway:) )
I'll report on my findings.
The PJ will be here Tuesday afternoon and I'll be waiting.
Thanks for your input tonli it loosens a few knots in my stomach :)

I just received my z60 last wed. couldn't be happier. Haven't really played with the setting much at all. Picture looks great out of the box, using brilliant cinema, lamp @ A1 setting. Projector is on a shelf 14 1/2 ft from 110" sherweave screen and the picture is nice and bright. Room is totally light controlled. Switched from a Benq 620c that I tought I'd give a try. It was not what I wanted. The sanyo is better than I remember my epson hc400 being! Long story in a different post:rolleyes:

Jamz

I'll chime in. I went from a Benq PB6200, DLP to the Sanyo and I absolutely love it! The value is remarkable. What kind of signal will you be feeding it, Blu-ray, OTA, Cable HD, or SD dvd's? In terms of light output the specs say it's 10,000:1 compared to the 2,000:1 of the 4805. I usually don't put any stock in those numbers because I go through the calibration to dial down the light output to eliminate color shift and eyestrain. If you are concerned about brightness, don't be. I have the same setup, 92" screen at about 12' to 13' seating and full light control. I think you will be quite impressed.

angryht that's great to hear :)
I'll be feeding it HD-DVD Toshiba A2, OTA HD & Directv HD.
I also have the Bravo D1 that I can give it 1:1 if I don't like the upconvert from the A2 which does a pretty good job on regular DVD's. Blu-Ray is in the near future.
I don't put a lot of stock in the light output numbers either. I used the 4805 with an ND2 filter for awhile.
Now I'm starting to look forward till it comes.
Thanks for your input, The DLP vs. LCD worries me.

The DLP vs. LCD worries me.
I had the same concerns. I think LCD's have come a long way since you bought your 4805. In order to get better blacks I turned off the iris's (lamp and lens) but I think you'll have to see what you think.

I was also afraid of the brightness based on Art's reviews. My PJ would be going in the lving room which does have windows but all are covered with blinds and stays pretty dim during the day due to no direct sunlight after about 11:30am. This is a great price for this unit and would be like to know if I should have any worries? Thanks.

I should add: ~13' throw to 100" screen.

I'm also enjoying my Z60. Out of the box colors are reasonably good and become better after a basic calibration. I use it mostly for gaming, however I have watched my Tosh A2 (both HD-DVD and DVD) and DirecTV HD and I find it to be more than acceptable. Last night I watched some of Lost Season 4 on Blu-Ray and for the money frankly it was stunning. I've seen significantly better projectors, but very few of them were anywhere near this price range.

I wouldn't drive myself crazy worrying about the light output. The Z60 isn't the brightest pj out there, but I've found it has lumens to spare at 92" with a ~12ft. throw. I would be more hesitant if I was trying to light up 110"+

I started a thread for the Z60 here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15675590#post15675590
So come on over and share your experiences.

UPS brought my Z60 last night but I figured 12 hrs. in a low teens truck I'd wait till today to hook it up.
After a quick setup, I mean QUICK :) adjust focus and lets try some movies.
I loaded Transformers on the A2 and it looked fantastic.
I watched a little HD on Sat. Nice but not eye popping. I couldn't find any sports on but ESPN NFL Live looked Great.
The Z60 is much quieter then the SP4805.
I went to take some screen shots and realized I left my camera at my sisters so she has to UPS it to me. Damn
I have the HD-DVD version of DVE plus Avia so I'll do some basic calcs tomorrow.
I must say this is a nice machine for the price.

Nillaz what do you have your A2 set to for output ?
I had mine on 1080i for the 4805 but switched to 720P for the Z60.

UPS brought my Z60 last night but I figured 12 hrs. in a low teens truck I'd wait till today to hook it up.
After a quick setup, I mean QUICK :) adjust focus and lets try some movies.
I loaded Transformers on the A2 and it looked fantastic.
I watched a little HD on Sat. Nice but not eye popping. I couldn't find any sports on but ESPN NFL Live looked Great.
The Z60 is much quieter then the SP4805.
I went to take some screen shots and realized I left my camera at my sisters so she has to UPS it to me. Damn
I have the HD-DVD version of DVE plus Avia so I'll do some basic calcs tomorrow.
I must say this is a nice machine for the price.
Exciting stuff!:) You gotta love that new-electronics-smell. I was also impressed by the low noise of the Z60. And the price is pretty amazing.

Since I was watching standard def DVD as well as HD-DVD I set it to 720P. No sense in doing unnecessary scaling.