I have a DVD player (a Panny DVB318) that upconverts to either 720p or 1080i via component inputs or via DVI output.

I know the Z3 is 720p output, so does that mean i'm likely to get a better picture if i set my DVD player to send a 720p signal or a 1080i signal to the Z3?

Also, am i likely to get a better picture by upconverting via components, or by getting a DVI to HDMI cable (the DVD player has a DVI output)..?

Thanks!!!

I am pretty sure you mean the Zenith DVB318. Yes it does do both 1080 and 720 via component with the old firmware.

I have tried both and prefer the 1080i. I feel it is signif. clearer and I see NO jaggies at all. NONE.

The 318 is one of the few players out there that have been said to have better component than HDMI or DVI out.

Go with 1080i through components.

Here is a link to the old firmware for upconverting through component.

http://www.keohi.com/keohihdtv/experttips/michaeltlv/lg_dv7832_firmware.html

I have a DVD player (a Panny DVB318) that upconverts to either 720p or 1080i via component inputs or via DVI output.

I know the Z3 is 720p output, so does that mean i'm likely to get a better picture if i set my DVD player to send a 720p signal or a 1080i signal to the Z3?

Also, am i likely to get a better picture by upconverting via components, or by getting a DVI to HDMI cable (the DVD player has a DVI output)..?

Thanks!!!

The z3 doesn't up convert well ?

It does convert well but a 1080i signal (upconverted) is going to look better. IMHO.

It does convert well but a 1080i signal (upconverted) is going to look better. IMHO.


BTW does it up convert from all inputs if necessary ?

I am pretty sure you mean the Zenith DVB318.

JOHNNYK: Yes, i meant the Zenith. Sorry. And thanks for the recommendation for 1080i over 720p upconversion.


They are exactly the same except for one big huge difference. The warranty!

DWEEZILZ: I've heard there is one more difference: The Japanese version has one set of "regular" component inputs, and one set of "D4" inputs. D4 being a component-class input, but a particular kind of connection used in Japan but not the USA.

Fellows, at the risk of sounding benighted, please indulge three questions that i haven't been able to get a fix on reading these threads:

(1) generally speaking, what does changing the "iris" setting do? That is, if i adjust the iris from its factory setting to say -50, what is the effect it will have on my picture?

(2) also, what does the "black stretch" function do?

(3) Lastly, how can i access the "lamp counter" to see how many hours i've logged on my lamp?

Thanks very much....

lamp counter - keep on-off power button on remote or unit pressed for 30 secs

lamp counter - keep on-off power button on remote or unit pressed for 30 secs

Thanks very much. :)

JOHNNYK: Yes, i meant the Zenith. Sorry. And thanks for the recommendation for 1080i over 720p upconversion.




DWEEZILZ: I've heard there is one more difference: The Japanese version has one set of "regular" component inputs, and one set of "D4" inputs. D4 being a component-class input, but a particular kind of connection used in Japan but not the USA.


cool thanks. even more reason not to get that version! :)

Hi!

I have a question. I just bought a Sanyo z3 with a Da-Lite 106" diagonal screen but due to a miscalculation on my part (I forgot about a door opening in my HT!) I can't mount the Z3 at the recommended distance of 14.1 feet. I used a calculator on the site where I bought the projector and screen and according to this calculator I can have a 106" screen at 11.1 feet if I zoom at 1.24x and with a 24fc.

What would be the impact on picture quality? Will it become all blurry and stuff.

Hi!

I have a question. I just bought a Sanyo z3 with a Da-Lite 106" diagonal screen but due to a miscalculation on my part (I forgot about a door opening in my HT!) I can't mount the Z3 at the recommended distance of 14.1 feet. I used a calculator on the site where I bought the projector and screen and according to this calculator I can have a 106" screen at 11.1 feet if I zoom at 1.24x and with a 24fc.

What would be the impact on picture quality? Will it become all blurry and stuff.


14.1 ft is the recommanded distance ?

i'm mounting it at 12 ft....

Can someone post a link to the sanyo plv-z3 firmware??? I looked all over their site and cant seem to find it. Thank you

Hi!

I have a question. I just bought a Sanyo z3 with a Da-Lite 106" diagonal screen but due to a miscalculation on my part (I forgot about a door opening in my HT!) I can't mount the Z3 at the recommended distance of 14.1 feet. I used a calculator on the site where I bought the projector and screen and according to this calculator I can have a 106" screen at 11.1 feet if I zoom at 1.24x and with a 24fc.

What would be the impact on picture quality? Will it become all blurry and stuff.

I have a Da-Lite that sounds very similar to yours - it is 72" high x 96" wide, with a diagonal of about 108".

I have my projector set up at 11 feet with a zoom of about that and it looks great.

But go ahead and take a look at the picture on your bare wall and see for yourself.

I have a Da-Lite that sounds very similar to yours - it is 72" high x 96" wide, with a diagonal of about 108".

I have my projector set up at 11 feet with a zoom of about that and it looks great.

But go ahead and take a look at the picture on your bare wall and see for yourself.


Thank you... Silly of me :o to forget about the door in my calculation... Oh well, it's my first pj. I'll post some pics of my setup once it's completed (by the end of this month).

I'm pulling the wire this weekend, then the sheetrock goes up, then paint, flooring, lamp and laminated poster... You know the whole shebang :p

The construction of the room + the pj and screen should run at about $7,000.00Cdn when it's finish. Not too bad. I had planned on spending about $10k Cdn on it.

Dont forget to use CC filters and settings from z3 tweak thread so you get to free upgrade to Z4!

I have a Da-Lite that sounds very similar to yours - it is 72" high x 96" wide, with a diagonal of about 108".

I have my projector set up at 11 feet with a zoom of about that and it looks great.

But go ahead and take a look at the picture on your bare wall and see for yourself.


Here is the recommended settings for a 106" screen. Going outside the throw range is not maximizing your picture. the best is at 13' 9". It still may look good outside this range, but it isn't nearly as good as it could be. At 108", at 11' you are in the proper range, but not at optimal.

http://www.roseyworld.com/Webpictures/Z3throw.jpg

Here is the recommended settings for a 106" screen. Going outside the throw range is not maximizing your picture. the best is at 13' 9". It still may look good outside this range, but it isn't nearly as good as it could be. At 108", at 11' you are in the proper range, but not at optimal.

http://www.roseyworld.com/Webpictures/Z3throw.jpg

I don't think it changes anything at what distance you trow your picture. Or if it changes anything you would be hard press to see a diference. Also being at 1x zoom is not the best. I heard that the best position was anything in the midle but not full zoom or no zoom.

But I have not seen any difference in sharpness by playing with the zoom .

Thanks

Fred

Hi,

I'm a newbie starting to look into PJs. I was recommended the Z3 from a friend who has one.

I currently trying to figure out where to mount the PJ and where to setup speakers (I plan on mounting the PJ to the ceiling and putting the back speakers in the ceiling).

I plan on placing the screen above my fireplace which is 72'' wide max (83" diag).

In using the online projection calculator it seems for a screen gain of 1.0, 83" diagonal is the smallest screen size. I would need to use a screen gain of less than 1.0 for a smaller diagonal.

Am I interpreting this correctly?

Thanks.

I don't think it changes anything at what distance you trow your picture. Or if it changes anything you would be hard press to see a diference. Also being at 1x zoom is not the best. I heard that the best position was anything in the midle but not full zoom or no zoom.

But I have not seen any difference in sharpness by playing with the zoom .

Thanks

Fred

Yeah I wasn't really saying he'd see a huge difference. I was trying just to help this person pin-point the range he should be in. Anywhere in that range is acceptable. I'm no expert, but I thought that using no zoom was the best. Using zoom manipulates the picture to fit the proper size you want & there has to be a throw distance that is perfect for the size of screen using no zoom. I could be wrong, but that's what I thought.

Yeah I wasn't really saying he'd see a huge difference. I was trying just to help this person pin-point the range he should be in. Anywhere in that range is acceptable. I'm no expert, but I thought that using no zoom was the best. Using zoom manipulates the picture to fit the proper size you want & there has to be a throw distance that is perfect for the size of screen using no zoom. I could be wrong, but that's what I thought.


It's a optical zoom, not digital, so you shouldn't see much difference if any depending on the quality of the optic.

Thanks

Fred

OK. I gotcha. I'm not sure why I thought no zoom was best. Well, the rest of my post stands then. ha! Anything in that range is good.

An interesting reading... http://hdtvexpert.com/pages/reality.htm

It's a optical zoom, not digital, so you shouldn't see much difference if any depending on the quality of the optic.

Thanks

Fred

I'm no expert but from what i've learned in regular photo optics,

Its very hard to get the best image in a optical zoom at the entire zoom range.

usually full zoom will have more CA problems, depending on the optics coating etc...

So i would think anywhere between x1 and middle of the range should produce about the same quality image.

Anyway, if I don't like the result I can always project a smaller image. I'm mounting some drapes on the side of the screen anyway so I can always mask the unused part of the screen with them. There is always a way :-)

Fellas - what is the best video-type mode (i.e, "full", "zoom", etc.) when playing a non-anamorphic DVD?

I tried to play a DVD that was 2.35/1 non-anamorphic, and the "full" mode was stretched too much. I couldn't find a mode that showed it without distortions....

/The only problem that I see is that I get a faint greenish color on the top right corner of the picture. Does anybody know why that might be? I am wondering if I have a defective PJ./

i have that and it's a panel alignment problem. it's easy to see if alignment is the problem by going up to the projector and examining the lcd grid. on the left side of my projector the grid squares are clearly resolved but on the right side they are less resolved (and it's not because of focus). the projector still looks pretty good (it's black and white material that suffers a little), but i might send it in to get fix. i have found support hard to reach though.

/The only problem that I see is that I get a faint greenish color on the top right corner of the picture. Does anybody know why that might be? I am wondering if I have a defective PJ./

i have that and it's a panel alignment problem. it's easy to see if alignment is the problem by going up to the projector and examining the lcd grid. on the left side of my projector the grid squares are clearly resolved but on the right side they are less resolved (and it's not because of focus). the projector still looks pretty good (it's black and white material that suffers a little), but i might send it in to get fix. i have found support hard to reach though.


Could be the iris guys, try adjusting your iris settings - disappeared for me after setting iris correctly to get rid of it. :)

/The only problem that I see is that I get a faint greenish color on the top right corner of the picture. Does anybody know why that might be? I am wondering if I have a defective PJ./

i have that and it's a panel alignment problem. it's easy to see if alignment is the problem by going up to the projector and examining the lcd grid. on the left side of my projector the grid squares are clearly resolved but on the right side they are less resolved (and it's not because of focus). the projector still looks pretty good (it's black and white material that suffers a little), but i might send it in to get fix. i have found support hard to reach though.

i just did a quick scan of the manual & someone else's remedy.....

i think for your fix, it's the panel alignment feature in the menu, because of the slight chromatic abberation (green)?....

iris@-38 for the the entire screen?

Fellas - i hear talk of the "iris" all the time, but what does it actually do, and why should i alter the factory setting?

Fellas - i hear talk of the "iris" all the time, but what does it actually do, and why should i alter the factory setting?

It's just like an eyelid. It opens up to let more light pass or close to reduce light output. It works manually and you can set it from 0 being the brightess to 63 wich is the darkess.

You should alter the factory setting the get the best picture possible with your equipment and setup.

Thanks

Fred

It's just like an eyelid. It opens up to let more light pass or close to reduce light output. It works manually and you can set it from 0 being the brightess to 63 wich is the darkess.

You should alter the factory setting the get the best picture possible with your equipment and setup.

Thanks

Fred

There is also an 'automatic' iris mode that adjusts depending on ambient lighting conditions. This feature was initially planned, then removed via software in the initial shipment & now, it seems that the feature has been enabled in the software. This has been debated over & over (and I don't have the projector yet...2 more months till I get it), but according the the Sanyo rep I spoke to & also their midwest authorized dealer in PA, this feature has indeed been enabled.

There is also an 'automatic' iris mode that adjusts depending on ambient lighting conditions. This feature was initially planned, then removed via software in the initial shipment & now, it seems that the feature has been enabled in the software. This has been debated over & over (and I don't have the projector yet...2 more months till I get it), but according the the Sanyo rep I spoke to & also their midwest authorized dealer in PA, this feature has indeed been enabled.
So,with a firmware upgrade,the automatic iris can be enabled?The new firmware with autoiris exist?

So,with a firmware upgrade,the automatic iris can be enabled?The new firmware with autoiris exist?


Isn't the auto iris subject to failure because its mechanical ?

How would you rate the scaler deinterlacer on the z3 ?

Is it crap and you actually need an external one ?


I was reading this review and it really got me scared that regular interlaced inputs would look very bad on this projector.


I plan on getting a projector in a month.

There is also an 'automatic' iris mode that adjusts depending on ambient lighting conditions. This feature was initially planned, then removed via software in the initial shipment & now, it seems that the feature has been enabled in the software. This has been debated over & over (and I don't have the projector yet...2 more months till I get it), but according the the Sanyo rep I spoke to & also their midwest authorized dealer in PA, this feature has indeed been enabled.

I heard some rumor about an automatic iris but no one that I have talk too saw one. So for now (to me at least) it's just speculation. Also the iris make a lot of noise when you change it, so I guest having this enable would be distracting

Anyway, will see. :confused:

Thanks

Fred

How would you rate the scaler deinterlacer on the z3 ?

Is it crap and you actually need an external one ?


I was reading this review and it really got me scared that regular interlaced inputs would look very bad on this projector.


I plan on getting a projector in a month.

I started using my Z3 with an old DVD player that had only 480i. I switched to a new Panasonic DVD s97 and saw some differences in the image, but not in the interlacing and scaling. My conclusion is that the built in scaler/deinterlacer works very well.

Ricketty

I heard some rumor about an automatic iris but no one that I have talk too saw one. So for now (to me at least) it's just speculation. Also the iris make a lot of noise when you change it, so I guest having this enable would be distracting

Anyway, will see. :confused:

Thanks

Fred

Yeah, I'm with ya on this. I agree with you but wanted share a few bits of info I've collected. I've posted this before, but here it is again, right off Sanyo's website on the specs sheet for the Z3. So it's more than rumor or speculation. Is is a real feature that the Z3 is capable of, but it's a matter of it being enabled in the firmware. I can't confirm if it is or is not since I don't have the unit yet, but the dealer I am purchasing from has a Z3 himself & he says it is in the menu & he has seen it work at his house. Now maybe he is completely full of !#$!# & doesn't know what he's talking about, but the Sanyo rep I spoke to also insisted it was in there, as it was demo'd to their sales team & he saw it working. He was going to check with the home office to confirm that it is enabled but he has yet to get back to me. I understand, like you said, that nobody has confirmed that it's in the menu and nobody can see it working, but it's fair to say the projector has the hardware for the auto iris & at some point, software will enable it if it hasn't already. This is straight off the Sanyo website:

http://www.roseyworld.com/Webpictures/z3sm.jpg

There is also an 'automatic' iris mode that adjusts depending on ambient lighting conditions. This feature was initially planned, then removed via software in the initial shipment & now, it seems that the feature has been enabled in the software. This has been debated over & over (and I don't have the projector yet...2 more months till I get it), but according the the Sanyo rep I spoke to & also their midwest authorized dealer in PA, this feature has indeed been enabled.


Dweezilz:

Does this mean all of us current Z3 owners have to contact Sanyo and ask whether the model we got was in a "batch" that has the software enabled or not, or is there some way of going into the controls and finding out for ourselves.......?

Since Dweezilz said it was in the menu, I would assume that you search the menu options. If you don't find it, then you don't have it.

Yeah I'd agree with Claus. I do want to make it clear, that I can't confirm what I've been told 1st hand as my basement is not done yet & I won't have the projector for another 6-8 weeks. I was told by the Midwest Sanyo distributor who is located in western PA, that he has a Z3 at his house & there is an option on the menu that turns the auto iris on & off. I can't recall what he told me it was called, but I do remember it wasn't all that obvious as to what it was by it's name. I even told him that nearly 100% of the people who own this projector say there is no option for it, but he insisted, as did the Sanyo regional sales rep, that it is indeed there.

So my message is, don't shoot the messenger!! :) Just relaying what I was told by Sanyo & their sales people. Plus, it's pretty obvious from their specs pdf located right on their website, that Sanyo believes the option is in their unit. I guess it's possible that others know the Z3 better than Sanyo! ;)

Sanyo z3 with CC20R and CC10Y filters and Rone/Andresson settings from z3 tweak thread is like new projector. PQ improvement is that massive (contrast/colors/color balance/black level/3D look/...).

Is AVS a dealer of the Sanyo?
If so then it should be possible for one of the sales guys to find out wheter it is there or not. That will finally solve the "mystery" of dynamic iris or not.

Can anyone tell me the diameter of the filter CC20R and CC10Y to be used with the Z3,how to mount it and maybe send a photo of mounted filters? Thanks

Is AVS a dealer of the Sanyo?
If so then it should be possible for one of the sales guys to find out wheter it is there or not. That will finally solve the "mystery" of dynamic iris or not.

Well, nothing against AVS, but I'm not sure that even if they are a Sanyo dealer that they would know any better than the Midwest Regional rep from Sanyo. A good question is this, why did Sanyo put a section about the dynamic iris in their spec document only to pull it from the final production model? If they did this, why wouldn't they change their spec sheet?

Here's what I'm going to do. I didn't get the # for the Sanyo Rep that called me, so I'll call the dealer that he gave me (the one with the Z3 at home) & ask him to give me the # of the Sanyo Rep. I'll also ask him specifically what setting in the menu turns it on & off.

This is the only way we can know 100% for sure. We need to find out directly from Sanyo or one of us has to find it in the menu & see it work.

Ironically, either way, I've heard it's not even the greatest thing to use anyway because of the sound so it doesn't appear to be a deal breaker should we find out that Sanyo has never enabled it & their spec sheet is outdated and wrong.

based on how audible the iris is when you manually change it, i think the auto iris would have have made too much noise... so IF they ever had it as an option maybe they pulled it for that reason.

Can anyone tell me the diameter of the filter CC20R and CC10Y to be used with the Z3,how to mount it and maybe send a photo of mounted filters? Thanks

I used square (3"x3") filters but I remember reading someone used a circular 72mm. Tape is the easiest mounting method but I created one for myself. Check the last 4-5 pages of the Z3 tweak thread for more info.

How would you rate the scaler deinterlacer on the z3 ?

Is it crap and you actually need an external one ?


I was reading this review and it really got me scared that regular interlaced inputs would look very bad on this projector.


I plan on getting a projector in a month.

I borrowed a Z3 and have to say that, unless I'm doing something seriously wrong, the deinterlacer is crap.

While wainting for my Oppo DVD player to arrive I tested with an S-Video connection on an old DVD player as well as an LD player. You know how when something done in PAL (25fps) is converted to NTSC (30fps) and they have to generate a new frame here and there by blending two together? You get that smeared look all the time with the Z3 too.

If you're going to watch any interlaced material on your projector then stay away from this one.

I started using my Z3 with an old DVD player that had only 480i. I switched to a new Panasonic DVD s97 and saw some differences in the image, but not in the interlacing and scaling. My conclusion is that the built in scaler/deinterlacer works very well.

What settings are you using for this? For me interlaced vs progressive inputs are night and day.

I borrowed a Z3 and have to say that, unless I'm doing something seriously wrong, the deinterlacer is crap.

While wainting for my Oppo DVD player to arrive I tested with an S-Video connection on an old DVD player as well as an LD player. You know how when something done in PAL (25fps) is converted to NTSC (30fps) and they have to generate a new frame here and there by blending two together? You get that smeared look all the time with the Z3 too.

If you're going to watch any interlaced material on your projector then stay away from this one.



What settings are you using for this? For me interlaced vs progressive inputs are night and day.


How could 2 people have such different expirience ?

We talking about the same progjector ? :)

I've read TONS of reviews on this projector & the vast majority said the de-interlacer was actually quite good. Can't say 1st hand, but that's what I've read. Which de-interlacer does it have? Does it have the FJ?

I'm pretty sure it's not Faroudja. What reviews specifically say it's good? I looked around really quick and the ones I see seem to be from PAL countries. Just a theory, but maybe it can do 2:2 fine but not 3:2?

Really the question is why anyone would even do this. Most people here are so picky on everything, they take their time day in and out to figure out the right projector for them and then feed it S-Video! Who really cares what that looks like? That would be wondering what kind of 1/4 mile times I'd get in my top-fuel car running street gas in it. No purpose in it.

"I tested with an S-Video connection on an old DVD player as well as an LD player.

If you're going to watch any interlaced material on your projector then stay away from this one."

I'm pretty sure it's not Faroudja. What reviews specifically say it's good?

Quoting from Projector Central's review:

"Scaling and onboard deinterlacing have been improved such that overall image stability and sharpness are better on the Z3 than they were on the Z2. Owners of the Z3 will never want to bother with an external video processor like the DVDO iScan HD since the onboard electronics are already fully adequate to the task. DVDs are scaled as cleanly as we've ever seen on any product in this class, and those with particularly good transfers look almost high def."

http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv-z3.htm

Quoting from Ultimate AV Mag's review:

"The deinterlacer built into the Sanyo is nearly as good as the Faroudja chip built into the Panasonic DVD-RP56 DVD player. When I compared a 480p feed from this player with 480i (in the latter case the projector is doing the deinterlacing), the Panasonic-deinterlaced 480p won by only the slimmest of margins."

http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/305sanyo/

Personally, I have not seen any difference in deinterlacing performance between the onboard deinterlacer and the one built into my Panasonic DVD S97.

Maybe pkunk can post with details about specifically what he's seeing that indicates the deinterlacer performance is weak? Maybe I don't know what to look for?

Ricketty

Really the question is why anyone would even do this. Most people here are so picky on everything, they take their time day in and out to figure out the right projector for them and then feed it S-Video! Who really cares what that looks like? That would be wondering what kind of 1/4 mile times I'd get in my top-fuel car running street gas in it. No purpose in it.

"I tested with an S-Video connection on an old DVD player as well as an LD player.

If you're going to watch any interlaced material on your projector then stay away from this one."

I totally agree with this.

Why would anyone hook up S-video or heaven forbid even composite?
Well sometimes we have material that is simply not available in higher quality. Some old videos from mum and dad's wedding, or what about a game console? Not everybody has access to a scaler and external deinterlacer.
The question is perfectly valid in my opinion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with testing both the s-video and composite connection.
Just my 2 cents on the matter :)

Why would anyone hook up S-video or heaven forbid even composite?
Well sometimes we have material that is simply not available in higher quality. Some old videos from mum and dad's wedding, or what about a game console? Not everybody has access to a scaler and external deinterlacer.
The question is perfectly valid in my opinion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with testing both the s-video and composite connection.
Just my 2 cents on the matter :)


Yep... I was just to give these as examples.

Quoting from Projector Central's review:

"Scaling and onboard deinterlacing have been improved such that overall image stability and sharpness are better on the Z3 than they were on the Z2. Owners of the Z3 will never want to bother with an external video processor like the DVDO iScan HD since the onboard electronics are already fully adequate to the task. DVDs are scaled as cleanly as we've ever seen on any product in this class, and those with particularly good transfers look almost high def."

http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv-z3.htm

Quoting from Ultimate AV Mag's review:

"The deinterlacer built into the Sanyo is nearly as good as the Faroudja chip built into the Panasonic DVD-RP56 DVD player. When I compared a 480p feed from this player with 480i (in the latter case the projector is doing the deinterlacing), the Panasonic-deinterlaced 480p won by only the slimmest of margins."

http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/305sanyo/

Personally, I have not seen any difference in deinterlacing performance between the onboard deinterlacer and the one built into my Panasonic DVD S97.

Maybe pkunk can post with details about specifically what he's seeing that indicates the deinterlacer performance is weak? Maybe I don't know what to look for?

Ricketty

How can we trust Ultimaeavmag if they talk about this "Readers who have seen our reviews of the other two models, the Sony VPL-HS51 and the Panasonic PT-AE700U, need to know that the killer new feature that distinguishes both of those other models is a dynamic iris that adjusts automatically, opening up on brighter scenes and closing down on darker ones. Such an iris can vastly improve the peak contrast ratio."

And no one really seen this in action. They call it Killer new feature !!

Why would anyone hook up S-video or heaven forbid even composite?
Well sometimes we have material that is simply not available in higher quality. Some old videos from mum and dad's wedding, or what about a game console? Not everybody has access to a scaler and external deinterlacer.
The question is perfectly valid in my opinion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with testing both the s-video and composite connection.
Just my 2 cents on the matter :)


Very true & I agree that if you intend to use these inputs, you have every right to test them & worry if they are inferior. This however doesn't mean that the majority of people will be using those types of inputs and it also doesn't mean that the reviews out there are wrong & the de-interlacer is garbage. It is an opinion which everyone should respect but like-wise, one has to respect how most people use their projectors as well as their opinions on the performance. It's all in the eyes of the beholder... In my situation, if I was to watch old wedding video, it would be on my 51" Sony HDTV, not my 106" home theater. Plus, I would certainly convert that stuff to DVD anyway. As for video game...if you have an xbox or ps2, I would strongly suggest people use HD-packs if you are going to use it on your projector. I wouldn't go composite or svid on my 51" Sony, let alone the Z3. I guess if you are using an older game console, yeah, svid is the only route (or composite). I think that the main purpose of this projector is progressive scan dvd & HD & it really shines there. If you use it for other things, that's fine, but it really isn't the intended strong point of any projector in this class really. Even so, the reviews disagree with the opinion that it is weak at deinterlacing.

So, in the end, you are correct...those are the obvious reasons you might need svid or composite with a Z3 projector. On the other hand, for me at least, I can't see ever wanting to do this and I'm guessing the vast majority wouldn't use it much for those purposes either. It doesn't however mean you are wrong...everyone does their own thing.

I think the point that's being missed is this. These types of connections to your Z3 are really not what I'd guess most people get this projector for. If it is, then I guess you should get a different projector should the de-interlacing be as bad as you say it is & you don't trust any of the reviews out there.

I trust projectorcentral's opinion however everyone sees things differently. To tell people to stay away from this projector because of poor deinterlacing when pretty much every review out there says differently seems a bit off at this point in the game. I guess it's good that there are differing opinions, even if they go against what seems to be popular opinion about this subject. So if one intends to use the projector for this type of material, I'd suggest going & doing a demo against other projectors that you feel are better for deinterlacing & still have as good of PQ in the other areas. Buy the one that best fits your needs.

Lowspeed asked about the deinterlacer and I told him what I saw. In addition to the other reasons posted as to why this feature even matters is I'm one of those weirdos that has a certain three movies on LD only (hint: begins with "Star" and ends with "Wars"). I do have a progressive scan DVD player that would be used most of the time though.

I find it interesting that, while I have no reason to doubt them, other people have been dismissing both projectorcentral and ultimateavmag reviews entirely.

If I have time tonight I'll play with the settings again and post my exact setup.

Lowspeed asked about the deinterlacer and I told him what I saw. In addition to the other reasons posted as to why this feature even matters is I'm one of those weirdos that has a certain three movies on LD only (hint: begins with "Star" and ends with "Wars"). I do have a progressive scan DVD player that would be used most of the time though.

I find it interesting that, while I have no reason to doubt them, other people have been dismissing both projectorcentral and ultimateavmag reviews entirely.

If I have time tonight I'll play with the settings again and post my exact setup.

Cool. Let us know what you find. I would like to see reviews that say the interlacing is poor. People may not trust those two sources but it more than just those two. I'd be interested to see some reviews that discuss this lacking (other than user reviews). No offence intended at all, you've just got my interest peaked for no other reason that curiocity.

Cool. Let us know what you find. I would like to see reviews that say the interlacing is poor. People may not trust those two sources but it more than just those two. I'd be interested to see some reviews that discuss this lacking (other than user reviews). No offence intended at all, you've just got my interest peaked for no other reason that curiocity.

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages/plvz3.htm


I saw a review a while back that talked about the deinterlacer but i can't seem to find it.

From that link:
The PLV-Z3 is a little slow to pick up on 3:2 sequencing, as evidenced by the Super Speedway test sequence from Silicon Optix’s DVD. For that reason, I suggest using a good progressive-scan DVD player and/or video scaler with this projector to handle all of the decoding and de-interlacing outboard.

So the question becomes this...if ones goes by this review & this one paragraph, which projector in this price range, with comparable HD & progressive scan DVD picture quality, provides a substancial improvement in de-interlacing? They never say it's poor, only that an outboard de-interlacer is better. Well, yeah, if you spend $400-$1000 on an outboard de-interlacer, I should hope it is better. But again, is the built in deinterlacer good enough to make spending this type of money not worth it? Also, again, compared to what projector that you'd get instead that would give you the best of both worlds? The Panasonic? That's about the only competition in this price range. If one recommends people who need good deinterlacing not to get this projector, what would be the recommended replacement to purchase instead? That's the kicker we need to know.

It's all a matter of perspective. So I guess the 4 reviews that were posted are not as meaningful as this one? I can't say I trust this one anymore than the others to be honest. Ironically, my buddy just RIPPED HDTVExpert's review on the merits of 1080p (or lack there of) as being filled with mis-information & a general lack of understanding of the subject. That review was also posted here by the way...

Again, perspective, opinion & what you are comparing it too is the key... What wiould you suggest in this price range that is better suited to someone who wants premium performance with deinterlacing while still getting the Z3's excllent HD pq while staying in the under $2000 range? The AE700 is the only thing that comes to mind & I do not know if it's deinterlacing is any better.

From that link:
The PLV-Z3 is a little slow to pick up on 3:2 sequencing, as evidenced by the Super Speedway test sequence from Silicon Optix’s DVD. For that reason, I suggest using a good progressive-scan DVD player and/or video scaler with this projector to handle all of the decoding and de-interlacing outboard.

So the question becomes this...if ones goes by this review & this one paragraph, which projector in this price range, with comparable HD & progressive scan DVD picture quality, provides a substancial improvement in de-interlacing? They never say it's poor, only that an outboard de-interlacer is better. Well, yeah, if you spend $400-$1000 on an outboard de-interlacer, I should hope it is better. But again, is the built in deinterlacer good enough to make spending this type of money not worth it? Also, again, compared to what projector that you'd get instead that would give you the best of both worlds? The Panasonic? That's about the only competition in this price range. If one recommends people who need good deinterlacing not to get this projector, what would be the recommended replacement to purchase instead? That's the kicker we need to know.

It's all a matter of perspective. So I guess the 4 reviews that were posted are not as meaningful as this one? I can't say I trust this one anymore than the others to be honest. Ironically, my buddy just RIPPED HDTVExpert's review on the merits of 1080p (or lack there of) as being filled with mis-information & a general lack of understanding of the subject. That review was also posted here by the way...

Again, perspective, opinion & what you are comparing it too is the key... What wiould you suggest in this price range that is better suited to someone who wants premium performance with deinterlacing while still getting the Z3's excllent HD pq while staying in the under $2000 range? The AE700 is the only thing that comes to mind & I do not know if it's deinterlacing is any better.



I agree its very subjective... and a review should take into consideration the competition in that price range.

Lowspeed asked about the deinterlacer and I told him what I saw. In addition to the other reasons posted as to why this feature even matters is I'm one of those weirdos that has a certain three movies on LD only (hint: begins with "Star" and ends with "Wars"). I do have a progressive scan DVD player that would be used most of the time though.

I find it interesting that, while I have no reason to doubt them, other people have been dismissing both projectorcentral and ultimateavmag reviews entirely.

If I have time tonight I'll play with the settings again and post my exact setup.

My Panasonic DVD S97 is set at 480p output, and my Z3 is set at 480p input. I'm running the Z3 off component for DVD; S-video for cable.

I went back to read your description of the problems you've experienced with the deinterlacer on the Z3. I've never seen anything from my Z3 that is even remotely like what you're experiencing.

Do you have an option to use component instead of S-video? If it were me, I'd replace the LD movies with DVDs rather than put up with the inferior PQ the Z3 produces from S-video, even without deinterlacing problems. I'd prefer to watch them on my 15-year old 27 inch TV to watching Z3 images fed through S-video. Is there something special about your LD versions?

Ricketty

Pkunk -- What LD player are you using? I have a large LD collection, including the one you mentioned (the collector's edition). I've used 2 Pioneer LD players and haven't had any problems (S-Video & Composite) with my PJ (it's a Panny L300). The Z3 I saw didn't have any problems with an old DVD player (but it was connected via the component inputs - I didn't even think to try the S-Video).

RR -- I have too many LDs to replace them all. Incidentally, I have both the LD and DVD copy of the IMAX movie “The Dream Is Alive”. The LD version has much better audio (the shuttle lift-off really shakes my room with the LD but the DVD version has almost no LFE). My latest LD player is the Pioneer DVL-919 (replaced my older player that finally bit the dust).

I know someone who's also in your situation. He has a LD player still factory sealed waiting in the wings just in case. Plus, he has a room full of vinyls too. I wonder if he ever started on dvd collection.

Anyway, can an external scaler like iScan or Taw create wonders for a 480i image? I doubt it can replicate an 720p/1080i picture but can it be comparable to a 480p? Isn't it still garbage in garbage out or scalers have largely overcome this?

O.K., I gotta apologize to the poor little deinterlacer in the Z3. I can't for the life of me recreate what I was seeing before. I could make up all sorts of crazy theories, but I'll just say that now it works just fine. Sorry to get everyone all riled up over this.

For the record my LD player is just a Panasonic LX-H670. I wasn't going to go overboard since it's just for 3 movies. I did pick up a used Crystal Vision Y/C filter which did wonders when I was watching on a 27" TV though.

Glad to hear it's behaving now.

Ricketty

I can see how this will vary person to person. Seriously though I never even consider a prjector on how it would play home movie/vhs types of things. Personally I'd play that material on a regular TV. How often do we really watch that stuff on a projector? Game consoles... Next Gen, even though the XBox games looked fine to me on the Z2. You right though you can use and test it, I'd just wouldn't make it a factor on my end. Sorry.

Why would anyone hook up S-video or heaven forbid even composite?
Well sometimes we have material that is simply not available in higher quality. Some old videos from mum and dad's wedding, or what about a game console? Not everybody has access to a scaler and external deinterlacer.
The question is perfectly valid in my opinion and there is absolutely nothing wrong with testing both the s-video and composite connection.
Just my 2 cents on the matter :)

Does the z3 have 720 vertical pixals or less ?

I'm wondering if like a computer desktop will be cut on the edges because of lack of pixals.


Can someone confirm ?

Does the z3 have 720 vertical pixals or less ?

I'm wondering if like a computer desktop will be cut on the edges because of lack of pixals.


Can someone confirm ?


1280x720. set your desktop to that it will be perfect.

Does the z3 have 720 vertical pixals or less ?

I'm wondering if like a computer desktop will be cut on the edges because of lack of pixals.

Z3 is native 1280x720 (720p) projector. if you are using hdmi-dvi and not vga cable then set overscan to 0 (default is 10) to see all pixels.

How is the Z3 compared to the Infocus 4805? i will be using it just for dvds. i want a 110" inch screen, and will be sitting 12-16 feet back. anyone have any screenshots? what are the +/- of the projector? Thanks

It's very difficult to compare those two. It's like comparing apples & oranges. It is a DLP unit compared to an LCD, so you get the advantages of DLP (and minuses), but it comes at the expense of resolution in such an inexpensive projecor. The infocus only has a resolution of 854x480 so you aren't getting full HD resolution (it can't display dvd's at the higher resolution like the Z3 can). It also has a recommended max screen sized of 90". In addition, if you are someone who is bothered by the rainbow effect, this DLP projector will be an issue there as well. It will probably have slightly better black levels than the Z3. Contrast will also be excellent on that unit, however lumens are pretty low. Reviews say the fan noise is a problem with this projector.

All in all, the Z3 is the better projector as it offers 1280x720 resolution and a screen size of 110 will be no problem. In the end, in my opinion there is little to compare & I for one would not get a projector that isn't at least 1280x720. In this price range, not much can compare to the Z3 or Panny AE700. The inFocus is a very affordable DLP & a great value for what it is. Spending a couple hundred more on the Z3 makes more sense to me.

I always wondered how the lens shift works ...

how is it different from positioning the projector in an angle ?


does the lens shift really prevent the need for keystone ? How does it do it?


Thanks.

Ok, I just received my Z3 and the first thing I did was set the lamp mode to the lowest setting. I have it in natural mode and the image is very pleasing out of the box (upgrading from a Z1). I have noticed that DVD material (LOTR the two towers) is a bit soft and overall actually looks a bit worst than it did on the Z1 (maybe the lower resolution helped?) This is through component cables. High Definition cable looks great though component, and I found that letting the Z3 scale 1080i to 720p is MUCH better than setting the cable box to scale it. One thing I can't find is the iris control. I've read many posts that say to set is at -53, but I can't find anywhere in the menu that has any sort of setting for the iris. All I see on the remote are 2 buttons labeled "dark" and "clear." When I use these it just cycles through preset image modes. Do I neet to manually set the iris? I don't even see it where the lens is. Any help would be appreciated.

I always wondered how the lens shift works ...

how is it different from positioning the projector in an angle ?


does the lens shift really prevent the need for keystone ? How does it do it?


Thanks.

Interesting question. I believe the concept is the same as with "perspective control (PC) lenses" in SLR photography. The trick is to keep the LCD panel parallel to the screen and to move the picture by actually shifting the lens left or right, up or down (note that it doesn't tilt, it just moves). If you position the projector in an angle instead, the panel is not parallel to the screen and you get the typical distortion that you can only eliminate using keystone.
You'll find many articles related to SLR photography with PC lenses on the internet. Here's just two of them:

http://www.danheller.com/tech-persp.html
http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/feelnikon/kumon/02e.htm#3.4

Interesting question. I believe the concept is the same as with "perspective control (PC) lenses" in SLR photography. The trick is to keep the LCD panel parallel to the screen and to move the picture by actually shifting the lens left or right, up or down (note that it doesn't tilt, it just moves). If you position the projector in an angle instead, the panel is not parallel to the screen and you get the typical distortion that you can only eliminate using keystone.
You'll find many articles related to SLR photography with PC lenses on the internet. Here's just two of them:

http://www.danheller.com/tech-persp.html
http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/feelnikon/kumon/02e.htm#3.4


Thanks for the links !

those though only answer the perspective issue... how do they handle the differnece in light intensity ?

Ok, I just received my Z3 and the first thing I did was set the lamp mode to the lowest setting. I have it in natural mode and the image is very pleasing out of the box (upgrading from a Z1). I have noticed that DVD material (LOTR the two towers) is a bit soft and overall actually looks a bit worst than it did on the Z1 (maybe the lower resolution helped?) This is through component cables. High Definition cable looks great though component, and I found that letting the Z3 scale 1080i to 720p is MUCH better than setting the cable box to scale it. One thing I can't find is the iris control. I've read many posts that say to set is at -53, but I can't find anywhere in the menu that has any sort of setting for the iris. All I see on the remote are 2 buttons labeled "dark" and "clear." When I use these it just cycles through preset image modes. Do I neet to manually set the iris? I don't even see it where the lens is. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Newsguy: As a very happy owner of a 16 month old Z1 with 1600 hrs. on the bulb I was pleasantly surprised to read you felt DVDs looked slightly better on your Z1. Would you please compare the color and contrast of the Z1 and Z3? I watched Spiderman last night and thought my Z1 did a commendable job with detail, color, and contrast. BTW, I'm not trying to find reasons not to upgrade my Z1. Upgrading is too much fun not to do it, and for me the time is almost now. I'm just trying to find reasons to give my Z1 a new home in the bedroom.

I can't wait, my Z3 gets delivered the day after tomorrow!

Thanks for the links !

those though only answer the perspective issue... how do they handle the differnece in light intensity ?

that I don't know either. You would expect to see a difference in brightness, but you don't. I guess the lenses are large enough and the distance between projector and screen is short enough to make the difference not noticable.

I can't wait, my Z3 gets delivered the day after tomorrow!

Thanks to this forum and projectorcentral.com, I finally took the plunge and bought a Z3 today as well...it should arrive within 5 days. The price/performance of this projector just makes it too compelling to pass up. (inexpensive) DLP's were out because of potential rainbow problems...even if I don't notice, others might. Panny AE700 is also a sure bet, but Z3 seems to have better overall reviews. I'm excited! :D

Thanks to this forum and projectorcentral.com, I finally took the plunge and bought a Z3 today as well...it should arrive within 5 days. The price/performance of this projector just makes it too compelling to pass up. (inexpensive) DLP's were out because of potential rainbow problems...even if I don't notice, others might. Panny AE700 is also a sure bet, but Z3 seems to have better overall reviews. I'm excited! :D


Anyone knows if the MSRP changed ? B&H drasticlly loward the price.

Anyone knows if the MSRP changed?
I doubt it, but somebody has posted something about the Z4 being shown in Germany here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=566087). No real info on specs though.

--Darin

You've got to be kidding me! I have been putting off purchasing the Z3 for months, and I just ordered it from Visual Apex (hasen't even been delivered yet), and now B&H has it for $200 less! :eek:

Talk about a punch in the gut! VA obviousley did nothing wrong, it just figures that two days later that would happen.

Oh well, I sent VA an email asking about price matching to see if they would be kind enough to do anything.

I guess I will wait and see, but won't hold my breath.

I am sure I will enjoy the Z3 either way. It is replacing my trusty Panny 75u that I shipped out last Friday to it's new owner....I'll miss you buddy!

Thanks for letting me vent for a moment.

Rob

The dealer I am buying from in late August told me over a month ago that the price would drop soon. He was right! At any rate, he wasn't sure, but he said the buzz was that the Z4 wasn't necessarily a Z3 replacement. He thought that the Z4 might not be in the same price range & could be in the $2500 - $3500 range.

So for those who could only spend in the $2000 & under range, the Z4 might not be in the budget! I guess we'll see. At $1495...you can't to wrong with the Z3.

WTF! I just ordered the Z3 a few days ago (haven't even received it yet) and the price is slashed $225? I'm going to give V/A a call tomorrow... :rolleyes:

WTF! I just ordered the Z3 a few days ago (haven't even received it yet) and the price is slashed $225? I'm going to give V/A a call tomorrow... :rolleyes:

Nicholas,

I would really be suprised if they give you the difference.

I assume they paid more for that old sold inventory, then the new one.


Anyway good luck!

Oops, misread the previous post. I thought it said that V/A reduced their price to $1499. In this case I'm just stuck I guess... :(

Oh well. The people at V/A were awesome to deal with, and that does count for something. They also gave me a great quote for a Da-Lite Cinema Contour w/High Power screen, which is next on my list.

This z3 still amazes me with pq. I have also found that using projector as tv is not very intuitive. Pulling screen down.. waiting projector to powerup etc :)

Just upped some low quality images from z3 with filters and da-lite screen. Taken with nokia 7610 phone (1 megapixel only) :) I used movies elektra and monsters inc. So check my gallery if interested..

I have also found that using projector as tv is not very intuitive. Pulling screen down.. waiting projector to powerup etc :)

I agree with you except for one caveat. I'll watch the Superbowl and other "special shows" on my Z3 but not regular daily tv.

Question to all Z3 owners. How has the quality of the build been? Have you had to have it serviced often or at all? Repaired?

Oops, misread the previous post. I thought it said that V/A reduced their price to $1499. In this case I'm just stuck I guess... :(

Oh well. The people at V/A were awesome to deal with, and that does count for something. They also gave me a great quote for a Da-Lite Cinema Contour w/High Power screen, which is next on my list.


You read it right.

I deleted my message because VA didn't post it yet and i felt it wasn't right of me to say what is thier official price before its up on the site.

But now it is.

Right from the horse's mouth:

Sudden price drops are an unforeseen event when a product is technology based. Manufacturers do not offer price protection to dealers, and therefore we cannot offer refunds to our customers when the market dictates a lower price than the one they’ve paid.

You've got to be kidding me! I have been putting off purchasing the Z3 for months, and I just ordered it from Visual Apex (hasen't even been delivered yet), and now B&H has it for $200 less! :eek:

Talk about a punch in the gut! VA obviousley did nothing wrong, it just figures that two days later that would happen.

Oh well, I sent VA an email asking about price matching to see if they would be kind enough to do anything.

I guess I will wait and see, but won't hold my breath.

I am sure I will enjoy the Z3 either way. It is replacing my trusty Panny 75u that I shipped out last Friday to it's new owner....I'll miss you buddy!

Thanks for letting me vent for a moment.

Rob

In the UK and Europe we have the DISTANCE SELLING REGULATIONS which allow one to return products ordered at a distance within seven days. Do you not have such laws in the USA which you could avail yourself of?

He could just flat out return the projector, but the problem is, that the online store probably has a restocking fee which might be as high as 15% which is almost as high as the price reduction itself. Check to see if the store you purchased from has a restocking fee & what their return policy is.

He could just flat out return the projector, but the problem is, that the online store probably has a restocking fee which might be as high as 15% which is almost as high as the price reduction itself. Check to see if the store you purchased from has a restocking fee & what their return policy is.

I actually talked to one of the sales person and was told that if the projector is still on the way they will most likely price match.


Make sure to call before you sign for it.

Thanks for all the responses. I did call VA, but they said they will not price protect items, even if they have not been delivered.

They offered an additional 1 year warranty instead.

Better than nothing I guess.

Thanks everyone,

Rob

You may want to check out the following options and see if they can apply to your situation. Good luck:

1) What happens if you just refused the shipment when it arrives? Since it was never delivered, the seller shouldn't be out anything because the PJ would still be new and unopened. You could then just place a new order (at the current lower price) if you wished.

2) If you see any damage to the box, you should be able to refuse delivery as well with no obligation.

Thanks for all the responses. I did call VA, but they said they will not price protect items, even if they have not been delivered.

They offered an additional 1 year warranty instead.

Better than nothing I guess.

Thanks everyone,

Rob


Not bad ... the 4th year ... something could happen.

One thing I can't find is the iris control. I've read many posts that say to set is at -53, but I can't find anywhere in the menu that has any sort of setting for the iris. All I see on the remote are 2 buttons labeled "dark" and "clear." When I use these it just cycles through preset image modes.

Sorry guys, I was out of town with no internet access for a week. Can anyone help me out with this? I know it's in the owner's manual, but I have spent like 2 hours total at home with the projector cause I've been at work. Thanks.

The iris control is under advanced in the video settings, after brightness, color, tint etc you will find advanced with further color settings, overscan and iris.

Thanks Frank. I'm going to play with it now. BTW, I rented Amped 2 to see what it looks like in 720p, and it's breathtaking. Can't wait for that 360.

I moved mine down to 51 last night, thats where (for me) black did not get any blacker. I then watched Waking Ned Devine in HDTV and found it very dark. I'm going to try a brighter movie tonight and see if the movie was just dark (It was shot on the Irish coast, pretty gray there!) or If I need to open the iris a bit.

a professional calibrator (eliab at avical) got my blacks to perform while leaving the iris at the factory setting of -38. when he calibrated the projector he found he needed to do so from 20-80 IREs and let the 100IRE fall as it may, almost certainly relatedly, there was a weird gamma issue at the high end, where the tinge shifted from pink to green- the Z3s gamma controls could not resolve this (their actions were far too coarse, for lack of a technical term).

related to professional calibration, he has a test signal generator that gives you a second setting that can perhaps be considered the default one- you can use it for HDMI, etc.

This question is about games on a Z3, but because the game is 480p maybe it can be answered here.

I had a Sanyo Z1 (resolution was 1/4 HD or 540p) and I played Madden and NCAA all the time. Although the jaggies were annoying, the game looked fine and was pretty sharp. I upgraded to a Z3 (720p) recently and I put in NCAA last night, and to my surprise the game looked aweful. I'm assuming it's the upconversion from 480p, but all the reviews for the Z3 said the scaler is very good. There are things that look like artifacts all over the players. When the players move there's an odd shimmer on them. I tried playing it at 480i and letting the Z3 scale it but the image ends up very soft. Has anyone played NCAA 06 on a large HDTV? If so, does it have these graphical flaws? I've put in other 480p games like Burnout 3 and they don't have these issues.

Hi all,

Getting ready to purchase a Z3 and a 92 inch Carada screen. My biggest problem at this point it actually mounting the PJ to my drywall ceiling. I live in a Town home that i recently purchased (and is new 5yr old, construction) and therefore don't exactly know what is behind the drywall. Have never mounted a pj before and have had no luck finding a person to install this at a reasonable price. Anyhow, any local Chicago help in finding a decent person to help with this at a reasonable rate would be much appreciated. All I need done is ceiling mount and creating a cable conduit of some sort into the closet that is directly behind where I want to mount the PJ.


Thans!

I've been an H31 owner for the past 4 months, and have been very impressed with the great image I have on my 96" diag screen. I was originally leaning towards the Z3, but went with the Optoma to save some cash and wait for 720P to drop in price. With this latest price drop on the Z3 I'm thinking that now might be the time! The Z3 is quiet, offers lens shift, and has the HDTV resolution I was looking to upgrade to. The big question is, is now the time, or are there even better deals coming after CEDIA? I like the higher rez, but will I be sacrificing contrast and black levels going from DLP to LCD? Will the 720P DLP machines be dropping as well? I've been very happy with the DLP so far, but with HD-DVD's around the corner and HDTV via Sat. here now maybe I should go for it. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Is It Upgade Time? Isn't that the age old question. I'll probably upgrade every year if money is no object. But really, I'm happy with how the Z3 is performing right now. And assuming hd-dvd comes then I'm set since they seemed to be leaning towards hdmi connection. So unless the new lcd/dlp (in this price range) shows a leap in performance then I do not see a need to upgrade.

Also, me wifey will kill me. :)

I'm curious, hopefully i won't need it.


In case of warranty issue ... who pays the shipping ? Sanyo or the customer ?

Placed my order for the Z3 @ BH today. should have it soon 3-5 day shipping. Also placed my order for a Carada 92" CW screen. Can't wait to get this thing set up. Still trying to find a wall mount like this one http://www.pinpoint-mktg.com/ppupm.htm as that company is out of stock for now. They say 2 weeks but don't know for sure, it could be months. Anyone know where i can find a WALL MOUNT like that one? can't do a ceiling mount, to much work involved with my already finished room. Anyone have experiance with Carada and know generally how long they take to get the sceen to you?

SEan :D

Nice! I also picked up a Z3 last week, and will be ordering an 84" Carada Criterion Screen in Brilliant White sometime later this month.

Hope you post some pictures! :)

Try looking at www.perfectmounts.com . I got their mount and it is wonderful, fairly easy to install, great workmanship on the mount.

I have a 96 inch carada BW. I orded the screen on a monday and had the screen by friday. They are great to work with and the screen looks great.

When you turn off your Z3 how do you do it.

1. Use the remote and turn it off and walk away.
2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away?

Just curious.

what is the correct size nd2 filter for the z3??
where can i buy one?

thanks

what is the correct size nd2 filter for the z3??
where can i buy one?

thanks


Can someone post a picture and size of those filters ?

Plz ? :)

anyone have some screenshots of movies running on the Z3? theres only a couple pictures in the photogallery.

does this projector produce a bright enough image for a 100 inch screen

When you turn off your Z3 how do you do it.

1. Use the remote and turn it off and walk away.
2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away?

Just curious.

2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away.

2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away.


How fast should we walk away ? :D

How fast should we walk away ? :D

like you know you just did something wrong, but don't want anyone to see :p

When you turn off your Z3 how do you do it.

1. Use the remote and turn it off and walk away.
2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away?

Just curious.

2. Use the remote and turn it off, allow to cool then hit the power switch on the unit then walk away?

What is the point of option 2?

does this projector produce a bright enough image for a 100 inch screen

That depends on the level of illumination in the room. Assuming the Z3 is properly calibrated and there's good light control in the room, I'd bet that 95% of non-HT people would find this image dazzling even on a DIY screen. But experienced eyes grow pickier over time. ;)

My HT is 100% light controlled and we leave no lights on while viewing. I'm using my Z3 in a caramel coloured room with a white ceiling, projecting onto a 110 inch diagonal DIY screen (Glidden "Misty Evening" painted on drywall). The Z3 is bright enough in this environment to produce generally satisfying images. I find the black areas in dark scenes to be too grey for my liking, but my wife doesn't.

I've done a little experiment with guests who don't have their own HT to see if they can spot this image defect. Of more than a dozen I have asked, all said they couldn't see "grey blacks" when I asked them about it after they had watched a movie. After asking them, I paused the DVD in a dark scene, then pointed out the black areas that look grey. Some of them still couldn't notice it, but some could. All said I was getting too picky. But I know many of them would feel the same way after watching ~ 50 movies.

I think it's worth some effort and a few dollars to improve it by painting my HT a much darker colour. The next logical steps are to get a commercial screen (I'm considering a Carada BW) as well as a filter for the Z3; and to build a simple masking system. With appropriate tweaking, these changes will improve blacks to the max possible with the Z3.

Z3 with LEE CC10Y and CC20R filters is excellent. Settings from Z3 tweak thread for that combo.

Z3 with LEE CC10Y and CC20R filters is excellent. Settings from Z3 tweak thread for that combo.


Can u post a pic and filter size?

What is the point of option 2?

I don't know that's why I ask. I just hit the power button twice an the remote and then leave the room. I assumed that is all I have to do.

I have read stuff about the older PJs and how they are to be unplugged or "switched off".

Can u post a pic and filter size?


Help yourself, READ the thread. :eek:

That means from page 1 on, not from the point you decide to be interested, like say page 30 or something. You deserve my first post. I had the same questions and more and guess what, I learned to read to find the answers.

I also have the R20 and Y10 filters and love it.

Help yourself, READ the thread. :eek:


So somewhere in the 38 pages there's size and pic ? :eek:


Hmm Size and pic not of the Z3 but the filters on the lens.... and the size of the filters....

Help yourself, READ the thread. :eek:

You deserve my first post. I had the same questions and more and gu4ess what, I learned to read to find the answers.

I also have the R20 and Y10 filters and love it.


I'm honored. :p


U sure we had the same questions? And more ?

I don't know that's why I ask. I just hit the power button twice an the remote and then leave the room. I assumed that is all I have to do.

I have read stuff about the older PJs and how they are to be unplugged or "switched off".
Well, unless you are worried that the cat will inadvertently, at night, turn on the projector by stepping on the remote control, I do not think there is a point in turning off the power switch if you powered the projector down using the remote. :D

That depends on the level of illumination in the room. Assuming the Z3 is properly calibrated and there's good light control in the room, I'd bet that 95% of non-HT people would find this image dazzling even on a DIY screen. But experienced eyes grow pickier over time. ;)

My HT is 100% light controlled and we leave no lights on while viewing. I'm using my Z3 in a caramel coloured room with a white ceiling, projecting onto a 110 inch diagonal DIY screen (Glidden "Misty Evening" painted on drywall). The Z3 is bright enough in this environment to produce generally satisfying images. I find the black areas in dark scenes to be too grey for my liking, but my wife doesn't.

I've done a little experiment with guests who don't have their own HT to see if they can spot this image defect. Of more than a dozen I have asked, all said they couldn't see "grey blacks" when I asked them about it after they had watched a movie. After asking them, I paused the DVD in a dark scene, then pointed out the black areas that look grey. Some of them still couldn't notice it, but some could. All said I was getting too picky. But I know many of them would feel the same way after watching ~ 50 movies.

I think it's worth some effort and a few dollars to improve it by painting my HT a much darker colour. The next logical steps are to get a commercial screen (I'm considering a Carada BW) as well as a filter for the Z3; and to build a simple masking system. With appropriate tweaking, these changes will improve blacks to the max possible with the Z3.

I'm going to be using a 106" Da-Lite screen with High Contrast Cinema Vision. That type of material will make the blacks look more black & less gray & at the same time, provide a bright picture as it still has a high gain for a gray screen. Additionally, even though I'll use it in a 100% light controlled environment, should I want to turn some lights on for sporting event watching, this material will also be good for that as well. For the best blacks with this projector, in my opinion, getting a HC screen is the best all around material.

I have Da-lite HCMW screeen and CC20R+CC10Y filter setup. Blacks are now good thanks to Rone and others in Z3 Tweak thread.

Well, unless you are worried that the cat will inadvertently, at night, turn on the projector by stepping on the remote control, I do not think there is a point in turning off the power switch if you powered the projector down using the remote. :D


That's what I was thinking. HMMMMM. Maybe this is a way I can find a way to get rid of that cat....

Just kidding!! I know what happed the last time someone mentioned "getting rid of a cat" in this forum.

I'm just going to turn it off with the remote and leave it.

Thanks

That's what I was thinking. HMMMMM. Maybe this is a way I can find a way to get rid of that cat....

Just kidding!! I know what happed the last time someone mentioned "getting rid of a cat" in this forum.

I'm just going to turn it off with the remote and leave it.

Thanks


It's probablly a better bet to not shut it off using the switch because everytime you turn it on using the switch there's some flux in voltage, since its mechanical.

Some other projectors keep the fan going at all times (so i heard like some infocus models)

I just got the Z3 does anyone recommand getting the extended protection?
http://www.visualapex.com/accessories/accessory_details.asp?chPartNumber=GE-Zurich-4-proj&MFR=GE-Zurich&Type=Warranties


Would it cover the lamp?


Thanks!

Do you plan to keep it for seven years, if not is the warranty transferable? Since no bulb this side of heaven lasts for more than a year or two I doubt bulbs are included, but your answer is only a call away.

Do you plan to keep it for seven years, if not is the warranty transferable? Since no bulb this side of heaven lasts for more than a year or two I doubt bulbs are included, but your answer is only a call away.


Truthfully i don't trust what apex would say on the phone in regards to the bulb.

I'll try to contact the actual underwriter.

Did anyone here have to adjust the overscan option to get a better picture from 480p sources? For a few days I was trying to figure out why my games and DVDs had these odd artifacts in them. Finally as a last resort I played with the overscan feature (which was set to 10 by default). I turned it down as much as I could without getting black edges and my 480p sources (especially games) look alot better now. The artifacts are gone and the projector scales the image to 720p very nicely. Still, I'm underwhelmed by DVD's. there's lots of ghosting (pirates of the carribean, LOTR two towers) and images that aren't up close are out of focus. Anyone else experience this through their component input or should I be worried?

I'm going to be using a 106" Da-Lite screen with High Contrast Cinema Vision. That type of material will make the blacks look more black & less gray & at the same time, provide a bright picture as it still has a high gain for a gray screen. Additionally, even though I'll use it in a 100% light controlled environment, should I want to turn some lights on for sporting event watching, this material will also be good for that as well. For the best blacks with this projector, in my opinion, getting a HC screen is the best all around material.


I'm using a beige-colored DIY screen that is 108" diagonal in 2.35/1 and 115" diagonal at 1.78/1.

The picture is glorious at a throw distance of 14 feet, blacks are incredible, etc.

The Z3 can produce a great picture even at 115" diagonal, believe me.

Help yourself, READ the thread. :eek:

That means from page 1 on, not from the point you decide to be interested, like say page 30 or something. You deserve my first post. I had the same questions and more and guess what, I learned to read to find the answers. it.
I beg to differ.

When threads get this long it takes too many mouse clicks and waits to go through the entire thread.

Therefore let us experiences videophiles be more gracious and re-answer questions for newbies whom I actually encourage to ask their question if they don[ts see the asnwer quickly.

Please compromise by taking my latest point of view. Otherwise newbies will be starting new threads.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

Have a 'Z3 up and running amidst construction of walls to partition off a portion of a basement to become a theater room. Using 102" 16:9 screen of white blackout cloth on a wood frame.

I beg to differ.

When threads get this long it takes too many mouse clicks and waits to go through the entire thread.

Therefore let us experiences videophiles be more gracious and re-answer questions for newbies whom I actually encourage to ask their question if they don[

AGREED!

These officials threads may be necessary, but it's absurd to expect anyone to wade through 1000 posts to find the answer to a query, especially since the search function doesn't come close to being good enough.

Better just to be magnanimous and answer the question..... :)

I beg to differ.

When threads get this long it takes too many mouse clicks and waits to go through the entire thread.

Therefore let us experiences videophiles be more gracious and re-answer questions for newbies whom I actually encourage to ask their question if they don[ts see the asnwer quickly.

Please compromise by taking my latest point of view. Otherwise newbies will be starting new threads.

Video hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/video.htm

Have a 'Z3 up and running amidst construction of walls to partition off a portion of a basement to become a theater room. Using 102" 16:9 screen of white blackout cloth on a wood frame.


The ironic part is that he thought i was looking for z3 pictures... when i was looking for ways to put the filter on the lens.


Whatever.... :-p



But i think you're right very long theards are easy to miss informaiton even if someone makes an effort to read it.

I've had my Z3 since February and ran into my first two problems in the same day. I have about 420 hours on the lamp and last night while watching the screen went black. I turned around and looked up to see the replace lamp light on. I turned the projector off for fifteen minutes and turned back on and had no problems. About an hour later I had my first predator experience that also went away by turning the projector off. Anyone experience the replace lamp light coming on for no apparent reason?

Hi all,

I just got Comcast installed yesterday. I have two 6412 DVR’s one has a DVI port the other has HDMI. My Z3 projector has only HDMI, as you all know. I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable (a few days ago) assuming I would get DVR’s with DVI port. Now I am thinking that since I have one with HDMI I should just change my order to a HDMI only cable. If I don’t change it and use the DVI to HDMI cable for the projector in the DVR with the DVI port am I going to suffer in any way? Is the box with HDMI better in any way? Would a straight HDMI cable have any advantage over using the DVI to HDMI cable?

Thanks!

Hi all,

I just got Comcast installed yesterday. I have two 6412 DVR’s one has a DVI port the other has HDMI. My Z3 projector has only HDMI, as you all know. I ordered a DVI to HDMI cable (a few days ago) assuming I would get DVR’s with DVI port. Now I am thinking that since I have one with HDMI I should just change my order to a HDMI only cable. If I don’t change it and use the DVI to HDMI cable for the projector in the DVR with the DVI port am I going to suffer in any way? Is the box with HDMI better in any way? Would a straight HDMI cable have any advantage over using the DVI to HDMI cable?

Thanks!

I'm not familiar with the 6412 DVRs but I'm assuming that the dvi/hdmi ports is only for video. The dvi-hdmi cable uses the same cable inside just different terminators at the ends. There are no conversions or manipulations going inside the cable... that I know of. I "worry more" if I was using an dvi-hdmi adapter.

I've had my Z3 since February and ran into my first two problems in the same day. I have about 420 hours on the lamp and last night while watching the screen went black. I turned around and looked up to see the replace lamp light on. I turned the projector off for fifteen minutes and turned back on and had no problems. About an hour later I had my first predator experience that also went away by turning the projector off. Anyone experience the replace lamp light coming on for no apparent reason?

I am about half your 420 lamp hours w/o problems (fingers crossed). Could it be a air circulation problem? I believe there was a fix for the predator problem.

I finally bit the bullet with the new lower street price on the Z3 and offloaded my 850 hour Z1 on Ebay.

I had a home-made mount for the Z1 and only had to redrill the three holes for the 6mm mount bolts in the mounting plate. I also added a couple 1" holes in the plate for better air access to the air intakes. Obviously getting the PJ squared up on the screen was a no brainer with the great lense shift.

My initial observation is that the Z3 is slightly better with DVD. Although I have an upconverting DVD player that supports it over either component or HDMI, I'm still running 480p over component.

It looks significantly better with HD content, both 720p and 1080i sources from my SA8300HD. The most obvious improvement is in the cable menu/guide system which now looks like PC graphics (crisp). Channels like INHD are amazing now. BTW, I noticed a very slight improvement in PQ when I switched to HDMI from the cable box.

I was shocked that I was able to get my HDMI cable into the pipe on my ceiling mount. This is a 1-1/4" black pipe and has the Z3 power cable, a cat5, 3 RG6 (component) and a 1/2" HDMI cable in it.

Bobby

I just wanted to chime in and say i bit the bullet and bought a z3 and it will be here tomorrow! ^_^

Congrats. You are going to love it. Check out Once Upon a TIme in Mexico if you want to see a perfectly mastered DVD. The story is not so good but man does it look sweet.

I got the z3 and a 106" graywolf...haven't done any tweaking and the pic looks great. I'm not dissappointed...but a bigger screen woulda been nice :)

btw, i painted the graywolf screen black...everywhere that it used to be white..and it looks fantastic.

anyone have some basic tweaks for a z3 without filters??

is it truly worth it to buy some filters?

The filters are a must, an absolute must - the settings with filters make the Z3 come alive :)

Have a look here (http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=222774) if you have any problem getting them.

Hi, I'm new to the forums, and have seriously been considering the AE700, well it looks like I wont have enough money, and apparently the Sanyo is right up there in terms of performance considering they both use the same panel from epson. My question is about the HDMI interface. I have a HTPC with DVI out, I can output at 1280x720, if I use a DVI to HDMI cable will the PJ recognize the signal. I read the review at projectorcentral.c0m and t says that the projector will not display a computer signal through the HDMI port. Is this true? Do you think the sanyo is better than the AE700? I just want to feel better about buying this one over the Panny.

I run my Z3 at 1280x720 via my HTPC with a DVI to HDMI cable with no problems at all. I am running a 6600GT AGP video card.

I run my Z3 at 1280x720 via my HTPC with a DVI to HDMI cable with no problems at all. I am running a 6600GT AGP video card.
thank you very much... that answers my question.

what about these LEE filters made of polyester?? can i use these or should i go with gel for twice the price?

CC10Y (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=102586&is=REG&addedTroughType=search)
CC20R (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=102662&is=REG&addedTroughType=search)

what about these LEE filters made of polyester?? can i use these or should i go with gel for twice the price?

CC10Y (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=102586&is=REG&addedTroughType=search)
CC20R (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=102662&is=REG&addedTroughType=search)


They dont have one of them in stock anyway :-(

I did order the 4x4 I'm curious to what is the difference.....

Anyone ?

It looks darn good.

One question though. When using my pc I'm having a hard time getting the image to be in razor sharp focus. Any tips on accomplishing this. I'm using a pretty decent amount of lens shift but even when I was only using a tiny bit I was having troubles.

I'm running off a 9800 pro card through the VGA. I never had any problems with my older X1. My movies look fantastic but my text is not razor sharp in windows. Just so you guys don't ask the noob question, yes I've adjusted my focus.

It looks darn good.

One question though. When using my pc I'm having a hard time getting the image to be in razor sharp focus. Any tips on accomplishing this. I'm using a pretty decent amount of lens shift but even when I was only using a tiny bit I was having troubles.

I'm running off a 9800 pro card through the VGA. I never had any problems with my older X1. My movies look fantastic but my text is not razor sharp in windows. Just so you guys don't ask the noob question, yes I've adjusted my focus.


R u at native resolution ?

Yep 1280x720

One question though. When using my pc I'm having a hard time getting the image to be in razor sharp focus.
I'm running off a 9800 pro card through the VGA. I never had any problems with my older X1. My movies look fantastic but my text is not razor sharp in windows. .
Analog connections including VGA are not guaranteed to have 1:1 pixel matching, unless either the computer or the projector has a specific manual fine tuning control specifically for this.

Are you using the same cable and computer? Alternatively there could be bandwidth shortcomings in either or both of the computer video card and the projector VGA input that soften the picture slightly. This can be noticeable with computer video.

I got it licked guys. Now it looks pixel perfect and clear as day. Man I I have to say now that this sucker is dialed in. It lookes unreal, even on my bare off white wall. I cannot beleive how huge a difference fine tuning this bad boy made. I now run my rig entirely off my pc. I'm waiting for my Hauppauge wintv-usb2.0 pvr to come wednesday so I can get my ati hd working. I had no idea MCE 2005 would not let the ati hdtv tuner function alone. That really irked me but i should have that up and running come wednesday.


My problem was related to the pixel setting in the options menu. I think I had to use 1633 instead of 1634 to get it perfect. THat sounds about right.

Anyways I'm so happy I didn't purchase a killer DLP for $1100.00 more now.

After using this LCD for a few days now I can really see how the motion in the large panning scenes on my old X1 bothered the heck out of me.

I've recently upgraded from the Z1 to the Z3 and attached my SA8300HD cable box to it via HDMI. I've set the box to only output 720p or 1080i. On some HD channels, the projector is displaying a one or two-pixel high line at the very top that looks a bit like static or white noise. Of course, it's hard to tell because it's only a pixel high or so, but it certainly does not correspond to the image. For example, if it's an HD channel that pillarboxes, the line goes all the way across the full 16:9.

So far, I've gotten around this by overscanning +4. Anyone else see this? Is this a problem with my unit or maybe it's the cable box?

Bobby

I'm going to purchase the Z3..I'm debating on buying it tommorow or waitng to Cedia and see if the price drops on the Z3's..man i dont know my screen will be here on Thursday......DEbating !!!!!!!!!!!!

My luck........as soon as i buy it it will drop the next day in price by $100.00 or $200.00....... NCAA football starts in about 2 weeks so does the NFL......

There just was a price drop a few weeks ago. I wouldn't be surprised if it stays where it is for a another month or two. If I were you I'd buy it then never look the prices EVER again.

I was lucky and got my Z3 for 1699 in March which was a GREAT deal. The dealer I bought it from actually raised their price a week after my purchase. I think they were just trying to move some product because this was during the "AE700 is the best" era. Soon after I sprung for my Z3 the tide turned in it's favor. I think the Z3 is the highest rated projector in this price bracket.

BUY IT. The price is going to drop anyway. Besides you are just going to spend the money on something else right? :D

My first post, my first question.
As being owner of a ZENITH DVB318 player and a Z1.
Nowadays Im using the capabilities of uspcaling to 1080i via component and obtain a really beautiful and detailed picture.

The question:
upgrading to a Z3, in terms of its higher resolution against the Z1, will it oustand the upscaled Z1 1080i image?

I have seen this comparison and have to say that the Z3 does have a better picture through the upconversion. But is is not the same as comparing a true 1080i signal from dish, cable or OTA. Then there is a big diff.

This is a tough call to make based on using a DVB318. If you planned on using HDTV signal too I would say go for it.

Hi!

I'm planing to buy a Z3 for my HT and I plan to hook up an HTPC to it. I already have a DVI cable going from the PC but, unless i'm mistaken the Z3 is equiped with a HDMI connector. I know I can buy an adaptor (and I'm planning to do just that) but I don't know if the connector on the Z3 is male or female?

Can anybody here tell me which it is so I can order the right one.

Thank you.

The HDMI port on the Z3 is female

Projector and screen should go up on the ceiling early next month... Now I just have to read up on the filter thing and tweak...

Hey guys I just wanted to note that I don't understand why people are saying that this projector or LCD tech in general has worse blacks than DLP. Since I have got this sucker dialed in the blacks are incredible. They are very dark and pure looking. Not grainy at all and definitely not grey. THis sucker looks good.

Guys i need your help ok...........my screen came today which was supposed to be the Optoma 106" panaview white matted 1.0 gain screen.........well the UPS driver unloaded a Panaview 106" greywolf 1.8 gain screen and before i realy looked at it and noticed it was the wrong screen ...she had already left.................will the sanyo Z3 look better or worse with this screen?The reason I wanted the 1.0 gain was so that my family could see it from different seating places ....I heard that the 1.8 grey wolf killed the side viewing angles......will it kill it that bad...........if so I may send it back...any info will be appreciated....thanks quickfire

anybody?

I don't know specifically about that screen, but it seems pretty high gain for the z3. I've heard that 1 - 1.2 gain is about where you want to be for this projector. (ie a screen like da-lite HC Cinema Vision is 1.1 which provides some extra gain plus gray screen for better blacks).

Hopefully someone that knows that screen can provide some more detailed info.

The Optoma Graywolf gain is 1.8 (at least spec wise), and it's gray not white. They use a fine powder of glass beads on the surface, which is why the gain is 1.8. Most screens of that type have at least a 25 degree viewing angle, at worst (some are up to about 40 degrees). It's still better than a RPTV or flat panel display.

The Z3 should look great on the Graywolf. How far off axis will you be doing the viewing? Most rooms aren't wide enough to be that far off axis, especially with a 106" screen (92" wide). Unless your room is around 20'wide (screen centered on the room width) and you're closer than 12' to the screen, you won't notice the difference.

The Optoma Graywolf gain is 1.8 (at least spec wise), and it's gray not white. They use a fine powder of glass beads on the surface, which is why the gain is 1.8. Most screens of that type have at least a 25 degree viewing angle, at worst (some are up to about 40 degrees). It's still better than a RPTV or flat panel display.

The Z3 should look great on the Graywolf. How far off axis will you be doing the viewing? Most rooms aren't wide enough to be that far off axis, especially with a 106" screen (92" wide). Unless your room is around 20'wide (screen centered on the room width) and you're closer than 12' to the screen, you won't notice the difference.

I'd agree. From everything I've been told by experts, a gray screen would be better than white for the Z3. I looked & according to Optoma, they say the viewing angle is >100 degrees, which to me seems impossible considering screens triple the price & more are only 35-50 degrees. At any rate, if it doesn't look good, return it. I'm guessing it'll look better than the original screen you were going to get.

Maybe I missed it, I thought I read the entire thread, but has the Predator Issue been resolved? I am getting my Z3 tomorrow, just finished painting my DIY SilverScreen(45x80-92"), and ordered Da-Lite samples to compare against.

Anyone here using the Z3 in a decent amount of ambient light that could provide pointers in config for picture, maybe a starting point? I know the screen will behave much better at night when its dark, and there is pretty much no ambient light, but most of these configs can be set to the user stored settign correct? Does each input have 4 user settings or do the user setting apply to all inputs? This thread has been very helpful, so thanks for all your work and comments.

My last question is in the form of room layout. How bad is it if the projector is in either of the following positions with respect to noise and heat dissipation?
1) About 2.5-3 feet above your head on the back wall of a room, can't really move couch closer.
2) on a beer fridge directly beside teh couch, your head near projector. I could also put it there, and stack it maybe 1 ft about the head. If I chose this option, I will have to use the horizontal shift, but the center of the lens will be perpendicular with the screen, maybe 1/3 from bottom of screen and maybe 6 inchs from the right side of the screen?

Thanks for the information CT_WIEBE & Dweezils......CT_Wiebe if you think it will look Good then i'll give it a try...........should be getting PJ in about 2 days!

Get rid of that ambient light man. There really is no setting that will look good. LOL beer fridge... you MUST be single.

I have a new z3 and an am very pleased with it overall. The only thing that is bothersome at the moment is there seem to be minor distortion in DVD movies playing in 16:9 format. The people seem somewhat "squat" compaired to when I have seen the movies before. It is quite obvious in Jurassic Park, for example. Likely I have somthing set up wrong, but haven't found it. Any ideas?

Thanks.........

I believe the basic setup is to set the dvd player to 16:9 and the pj set to FULL.

Ok-I'm working on my basement, just sold my PTL-300u a few weeks ago. I'm seriously considering the Z3 to be my projector for a few years until the 1080p FP are much cheaper. I am excited, because I got the approval from my wife to make the 22'x17' room a dedicated theatre. With that size room I am pushing for a 120" screen. I'm wondering if the Z3 is going to be up to that task. I will have dark walls/floor/ceiling and will have the capacity to completely close off windows (I'm putting doors over the window so zero light will come in.

Any suggestions? Or am I going to have to look at the 700 for this....

mpotoka, the Z3 is a nice projector. I have heard of others getting a 120" screen out of it. I have a 104" 16:9 image coming out of mine and I really like it. You may want to hit Projector Central. They have a screen size calculator. It shows that at 15.5' from the screen, you can get 120" with no zoom. The biggest problem with any projector is that the further away you get from the screen, the dimmer the image can get. Now, I am at about 11' from the front of my lens to my 104" screen, but I had to use a little zoom to do it. Image is nice and bright when the lights are down.

The AE700U is a nice unit too. I hair older technology than the Z3, but your biggest problem will be that the lens on the AE700U won't work with your room to get a 120" image. You would have to have the projector at 24.3' from lens to screen to get 120". Keep in mind that the projector is about another 12-16 inches depending on cabling, so you are at about 26' from the back of the projector to the screen.

Again, Projector Central has calculators for this.

The Z3 also gets slightly higher ratings than the AE700U, but you would want to review those ratings to make sure that the "bad marks" that they each get are not important to you.

One last note. This is highly debated in some places, but I can personal say that the Z3 in combination with a Panasonic S97 DVD player is a killer combination. Not sure if you are in the market for a new DVD player, but HDMI between the two allows for unbelievable quality when the S97 upconverts the image. It does even a better job that the already highly rated upconvertion chips in the Z3 itself. Some people say that upconversion is bogus, and for a while it was, but if you are ever in the Des Moine, Iowa area, you can come over and I will show you what it looks like. Now, it is NOT HiDef, but until I can afford HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, or whatever ends up winning the next format wars, upconversion is awesome for me!

I have a new z3 and an am very pleased with it overall. The only thing that is bothersome at the moment is there seem to be minor distortion in DVD movies playing in 16:9 format. The people seem somewhat "squat" compaired to when I have seen the movies before. It is quite obvious in Jurassic Park, for example. Likely I have somthing set up wrong, but haven't found it. Any ideas?

Thanks.........

Check your zoom settings on your DVD player and the projector. I can simluate what you are talking about on my Z3 rather quickly. You can set the zoom to always make things 16:9 (even if they aren't) or to do an "automatic" mode which keeps the ratio correct (no squatty pictures) and the picture as large as possible (you WILL get "letterbox" bars on your screen. This is normal. Not much is actually formatted in 16:9 for DVDs. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc are all 2.35:1 or 2.4:1 ratio which is much wider than 16:9)...

Anyway, "auto" mode should be the default, but you may have accidentally overridden it.

For either projector, the max size screen before you really start to take a PQ hit is 110-120. At 120, you'd be pushing both the Z3 & Panny to the max that would be recommended & there will be some PQ tradoffs with either. It's really going to be a toss up as far as being bright enough at 120" with the AE700 maybe being a bit brighter. I'm going to go out on a limb & say neither of these two projectors will be at their very best at 120". I will be getting a Z3 in the next month or so but I'm going to run on a 106" screen.

Correct me if I'm wrong on the distance though, but it looks like the Panny can throw a 120" from 24.3' to 12.1'. Brightness may become a factor at the closer ranges, but I believe it can do it less than 24.3'. The Z3 is at 15.5 - 12'

Correct me if I'm wrong on the distance though, but it looks like the Panny can throw a 120" from 24.3' to 12.1'. Brightness may become a factor at the closer ranges, but I believe it can do it less than 24.3'. The Z3 is at 15.5 - 12'


My bad! I go and recommend a tool, and this misuse it myself. You are right, with zoom, you can get the AE700U to work. Sorry about that.

I went round and round on which to get, and ended up with the Z3. I couldn't be happier for the price.

Well looking at the specs on the Z4, do you think I'll have a better chance with that filling a 120" well? I do have at least a month or more of work to do downstairs.... so maybe the z4 would be out by then. However, I do like the $1500 tag on the z3.

Has anyone come to any consensus on bulb life of the z3?

That's pretty difficult to say at this point for sure, but with the increase in lumens, it should be a bit better with larger screens. What those extra lumens translate into in the real world has yet to be seen. Although nobody has seen an MSRP as of yet on the Z4, I'm going to guess it will be at least $1000-$1500 more than than the Z3, which will put it around $2500-$3000. My dealer agreed that the price would be around $3K-$3500. Who knows, it could be less, but that would not make much sense for them since the Z3 is only about a year old. At this point, even if the Z4 came out today & was $3000, I just can't do it. $1495 is going to work much better for me & I'm sure I won't notice that much difference anyway.

Quick Poll

What size screens are people using

How many hours on your bulbs

100" 125 hrs

96 inches....

Around 60 hours

84" 550 hrs (and bright as ever...btw)

approx 92" and 210 hours...

92", 715 hours with no perceived decrease in brightness.

How do you find out how many hours are on the Sayno Z3?

Press and hold the power button for about 30 seconds. I usually use the remote.

Enier,

Thanks for the info. The DVD and proj were on the settings you mentioned. Found problem.....those copies were full screen versions and apparently being streched.

Bill

100-inch wide screen and the bulb is at 1700 hours - only a very slight decrease in brightness which was taken care of by recalibrating the projector.

Guys,

What are your opinions for the Sanyo Z3 with the Carada Brilliant White for ambient lighting situations? I would like to be able to use this projector to watch football and entertain friends with some ambient lighting. Is this possible?

~Josh

Guys,

What are your opinions for the Sanyo Z3 with the Carada Brilliant White for ambient lighting situations? I would like to be able to use this projector to watch football and entertain friends with some ambient lighting. Is this possible?

~Josh

First off, if you already have the screen & not the projector, that match with the Z3 will be just fine for most situations. In my opinion however, if you haven't purchased the screen yet, you might need to consider some things first. With this projector, from all the pro sources I've spoken to, a high contrast gray screen is best for all around versatility. Da-Lite makes one with a higher gain than most gray screens (1.1) & that is what I'm getting (HC-Cinema Vision). I know some will debate it which is fine (it's their opinion & I can't say they are 'wrong' per say), but I do trust these sources that told me what I should get for my purposes. I will have a 100% light controlled room, yet I will entertain often with sporting events with the lights on. If you have 0 ambient lighting, you will do well with a bright white screen, but even then, your blacks will not be quite as black as they could be. The Carada Brilliant White is a excellent screen from what I've read & will be very bright & colorful in a 100% light controlled theater, however, once you add ambient lighting, it is not going to be quite so good. If you add any ambient lighting, especially enough to entertain during sporting events (I will do this as well), the picture will be a bit washed out (or very washed out if you have more light) once you adjust the projector to make it bright enough to see the screen well. With a 1.4 gain screen, in order to get a decent picture with ambient lighting, you could have too much light going back to the viewing area which could create hot spots & washed out colors. Each setup is different so it's hard to say exactly what the results would be. I do not have any actual viewing time with a Carada Brilliant White, but I honestly feel it won't be the best for that situation.

With the Da-lite HCCV, you will give up just a touch of brightness, yet blacks will look darker & the screen will be much better with some ambient lighting. I realize it's all personal preference & depends on each individuals tolerance for black levels and brightness levels. There's always a trade-off with different types of screens (less bright & better blacks, brighter, worse blacks), which is why I looked for opinions on the type of screen with the least trade off. Here is a nice post that tests the Carada screens (all of them) with different ambient lighting situations & iris settings. He is using a Z2, but it's still good info (don't know the guys qualifications but he does a nice comparison). In most reviews I've read, as far as gray screens, the Da-Lite is the clear winner, so when you see the Carada gray in that review keep in mind the Da-Lite will be even brighter which is good. (0.8 vs. 1.1 gain with the da-lite)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=359451&page=2&pp=30

Hope this info is helpful for you. Just pick out what's best for your situation, not what's best for someone else's situation.

I agree with Dweezilz that in an ambiant light situation, a Carada Brilliant White won't be best. I am using that screen with my Z3, and love the way the image "pops" off of the screen, but if there is any light in the room, it isn't the best. I just watch when it is dark, so it has worked out for me. Plus, at this point, we don't have carpeting in yet, which will help absorb light in the room, and our window treatments are just temporary, cheap, mini-blinds. In spring when the whole basement is finished, and we get carpeting down, we will be getting light blocking curtains, and then we will be able to watch any time of the day, with a little lighting, but probably not enough for entertaining.

If you have 0 ambient lighting, you will do well with a bright white screen, but even then, your blacks will not be quite as black as they could be. The Carada Brilliant White is a excellent screen from what I've read & will be very bright & colorful in a 100% light controlled theater, however, once you add ambient lighting, it is not going to be quite so good.

I forgot to mention this too, but Dweezilz is right on the mark, however is missing 1 piece of information. I got the screen samples from Carada for their high contrast gray, matte white, and brilliant white matterials. After messing around with it for a LONG time (many hours) under various lighting conditions, the blacks were, you guessed it, better, however, images with white on them looked "dirty" or "dingy" in comparison to the brilliant white.

Just making that comment so that people factor that in as well. I still agree that for the quesiton at hand about entertaining others, the brilliant white most likely isn't the way to go, but keep in mind that there isn't a perfect screen, yet, although I do remember reading about a Sony high contrast black (yes black, not grey) screen that was supposed to be just awesome, but it was expected to be super outrageously priced, so I didn't even consider it.

While we are on the subjet, why not get the samples from Carada? They are a good size piece, and you can do comparisons for yourself. Onlt you will know what you like.

Good luck. The screen decision took me longer than the projector decision. I asked similar questions, and someone even told me "Get both. Brilliant white for movies, and high contrast grey for ambiant light needs, just one frame, and swap the material for those few times you entertain."

Ok, one last point, and I will try to find the link, someone did a VERY detailed and lengthy comparison of many different screen matterials side by side. Here is the link (you need to scroll down to the one marked December 06, 2004...)
Screen Material Review (http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2004/12/)

That's interesting about the whites & I agree totally with the rest of what you said too. One thing I'll point out again is that the carada gray is not supposed to be all that great especially when compared to the Da-Lite HCCV so that probably accounts for those dingy whites. It's only a .08 gain screen which might have something to do with it too. I think it's a great idea to get the samples, but also get a sample of the HC Cinema Vision from Da-Lite. I'm not trying to push that screen for any other reason than if you have the ambient light for entertainment & if you do go with a gray screen, I'm guessing that the dingy whites that Nick talked about will not be the case (or greatly diminished) with the 1.1 gain gray from Da-Lite. Let us know what you find once you get the samples.

I have the Z3 and the 1.8 Graywolf screen and the picture is OUTSTANDING....I can watch it during the day with the window to the right of the screen about 2 feet away with the blinds shut (of course)......and it still gives a GREAT picture......plus with total light control ...the colors POP off the screen....it looks like a plasma screen ......as far as the whites go i have seen NO muddy whites as a matter of fact it looks Totally white & the blacks look Good!I have the cc20r & cc10y filters+ the line level attenuator 1db on the way....I'm going to do the settings that was on the Z3 tweak thread which should give it even more Punch and blacker blacks!!!!So you may want to consider the Graywolf 1.8 gain when it come to the Z3:D.......of course thats just my opinion

I've heard these screens mentioned before as being great on AVS & wanted mention my opinion on them . I'm not trying to diss this screen at all since I've never seen one, but I just can't see how a screen that costs $150-$199 can possibly compare to screens that are $600-$2000. I'm sure it looks great for the money, but I would worry that it looks great compared to what. For a budget screen, it sounds very nice (although they only have pull-down from what I can see), but I just can't see a screen like that being comparable to a Stewart, Da-Lite or Carada.

I'm going out on a limb to guess that if you really can only spend a few hundred max, this is a very good screen that might be better than DYI (if you are ok with pulldowns which tend to curl), but they probably can't compare to the more expensive brands.


On another note:

They quote on Optima's website that it's 1.8 gain (which seems very bright to me) and and >100 degree viewing angle. That seems impossible to me that it has better viewing angles (greater than 100 degrees??!!) & a better PQ than $2000 screens.
Anyway, again, do not mean to rip this screen, but you get what you pay for usually & this just seems way too good to be true, pull-down or not.

Hey for a first PJ and screen combo....I think it looks awesome.....but I have not seen anby other PJ and screen's so my opinion is slanted toward what I own....but like I said this is my first Pj and screen so .....give me a break:D

Hey for a first PJ and screen combo....I think it looks awesome.....but I have not seen anby other PJ and screen's so my opinion is slanted toward what I own....but like I said this is my first Pj and screen so .....give me a break:D

Not a problem at all. I wasn't trying to say it was a bad screen at all (which is why I said I wasn't dissing it), just trying to put it in perspective is all. Since way more expensive screens were being discussed, I figured it was a good idea to point out what level this one was in comparison so as not to confuse anyone.

I've seen several people in other posts trying to compare this screen to Stewarts that cost $2000 which is crazy. :) I'm sure it looks very nice for the money however.

It's all perspective.

Hey.......you have to keep in mind I'm starting at the entry/ begginers PJ & Screen....I will eventually be able to afford a better screen and Pj......I'm never satissfied with anything when it comes to electronics...i will eventually upgrade....and then upgrade again and so on but this combo as of right now is Very pleasing to my eyes!:D...p.s example I started with a RCA 5.1 DD receiver then I heard of the new receivers that can do 7.1DD...so I eventually had to upgrade to the Harmon Karden 525..now I want(NEED):D the THX Ultra 7.1 Karmon Harden receiver....so you guess it ..im upgrading within the next few months !Basically I just wanted to get my feet wet in the PJ & Screen buisness..just for the time being to see if I liked it!Heck I wasn't even sure I would like that big of a screen(106")but ....hey I DON'T LIKE IT......I LOVE IT

Yep, I realize you got it as an entry level to try it out. That's my point is all. You get what you can afford at the time which is great. I wish I could afford more too! I guess as they say, "in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king". ha! Just kidding. :cool:

So next up is the Z4 for you. ha! ;) I'm the same way as you are...always wanting to upgrade.

I think I asked this somewhere else, but I think this would be the most appropriate place (the pro's).

Since I live in an apartment, I don't have much room to push my seating back. It's at 8' from where the screen would be now, and I think I can manage up to 9 or 10' with ease. Anything more and it becomes a big chore.

Now, my question is, does the Z3 have noticeable SDE, viewing an 80" display from 8', 9', or 10'? Or does it require a 2x Width viewing distance?

Thanks for the help.

The Z3 has very little SDE. Most of the reviews (and actual users) have said they see little to none if viewing at the proper distance or even a bit closer. Although it's up for debate, the Panasonic AE700 & Sony 51 have screen smoothing so they might have a bit less SDE (at the cost of sharpness according to some). That said, the Z3 is known however for being very good about SDE.

As for the 80" screen, the seating distance range is 8-13 feet, so you should be ok if you can get at least 8 feet away. Around 10-11 is optimal. On the other hand, a larger screen might be a bit better for getting proper brightness setttings. It's possible you might get a bit too much brightness at the proper throw distance for an 80" screen which is 7' 9" to 10' 3". You can always adjust the brightness down & get a lower gain screen to compensate.

hope that info helps.

I'm viewing my 106" Optoma Greywolf from about 12' with a Z2 and its great

Does anyone know how good the build quality is on the Z series of projectors? I always thought they sold cheap stuff.

Build quality is good. Ya don't think it would be so highly rated if it was a cheap build would ya? :D I don't know if it's quite the quality of build as say the Sony which costs over $1000 more, but it is considered to have a 'good' quality build. I know Sanyo products in general are not considered 'top notch' electronics, but their projectors are a different story.

I have finally got my Z3 up and running. I am using the following:
Z3 @ about 13' ceiling mounted.
114" 16:9 Carada Brilliant White Criterion screen.
The Z3 is connected to a Pioneer DV59AVI via a 30' HDMI cable from Blue Jeans cable.
Power is dedicated and filtered using a Belkin PureAV PF60 conditioner.

Most video looks just awesome. Looking more critically, when I look at edges, I tend to see a slight blurring or ghosting of the edges that sometimes appear to be "doubled" (for lack of a better description). This is most visible with text, like in the opening scenes to Star Wars. You have to look for it to see it, really.
Can this be caused by the projector not being calibrated properly? Could it be my ceiling mount angle is not "flat" or "level" enough in relation to the screen? (But, I would think lens shifting and keystoning would take care of that...)
I have been sifting through the lengthy Z3 specific forums but haven't found this issue discussed. Thanks!
BTW, this is a fantastic PJ/Screen combo IMO.

I'm at a crossroads. I've taken advice from several people (most notably CT and Jason), and I'm narrowed down my search to a Da-Lite Model C with CSR HCMW screen. But I'm torn on the size. I can either get the standard 92", or go custom at 80" to suit my seating needs of 8'-9'.

What I've been hearing more of lately though, is that I should go bigger rather than smaller. Hell, I want a home cinema experience, right? But it's just that pesky SDE that I'm worried about, and I dont' want to push my seating farther than 10'.

I attached pics if anyone cares to help. (I know I've mentioned this in another thread, but I'm so darn close to sealing the deal, I'd like all the help I can get. And there's no place better than avsforum for that ;) )

I'd recommend the 92". When I do the calculations on projectorcentral's calculator, it tells me that an 80" screen might be too small for optimal brightness etc...at the proper viewing distances & throw distance. With the proper screen you probably can compensate to some extent, but I'm guessing the 92" will provide you with the better results. If your throw distance is about 11' 9", your seating range needs to be about 9'-15' so that should work. I think the sweet spot for seating is around 12-13' but that range is the acceptable range.

I'm going only by the calculator, but it seems pretty accurate & trusted.

Let's here what others have to say.

I'd recommend the 92". When I do the calculations on projectorcentral's calculator, it tells me that an 80" screen might be too small for optimal brightness etc...at the proper viewing distances & throw distance. With the proper screen you probably can compensate to some extent, but I'm guessing the 92" will provide you with the better results. If your throw distance is about 11' 9", your seating range needs to be about 9'-15' so that should work. I think the sweet spot for seating is around 12-13' but that range is the acceptable range.

I'm going only by the calculator, but it seems pretty accurate & trusted.

Let's here what others have to say.

Yeah, I've done the same and checked multiple calculators, and they all give the same results, which is encouraging.

As for the minimum and optimal seating distances, I really don't want to go 12'-13' feet back. With a 92" screen, I feel as if I may have to in order to avoid SDE. With an 80" screen, I feel like 9' might be perfect, albeit close as well.

DARN, what a difficult choice. Admittedly, all the advice I've gotten so far has been leaning towards the 92" screen. Not that popular opinion is necessarily the right one. Maybe it is in this case? Oh misery :p (right). lol

I watch around 90" at around 8ft seating on a wall. no problems for me but one visitor who has a z1 has mentioned a tiny amount of SDE and mentioned i could defocus a touch. he couldnt be bothered to adjust it and neither could i! I prefer going for size although obviously i can have any zoom size i want.

Does anyone know if a filtered Z3 in dynamic mode is bright enough for a 100" 1 gain screen? I was thinking of buying this pj and installing the filters as per the tweak pages and pairing it with a DaLite HCCV screen but was worried that the result would be too dim. Appreciate any thoughts.

Moe

Does anyone know if a filtered Z3 in dynamic mode is bright enough for a 100" 1 gain screen? I was thinking of buying this pj and installing the filters as per the tweak pages and pairing it with a DaLite HCCV screen but was worried that the result would be too dim. Appreciate any thoughts.

Moe

This is the setup I will have except I'm getting a 106" screen. It should be fine from everything I've been told.

Yeah, I've done the same and checked multiple calculators, and they all give the same results, which is encouraging.

As for the minimum and optimal seating distances, I really don't want to go 12'-13' feet back. With a 92" screen, I feel as if I may have to in order to avoid SDE. With an 80" screen, I feel like 9' might be perfect, albeit close as well.

DARN, what a difficult choice. Admittedly, all the advice I've gotten so far has been leaning towards the 92" screen. Not that popular opinion is necessarily the right one. Maybe it is in this case? Oh misery :p (right). lol

I have yet to hear anyone mention SDE with this projector at all. With the 92" screen, you shouldn't have to be 12-13 feet back as the range starts at 9. While I can't say 100% you won't have SDE, I have yet to hear anyone mention have any issues with SDE from a recommended range. Again, to me, I'd rather have a screen where brightness would be optimal. I'm sure either would be fine, but if it was up to me.... :)

I was watching a football game OTA HD broadcast and switched the STB to 720p instead the of the std 1080I. It looked like crap. Is that normal? 'm assuming hat this is due to an extra conversion required to get to 720p. Should I leave it on 1080i unless watching Fox which is 720p?

BTW - 1080i is perfect

Got it! IT was the source. ESPNHD looks deeeelish. I almost thought I had something to obsess about there for a little while

If I had 6' minimum and 9' maximum seating distance from a Z3 projecting a 72" image on a wall from 10' back... would that be doable or insane?

I noticed you can "zoom" the picture to decrease brightness; would simply decreasing the brightness setting help too?

Is z3 better then X3?

Got it! IT was the source. ESPNHD looks deeeelish. I almost thought I had something to obsess about there for a little while

I know what you mean. The Irish-MSU game on NBC last saturday was awful but the Fla-Ten game on CBS was great. HD is pretty unforgiving.

If I had 6' minimum and 9' maximum seating distance from a Z3 projecting a 72" image on a wall from 10' back... would that be doable or insane?

I noticed you can "zoom" the picture to decrease brightness; would simply decreasing the brightness setting help too?

Throw range is only 9' 2" to 7.1' so 10 is too far. Seating range would be 7' - 12' so that would be ok. You'll need a lower gain screen as it will be very bright at that size, plus you'll need to reduce the brightness on the projector way down as well. Zoom also affects the screen size or where you place the projector right? So I'm assuming if you used zoom to help with brightness, you'd need to move the projector as well. Just a guess.

I have had my Z3 set up for 2 weeks. I just painted the wall with Behr flat ultra pure white. It made the previous builder white look pinkish gray while I was putting it on. I have not even put up my velvet masking and it is incredible. I have a couple of comments on things people ask about.

SDE: This is noticable on blue skies out to about 1.6 to 1.8x when focused sharply but defocussing works great.

Dynamic and Powerful mode: These are incredible, you can watch TV with the room FULLY LIT. I have canned floods right infront of the screen. This is excellent for entertaining with HD sporting events (The picture looks like crap through the VCR).

Sound: The projector is very quiet on cinema modes but rather audible on Dynamic modes. Full fan speed is about like an office projector. Cinema black speed is hard to hear.

Anyway, Spending the same amount that I spent three years ago. This projector blows my mind (and all the neighbors) and my masking is not even up yet. WOW!!!!

SDE: This is noticable on blue skies out to about 1.6 to 1.8x when focused sharply but defocussing works great.


What's your screen size and viewing distance?

I'm aiming for a 92" and I'm hoping to press my viewing distance right up to 9', if not 8'. I'm just worried about SDE of course. I may have to go smaller.

Ok, how do i see how many hours are on my bulb, all i see in the manual is how to reset the counter. All I want to do is find out how many hours are on my bulb.

Hold down your power button for about 30 seconds..make sure the power off ? is pn screen..then just hold down Power button .....and walla there she be :D

all i did was **** down my projector, is it supposed to be turned off?

why is s h u t a badword?

oops, must have misstyped, and not noticed, haha

Anyone ever move from DLP to LCD? I am seriously considering upgrading my H31 to a Z3. (I even started a thread which got absolutely zero responses!)

What I want to know is if I create an 81" image in (at times) a lot of ambient light will I regret it? The H31 handled it okay. I'll take "same same" for the increase in resolution. It also looks like I can make a 106" image from the same distance and that to me seems.... way cool.

So, would you upgrade?

SKOW?Do you have HD availible in your area..if so yes it is worth making the switch.

well so much for figurin out how many hours i got on my z3 bulb

well so much for figurin out how many hours i got on my z3 bulb

You have to hold the power button for 30 seconds.

I tried that but didnt see anything, does it come up on a specific area on the screen? when i first hit the power button it asked me Power off? and i didnt do anything, just kept holding it, the question thing went away, but nothing came up after that, maybe i only held it for 26 seconds or something

Press once and just keep holding the button... as Confucius say... patience is a virtue. :)

that reminds me of the old Chris Farley SNL skits, haha...its amazing how many bad movies ive seen on my projector, ive seen good ones but now i rent almost anything just to see it on the amazing Z3, last crapola i saw was The Longest Yard Sandler Version, terrible, but I did see Fistfull of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More which are amazing, but unfortunately not worthy restoration of the films on dvd, guess ill just rewatch The Good, The bad and the Ugly

hey you just saved me watching the longest yard - thanks! :)

I just watched Sin City with my Z3. That is the best looking video I have ever seen from a DVD. I just could not beleive it.

I'm seriously thinking about getting one. But I can't mount it on the ceiling as my basement is not finished yet. Any Z3 users here who use it from a table top (or stand)?

I'm seriously thinking about getting one. But I can't mount it on the ceiling as my basement is not finished yet. Any Z3 users here who use it from a table top (or stand)?

Thinking about it, ceiling mounting is just like table mounted only upside down. Stand mounting it could be the best because of the possiblity of not using the lens shift. Then again everything is relative.

I can tell you what I'm thinking of doing. Since I can't ceiling mount it, nor backwall mount it, it has to go behind the seating so I can't tabletop mount it, AND I have to be able to put it away, I'm opting for a cart stand.

I looked around, and specifically, the Da-Lite PH 800-1250 which will go up to 49.5", which is just enough to clear my seating. They also offer a model with a tilting tabletop. And it's got wheels, so I can bring it out and hide it again very quickly and easily. Perfect for my needs. Not necessarily for anyone elses. :)

This may or may not be the best place for this question but here goes... :o

Can the Z3 do the necessary vertical stretch for 2.35:1 aspect ratios? I plan on purchasing a Z3 in the next couple of months and wanted to know if the projector would do this or would I need a stand alone scaler.

Thanks

1st Cav

This may or may not be the best place for this question but here goes... :o

Can the Z3 do the necessary vertical stretch for 2.35:1 aspect ratios? I plan on purchasing a Z3 in the next couple of months and wanted to know if the projector would do this or would I need a stand alone scaler.

Thanks

1st Cav

1080i or 720p?

So can someone please explain to me - should I be sending a 1080i or 720p signal to my Z3?

Will 1080i really look better even though the projector resolution is 720?