mrlittlejeans,

The 110" should be more than fine with a HP screen. I've seen it on larger. I have a 119" HP sitting in my room now waiting on the Z4. You'll love it!

ps.make sure to mount the PJ as close to eye level as you can for maximum gain.

Im runnin my plv-z4 at 168" and I too would have gone larger...damn walls. note the door, lol.

Yeah MrLittleJeans, I have a 106" High power with the Z4 and it looks AMAZING, like im watching a humongous Plasma screen TV, deffinatly try to mount the projector as close to eye level as possible. Mine is mounted above my head on my couch about 1 .5 feet above. It looks amazing! you will not be sad. Also try out RSone's Living settings, they look the best in my opinion. You can find those in the z4 tweak thread

The Da-Lite High-Power (HP or H-P) screen has a gain of 2.8 when the PJ is projecting from about the viewers head height (it's "retro-reflective" - directs light back towards the PJ). If used with a ceiling mount, the effective gain is only around 1.5 to 1.8 (a significant difference).

In either case, the Z4 should have enough output (with the right Iris setting and output mode) to work just fine with a 110" H-P screen.

Don't you see sparklies at such an intense gain? I have the High Contrast Cinema Vision and have been considering moving to a unity gain Da-Mat (dedicated light controlled theater). The HCCV has a rather noticeable texture and sparkles slightly when panning across bright scenes. It only has a gain of 1.1.

Can anyone tell me what kind of power cable the Z4 uses? I have an AE700 ceiling mounted that I'm replacing and the power cable is ran above my ceiling. I was hoping they use the same cable so I wouldn't have to climb above my room again.

I am ceiling mounting the z4, but dropping it to about two feet above my head. I calculated the angle from the center of the screen and believe I'm still in the prime viewing cone. I was just worried about the light ouput coming from a light canon. Thanks.

l88Bastard - that door is hilarious.

I don't see any form of sparkles in the High power, I saw more sparkles (only like 1% of the time) on my gray wolf i had before it. But none so far with the high power.

As for the answer to the power cable question. Its a 3 pronged end that connects to the projector. Like a triangle shape. with curved edges. Lol, im at work right now and cant take a picture right now for you.

I think it's the same plug the Panny uses.

I currently have a Z1 mounted upside down on my ceiling using a mounting kit.

Does the Z4 have the same mounting hole layout?

Does anyone have the z4 mounting hole layout?

This has been answered many times already, the z4 has a DIFFERENT mounting layout then the previous versions of the Sanyo Z series projectors.

Im runnin my plv-z4 at 168" and I too would have gone larger...damn walls. note the door, lol.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/l88bastard/IMG_3088.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/l88bastard/IMG_3071.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/l88bastard/IMG_3102.jpg


Wow!!! thanks for posting these. Now I feel much better about the Z4. It looks plenty bright. I'm going to be using a 96" brilliant white Carada in a light controlled room with a black background and black ceiling around the screen.

Thanks again for the pics
I've shot this against a AE900U and Espon 550 , person I was showing this for felt the AE90U was a tad brighter.... Did you make any adjustments on your picture

Thanks again for the pics
I've shot this against a AE900U and Espon 550 , person I was showing this for felt the AE90U was a tad brighter...
That would stand to reason as I believe output is 1000 lumens for the Z4 vs. 1100 for the 900. Very minimal for practical purposes. Were both projectors calibrated the same? I guess another consideration is that the Z4 has the manual iris which the 900 does not, so you could get more output (at the expense of overall black level) by opening it up a bit more. So many permutations and combinations of setup options with the Z4.

That would stand to reason as I believe output is 1000 lumens for the Z4 vs. 1100 for the 900.

What are the actual *video calibrated* lumens of the Z4? I cannot imagine being able to sustain at least 12 ft/L @ 168" for the life of the bulb, unless some serious gain is involved.

Even if the Z4 achieved a calibrated D65 1000 lumens, with a 1.0 gain screen, it would barely net you 12 ft/L, which would look fine for the 1st quarter of bulb life. Say you want at least 24 ft/L at the start to make sure you are bright enough over the life of the bulb, and assuming the PJ gets 1000 lumens (I suspect at least half), then your gain should be at least 2.0. To achieve the HP maximum gain, doesn't the PJ need to be table mounted?

But if the calibrated lumen output is only, say, 500 lumens, then you would need a gain of 4.0, and the only screen I am aware of that comes close is the Vutec Siverstar with 3.0 actual gain.

I've searched through this tread and elsewhere and I can't find it. Where can I get a pdf of the service manual?

Z4 came last night. Wow. Completely blows away my old projector. I had to get pretty close to the screen to notice screen door. Will post pics when my new screen gets here today. Pretty sweet. I think I could have gone larger than 110" with the high power. Oh well.

I had to get pretty close to the screen to notice screen door.
How close? I can just make it out at 1.5x (87" wide screen). Although it's a tossup if I'm seeing that or screen texture in program material. But for menu letters it's visible.

Hi Just got my Z4 yesterday and had serious jumping about of the Comcast image, both HD and SD on component Adjusted the fine synch to 25 under one of the image menus and it fixed it.

[Edit] Sorry trying to catch up on three months of posts and this has been covered, but I left it in rather than delete it in case some poor soul hasn't waded through the nine million posts.

I just hooked up my Z4. When I switch between the four different lamp settings, eco-through full, I see no difference in lumen output...no matter what "image setting" I choose either. Has anyone noticed this problem? Perhaps I got a bum unit. Also...the fan noise does not change from going to eco to full either. Any ideas? I think I got a bum unit. The iris works fine...but no difference in lamp settings????

I dont either.

Maybe that will change as bulb life lessons and it starts to dim.

For all those questions about throw distance. Here is the Sanyo Canada website with a throw calculator. It is more exact then projectorcentrals.

http://www.sanyo.com/calc/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.CalcForm&ModelNo=PLV-Z4

Cheers

I just hooked up my Z4. When I switch between the four different lamp settings, eco-through full, I see no difference in lumen output...no matter what "image setting" I choose either. Has anyone noticed this problem? Perhaps I got a bum unit. Also...the fan noise does not change from going to eco to full either. Any ideas? I think I got a bum unit. The iris works fine...but no difference in lamp settings????

I can hardly see the change as well, and only sometimes. I can't remember if it was with dark or bright scenes that I actually saw a slight change in brightness. I just keep the lamp on Low to extend its life.

Shelly

I wish that I could stop tweaking but I can't. My wife asked me if I have to do it for every movie I watch. :)

I have been using my own tweaks with Living, and have never liked either CKL's or ROne's Creative Cinema tweaks because they are so dim in my room. (I continue to keep ROne's Living tweak in User 1 but it is too dark and yellowish for me, but keep it as a reference point for now.)

But I tried Creative Cinema again with simple adjustments only to Contrast (+5), Lamp (Low), Gamma (+1) while watching Transporter 2 last night (terrible flesh tones in the movie, very yellowish on all my User settings--switching to hd or a different movie yield perfect flesh tones so I know it's this particular movie).

Not only did this provide the best of my 4 User settings for this movie, it also worked as well when I changed source to hd channels.

So I now feel comfortable with this setting based on CC with only one Color Management (blue) tweak, and with my Living setting with 7 Color Management tweaks.

Shelly

E... hey buddy! I just got my Z4 installed too.... I notice no difference in lamp settings. You think they made that many bum units? lol


I'm having another problem too. I notice a jittery motion, almost like tiny pixelization but limited to just a small area on things are small. For intance, I was watching David Gilmour in Concert last night... when the camera moves up close on his guitar it crystal clear, great image, but when the camera pans back and shows the entire stage at a distance, his fingers pickin' the guitar get all squiggly, jittery, I really don't know what you'd call it, but I never got that on my Z2, it would very clear. I'm using ROne's CC settings.

Now, I don't know if it might be the fact that I'm still using my Denon 2900 with component out and my Denon 3806 receiver is upconverting the 480p component to HDMI output to the Z4, whereas I was using component straight through to the Z2. I do have a Denon 3910 that will be here Monday and I'll be running HMDI all the way then.

Is there some setting that I might possibly be missing?

Thanks!

I am interested in the Sanyo Z4, I currently have an InFocus 4805 and am ready to step up the the next level.

However I do have a few questions that I really need answered.

1) I will be mounting the Projector on the ceiling. I have heard that this projector is very quiet (Unlike the Infocus) however, I have heard when hung upside down as in a ceiling mount the fan becomes much louder. Is this true? and can anyone define "louder"? More so than the Infocus 4805?

2) My front row seating is right at 12' my back row is at 17'. With the Infocus I see the SDE in the front row (which bothers me), but not in the back. I have a 106" screen. From my calculations the front row will be just about 1.5x the screen (which is to little for the Infocus) but right at the Minimum for the Z4. At the 12' range should I be concerned with the SDE on the Z4? The reviews say no, but I would also like to hear anyone that might have a similar setup.

3) Compared to the Infocus 4805, does the Z4 have better blacks? The Z4 lists as a higher contrast ratio, but all this talk about LCD not doing black as good as DLP has got me wondering...

Plus to any one out there who has had the Infocus 4805 and stepped up to the Z4, I would appreciate any thoughts or observations.

Thanks for all the help!
D

1) I will be mounting the Projector on the ceiling. I have heard that this projector is very quiet (Unlike the Infocus) however, I have heard when hung upside down as in a ceiling mount the fan becomes much louder. Is this true? and can anyone define "louder"? More so than the Infocus 4805?

2) My front row seating is right at 12' my back row is at 17'. With the Infocus I see the SDE in the front row (which bothers me), but not in the back. I have a 106" screen. From my calculations the front row will be just about 1.5x the screen (which is to little for the Infocus) but right at the Minimum for the Z4. At the 12' range should I be concerned with the SDE on the Z4? The reviews say no, but I would also like to hear anyone that might have a similar setup.
I have my Z4 mounted on the ceiling directly above my head at 12' back from the screen, if it falls... well, it will hurt no doubt! I don't notice the fan at all, didn't really even notice it on my Z2. If I have nothing else on I can barely hear it. You will be well pleased with it... it's about the lowest rated available.

I have absolutely no problems with SDE at 12'... if I walk towards the screen I don't notice it until I get to about 8-9'... that's with a 97" screen. With a 106" screen you should be okay... figure about 1.2 to 1.3 screen width is typically where you'll start to notice SDE.

Hey Sonnie!

I have my Z4 ceiling mounted...so I'm running into the same fan noice issue that others are as well. I hate to get into the service menu to change things as discussed in the tweak thread...but unless I do...I can't live with this PJ and it's noise! I love the picture though!!!

Sonnie, my Z4 is right above my head as well...and I can hear it? Strange...is your's inverted or mounted upright on your ceiling?

It's inverted... but definitely quiet as a mouse.

Any idea on my squiggly issues? What DVD player are you using now?

Hmm...do this for me, change between ceiling and off in the "mounting" menu of settings and see if you can hear a difference in fan noise? As to your squiggly issue...no clue.

Hmm...do this for me, change between ceiling and off in the "mounting" menu of settings and see if you can hear a difference in fan noise? As to your squiggly issue...no clue.

Sounds like she has the issue with Sync needing to be adjusted. Have you adjusted your overscan? Seems to happen when that has been adjusted. You can go into the menu & switch the sync setting to see if this fixes the issue.

There are posts in this thread & tweaks thread about an issue that sounds similar to what you are describing. My Z4 also came with an flyer describing the issue & what to do to fix it.

I can do that for ya but it will be tonight when I get home... at work right now.

Stormin' like crazy here... heard you guys have had 20+ days of rain up and over that way... eccckkkkk!

Sounds like she has the issue with Sync needing to be adjusted. Have you adjusted your overscan? Seems to happen when that has been adjusted. You can go into the menu & switch the sync setting to see if this fixes the issue.

There are posts in this thread & tweaks thread about an issue that sounds similar to what you are describing. My Z4 also came with an flyer describing the issue & what to do to fix it.


Thanks... I wanna say my default setting on Overscan was +10. I did adjust the horizontal screen settings a little, I didn't quite build my screen the right width so it's about a 1/2 inch off. But it looked like the horizontal setting simply cuts off part of the left side of the image.

I did see the sync setting in that same area and will try adjusting that tonight. I remember reading something about flicker and sync settings but I thought it would be big flicker... not so tiny... mine is like looking at a about a small 2-3" area. Maybe the sync will fix her up. I'll also check out the tweak thread more... fortunately it's not near as deep as this one.

I have Sanyo service looking into the fan issue, the rep I spoke to has never heard of the problem...say's it shouldn't work that way, I'll report back.

Yep, lots of rain!

Mines cieling mounted.....it is a little louder than table mounting. You can hear the fan difference when you switch the image over in the menu.

Once the movie starts I still cant hear it though, even during very quite scenes.

Lofty...ok, you've confirmed my situation as well. I'll let you know when I hear back from Sanyo...but I think perhaps some of us received units that have a "bug or problem" with the mounting setting and what it does to the fan noise. Like I said, I'll report back what I hear.

Lofty...ok, you've confirmed my situation as well. I'll let you know when I hear back from Sanyo...but I think perhaps some of us received units that have a "bug or problem" with the mounting setting and what it does to the fan noise. Like I said, I'll report back what I hear.

This is a known functionality of the Z4. The fan kicks to a higher speed when you set the 'mounted' setting in the menu. I'm guessing what you guys are seeing is not a 'bug or problem', but standard functionality. It does this because heat rises to the ceiling and Sanyo felt the unit required more fan speed there, thus creating more noise. There are tweaks in the tweaks thread to change this setting if it annoys you enough, but it will also probably void your warranty too.

I also think that the fan speed will change depending on the iris setting as well if I am remembering correctly.

I just got off with Sanyo...they said that this should not be happening and they just faxed me authorization to ship it to them for service...so they can look into the issue.

I'd suggest anyone else with this issue to do the same...you can ask for Rene at 818-998-7322, ext. 287.

I'll report back when I hear from them.

Sorry...just saw that you also have what could be issues with the lamp settings & that you did listen to the fan with the different settings & it didn't change. My apologies for my post as it seems you may very well have a 'bum' Z4.

Just curious, but if you put on a DVD with the settings you have now & then go into the menu & switch off of 'ceiling mount', does the fan quiet down? Seems the issue may revolve around the lamp modes not working as opposed to simply ceiling mount or not. Once they fix the lamp mode issue it'll probably take care of the fan as well.

Glad Sanyo will fix it for you. Just curious with these addition questions since I too can hear my Z4 very clearly.

Just bought a Sanyo Z4. I am now looking for a ceiling mount and the cables that will be required? Any recommendations?

Just bought a Sanyo Z4. I am now looking for a ceiling mount and the cables that will be required? Any recommendations?
Chief's RPA mount is awesome. Adjustable in all dimensions and very low profile for a ceiling installation (which the Z4 allows). They now have a custom plate available if you prefer ready-made vs. universal solutions.

For cables that depends on your sources. If you have DVD or satellite with HDMI/DVI outputs you'll need to pick one (Z4 only has a single input). Likewise if you have an external scaler you would just have a single HDMI cable. Beyond that component cables and S-video as necessary.

Just bought a Sanyo Z4. I am now looking for a ceiling mount and the cables that will be required? Any recommendations?

If you do a search in the forums for cables, you'll find many recommendations and most of them will be for the same few places. Probably the two most recommended I'll mention here, although we don't want this thread to turn into a cable discussion. Both are AVS sponsors. Check out Bluejeanscables.com as they offer some of the very best hand made cables, yet at fairly affordable prices. Monoprice.com has exceptional values with nice quality cables, although no where near the quality of bluejeans cables. I got componants from Bluejeans & HDMI from monoprice. As Jay mentioned, get the connections you need for your equipment. I'd recommend getting at least the 2 sets of componants & HDMI. If you need SVid, get those too as well as RGB if needed.

We are finishing our basement and have decided to buy the Z4. The size of the basement is 21 x 14. Please help us with these questions

1.Can we go for at 100" screen?
2.What would be the distance at which we should mount the projector?
3. Is there a specific mount for this projector or else which is good one for the money?
4. What are the wiring needs here?

If there is a thread providing information on the types of cables required please point me to it.

I had been searching this forum for an hour now but could be find specifics. Thanks for your help!

We are finishing our basement and have decided to buy the Z4. The size of the basement is 21 x 14. Please help us with these questions

1.Can we go for at 100" screen?
2.What would be the distance at which we should mount the projector?
3. Is there a specific mount for this projector or else which is good one for the money?
4. What are the wiring needs here?

If there is a thread providing information on the types of cables required please point me to it.

I had been searching this forum for an hour now but could be find specifics. Thanks for your help!

Just wanted to mention that the wiring & mount recommendations are only 1 and 2 posts behind yours! All you needed was the 'find' option in IE on this very page...not sure how you missed it! :)

The other info can also be easily found by using the search in this forum, but here's some quick info that should get you started. My theater is 21 X 13.5. I have a 106" da-light HC-Cinema Vision screen which is fine for my room size, as would be a 100". I wouldn't go bigger. Projector should be mounted at about 10-20 feet for a 106" screen & 100" is not much different. Mine is mounted at about 14 which is perfect since it's close to the middle of the range which is what you want. You'll want to sit at least 13-14 feet back. You can use the projector calculator pro on projectorcentral.com for more details.

Look at the previous posts by Jay & me about the mount & cables you'll need.

Guys,

Just an update on my SYNC issues with an SA (or soon to be known as Cisco) 8300 HD DVR. I was experiencing some sync issues over the past 2-3 weeks on and off and it seemed that adjusting the sync seemed to help. Last night I was able to take some time and investigate this further. I tried changing cables and bypassing devices to try to isolate what was going on. Here are my results:

It appears that the "Y" (Chroma and Luminance) signal on the Z4 may be a bit sensitive to large sweeps in the signal. I was able to isolate a section of CBS NUMBERS right at the beginning when the screen is showing the summary of stats then it fades to complete white the abruptly to the actual storyline. Right at this point I was able to get the Z4 to consistently lose sync. I removed the component cables from my Denon 5800 receiver (doing the switching) and ran them straight to the 8300. After doing this my sync issues were gone! I have a fairly long run of pre-made Belkin component video cables around 35" going from my receiver to the projector. It appears that this combined with the 5800 switching may have reduced the sync to a level below spec for the Z4. Funny though, I did not have this issue with my previous Sony HS10.

Well this is just something to consider and it appears to have solved my issue.

Chief's RPA mount is awesome. Adjustable in all dimensions and very low profile for a ceiling installation (which the Z4 allows). They now have a custom plate available if you prefer ready-made vs. universal solutions.
Quoting myself, but switched my temporary universal mount to the Z4 mount. Perfect fit. Connects to the Z4 with three screws, and has four posts that connect to the ceiling mount (tightened with thumb screws). Makes for quick and easy removal for maintenance (the access panel on the botton is not impeded). Installed flush to the ceiling there is less then 2" clearance - very low profiie.

Quoting myself, but switched my temporary universal mount to the Z4 mount. Perfect fit. Connects to the Z4 with three screws, and has four posts that connect to the ceiling mount (tightened with thumb screws). Makes for quick and easy removal for maintenance (the access panel on the botton is not impeded). Installed flush to the ceiling there is less then 2" clearance - very low profiie.
can we see a pix of this installation and a pix of the mount without projector?
is there a website to see it?

Quoting myself, but switched my temporary universal mount to the Z4 mount. Perfect fit. Connects to the Z4 with three screws, and has four posts that connect to the ceiling mount (tightened with thumb screws). Makes for quick and easy removal for maintenance (the access panel on the botton is not impeded). Installed flush to the ceiling there is less then 2" clearance - very low profiie.

I have the RPA-U that I purchased just 3 weeks ago. Is this custom plate useable with the RPA-U? I'm assuming besides how the arms connect to the Z4, everything is the same including the 4 screws that lock it into the mount. I haven't even looked to see if my lense cleaning panel is covered by the universal mount. I've done a google search & looked on chief's website but can't find any info on this plate. Where did you get it.

As far as instalation, you can look on the chief website for the instruction manual for the RPA-U and I'm sure it's nearly the same install.

can we see a pix of this installation and a pix of the mount without projector?
is there a website to see it?
As requested. Here is a picture of the Z4 with the Chief mounting plate installed on the bottom. Note the access panel on the top right (photo perspective), and the four screws on the topside (with black thumbwheels). Also the RPA mount installed on the ceiling (there are four lag screws included that, in this case, are going straight into wood nailers between the joists). Finally an image of the Z4 installed.

You can see the slots on the RPA where the screws on the top of the mounting plate slide in. There is one in each corner and one in the front back and middle to allow different plate configurations. In the case of the Z4 two slide into the front corners, one into the back left corner (photo perspective) and back middle. You are looking at the screen-side of the mount in this image. When you remove the projector the pitch and yaw adjustments are maintained so servicing is very easy.

On this picture of the RPA mount you see three screws across the front. The center is the pivot, and the ones on either side are loosened (along with their counterparts in the rear) to adjust yaw. Short work with a level. The same adjustment screws are on either side for pitch. To square the projector to the screen you loosen the four lag screws and turn the whole mount. Or if you're using a drop-down pole you would turn the pole and then tighten a small allen screw at the back, which wedges against the threads of the pole.

I have the RPA-U that I purchased just 3 weeks ago. Is this custom plate useable with the RPA-U? I'm assuming besides how the arms connect to the Z4, everything is the same including the 4 screws that lock it into the mount.
It's identical. The RPA is the actual mounting head that attaches to the ceiling. To that you attach either a custom mounting plate (shown) or the universal bracket. The bracket slides into the head the same way. I had started with the universal mount as Chief had not yet received a Z4 to machine the custom plate. That's now available and mine arrived last week. To switch one for the next will take you five minutes tops, including unplugging and reconnecting the cables. You'll need to slightly adjust the Z4's lens shift and such as there will have been some play in the universal with the adjustable arms. Likewise the plate allows the projector to site a little closer to the ceiling.

I generally hate universal solutions as they tend to satisfy everything but are ideal for nothing. To be fair Chief's universal mount is a really nice solution and still low profile. It's a good idea for someone who switches projectors regularly, but price wise it's basically the same as the specific mount.

Thanks Jay. It looks like that custom plate covers the cleaning panel anyway but the bulb compartment is accessible. Is that the case? I looked at my universal & without taking it down (didn't feel like doing that tonight), I can't tell if it too blocks the cleaning panel, but it looks like it might not. At this point, can you see a reason for me to switch? What would be the advantages of this plate over the arms that come with the universal? I wonder if that plate is sold separately just out of curiosity. Also, what is the model of that plate?

Thanks for the pix Jay it really looks good.
Where do you buy this mount for the Z4?
Is the a website to see it?

As requested. Here is a picture of the Z4 with the Chief mounting plate installed on the bottom. Note the access panel on the top right (photo perspective), and the four screws on the topside (with black thumbwheels). Also the RPA mount installed on the ceiling (there are four lag screws included that, in this case, are going straight into wood nailers between the joists). Finally an image of the Z4 installed.

You can see the slots on the RPA where the screws on the top of the mounting plate slide in. There is one in each corner and one in the front back and middle to allow different plate configurations. In the case of the Z4 two slide into the front corners, one into the back left corner (photo perspective) and back middle. You are looking at the screen-side of the mount in this image. When you remove the projector the pitch and yaw adjustments are maintained so servicing is very easy.

On this picture of the RPA mount you see three screws across the front. The center is the pivot, and the ones on either side are loosened (along with their counterparts in the rear) to adjust yaw. Short work with a level. The same adjustment screws are on either side for pitch. To square the projector to the screen you loosen the four lag screws and turn the whole mount. Or if you're using a drop-down pole you would turn the pole and then tighten a small allen screw at the back, which wedges against the threads of the pole.


It's identical. The RPA is the actual mounting head that attaches to the ceiling. To that you attach either a custom mounting plate (shown) or the universal bracket. The bracket slides into the head the same way. I had started with the universal mount as Chief had not yet received a Z4 to machine the custom plate. That's now available and mine arrived last week. To switch one for the next will take you five minutes tops, including unplugging and reconnecting the cables. You'll need to slightly adjust the Z4's lens shift and such as there will have been some play in the universal with the adjustable arms. Likewise the plate allows the projector to site a little closer to the ceiling.

I generally hate universal solutions as they tend to satisfy everything but are ideal for nothing. To be fair Chief's universal mount is a really nice solution and still low profile. It's a good idea for someone who switches projectors regularly, but price wise it's basically the same as the specific mount.
Jay your pix have been removed do you know why?

Do a refresh...they are still there for me.

Thanks Jay. It looks like that custom plate covers the cleaning panel anyway but the bulb compartment is accessible. Is that the case? I looked at my universal & without taking it down (didn't feel like doing that tonight), I can't tell if it too blocks the cleaning panel, but it looks like it might not. At this point, can you see a reason for me to switch? What would be the advantages of this plate over the arms that come with the universal? I wonder if that plate is sold separately just out of curiosity. Also, what is the model of that plate?
Only the compartment at the back is accessible. I can't recall but I believe the universal bracket covers everthing as it's square with the arms offs to the sides. The custom plates address the maintenance compartments where possible. I had a Panasonic 900 and Chief plate (before I switched to Z4) and it was the same in that access panels were visible. But there's only so much space to go around. Regardless, to remove the panel for additional servicing is trivial with an electric screw driver (just have the torque set low so you don't strip the bushings).

I can't tell you if you should switch or not. If you're perfectly satisfied with the universal then stick with it. Its main advantage is that it will remain for the majority of your future projectors. The strength of the dedicated plate is a tighter fit to the ceiling (but not by much - you won't notice it visibly and only a consideration for a flush mount) and a precise fit for the projector. The universal has little "legs" at each arm to adjust to adjust for different topographies on the bottom of the projector. If you don't have those set level then the projector will be off center and it would more work to get it lined up. Plus there's a little more work with maintenance compared to the dedicated plate.

The plates are sold separately - that's how mine came. Can't recall the part number but just write Chief and say you have the Z4. They'll get it right back to you.

Thanks for the pix Jay it really looks good.
Where do you buy this mount for the Z4?
Is the a website to see it?
I bought the RPA from my local dealer, but I believe Chief products are available online as well and pretty much a guarantee through AVS and partners. Here's the site for Chief - the links for the RPA and RPA-U are at the top.

http://www.chiefmfg.com/projectors.asp

Just looking at the site I realize I screwed up the above re: pitch and yaw, meant pitch and roll. Yaw is what I refer to as "square to the screen" or twisting the projector horizontally. You get the idea. ;)

Just bought a Sanyo Z4. I am now looking for a ceiling mount and the cables that will be required? Any recommendations?
if you are handy you can always make a DIY mount. it looks clean and you can make whatever length you desire. Just go to Homedepot and get some PVC pipe, an aluminin strip, some machine screws and a small jar of craft paint. total cost is less than $10 and you have a lot of fun doing that. it took me two hours to make the mount and hang the Z4 with some previous experience. if you enjoy the challenge that would be a great project.

Has anyone cleaned their filters yet? I took a look at mine with about 150 hours and could not see any dust/dirt. Not sure how to clean them if they need it.

Has anyone cleaned their filters yet? I took a look at mine with about 150 hours and could not see any dust/dirt. Not sure how to clean them if they need it.

Intructions for cleaning filters & LCD panels is in the back of the manual.

After much pondering, I finally decided to get the Z4 (over the Panny 900)...the free lamp was the deciding factor...I was on the fence for a long time and a free lamp was all I needed to pull the trigger.

Bought a Sony 70H hdmi dvd player, cables from Monoprice along with $18 worth of BO cloth and tried it out. Maybe I'm not as picky as some, but the image looked great right out of the box. No flickering, no out of focus portions, no SDE, no dead pixels and don't notice the iris movements (all the things that concerned me about Sanyo). Green convergence is off one pixel, but it doesn't appear to be noticeable from 5 ft away (100in image).

Decided to use most of Rone's numbers for adjusting (just for grins). It looks even better.

For the life of me, I can't image why anyone would buy a large rear projection television (or a plasma)...if they have control over their room lighting.

Fingers crossed that my last concern doesn't bite me...bulb life (but at least I'll have one spare!!).

My son's Xbox looks great as does a computer image (DVI output). Although when you play a dvd from the computer, the image is totally the wrong size...no big deal I guess since I'll most likely be using the Sony DVD player.

i'm in too.

Purchased from a forum sponsor as i'm sure you did bonorden and the extra lamp and 3 year warranty was key for me. I almost went with the Panny but i like the added sharper image the Z4 will provide. This projector will hold me over until 1080P becomes mainstream.

I have had my HS10 for a couple of years, used it sparingly and this is also a very good projector but i guess i just have upgradeitis:) I could have waited but decided not to. I like change and to tweak too. I have a CCR40 filter i may try with the z4 as well. Keeping my Dalite HCDM to try out as well. I want a higher gain screen so we shall see how the testing goes.

okay...I have a couple of questions for you Z4 owners. Since my new Z3 arrived DOA, its gone back to the dealer and I haven't decided if I'll exchange it or buy something different. I'm wondering how many of you think the performance of the Z4 is worth it over the much lower price of the z3. Of course there is also a free lamp rebate with the z4 which is nice.

Also, regarding the "crappy" deinterlacing of SD on the Z4...is it really that bad? I don't have an HD DVR so if I miss something like Lost I tape it in S-vhs off of my OTA receiver. Will playing this on the Z4 yield in ugly results do you think? I was under the impression that the Z3 would be tolerable in this regard.

any input would be helpful.

thanks.

With the free lamp replacement I would recommend the Z4. I upgraded from a Z2 and there was an obvious and important improvement. I can't comment on the difference with the Z3. I still love the picture on the Z4 and appreciate it's quality after two months and about 200 hours. Such a fine machine! And fun to tweak though it was great out of the box. The SD is not awful, it is watchable, but there are better deinterlacers. I am so spoiled with HDTV sources that I avoid SD as much as possible. I suspect this would be the case with any pj I might buy. The Hdtv and DVDs are soooo startingly good it is just hard to enjoy sd sources for me. Good luck with your purchase.

Has anyone cleaned their filters yet? I took a look at mine with about 150 hours and could not see any dust/dirt. Not sure how to clean them if they need it.
I pulled them out recently, probably 30 or so hours on them, and they were clean. Can't remember the cleaning details but outlined in the manual. I think it's just a matter of tapping them and blowing the dust out.

Both my reciever and dvd player have only component output. Would the image quality suffer a lot if I do not go for a dvd player with HDMI output? If I have HD TV relay and I use component cable for the connection how would the quality of the image be?

DVI to HDMI Problem - Any Suggestions?

I just received my new Sanyo Z4 and attempted to hook it up to my Samsung tuner. While I was able to view the tuner's 720p signal through my Z4 just fine with an S-video and component video connection, I am having troubles getting signal from the tuner's DVI port to the projector's HDMI port. I have set the tuner's DVI Out Select to "DVI", have set the Resolution Select to 720p yet I get no signal on the projector. This seems like a relatively straight-forward operation, yet I still get no signal on the projector. After looking through the manuals I notice that there is a setting on the projector for the HDMI port (L1 or L2 if I remember correctly), however, that doesn't seem to make a difference.

The projecter looks incredible using component, however, I bought the Monster DVI to HDMI cables already and I'd like to use them. Any suggestions on how to fix or do you think I've got a bad DVI or HDMI port?

ordered a Z4 today after MUCH debate (reading the forums) over which pj (Panny 900) to purchase. Ultimately the bargain was too hard to pass up on the Z4 and I know that I prefer a sharp picture (as does the wife).
However this is my first projector and I am beginning to have nervous feelings already. I have a room 27X17 that I had the windows removed from in order to control the lighting and accomodate a dedicated theater. My fear is related to getting the projector and not being able to fully test/accept it in the 7 day/4 hour time constraint as the room is raw and has no sheetrock in it, nor any TV hookup available.
Any tips on what I should look for/test in the limited time I have? Should I be trying to use Avia or Rone's settings in that timeframe, or just watch a movie(clips) and see if the SDE or anything else jumps out at me as a deal killer? I know that this is considered a "tweakers" pj, would I have been betetr off with the Epson 550 right out of the box perhaps?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Hi,

I am in the process of setting up my AV-receiver DENON 4306.
In the video-menue, under Video-Setup, there is the following option for the HDMI-output:

Color Space:
- Y Cb Cr
The Y Cb Cr format video signal is output via the HDMI connector
- RGB
The RGB format video signal is output via the HMDI connector

I understand the differences between the color space - what I do NOT know is, what Color Space the Sanyo accepts/needs over HDMI?

To give you some more information about the connected gear:
- a Satellite receiver with Y Cb Cr output @576i, that the Denon should upconvert to HDMI 720p
- an Oppo 971H DVD-player with DVI->HDMI cable @ 720p output



Thanks for the help!

Any tips on what I should look for/test in the limited time I have? Should I be trying to use Avia or Rone's settings in that timeframe, or just watch a movie(clips) and see if the SDE or anything else jumps out at me as a deal killer? I know that this is considered a "tweakers" pj, would I have been betetr off with the Epson 550 right out of the box perhaps?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Absolutely use ROne'sn settings from the tweak thread. They look much better then what I was able to achieve with either Avia or Digital Video Essentials. Remember that the settings are based on a DVI/HDMI connection at L2 (PC) levels. Don't know what it looks like through component.

Re: SDE I believe the reviews have been generous at suggesting 1.5x is enough. You can still see a slight veil at that distance. A little farther back helps the image a lot so experiment. If you are constrained to a short viewing distance you'll have problems (maybe not immediately given the wow factor but over time it will become annoying). Judging by your room's dimensions you should be able to adjust seating distance accordingly. With a little extra space the image is excellent - watched snippets of Madagascar in HD (recorded on a DVR) and it looked ridiculously good. Black levels aren't great with this projector, but when shown in the context of a moderately lit seen there is enough contrast ratio to fool your eye into believing true blacks. Predominantly darker scenes get a bit gray and muddy, but I haven't formally calibrated this unit. Still using ROne's settings.

DVI to HDMI Problem - Any Suggestions?

I just received my new Sanyo Z4 and attempted to hook it up to my Samsung tuner. While I was able to view the tuner's 720p signal through my Z4 just fine with an S-video and component video connection, I am having troubles getting signal from the tuner's DVI port to the projector's HDMI port. I have set the tuner's DVI Out Select to "DVI", have set the Resolution Select to 720p yet I get no signal on the projector. This seems like a relatively straight-forward operation, yet I still get no signal on the projector. After looking through the manuals I notice that there is a setting on the projector for the HDMI port (L1 or L2 if I remember correctly), however, that doesn't seem to make a difference.

The projecter looks incredible using component, however, I bought the Monster DVI to HDMI cables already and I'd like to use them. Any suggestions on how to fix or do you think I've got a bad DVI or HDMI port?

I'm guessing this could be a 'handshake' issue which needs to happen with a DVI/HDMI connection. Is this Samsung the DirectTV HD tuner? I would call their support line to troubleshoot this issue. I have heard instances where a DVI device won't work with certain HDTV's due to this handshake issue so this could (and I stress could) be the case. I'd say it's more likely this issue or even a bad cable than a bad HDMI port on the Z4 or the DVI on the Samsung box (although that's still possible).

Hopefully someone else might have this same HD box and can shed some light on their experiences with it and the Z4.

Both my reciever and dvd player have only component output. Would the image quality suffer a lot if I do not go for a dvd player with HDMI output? If I have HD TV relay and I use component cable for the connection how would the quality of the image be?

I had my Comcast hd dvr hooked up with both component and hdmi, and switched back and forth over and over, going through the hd channels and freezing one frame on each.

I preferred the extra punch of the component connection. Although the hdmi could stand well on its own, the component was had more contrast and deeper colors with the same shadow details. I guess I could have readjusted a User setting to bring the hdmi closer to the componentt but I preferred to use the same User ssettting I use for my dvds.

I cannot comment on dvde player as I use Oppo and only with the dvi/hdmi output as the Oppo's component is 480i only.

Shelly

ordered a Z4 today after MUCH debate (reading the forums) over which pj (Panny 900) to purchase. Ultimately the bargain was too hard to pass up on the Z4 and I know that I prefer a sharp picture (as does the wife).
However this is my first projector and I am beginning to have nervous feelings already. I have a room 27X17 that I had the windows removed from in order to control the lighting and accomodate a dedicated theater. My fear is related to getting the projector and not being able to fully test/accept it in the 7 day/4 hour time constraint as the room is raw and has no sheetrock in it, nor any TV hookup available.
Any tips on what I should look for/test in the limited time I have? Should I be trying to use Avia or Rone's settings in that timeframe, or just watch a movie(clips) and see if the SDE or anything else jumps out at me as a deal killer? I know that this is considered a "tweakers" pj, would I have been betetr off with the Epson 550 right out of the box perhaps?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

I wouldn't worry too much. This is my first projector after many years of CRT HDTV's. Black levels are good enough to make me happy and screen door won't be an issue really from proper viewing distance which from your room size, is not an issue at all. I have a 106" screen and at 13' (with projector at almost 14'), I saw some SDE but at 14' I saw none. Viewing distance was listed as 11-17 feet. Since my main couch is at 13' for now (until I get a smaller couch for my riser) I nudged the focus back ever so slightly and now from my couch I'd say SDE has been improved by about 90% and sharpness isn't noticably different. Now if for some reason you have to sit closer than the recommended distance, yes, SDE will be obvious.

If you can put up a white sheet somewhere in a room where you can setup a DVD player, just put the Z4 on a table for now & project to that. You should be able to get a good idea of what you are dealing with to make sure there are no dead pixels or obvious panel issues while you wait for your room to be finished. Heck I projected it to a brown wall for 2 days & it still looked good to me! ha!

As far as not being happy with the Z4, trust me, you have nothing to worry about. Although it's a 'tweaker's' projector, it's still very good out of the box, especially for a 1st timer. Even with minimal tweaking, you'll be very pleased. Later on if you want to tweak, you can. It is very easy as people will be posting their numbers that can simply be plugged in and then you'll get the hang of it. Color managment is easy too so you can get things just as you like. Even without that, it'll look very good. If you are testing from a DVD stand-alone and not a PC, I would suggest you should use ROne's 'Living' settings and not the CC settings, as his 'Living' seems to be the most cross compatible from PC to stand-alone DVD to STB while the CC's don't look as good without PC.

Anyway, enjoy & don't worry, you made a good choice.

I had my Comcast hd dvr hooked up with both component and hdmi, and switched back and forth over and over, going through the hd channels and freezing one frame on each.

I preferred the extra punch of the component connection. Although the hdmi could stand well on its own, the component was had more contrast and deeper colors with the same shadow details. I guess I could have readjusted a User setting to bring the hdmi closer to the componentt but I preferred to use the same User ssettting I use for my dvds.

I cannot comment on dvde player as I use Oppo and only with the dvi/hdmi output as the Oppo's component is 480i only.

Shelly

Shop, I don't think you need to worry about the quality suffering from componant vs. DVI. Keep in mind, DVI connections aren't always setup properly from device to device so results can be different from person to person if they have different equipment. Using my Adelphia HD box, my Sony HDTV's DVI port has less color and looks kinda washed out compared to componant, so I have to adjust the settings if I use that port. My guess is they have used L2 instead of L1. It's hard to say why for sure, but componant looked better much like what Shelly saw with more punch & brighter colors. With my Adelphia SA HD box on the Z4 however, I saw something totally different than what Shelly saw. Both DVI and componant looked equally as colorful & bright and I can't see much difference if any at all switching back & forth. So really, with componant, it's going to look fine for your regardless.

As for DVD, it should be much the same. I have the Zenith DVB318 for now (might get the Oppo plus setup my HTPC eventually) and switching back & forth between componant (it was the only 1080i /720p player to do it via componant, much to the chagrin of the MPA!) and DVI yeilds little difference as well. Both look killer! I will say that having an upconverting DVD player looks better than a 480p unit, although some people disagree.

Shop, I don't think you need to worry about the quality suffering from componant vs. DVI. Keep in mind, DVI connections aren't always setup properly from device to device so results can be different from person to person if they have different equipment. Using my Adelphia HD box, my Sony HDTV's DVI port has less color and looks kinda washed out compared to componant, so I have to adjust the settings if I use that port. My guess is they have used L2 instead of L1. It's hard to say why for sure, but componant looked better much like what Shelly saw with more punch & brighter colors. With my Adelphia SA HD box on the Z4 however, I saw something totally different than what Shelly saw. Both DVI and componant looked equally as colorful & bright and I can't see much difference if any at all switching back & forth. So really, with componant, it's going to look fine for your regardless.

As for DVD, it should be much the same. I have the Zenith DVB318 for now (might get the Oppo plus setup my HTPC eventually) and switching back & forth between componant (it was the only 1080i /720p player to do it via componant, much to the chagrin of the MPA!) and DVI yeilds little difference as well. Both look killer! I will say that having an upconverting DVD player looks better than a 480p unit, although some people disagree.

Thanks a lot for both of your replies. I am so relieved!

Wanted to drop a quick note of thanks for all that posted about this PJ, positive and negative. Mine just arrived a few hours ago, even projecting onto a chocolate brown wall with moderate light control, this thing looks fantastic! Can't wait to receive my screen and tweak the picture a bit more but even with very poor viewing conditions I'm extremely pleased with the preliminary results. :)

Put several screenshots here - http://www.arcadecollector.com/pics/sanyoz4/

The actual images look much better than these photos depict. My camera is a Canon G5, and was sitting next to the Sanyo, both perched atop an armoire. The camera introduced some noise and moire patterns that I did not see at all, and definitely underexposed them due to the metering of "auto" mode.

The Z4 is on "Living" mode, straight stock out of the box, zoom is maybe 1/4 of the way up, roughly 15' from the wall. The DVD is of course Star Wars EP III, driven by a Panasonic S77 connected via HDMI, no tweaks or calibration done to the player either (it's also new). The Xbox screenshots are PGR3, connected via VGA cable, track is Vegas at night. It's projected against a dark brown wall, you can see the approximate wall color in the very last shot. (Sherman Williams Antiquarian Brown is the name of the color btw).

Wanted to drop a quick note of thanks for all that posted about this PJ, positive and negative. Mine just arrived a few hours ago, even projecting onto a chocolate brown wall with moderate light control, this thing looks fantastic! Can't wait to receive my screen and tweak the picture a bit more but even with very poor viewing conditions I'm extremely pleased with the preliminary results. :)

Put several screenshots here - http://www.arcadecollector.com/pics/sanyoz4/

The actual images look much better than these photos depict. My camera is a Canon G5, and was sitting next to the Sanyo, both perched atop an armoire. The camera introduced some noise and moire patterns that I did not see at all, and definitely underexposed them due to the metering of "auto" mode.

The Z4 is on "Living" mode, straight stock out of the box, zoom is maybe 1/4 of the way up, roughly 15' from the wall. The DVD is of course Star Wars EP III, driven by a Panasonic S77 connected via HDMI, no tweaks or calibration done to the player either (it's also new). The Xbox screenshots are PGR3, connected via VGA cable, track is Vegas at night. It's projected against a dark brown wall, you can see the approximate wall color in the very last shot. (Sherman Williams Antiquarian Brown is the name of the color btw).

That's funny 'cause when I first got mine 3 weeks ago, I had it displaying on my chocolate brown wall as well!! Sherwin Williams 'Grounded'. I couldn't believe how great it looked even on the brown wall, but once I got my da-lite HCCV screen, it was so much better! Awesome. Enjoy.

I'm on the fence about purchasing the Z4, upgrading from the panasonic 75U. I have been reading the treads and am alittle confused about what is involved in achieving an impressive image. I have just a few questions.

1. If I run component cables from a decent progressive scan DVD player to the projector, will that provide a quality picture?

2. Do I have the option of running component out of my comcast HD box and into the 15 pin computer input or will I need to purchase a new cable so it is component out to component in? If I can run a HD signal via the 15 pin input, would that create a quality image?

3. Lastly, a sales rep that I spoke to stated that the color on this projector leaned towards the orange side. Is that at all true or are colors vibrant and natural?

thanks so much

I am glad to hear that you think SDE will either not be an issue or that my room is big enough to overcome it. Have already bought a white sheet and am looking at buying an Oppo DVD or another upconverting DVD player to test this baby out with. I already own both Avia and DVE so no fears there, plus I downloaded ROne's settings too :-)))
Thanx for the tip about using the "Living" settings, i was wondering about the "PC" reference in his CC settings. With the Oppo I will have both my STB and the DVD player using HDMI at 720p.
I have a 'noob" question though, how exactly do I check for a dead pixel? And what would clue me in to a panel alignment problem? Thanks again for the help, I am taking delivery on Saturday (I hope) and will put this all to good use.

Wanted to drop a quick note of thanks for all that posted about this PJ, positive and negative. Mine just arrived a few hours ago, even projecting onto a chocolate brown wall with moderate light control, this thing looks fantastic! Can't wait to receive my screen and tweak the picture a bit more but even with very poor viewing conditions I'm extremely pleased with the preliminary results. :)

Put several screenshots here - http://www.arcadecollector.com/pics/sanyoz4/

The actual images look much better than these photos depict. My camera is a Canon G5, and was sitting next to the Sanyo, both perched atop an armoire. The camera introduced some noise and moire patterns that I did not see at all, and definitely underexposed them due to the metering of "auto" mode.

The Z4 is on "Living" mode, straight stock out of the box, zoom is maybe 1/4 of the way up, roughly 15' from the wall. The DVD is of course Star Wars EP III, driven by a Panasonic S77 connected via HDMI, no tweaks or calibration done to the player either (it's also new). The Xbox screenshots are PGR3, connected via VGA cable, track is Vegas at night. It's projected against a dark brown wall, you can see the approximate wall color in the very last shot. (Sherman Williams Antiquarian Brown is the name of the color btw).


Thanks for posting those pics. I know your projecting onto a wall but I wonder if that grainy look is because of the camera or because your posting on a wall. I hope the picture isn't that grainy naturally. I saw pics on projectorcentral.com of SW lll with an Optima H72 which looked unreal to me and the Z4 should be better. I think I'm getting mine in the next month or so.

Okies, I have decide to hook my (not yet arrived) Z4 up via HDMI cables from the STB (HD Tivo unit at 720P)and the DVD player (upconverting to 720P, have not purchased yet). I assume that this is the best connection possible no?
If yes, is there any limit to cable length I should be wary of? I am anticipating a 25 or 30 FT run from the rack to the Z4. ATM, I do not have an HDMI switching receiver/pre-amp so will run both lines separately. Also, any good places to shop for these as a huge gap in prices exist. Any insights or suggestions would be an immense help.
Thanks all.

Okies, I have decide to hook my (not yet arrived) Z4 up via HDMI cables from the STB (HD Tivo unit at 720P)and the DVD player (upconverting to 720P, have not purchased yet). I assume that this is the best connection possible no?
If yes, is there any limit to cable length I should be wary of? I am anticipating a 25 or 30 FT run from the rack to the Z4. ATM, I do not have an HDMI switching receiver/pre-amp so will run both lines separately. Also, any good places to shop for these as a huge gap in prices exist. Any insights or suggestions would be an immense help.
Thanks all.

Your cable lengths are well within acceptable length so no worry there. The Z4 has only 1 HDMI input, so running two will be useless. I gave some cable advice on page 44 of this thread so take a look back a few pages. Monoprice also has a nice 4 port HDMI/DVI switcher coming out on 1/25/06, so that might work well for you.

Thanx for the tip about using the "Living" settings, i was wondering about the "PC" reference in his CC settings. With the Oppo I will have both my STB and the DVD player using HDMI at 720p.
I have a 'noob" question though, how exactly do I check for a dead pixel? And what would clue me in to a panel alignment problem? Thanks again for the help, I am taking delivery on Saturday (I hope) and will put this all to good use.

Keep in mind that ROne's Living settings are also geared for PC but they just seem to work out better than the CC's do for stand-alone & STB. It still needs a bit of tweaking but it's all how it looks to your eyes. I took Shelly's advice and did the following which helped. Bump up the Gamma to +2 and Brightness to 0 and make sure you are on L1. Do color tweaking as needed...it'll be a bit too red.

Use your Avia DVD and use blue, green & red color fields and look for the dead pixels. I am not positive, but I think the tollerance for warranty is 8 although most people report having none. If you use a pattern from AVIA, you should also be able to tell if the panels are lined up properly. Not sure which would be best. I'm sure someone here can tell you.

Thanks for posting those pics. I know your projecting onto a wall but I wonder if that grainy look is because of the camera or because your posting on a wall. I hope the picture isn't that grainy naturally.
The grain is the camera - digital noise from low light level shot. The Z4 produces a very clean image.

Guys,

Just an update on my SYNC issues with an SA (or soon to be known as Cisco) 8300 HD DVR. I was experiencing some sync issues over the past 2-3 weeks on and off and it seemed that adjusting the sync seemed to help. Last night I was able to take some time and investigate this further. I tried changing cables and bypassing devices to try to isolate what was going on. Here are my results:

It appears that the "Y" (Chroma and Luminance) signal on the Z4 may be a bit sensitive to large sweeps in the signal. I was able to isolate a section of CBS NUMBERS right at the beginning when the screen is showing the summary of stats then it fades to complete white the abruptly to the actual storyline. Right at this point I was able to get the Z4 to consistently lose sync. I removed the component cables from my Denon 5800 receiver (doing the switching) and ran them straight to the 8300. After doing this my sync issues were gone! I have a fairly long run of pre-made Belkin component video cables around 35" going from my receiver to the projector. It appears that this combined with the 5800 switching may have reduced the sync to a level below spec for the Z4. Funny though, I did not have this issue with my previous Sony HS10.

Well this is just something to consider and it appears to have solved my issue.


I have this same issue. Whenever something goes to complete white really quick the image flickers. Its really annoying because it happens alot in movies with explosions and bright flashes of light. I running a 20' component cable from my samsung HTB DVD player straight to my Z4. I've played around with the sync setting and no matter where I set the value the flicker continues. Anyone got any suggestions?

I've thought about replacing the DVD player because the quality of the player is really lacking. I've thought about getting an oppo but with HD DVD coming out I don't know if I want to drop $200 on a new standard player when I could save that money for a HD player.

Thanks,
HMHG

Thanks for posting those pics. I know your projecting onto a wall but I wonder if that grainy look is because of the camera or because your posting on a wall. I hope the picture isn't that grainy naturally. I saw pics on projectorcentral.com of SW lll with an Optima H72 which looked unreal to me and the Z4 should be better. I think I'm getting mine in the next month or so.

John,

You've been on ther fence for a long time.:)

The picture is razor sharp with no visible grain from most any viewing distance. I've aken lots of sceen shots that I decdided to not post becse the camera seems to introduce things that I cannot see.

I wish that I could buy the Z4 now to take advantage of the free lamp. Don't miss out.

Shelly

The graininess in those photos is a byproduct of both digital camera noise and the wall texture. Those pictures do not convey the image super accurately, the actual image looks a lot better. Just for grins, I taped a few pieces of paper onto the wall and picture is much sharper. I also didn't see any issues with SDE even at 5' from the image but admittedly had a very short viewing session, with 720p native signal (Xbox360, Kameo).

1080i question

Is there any concern about this projector not handling hd dvd or blue ray if they are in 1080i? Is it likely that those kind of players will also offer 720P? I'm sorry, I'm not as familiar with all the technology as much as I would like to be. I am close to making a decision between this and the AE900 and there are several benefits for me with this projector, but I am trying to think through all the scenarios.

thank you

If its a 1080i source, the projector will simply down convert to 720p, thus there is no problem displaying it. Its the same thing as if you connected a upconverting dvd player which is outputting 1080i, the projector just changes it to its native res.

Here is a screen shot of a frame from Desperado; I have a z4 projecting onto an optoma graywolf 106" screen; The image is Rone's living setting with some extra tweaks using my Oppo.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. Seems like a great deal on the Z4 can currently be had. I might have to jump off the fence. I was hoping to ask you guys about its performance with a PC. Does the resolution look as good as your computer screen? Im in the medical field and wanted something that can project xrays etc from my computer - and at the same time rock my home theater. I cannot view one first hand ( im in new orleans by the way). I know it will be great for theater but can anyone comment on its use as a HTPC. thanks in advance.

Hello, I am in the middle of getting my HT constructed, wondering if anyone can look at the 4 diagrams I put together and get some thoughts/advice on what will work best. I now that the Z4 has a flexible lens shift, but I'm not sure what will work best, can you tilt it (fig 4), can you have it higher than the sofit and have the lesn shift enough to clear the other soft? (fig 3). Otherwsie I believe Fig 1 and 2 are the only way to go, but would prefer fig 3 or even 4. Thanks in advance....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/Fig1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/Fig2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/Fig3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/Fig4.jpg

Thanks to everyone for sharing your experiences. Seems like a great deal on the Z4 can currently be had. I might have to jump off the fence. I was hoping to ask you guys about its performance with a PC. Does the resolution look as good as your computer screen? Im in the medical field and wanted something that can project xrays etc from my computer - and at the same time rock my home theater. I cannot view one first hand ( im in new orleans by the way). I know it will be great for theater but can anyone comment on its use as a HTPC. thanks in advance.

It's pretty hard to compare to your computer screen, but it will look every bit as sharp from proper viewing distance, plus all in giant size. Now, can you stick your head right up to the screen and have it look as detailed as your PC monitor? No. With a projector like this, the pixels are so much bigger than your PC monitor that you really have to remain at the proper viewing distance to see the details properly. That said, your Xrays will look fine viewing normally. Now as for movie watching, a very large percentage of home theater owers use a HTPC with stand-alone players only as a backup. The answer to your question is that the Z4 is great with a HTPC as would be the other projectors that can be compared to Z4. HTPC is going to beat pretty much any stand-alone DVD player's PQ by at least a 10% margin on the Z4 (or any projector in it's class or higher). Even with the best stand-alone players, they aren't better than a properly setup HTPC.

You will love it. X-Ray's and all! :)

CGoldens, I would go with Figure 2. Given that the Front soffit intrudes almost 8' into the room you will get much more freedom, and ease of use by going with 2 rather than 3. Figure 4 looks like a no-no.

16' is a fine distance to project from. My Z4 is about 19' from the screen.

CGoldens, I would go with Figure 2. Given that the Front soffit intrudes almost 8' into the room you will get much more freedom, and ease of use by going with 2 rather than 3. Figure 4 looks like a no-no.

16' is a fine distance to project from. My Z4 is about 19' from the screen.

Remember that throw distance is dependant on screen size. A 56" tall screen equates to 114" diag. With a 114" screen, the throw range would be 11.5 to 23'. The middle of the range is 15.3'. It's best to be in the middle of the range optimally, so 16' should be just fine as well.

I think that #1 or #2 would work just fine. 3 and 4 I would not do unless it's unavoidable. Both 1 and 2 give you a straight shot to the screen with minimal vertical adjustment. The less adjustment the better. Now what you need to figure out is where the best vertical spot for the screen is and I'm not sure where you have it is best. You really want your sitting eye position to be in the middle of the screen optimally so you don't need to constantly be looking up, so it's possible your screen position is too high. You'll have to be the judge on that one. It's all personal taste at that point. If it is too high, figure 2 will be best as it will lower the projector down should you move the screen down. That's what I would do.

Have fun!

Thanks depaor and Dweezilz, I kinda thought that what I was need ing to do...I over shot my screen size, it's likely closer to 54", which I think is a 106" diag screen.

Once iget the projector, then I'll mess with the screen height. Because of the soffit, I don't have a ton of height to work with, so I worry the projector will hang too low.

One other thing, does the Z4 allow for the lens shift to point slightly downward like in figure 3? or does the projector need to be at the top of the screen at a minimum?

Thanks depaor and Dweezilz, I kinda thought that what I was need ing to do...I over shot my screen size, it's likely closer to 54", which I think is a 106" diag screen.

Once iget the projector, then I'll mess with the screen height. Because of the soffit, I don't have a ton of height to work with, so I worry the projector will hang too low.

One other thing, does the Z4 allow for the lens shift to point slightly downward like in figure 3? or does the projector need to be at the top of the screen at a minimum?

Z4 has one of the most flexible lense shifts of any projector. You can move it considerably up, down, right, left to fit nearly any situation. Even though technically, the Z4 certainly can do figure 3, I would avoid it if you can. The worst case scenario is that your sofit clips the picture which would be unfortunate. Plus, it's still better for your PQ to avoid any extreme lense shift if you can help it. It's best if you don't have to shift at all but minor shifting is perfectly ok and most people have to use some. Just avoid the extremes if possible. I'd rather do figure 1 than 3 and have it back farther on the sofit. Still, figure 2 seems like a good fit as long as you feel it's not hanging down too low (which would make 1 and 2 an issue). It's hard to tell because your figures don't show how high the ceilings are but from the looks of it, I don't think it would hang low enough to clip the top of your head when seated. It would have to be pretty darn low for that to happen. That's the only concern with it being too low since you'll want to sit at about 14-15 feet or so for best viewing position. My screen is 106" as well and I have my Z4 snug on the 7' ceiling pretty much right above my couch at 14' and the image isn't even close to my head. If it had to, (which it doesn't for me), it could be lower & still have plenty of clearance to the screen. I even have my screen fairly low with the bottom being about 16 inches from the ground & 16 or so from the top. From my couch I'm looking straight at the top of the lower 3rd of the screen so my back row can see the bottom unobstructed as well. Just stick to either diagram 1 or 2 if possible, put the screen so the middle is at sitting eye level & you should be good to go. Mount the Z4 first, then figure out where the screen should go by putting the image on the wall to test.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

thans again Dweezilz

John,

You've been on ther fence for a long time.:)

The picture is razor sharp with no visible grain from most any viewing distance. I've aken lots of sceen shots that I decdided to not post becse the camera seems to introduce things that I cannot see.

I wish that I could buy the Z4 now to take advantage of the free lamp. Don't miss out.

Shelly

Shelly, I've decided on the Z4. I just have to wait for my E-file. I can't wait. Thanks for all the help along the way. I'm almost there!

cgoldens, I have my Z4 projecting onto an 87" wide/100" diagonal screen from about 17' back. It is flush mounted to the ceiling such that the lens is about 16" up from the top edge of the screen, and about 2" or so off center which requires some horizontal offset. The lens shift works exceptionally well. I've noticed (on test signals only) that there is the slightest tilt on the image on the horiztonal plane. Sides are dead level with the screen, but the top and bottom are about 1/8" different from each other at the edges. On normal program material it is inconsequential. I have no issues with brightness in a controlled room, or even when the lights are on. My goal was to have the projector up and out of the way as much as possible, and to this end was a big factor in my choosing the Z4. All projectors should allow this level of flexibility IMHO.

Hey guys,

R0ne and I have spent a few weeks putting his tweaks into a more accessible format for all you Z4 owners. I'd like to make this page a great resource for Z4-er's so if there is something i should add, please contact me.

http://www.celioentertainment.com/z4.php

Hi,

I'm considering the Sanyo Z4 as well as several other LCD FPs, such as the Panasonic A900 and the Epson 550. Although the Z4 is highly rated for signals in progressive format, apparently its internal scaler is not considered very good for interlaced standard TV signals. Since I plan to use the FP to watch some standard TV programming in addition to DVD's and HD (from a Dish receiver), that is of some concern.

Can anyone provide comments or suggestions on this issue (other than telling me to watch STV on another set)? It's my understanding that some of the FP sets, such as the Epson, have a "through aspect" mode in which a standard TV picture is not deinterlaced or scaled ??? and is projected as a smaller but still relatively clear picture. - Would this be possible with the Sanyo projector? Also, I understand that I could buy a seperate scaler, and/or deinterlacer, to be connected between a TV tuner and the Sanyo unit which would feed STV to the Sanyo as a progressive signal. - Is this so, and would it be a good solution for STV, and at what price? I also understand that I could buy a seperate tuner that could perform scaling and deinterlacing and feed signals (both STV and HD?) to the FP in progressive format.

Obviously, I'm not real clear on what I could or should do, and I would appreciate suggestions, corrections, and advice. I'm trying to keep the cost of this system relatively low so that I won't feel buyers' regret when upgrading to a 1080p system in a few years. In this regard, It's my understanding that the Sanyo unit should perform well with future Blu Ray HD DVD players, though with 720p rather than 1080 resolution. - Is this correct?

Thanks,
Jim Cate

Jim,
Have you checked to see what resolution output is sent from your HD satellite receiver when tuned to a SD channel? Its possible that your sat receiver will make this a moot point. As for DVD playback, nearly all DVD players today output 480p with many of the newer ones upconverting to 720p or 1080i. While getting an external scaler is always an option and will provide you with more flexibility and potential picture quality advantages, you may not need anything extra.

It is flush mounted to the ceiling such that the lens is about 16" up from the top edge of the screen, and about 2" or so off center which requires some horizontal offset.

Thanks Jay, you don't have any pics of your setup? Is it similar to my figure 3?

-Chris

Hi,

I'm considering the Sanyo Z4 as well as several other LCD FPs, such as the Panasonic A900 and the Epson 550. Although the Z4 is highly rated for signals in progressive format, apparently its internal scaler is not considered very good for interlaced standard TV signals. Since I plan to use the FP to watch some standard TV programming in addition to DVD's and HD (from a Dish receiver), that is of some concern.

........In this regard, It's my understanding that the Sanyo unit should perform well with future Blu Ray HD DVD players, though with 720p rather than 1080 resolution. - Is this correct?

Thanks,
Jim Cate

I have the Dish 811 HD receiver. It will pass the SD channels as 1080i or 720p, thus the internal Z4 scaler for 480i never comes into play. Just don't switch to the sVideo output & the SD channels will be sent via componant or DVI as 720p (make sure to set the 811 to 720p).

A few posts back, someone was having this issue with their comcast box and the Z4 looking bad with 480i material and after he changed the comcast box so it output 720p to the Z4 instead of 480i, his SD picture was instantly much better(as good as the A900 as he had both projectors at the time).

The Z4 should do fine with a 1080i signal from HD-DVD. Goin from 1080i to 720p is no issue at all for the Z4.

I will be mounting my Z4 soon. I have to decide on either a ceiling mount ( p.j. upside down) or a shelf mount attached to the back wall (p.j. right side up). The Z4 will be mounted at near the top of the screen height, 18 1/2 feet back from screen (110" diagonal screen).

Question: does it matter whether i do the upside down or right side up mounting? Do I have more adjustments one way or the other?

Thanks.

Thanks Jay, you don't have any pics of your setup? Is it similar to my figure 3?

-Chris

My setup is very close to what Jay has as well. Lense is about 6 inches from the ceiling and the actual used part of my screen (ie not the black boarder) is about 16 1/2 inches from the ceiling, which means that I have to shift down about 10.5 inches which is not an issue at all. The way you have figure 3 would make the shift barely a few inches, so it will not be a problem. The problem comes in for two reasons. The most important, is if your soffit will clip the image. Once you get your projector up & you find that it does, it's gonna be a pain to have to move it. The next issue is that you probably have your screen too high (again, hard to tell but it sure looks high considering how much space is below it). How high is the soffit from the ground? How high is the ceiling at it's highest point between the soffit? Without know these figures, it's hard to give an exact recommendation, but I still would not consider figure 3 or 4. The difference is hight seems only about 5-6 inches, but getting the projector hanging below the soffit will make a big difference, especially if you do lower the screen. I suppose if you did #3, lowering the screen will also help avoid the soffit because it's the top of the image that will get clipped if the screen is high enough.

The top of my head while sitting on the couch about 1 foot in front of my projector is about 38" below the lense. I'm not anywhere near clipping the image and have at least another 2 feet before the image even starts. My screen is only about 16" off the ground. The most important question you can ask yourself is if at your viewing distance, which will be at least 14' for best position, will your head clip the bottom of the image? Let us know the ceiling hights & it can be estimated fairly closely to what will be the case.

I will be mounting my Z4 soon. I have to decide on either a ceiling mount ( p.j. upside down) or a shelf mount attached to the back wall (p.j. right side up). The Z4 will be mounted at near the top of the screen height, 18 1/2 feet back from screen (110" diagonal screen).

Question: does it matter whether i do the upside down or right side up mounting? Do I have more adjustments one way or the other?

Thanks.


There is no difference as far as adjustments you can do. The only difference is that the fan will be quieter with it right side up, however, the fan noise isn't an issue really for most people. Most have it mounted upside down. Even in quiet points in movies, I don't notice the fan at all. I would put the projector in the middle of it's throw distance for your screen which is about 14.8'. 18.5 will be fine too, but isn't the optimal spot.

I have the Dish 811 HD receiver. It will pass the SD channels as 1080i or 720p, thus the internal Z4 scaler for 480i never comes into play. Just don't switch to the sVideo output & the SD channels will be sent via componant or DVI as 720p (make sure to set the 811 to 720p).

A few posts back, someone was having this issue with their comcast box and the Z4 looking bad with 480i material and after he changed the comcast box so it output 720p to the Z4 instead of 480i, his SD picture was instantly much better(as good as the A900 as he had both projectors at the time).

The Z4 should do fine with a 1080i signal from HD-DVD. Goin from 1080i to 720p is no issue at all for the Z4.


I guess that should work for the local stations that are broadcast digitally or in HD, which I receive through the OTA module Dish sells. There are some that aren't in that list, but that should give us several of them. (I don't pay Dish the extra fee for local broadcasts.)

Thanks,
Jim

I guess that should work for the local stations that are broadcast digitally or in HD, which I receive through the OTA module Dish sells. There are some that aren't in that list, but that should give us several of them. (I don't pay Dish the extra fee for local broadcasts.)

Thanks,
Jim

Not sure what you mean. Do you have the older Dish 6000 and the OTA module? I use to have that one too but have the 811 now which has built in OTA. I'm pretty sure both will upconvert even analog OTA locals you might get through your OTA antenna. I can't think of a situation where the Dish receiver will have to output 480i to the Z4 if you don't want it to, but I can't say I'm 100% sure in regards to the 6000. I don't think either will send 480i through the componant or DVI even if you wanted it to. When you hit the SD/HD button, output switches to the Svideo & composit.

You can go to the Dish website & download the manual for or just call Dish to confirm.

There is no difference as far as adjustments you can do. The only difference is that the fan will be quieter with it right side up, however, the fan noise isn't an issue really for most people. Most have it mounted upside down. Even in quiet points in movies, I don't notice the fan at all. I would put the projector in the middle of it's throw distance for your screen which is about 14.8'. 18.5 will be fine too, but isn't the optimal spot.


What advantage to mounting it in the middle of the throw distance provide?

thanks

Thanks Jay, you don't have any pics of your setup? Is it similar to my figure 3?

-Chris
On page 44 of this thread, post No. 1300 I attached some pics. It only shows the Z4 against the ceiling but nothing beyond that. I also have a bulkhead that is about 13" down from the 8' ceiling and extends about 40" out from the wall. The screen is 87" wide/100" diagonal/ 49" high and is mounted such that my eyes are 1/3 up from the bottom. This places the top of the screen at about 7" below the bulkhead or 20" below the ceiling. The Z4 is mounted with a Chief RPA and custom bracket which puts the lens about 3-4" from the ceiling, so I'm using about 16/17" shift above the screen. Throw is about 17'. There is no interference from the bulkhead (which was an initial concern of mine as well).

As Dweezil correctly points out your screen looks pretty high up. Can't tell how far, but you should shoot for eyes at 1/3 up from the bottom. Another standard is achieving a vertical field of vision of around 14 degrees (+/-, can't remember the precise number and not at home to check). That angle is measured against the horizontal plane of your eye level to the top of the screen. I larger vertical viewing angle thus raises the screen, and a smaller angle lowers the screen. You don't want it to be too high as you have to crane your neck upwards and are also falling out of the brightness cone. Too low and you're risking being in front of the light path and obscuring the view of back seats (which can of course be on a riser but they have to get higher as the screen gets lower).

If you have a helper you can experiment without commiting to a location. Just physically hold the projector in the desired location(s) and adjust the shift and zoom for a rough setup. I did that with mine (actually on my own by pushing it against the ceiling with one hand then adjusting with the other) just to make sure I had the shift range and that the bulkhead was not interfering.

What advantage to mounting it in the middle of the throw distance provide?

thanks

Well, I hate to even get into this because there was some VERY heated debates about this very question earlier in the thread, with some people saying it doesn't matter. That is their opinion of course & it's hard to tell them they are wrong for what they see. For those that are in that group of people, let's just leave it alone for now.

Basically, the lense on the Z4 is no different than a zoom lense on a camera. The lense can only have one area where it is at it's very sharpest & that is in the middle of it's range, not the extremes (0% zoom or 100% zoom). Zoom at the extreme's will give some amount of distortion (perceived or not, it's there). At the farthest end of the range, brightness will also diminish and too close can be the opposite. The image also has to go through more 'air' filled with dust and other things, which also will diminish the PQ. There was someone a while back that said they saw no difference between 13 feet and 20 foot mounts and then there was a bunch of people who said it was a big difference. Obviously any time you are talking about something visual, it will be subjective to some extent so keep that in mind. Someone even came up with a formula that proves there is no difference, even though decades of photography experts say there is. Oh well, that's why I don't want to discuss this topic as it's a worthless debate.

Anyway, these are some of the reasons to put it as close to the middle as you can optimally. This is where a projector can project the size of screen chosen at it's most optimal performance.

also, when you are ceiling mount the Z4, it is better to leave at least a foot space between the botton side of the Z4 and the ceiling, because you will need it for using the dust blower later on. Jim

also, when you are ceiling mount the Z4, it is better to leave at least a foot space between the botton side of the Z4 and the ceiling, because you will need it for using the dust blower later on. Jim

Everyone's setup is different so if you can spare a foot drop & your mounting plate doesn't block the cleaning port, then that is a very nice advantage.

With my Chief mount, taking it down for cleaning is not a problem really as it's just 4 twist knobs to get it down. In my setup (and Jay's I believe) I do not have more than an inch or two of space (just the size of the bracket itself) from the ceiling as I am using a 'flush' mount. A foot just wouldn't work as well with my setup (ceiling is only 7'). Also to note is that with many of the popular brackets even with the custom mounting plate, the cleaning port is blocked, thus the Z4 needs to be removed anyway even if I could get to the bottom.

Using litte lens shift left or right or up or down will minimize chromatic aberation.

http://hometown.aol.de/ASchild/CA.jpg

if anybody cares I just ordered the Z4 from a forum sponsor to replace the dead Z3 that I got last week. Should be here on Wednesday, and I think with the free lamp rebate its probably close to the best deal out there. Who needs a blockbuster rebate anyway...I hate that place. The lamp is something I will definitely need...kudos to Sanyo for that marketing ploy...it worked.

Everyone's setup is different so if you can spare a foot drop & your mounting plate doesn't block the cleaning port, then that is a very nice advantage.

With my Chief mount, taking it down for cleaning is not a problem really as it's just 4 twist knobs to get it down. In my setup (and Jay's I believe) I do not have more than an inch or two of space (just the size of the bracket itself) from the ceiling as I am using a 'flush' mount. A foot just wouldn't work as well with my setup (ceiling is only 7'). Also to note is that with many of the popular brackets even with the custom mounting plate, the cleaning port is blocked, thus the Z4 needs to be removed anyway even if I could get to the bottom.
Agreed. That kind of servicing is probably best accomplished with the projector off anyway. It's a trivial matter to remove it from the mount.

Another benefit of mounting a projector in the middle of its range not only brightness but its relationship to image uniformity. The farther the lens is from the screen the less steep of an angle there is from the lens center to the edge of the screen. So while the brightness overall is lower it's also more uniform from side to side as the there is relatively little difference in distance from the lens to the edges vs. the center. And at the minimum throw the brightness is at its maximum but the projection angles are severe so uniformity suffers. Middle of the range offers the best compromise of brightness/uniformity. Even better when the lens is lined up with the center of the screen.

Now, reality steps in and crushes this concept in many applications. For my Z4 to be in the middle of its range would be to have it at about 15', right over the walking space of my riser. Much to close for comfort for passers by. And a complete no-go if it's anything other then flush to the ceiling. Likewise, while above the screen is less then optimal it's practically and aesthetically (in my mind) a better location then hanging in the middle of the room on a pole. So ultimately performance parameters need to be weighed against other personal preferences.

This whole discussion helps frame why an ideal scenario is to have a rear projection system; mounting a projector behind a screen in an adjacent room, one that is deep enough to avoid the use of mirrors in the optical path. With this configuration all practical concerns are eliminated and the projector can be placed in the center of the screen at the midpoint of its throw. You also eliminate all traces of projector noise, and contrast ratio improves as you eliminate the ambient light from the projector itself in the viewing area. But few can accommodate the space for a large dedicated theater, let alone an extra room for just the projector. Widescreen Review's reference theater has a rear projection system and it's amazing.

Re: the chromatic aberation example shown below. It's there but slight, and only on test signals and menus if viewed close. Not a hint of it in normal program material.

well, I would think it is better to have Z4 off while blowing the dust off the panels,
but the user manual specifically instructed to leave it on when doing this and on screen menu has an option for cleaning as well. I wonder what the advantage of leaving it on during the cleaning. Anybody knows?

well, I would think it is better to have Z4 off while blowing the dust off the panels,
but the user manual specifically instructed to leave it on when doing this and on screen menu has an option for cleaning as well. I wonder what the advantage of leaving it on during the cleaning. Anybody knows?

So the fans could blow the dust out of the projector would be my guess.

I believe it also wants you to leave it on, so that you can see if you've gotten rid of the obstruction (eg: dust on a panel) while your doing it so that you dont have to keep opening and closing it multiple times while cleaning if you dont get it to the first time. Also to keep the fans moving as nathanC pointed out.

And now for a random point regarding the Z4. Does anybody else find it odd that the Z4 projector is listed under Sanyo's business section of their website? I think that is strange.

Anyone know what the D4 control on/off is? I have the japanse projector and it is not on the english manual. Its under settings and something to do with Component 2 I think?

I'm not sure that I understand the vertical offset figures on the Z4. as I recall, it can be offset up to either 100% or 150% (?), right? What does that mean? If I mount the pj at the height of the top of the screen, what percent offset is that? For a screen of 54x96, what would 50%, 75%, 100%, 150% offset be in terms of feet or inches?

If it matters, the lens is about 17-18 feet from the screen, and the pj will be mounted either from the ceiling or from the rear wall. Screen will be 110" diagonal (54x96).

thanks.

Sanyo's website at
http://www.sanyo.com/business/projectors/PLVZ4offer.cfm?showFileID=318

implies that the Z4 free spare lamp is only available if you buy from one of 7 "participating" dealers that are listed there. Yet dealers not on the Sanyo list are also advertising the free lamp deal. So I'm confused -- is the free lamp available with purchases from any dealer, or only certain ones?

The Sanyo page also refers to a "certificate" that has to be sent in to obtain the extra lamp. Is this just the rebate form that is available online, something that comes with the PJ, or something that the dealer has to give you?

I'm not sure that I understand the vertical offset figures on the Z4. as I recall, it can be offset up to either 100% or 150% (?), right? What does that mean? If I mount the pj at the height of the top of the screen, what percent offset is that? For a screen of 54x96, what would 50%, 75%, 100%, 150% offset be in terms of feet or inches?

If it matters, the lens is about 17-18 feet from the screen, and the pj will be mounted either from the ceiling or from the rear wall. Screen will be 110" diagonal (54x96).

thanks.

The manual says vertical offset is -100 to +100 so you can adjust in that range via the menu. That is a digital offset I'm fairly certain so I doubt that's what you'll want to use. You can do lense shift which is a manual adjustment of the lense position. This is what you need to use. I'm not sure what situation you'd want to use the menu based vertical offset to be honest. For mounting purposes, you'll use the manual lense shift which are the dial rings on the side of the projector. The best picture is obviously with no lense shift, but this is often next to impossible vertically at least since the middle of the screen should be at eye level if possible. If you have the projector about at the top of the screen you'll be fine. Mine is about 7 inches or so above the top of my screen and it is also no problem at all. If you had to use the max shift, it would be a problem however but you'll be fine with what you are doing.

Sanyo's website at
http://www.sanyo.com/business/projectors/PLVZ4offer.cfm?showFileID=318

implies that the Z4 free spare lamp is only available if you buy from one of 7 "participating" dealers that are listed there. Yet dealers not on the Sanyo list are also advertising the free lamp deal. So I'm confused -- is the free lamp available with purchases from any dealer, or only certain ones?

The Sanyo page also refers to a "certificate" that has to be sent in to obtain the extra lamp. Is this just the rebate form that is available online, something that comes with the PJ, or something that the dealer has to give you?

Only certain dealers have this so make sure when you order that the deal is offered. When you make the purchase, they will give you something to mail in.

My Z4 has arrived. Picture looks great! I've done only a bit of tweaking so far. But I'm seeing a golf ball size blue dot when the projector displays black (like when using the no show button). Is this a stuck pixel? Can it be corrected? any opinions please.

I bought from a dealer in MA, not on the list, who called Sanyo. They are supposed to send him a certificate after the purchase is posted for me to send back. It's only been a little over a week, and I'm going to check back with him Monday. I'll post a follow up.

My Z4 has arrived. Picture looks great! I've done only a bit of tweaking so far. But I'm seeing a golf ball size blue dot when the projector displays black (like when using the no show button). Is this a stuck pixel? Can it be corrected? any opinions please.

Pixels are very small. It sounds like a dust blob if it is that size. Unless, of course, it is a small glob of pixels. You would be able to see each individual blue stuck pixel by going right up to the screen.

I would call Sanyo for instructions unless you want to try to blow it out following the directions in the maual. But Sanyo should not be sending out any pjs with a dust blob problem.

Please check to see if you can see indiviual blue pixels from up close.

Shelly

I'll check it again tonight when I get home from work. I did get close to the screen earlier and I don't recall seeing the apperance of an individual stuck pixel. My box also didn't include a registration card and it sort of seemed like the box might have been opened before. Has everybody gotten a card? If we can settle this "dust blob" issue I think its a terrific product.

I'll check it again tonight when I get home from work. I did get close to the screen earlier and I don't recall seeing the apperance of an individual stuck pixel. My box also didn't include a registration card and it sort of seemed like the box might have been opened before. Has everybody gotten a card? If we can settle this "dust blob" issue I think its a terrific product.

I would suggest that you return this Z4 for a new one. The store you purchased it from should have at least a week exchange policy for defective products. Also tell them that it appears the registration card was missing so you fear you got a returned item. Keep in mind, many of the stores open the box and put their stickers on the manual or Z4 so it may not have really been opened other than that. At any rate, there is no reason you should go to Sanyo for a warranty RMA at this point if you just purchased it.

I think I would be inclined to use the cleaning procedure outlined in the manual. This sounds like classic dust blob to me and I am dying to see if the procedure with the hand held blower Sanyo outlines actually works in real life situations. So far mine is blob free and hope it stays that way although part of me can't wait to try it. Any one had occasion to use this yet?

I did try the cleaning procedure with the blower. Though the manual talks about a nozzle attachment...I don't have one of those. I followed the procedure outlined and nothing blew free. Disappointing, but not surprising. I'll be calling the dealer Friday AM and see what they want to do. I hate to have to pack up another projector...especially one week from SuperBowl. Many people are looking forward to that including me.

I did try the cleaning procedure with the blower. Though the manual talks about a nozzle attachment...I don't have one of those. I followed the procedure outlined and nothing blew free. Disappointing, but not surprising. I'll be calling the dealer Friday AM and see what they want to do. I hate to have to pack up another projector...especially one week from SuperBowl. Many people are looking forward to that including me.

Yeah...that does suck right before the game. I still would think that the dealer would be able to cross ship you a new Z4 under the circumstances if you complain enough. That's what I would do. You shouldn't have to mess with cleaning etc... with a brand new unit right out of the box. At least you gave it a shot, so just hope your dealer will send the new one quickly and cross ship

I did try the cleaning procedure with the blower. Though the manual talks about a nozzle attachment...I don't have one of those. I followed the procedure outlined and nothing blew free. Disappointing, but not surprising. I'll be calling the dealer Friday AM and see what they want to do. I hate to have to pack up another projector...especially one week from SuperBowl. Many people are looking forward to that including me.

The nozzle is an aqua blue extension that came already inserted in my blower, which was in a taped plastic bag. I can't remember if there was a warrranty card or not, but it sunds like you may have received a not-new-in-the-box unit.

The blower without the nozzle is just for blowing dust off the lens.

Hopefully, at least Sanyo would send you the extension nozzle or just clean the pj for you.

Good luck.

Shelly

the middle of the screen should be at eye level if possible.
I've always read eyes at 1/3rd up, which delivers close to 13/14 degree vertical field of vision.

okay, yes, I do have the nozzle then. It was late and I couldn't figure out what the "stopper" was. Waiting for a call back from the dealer regarding the blue spot. On a separate note...until I decide on a screen I was projecting onto a light cream colored sheet (high thread count) tacked to the wall. I'm assuming the dim/black portions of a picture will improve with a real screen. Right now it seems to lack the punch and contrast in those areas, like its a bit washed out. Probably my ridiculous temp screen.

anyway...hopefully this blue dot issue is resolved soon. I ordered my first projector Jan 11 (the DOA Z3).

I've always read eyes at 1/3rd up, which delivers close to 13/14 degree vertical field of vision.

Yeah..I was just typing that as a quick reference in general since the screen in question sounded like it was probably way higher than that even. I wasn't intending to give the exact particulars of it. :) But wait....if your eyes are at the top of the lower 1/3 (which is exactly where my screen is), that is really also the bottom of the middle 3rd, thus the approx. the middle of the screen or so. ha! :D

It's all subjective with no real science to it. It's really what looks and feels good for the person.

okay, yes, I do have the nozzle then. It was late and I couldn't figure out what the "stopper" was. Waiting for a call back from the dealer regarding the blue spot. On a separate note...until I decide on a screen I was projecting onto a light cream colored sheet (high thread count) tacked to the wall. I'm assuming the dim/black portions of a picture will improve with a real screen. Right now it seems to lack the punch and contrast in those areas, like its a bit washed out. Probably my ridiculous temp screen.

anyway...hopefully this blue dot issue is resolved soon. I ordered my first projector Jan 11 (the DOA Z3).


There will be no comparison. If a nice bed sheet would be even close to a real screen, people would do that instead of spending tons of dough on a Da-Lite or Stewart, etc... And just think, when you get the screen, you'll have some really comfortable bed sheets to sleep on. :)

There will be no comparison. If a nice bed sheet would be even close to a real screen, people would do that instead of spending tons of dough on a Da-Lite or Stewart, etc... And just think, when you get the screen, you'll have some really comfortable bed sheets to sleep on.

haha...thanks for that. I was pretty sure that was the case. Seriously...for projecting on a sheet (no wrinkles though) in a room with light walls the picture is incredible. I'm definitely getting some light spill off of the walls as well so taking all that into consideration its pretty damn sweet. Just gotta get rid of the blue spot. By the way...thanks for your replies. They've been helpful.

Yeah..I was just typing that as a quick reference in general since the screen in question sounded like it was probably way higher than that even. I wasn't intending to give the exact particulars of it. :) But wait....if your eyes are at the top of the lower 1/3 (which is exactly where my screen is), that is really also the bottom of the middle 3rd, thus the approx. the middle of the screen or so. ha! :D

It's all subjective with no real science to it. It's really what looks and feels good for the person.

My fixed wall mounted screen bottom is 50" above the floor, and is at a perfect "higher" height that accomodates our recliners. If the screen were any lower, we would all be looking down from our laid back positions.

Shelly

My fixed wall mounted screen bottom is 50" above the floor, and is at a perfect "higher" height that accomodates our recliners. If the screen were any lower, we would all be looking down from our laid back positions.

Shelly
50"? Wow. What kind of recliners do you have and how big is your screen? I'm using an 87" wide/100" diagonal screen mounted with the bottom at around 25" off the floor. This puts my seated (and reclined) eyes 1/3 up from the bottom of the screen.


There will be no comparison. If a nice bed sheet would be even close to a real screen, people would do that instead of spending tons of dough on a Da-Lite or Stewart, etc... And just think, when you get the screen, you'll have some really comfortable bed sheets to sleep on.
Agreed. You put good tires on a good car. Put a good screen in front of a good projector.

My fixed wall mounted screen bottom is 50" above the floor, and is at a perfect "higher" height that accomodates our recliners. If the screen were any lower, we would all be looking down from our laid back positions.

Shelly

In a pro theater, they try to make it so you are looking straight at the screen with your head level in an upright position (more or less) without enough clearance for the person behind you. I don't prefer having to look up and we don't have recliners, so mine is about 16 inches off the ground. I guess if you are reclined and if with your head laying straight on the head-rest of the chair your eyes are looking straight at the lower middle of the screen, you still are probably close to what's recommended. Either way, the screen can be anywhere really if it feels/looks right for the particular viewer. It's really a subjective thing.

The only down side to your screen position is what if you do not want to recline? For me, falling a sleep might be a factor if I was practically laying down! :D

My Z4 arrived yesterday!! And whats even better is that i just sold my CRT so my room is nice and clean and ready for mounting.....now im stuck. I have a 80x45 screen. I can ceiling mount at the CRT present position (~11.5' throw) or i can shelf mount it at ~13.5. If i ceiling mount, i can probably get the lens pretty much level with the top of the screen. If i shelf mount, the lens will be around the top 1/4 of the screen, if this is a problem, i guess i could mount it on the underside of the shelf at the back of the room.

-paul

Paul,

Really makes no difference as far a picture goes. Lens shift will easily get you there. But the ceiling mount might be a little louder since the fan has been reported to be louder.

dick, thanks for the quick response. i edited my post with some corrections. what do you think about the ventilation? i just checked the manual and it says you need 18" rear ventilation. that pretty much elimantes the ability to shelf mount the PJ if you are against a wall...

-paul

Found the Z4 service manual...finally ! Buttons were wrong, it's "input" and "menu", not OK, then I get then "S" as well. Thanks again for the help.

I'm in the same situation and can't seem to find a working link to the service manual anywhere. Can anyone help me out?

Paul,

Really makes no difference as far a picture goes. Lens shift will easily get you there. But the ceiling mount might be a little louder since the fan has been reported to be louder.

Is there any way that you can get shelf up near the ceiling? I have a shelf attached to my ceiling beams and this allows me to use this modified ceiling mount keeping the Z4 upright. My lens is even with the top of the screen.

The fan noise increases only when the Z4 is upside down (the traditional ceiling mount position.)

In either case, the lens shift, as was noted, will get you in the ball game without any degradation to the picture.

Shelly

thanks shelly, i dont think i can do the ceiling mount shelf...that would be cool but i have a very flat ceiling (no rafters). i guess if i got one of those ceiling mount tv stands it might work...i spent about $35 at home depot today and still dont think i quite have what i need to make a mount.
i am surprised that using the vertical lens shift that much does not cause a PQ problem...digital sure is nice! i think i will end up with about 11.5' throw...so im going to be on the short end of the throw spectrum but well within range.

-paul

I finally placed my ordered for Z4. I need to buy a a/v receiver and speakers. Please advise on the a receiver + speakers for around $1000-1500.
I had been reading about the following. Too tough to decide.

Denon AVR-1906
Denon DSP-A1
Pioneer VSX-72TXV
Panasonic XR55

In one of the forums I read about this too

Mirage S10 Sub ($250)
Panasonic XR55 Receiver ($230)
Fluance AV-F3 Floorstanding Main Speakers ($149)
Fluance AV-SC center channel ($69)
Fluance AV-BP2 Bipolar Surround Satellite Speakers ($100)

Please provide your input. Thanks in advance for your help!

OK here's what I have designed for the screen wall, I figure I have room for a 54X96 screen (which I believe is 106" diag, right?) FYI - the distance from ceiling to ground is about 90" or 7.5 feet.

Any suggestions?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/Fig5.jpg

you might check with the audio guys on that speaker placement. i have read that center should be level with the left/right if possible.

Tweeters should be within a foot of each other as a rule of thumb. One trick is to pop the left and right speakers upside down to get the tweeters closer to each other. I dont really like Mr. av cabinet to be in view of the screen, them little lights can be distracting, but tinted glass or a curtain of some type helped in some of my installs. I really like how close it is the the ceiling. I keep my screens as close to the ceiling as i can if i only have 7.5-8ft walls, once you get in the reclining possition you not have a crick in your kneck at the end of the movie. Of course ive also poped 2x4 shims in the back of the barko loungers to get your eyes in the right position. Hell with a 7" drop you could even pop a black felt fan above the screen that goes out 4-8 foot to help with the reflections if you arent doing a black ceiling.

Thanks plaiming and Nightanole...most of this is already built, just trying for placement at this point. The AV cabinet location was the best place, plus I wanted it in front view, versus the side. I can move the fronts down more and invert them, so no issues there.

Never thought about the ceiling, so white is a no no? Could paint it the same dark color as the walls perhaps?

screen close to white ceiling is a no no, it will wash out the blacks into greys. A ceiling mount job might not be a as bad, but its bad on my coffee table setups. Bright scenes will light up the whole room, and make the black suites seem greyish.

It's gonna be ceiling mounted and likely pointing downward using the lens shift. We shall see once i get the PJ! :D

what color are your walls..you can go with a complimenting darker color...i have a dark chocolate ceiling (with dark green walls) its very warm feeling! And i still remember the huge difference it made....

It's gonna be ceiling mounted and likely pointing downward using the lens shift. We shall see once i get the PJ! :D

Looking at your screen placement, something doesn't 'measure up'. ;)

This info is based on sitting on a standard couch or chair and not reclining back to a 45 degree angle (obviously with a couch you'll be leaning back a bit which is fine). Your positioning might be ok if you are planning on reclining way back most of the time when you watch a movie, however, it still might be a bit too close to the ceiling considering how much room you have and with a white ceiling.

I have a 106" screen that is 16" from the ground and about 16" from the top of my 86" ceiling (7.2'). Basically my screen/wall dimentions are amost exactly like yours. My eye level sitting on my coach is about 37" to 40" just as yours. Using those figures, my eyes are about at the 22"-23" mark on the screen which is about 4" above the top of the bottom 1/3rd mark which is 18". With your screen 26.5" off the ground (with the viewable at about 28"), your eye level will be at about 9"-10" into the viewable portion of the screen. 18" to 25" eye level is the mark to aim for on a 106" screen optimally. It's all personal preference of course, but to me, 26.5" seems much too high as I thought it looked previously. Again, it's all what is comfortable for the viewer but I figured you'd want some input before you committed to it.

Also, the closer you get to the ceiling (especially white, black would be more optimal), the more reflective light you'll get which isn't good for your PQ. Unless there is a real reason to have it so high, I would lower it. Again, lense shift down to where my screen is (about 16" below the ceiling) is not a problem in any way at all. My Z4 lense is about 6 to 7 inches down from my flush mount. It doesn't cause any issue to the picture unless you are using the extreme of the shift & this is no where close to that.

You'll have to see what it's like when you get your projector, but you have plenty of head room to move it at least 5- 9 inches down to get closer to putting your eye level at optimal position. Don't worry too much about using lense shift. :)

Well folks, the Z4 is up! thanks all for the helpful previous posts and last minute answers. It took me about 3 hours yesterday afternoon to build a homemade mount and get the PJ up. Then about 30 minutes to get the PJ basically adjusted. Last night I tweaked with Rones setup using some of Shellys adjustments..(i am using component) And the verdict is.........

Excellent!! Very beautiful HD. I watched DiscoverHD and it was quite engrossing. At first I was concerned about SDE. After I watched it I was not so worried, I can rarely see it. Blacks are good....I still need some time to compare with my CRT. My Parkland screen seemed to do very well. I still have not hooked up anything for DVD yet so that is another todo.

Thanks everyone!

Here are some shots of the mount I did (got the idea from this forum). Above it you can see the white strip where i had previously mounted my CRT, and you can also see the back wall where i was going to shelf mount above the closet. I think the ceiling turned out ok.

Dweezilz, thanks on the input, once I get the PJ (ordered it this morning :D), I will test different mounting depths and see what I like. It likely is too high, but this is just a draft to get input from your guys :)

plaiming, the walls are all white now, because they just got primed :D

Actually we are looking for a darker color, but are still in the decision phase of things. I'd like to keep the ceiling white however, but I'll see if there are any natual breaks in the soffited ceilling above the projector, so I could paint it a dark color, but I don't believe there is.

Thanks to all.

i am surprised that using the vertical lens shift that much does not cause a PQ problem...digital sure is nice
It works really well. I have a slight bend in my setup - the sides are dead level but the top and bottom are "tiltled"clockwise by about 1/8" (the projector is level on both axes). Unnoticeable except on geometry test patterns (I use the iScan's built-in for centering).

What I have noticed is a bit of vertical drift. Will drop about 1/4" after a while. I've tried moving the shift dials to their "between" positions before locking but still moves. Today I set it slightly high and will see if it settles into the right position.

I recall an earlier post where someone had a similar issue. Others?

Mine seems to drift slightly to the right and slightly down. Lens shift lock doesn't seem to affect this. Easy to fix, but slightly annoying.

The AE900 is the brighter pj. In its NORMAL mode on low lamp the AE900 has decent proximity to D65 grey scale and it has about 500 lumens with a contrast ratio of about 1500-1600. This is with the iris engaged. The Z4 cannot match that combo of brightness, color accuracy, and contrast in any one mode.

Moe

Would any Z4 owners care to comment on the quote above made in the following thread?? Can you post your response in the thread below please?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7019686&&#post7019686

Mine seems to drift slightly to the right and slightly down. Lens shift lock doesn't seem to affect this. Easy to fix, but slightly annoying.

Mine seems to drift while locked on it's own as well. Usually takes a day or two & I notice it's not lined up perfectly anymore. Not a big deal, but it is kinda annoying.

I am going to attempt to connect by XBOX up to the Z4 tonight and was wondering what was the best way to do this? I have the regular XBOX connector i.e. yellow/white/red cables. Can anyone enlighten me as to how best to set this up? I noticed that they do sell an optical audio cable for the XBOX as well.....Anyways thanks ahead of time

To fully maximize your xbox and PJ, use the component connections(R,G,B).

Again, when using too much lens shift you might notice chromatic aberation on credits or black and white scenes, depending on screen size, in room lighting conditions etc. and of course on your eyes ;)

The service manual can be found in this forum in the Sanyo Z4 tweak thread.

Thanks, I'll swing by Walmart and pick up the HDTV cable kit for the XBOX tonight.

could somebody provide me with the dimensions of the heat vent on the side of the projector. I will need to make modifications to my projector housing since this vents out the side and wanted to know what I would be working with.

thank you

If you are a long time PJ user, feel free to disregard this post. If you want to get to the meat of the mini review, skip to the end.

Like many of the posters here, I am brand new to the world of projector owners. That being said, I’ve been planning to buy for quite some time. I come to the pursuit as a long time fan of two channel music, and initial forays into surround and rudimentary HT with CRT and 5.1 Pro Logic. Funny thing is that I only found AVS forum a week and a half ago. A job relo a few years ago presented an opportunity to build my perfect “media” room in a 15 X 25 foot room with 7’2 ceilings down in the basement.

I’ve used Russ Herschelman’s suggestions as guidelines as to seating and speaker locations, run all kinds of cables in the walls, and rocked the ceiling over resilient channel to reduce sound transmission into the LR above. I’m using an exterior door to for the entrance. At the PJ mounting location, I’ve got power in the joist space, and cable conduit running to my AV stack in the rear corner. I’ve purchased resonance control foam which will be mounted at appropriate reflection points to tame slap echo. Needless to say, this project has been a labor of love and a lot of work to boot.

Then a few years ago, I was wrecked when a dealer showed me the perfect living room and voila, push a button and a pj screen magically appears from the ceiling, and now you’ve got a media room. Gotta have one of those! In the mean time, I was prowling dealer showrooms looking at pj’s and hoping that the quality and price would intersect at a point that matched my budget.

So all the work is underway and mostly complete and late last fall 2005 I decided to see what was available in a pj. I had been convinced by the enthusiast rags that DLP was the way to go. It was then that I started looking at pj – screen distances, and had a heart stopping moment. Based upon where I set up the pj mounting location, it appeared I needed a long throw lens, and that typically pushes you into the high end machines. A couple of months of agony ended when I saw an initial review of both the P900 and the Z4. Both had zooms that would make them usable in my space, and reviews indicated that LCD had dramatically improved and reduced DLP advantages. Like many of you, at this point I’m torn between the two options.

I’m a firm supporter of your local high service AV retailer. Nothing beats seeing/listening for your self, and that was my intent for this purchase as well. Research at the Sanyo web site on the free bulb offer led me to believe that there were only a few retailers that would be able to provide the same. I tried to locate a local dealer in the frozen north who would have either projector in stock for me to audition. No luck, but if you can, do it. The peace of mind of a local face and reputation outweighs the couple hundred dollar (at most) price difference. Even tho my experience to date has been perfect, I recommend buying locally if you can.

The answer to a simple question from my wife pointed me to the Z4. “Is color accuracy and a less precise picture more important or slightly inaccurate color and a sharper image more important?”. After she responded “The latter.”, I ordered a Z4 off the web. Jumped to another site to buy the AVIA set up DVD. Then I stopped by the cable company to upgrade my cable box to a HD capable unit with HDMI out, and ordered a couple of HDMI cables. Then I found this site. I’ve read every post in this thread. THANKFULLY I ordered beforehand or I would have been firmly planted on the fence, concerned and worried about everything that is on your mind.

Z4 arrived last Thursday but I had other commitments. I was so excited that I had to take off early on Friday to run home to start playing.

Disclaimer: I have only had SD in my home, and have never owned a pj before. So I’m obviously easily impressed.

First up, Discovery HD via HDMI. Jaw droppingly good. Colors might be a tad off, but unbelievable. Like looking thru a pane of glass. Hooked up the trusty INTERLACED Yamaha DVD player via component, using Creative Cinema. Fellowship of the Ring, colors a bit muted, but again, a super image. 480 deinterlacing working pretty well at least to this untrained eye. SD TV via cable/HDMI, again, pretty darned good, not “unwatchable” as some here would have you believe. Screen Door is not an issue at the distance I watch from, 1.8x screen width. Eyes at 175” from 106” diagonal Draper white (M1200??) manual retract screen. PJ is temporarily mounted @ screen midpoint on a stand, approx 17 feet from screen. Zoom is not at it’s end point, but towards the long end of the range. Light output is very good, both in light controlled dark room or with reading lights on. Did I mention that two days before ordering I fell in deep lust with the new $10K Sony LCos pj? I’m sure that there are differences, but the Z4 is about 95% of the way there.

Over the weekend, I started to adjust, using ROne’s tweak sheet. Being new to all this, I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but sometimes you just have to jump in and work it. My images are much brighter via DVD now. My setup is different enough that I see a definite yellow cast to skin tones, but other than that, I like what I see. I started running thru the AVIA disk last night and teaching myself how to set up the video, but then it hit me, probably ought to put all of the components in the chain before I adjust too much.

So 9P last night I hook up the other major purchase: DVDO VP30 processor. After having read the reviews that said deinterlacing was a problem, I ordered one the day after committing to the Z4. Seeing what the pj was natively capable of made me question the purchasing decision over the weekend, but having seen what the processor can do last night confirmed that it is a highly capable unit, and will add to my enjoyment of SD tv, and save me some money on a new DVD player to boot! I have seen posts from those who say “Unconscionable in 2006 for Sanyo to release a product that processes so poorly.” I suggest that any product that is less than a “Statement Product” (translated: so expensive you have to mortgage your house to buy it) is a collection of trade offs. I’ll take the vibrant colors and lens adjustability/precision over a hot scaler with lower quality optics any day, because you can upgrade the scaler easier than you can deal with optics.

Bottom line: If you, like me, are new to this hobby, there is a LOT to like about this projector. The shortcomings while few are real, and your precise situation may lead you to a different projector. If so, great. If the Z4 seems like the one that fits best, go for it. You will be absolutely stunned by the capabilities of this projector.

Francois

are there many experiencing vertical banding with their Z4's? Definitely see it on mine and this is a big problem. Picture looks very good besides that but looks like i will need to return this unit even though this will be a big pain. Just wondering if this problem is common or sparatic.

I've not seen any vertical banding. Other than my small blue spot (going back for repair AFTER the superbowl) the image has been great. I've used both HDMI and component on both DVD and HD material and no VB has shown. I would think that you are in the minority as I haven't read any complaints regarding VB and the Z4. It seems to me that the Z4 so far has proved to be less problematic than the panny 900 and epson 550.

are there many experiencing vertical banding with their Z4's? Definitely see it on mine and this is a big problem. Picture looks very good besides that but looks like i will need to return this unit even though this will be a big pain. Just wondering if this problem is common or sparatic.

None here & can't recall having read about anyone else with it. Your's must be defective unfortunately! :( Hope you get a replacement Z4 soon! Maybe they'll cross-ship a new one. Worst case is that Sanyo has that 48 hour RMA, but seeing as you just purchased it, the store should exchange.

Dweelilz, btw, Sanyo has a policy that they don't exchange, they will fix it. I talked to projectorpeople.com who it one of the few authorized resellers on the sanyo site for the Z4. PP gives you 7 days to exxhange if the projector is defective, but after that, you work thru them to send it in to Sanyo. Not sure where other's bought their, but PP was really helpful and so far a good experience. We shall see once I get the Z4 later this week and test it out.

the only thing that concerns me slightly about my z4 is when i power on i can hear a very high pitched tone as the PJ warms up (i have pretty sensitive ears) but after about 45sec-1minute it seems to pretty much go away. im not sure what it is, but as long as it doesnt get worse i am ok with it.

my z4 is almost always whisper quiet. Most of the time you never hear it. I have not experienced the high pitched tone on start-up like you have. It doesn't sound normal, but might not be much of an issue either.

Dweelilz, btw, Sanyo has a policy that they don't exchange, they will fix it. I talked to projectorpeople.com who it one of the few authorized resellers on the sanyo site for the Z4. PP gives you 7 days to exxhange if the projector is defective, but after that, you work thru them to send it in to Sanyo. Not sure where other's bought their, but PP was really helpful and so far a good experience. We shall see once I get the Z4 later this week and test it out.

Yes, I knew that. I was saying the dealer could excahange it. With Sanyo's 48 hour RMA, they fix it & send it back within that period of time. If it can't be fixed, they'll replace it. There are many more authorized resellers aside from those on Sanyo's site. I got mine from Projector Pro's and I found out about them from the Sanyo National Sales Rep who's cell phone number was given to me when I called Sanyo! I was shocked they gave it to me...he was kinda suprised when I called as well, but very helpful.

the only thing that concerns me slightly about my z4 is when i power on i can hear a very high pitched tone as the PJ warms up (i have pretty sensitive ears) but after about 45sec-1minute it seems to pretty much go away. im not sure what it is, but as long as it doesnt get worse i am ok with it.

I can definately hear my Z4 when it warms up, but after that, can't hear the fans much. It's not a loud high pitched tone really, but there is a slight 'wind-up' sound if that makes sense. That might be what you are hearing. I can hear changes in speeds with different bulb settings as well if I have my audio off, but with a movie on, it's unnoticeable. All projectors are going to make some noise, but the Z4 is very quiet compared to most.

ok I have now read both the Z4 thread and the 900 thread (took forever).. I am trying to decide between these two units. this would be my first projector. a couple questions

for those that have actually compared the two side by side ( its pretty much agreed that the 900 has less noticable SDE ) has anyone tried to approximate the lessening of SD with defocus ? I know its not the same. but i am wondering if it would be a compromise that one could live with. or would it just make it unexeptably blurry ? would be great to see some close ups of this being tried.

the furthest I would be able to sit ( small room ) would be not quite 1.5 times screen width. ( and some say that is not far enough to not see the SD on the Z4 ) if I had people over most would have to sit even closer. and i am worried about the SD being a prob.

It seems like both of these projectors have there problems and i am currently leaning toward the 900 due to the viewing distance but it seems like at least from reading the threads that the 900 maybe has more problems. although it does look like its easier to exchange the 900 (for new unit ) vs the Z4 , repair only except for a few places that do a few days and a couple hours on lamp deal , I would prob buy from one of those.

I would really like to see them in person , preferably side by side. Does anyone know where in the Denver or Colorado Springs area or even Albuquerque NM. (yea I live in the middle of nowhere somewhat between the two) that I would be able to demo these units ??

ok I have now read both the Z4 thread and the 900 thread (took forever).. I am trying to decide between these two units. this would be my first projector. a couple questions

for those that have actually compared the two side by side ( its pretty much agreed that the 900 has less noticable SDE ) has anyone tried to approximate the lessening of SD with defocus ? I know its not the same. but i am wondering if it would be a compromise that one could live with. or would it just make it unexeptably blurry ? would be great to see some close ups of this being tried.

the furthest I would be able to sit ( small room ) would be not quite 1.5 times screen width. ( and some say that is not far enough to not see the SD on the Z4 ) if I had people over most would have to sit even closer. and i am worried about the SD being a prob.

It seems like both of these projectors have there problems and i am currently leaning toward the 900 due to the viewing distance but it seems like at least from reading the threads that the 900 maybe has more problems. although it does look like its easier to exchange the 900 (for new unit ) vs the Z4 , repair only except for a few places that do a few days and a couple hours on lamp deal , I would prob buy from one of those.

I would really like to see them in person , preferably side by side. Does anyone know where in the Denver or Colorado Springs area or even Albuquerque NM. (yea I live in the middle of nowhere somewhat between the two) that I would be able to demo these units ??

I have not compared the two side by side, but I have de-focused the Z4. I sit 13.5 feet from a 106" screen and could see some SDE. I nudged the focus ring ever so slightly and now, it's almost all gone! My sharpness isn't noticeably different either. Also, Sanyo has a 48 hour return policy where they send the fixed projector back within 48 hours of receiving it! Add the 3 year warranty & I'd say the Panny return policy isn't nearly as good.

Hope that helps. Also remember the free lamp until 3/31/06.

I think the free lamp dealie is over, it was offered until 1/31/06, but you need to fill out the rebate by 3/31/06

the only thing that concerns me slightly about my z4 is when i power on i can hear a very high pitched tone as the PJ warms up (i have pretty sensitive ears) but after about 45sec-1minute it seems to pretty much go away. im not sure what it is, but as long as it doesnt get worse i am ok with it.

I noticed the same thing the other night, after having read the thread. I then got sidetracked by something else and forgot about it. I'll check it again and report back.

I think the free lamp dealie is over, it was offered until 1/31/06, but you need to fill out the rebate by 3/31/06

If that's the case then I barely made cut off :p

I think the free lamp dealie is over, it was offered until 1/31/06, but you need to fill out the rebate by 3/31/06

ahh...I must have mis-read that date. Oh well, still, Z4 is worth it even without that deal. I purchased 12/24 anyway so I didn't get it.

rebate form on Visual Apex's website states purchase between 1-1-06 and 3-31-06. redemption form must be submitted before 4-30-06.

I got mine on 1/30/06....I happened to see it on one of the websites, here's the Sanyo link, they do state that it is available til 3/31/06:

http://www.sanyo.com/business/projectors/PLVZ4offer.cfm?showFileID=318

It must have been the projectorpeople.com website that said 1/31/06, as now it says 2/28/06:

http://www.projectorpeople.com/hometheater/projdtls.asp?itemid=20244&itmname=Sanyo+PLV%2DZ4#rebate

I see it on large monochromatic fields like hockey game ice or football field but only because I saw a picture in another thread and looked for it. It's very subtle on my unit, and not enought to do anything about.

Also, on the perennial 900 v Z4 issue, obviously folks on this thread are somewhat biased, but I wasn't the day I saw them side by side. To me, the fact that the 900 alters the picture to "smooth" it adds information that is not in the original image. While you can defocus the Z4 (I haven't), you can't "unsmooth" the 900. I found the Z4 to be much superior and would have bought either. In fact, paid more for the Z4 at the time.

yes, sorry for not including the correct adjective. the high pithced noise is definitely not loud. its is very faint....in fact my wife cannot hear it but i can. i believe it is probably what dweezil mentioned...some sort of warmup function...
like i said, it seems to fade after about a minute.

are there many experiencing vertical banding with their Z4's? Definitely see it on mine and this is a big problem. Picture looks very good besides that but looks like i will need to return this unit even though this will be a big pain. Just wondering if this problem is common or sparatic.
Fortunately very few have reported this. But there is a menu function that lets you fix it - have you tried this adjustment yet? Detailed in the op manual.

To me, the fact that the 900 alters the picture to "smooth" it adds information that is not in the original image. While you can defocus the Z4 (I haven't), you can't "unsmooth" the 900. I found the Z4 to be much superior and would have bought either. In fact, paid more for the Z4 at the time.

I guess my main question is if you defocus the Z4 to the point of having SD effect simular to the 900 smoothscreen will it be obviously blurred more then the 900? while some have said the 900 looks soft others have said it is very close in sharpness to the z4 just without the SD , i think its another thing that varies from unit to unit (900).

I will deff be trying to demo each of them before i buy so i wont have to second guess myself but that is not so easy in my situation ( see above post ) :)


thank you for your help,

I guess my main question is if you defocus the Z4 to the point of having SD effect simular to the 900 smoothscreen will it be obviously blurred more then the 900? while some have said the 900 looks soft others have said it is very close in sharpness to the z4 just without the SD , i think its another thing that varies from unit to unit (900).

I will deff be trying to demo each of them before i buy so i wont have to second guess myself but that is not so easy in my situation ( see above post ) :)


thank you for your help,

Again, I have defocused just a touch & there isn't a noticeable difference in sharpness. The picture doesn't seem to be blurred at all really. When I go back & forth with the focus/de-focus, all that happens is the SDE disappears, but the PQ is still sharp as ever. I just nudged the focus ring until the SDE was gone. I actually barely moved it & SDE was diminished 80%. The good thing is, with the Z4 I have control of how much I want to defocus.

Again, I have defocused just a touch & there isn't a noticeable difference in sharpness. The picture doesn't seem to be blurred at all really. When I go back & forth with the focus/de-focus, all that happens is the SDE disappears, but the PQ is still sharp as ever. I just nudged the focus ring until the SDE was gone. I actually barely moved it & SDE was diminished 80%. The good thing is, with the Z4 I have control of how much I want to defocus.


This is great news. One of my reluctance in getting the Z4 over the 900 was SDE and lumen output. The above defocus tweak will take care of the SDE and calibration will take care of brightness.

Let's go FedEx! I can't wait until tomorrow to get my Z4 delivered.

Not sure what you mean. Do you have the older Dish 6000 and the OTA module? I use to have that one too but have the 811 now which has built in OTA. I'm pretty sure both will upconvert even analog OTA locals you might get through your OTA antenna. I can't think of a situation where the Dish receiver will have to output 480i to the Z4 if you don't want it to, but I can't say I'm 100% sure in regards to the 6000. I don't think either will send 480i through the componant or DVI even if you wanted it to. When you hit the SD/HD button, output switches to the Svideo & composit.

You can go to the Dish website & download the manual for or just call Dish to confirm.


I do have the older Dish 6000 unit with OTA module, and it doesn't pick up OTA SBTV stations. I understand that the 811 unit does, but apparently it is discontinued. - I'll try to find one in one of the local dealers. The newer models (622, etc.) do get SB, but according to the DISH HD technician, they don't convert the 480i to progressive. I suppose that I could live with what I have and watch the stations that do provide digital broadcasts, switching to 720 output on my Dish 6000. The alternative seems to be to buy a seperate tuner that has the capability to convert 480i analog signals to 720p.

Thanks,
Jim

anyone getting a noisy picture at 1080i or 720p using a Dish 811 receiver?

Dvd looks fine so doesen't look as though the culprit is the projector. The 811 has been out for awhile now, this satellite receiver should not be buggy...will need to check out the HDTV hardware part of the forum. Just posting here in case someone has a similar set-up with similar issues.

Has anyone shelf mounted their Z4? In my current setup I've got an old Sony 400Q mounted on a closet shelf 15 feet back from a 106" screen. Up at the top right hand side of the closet I've installed a 6" DC fan which sucks warm air out of the closet into an adjacent storage area. The exhaust from the 400Q goes out the back and is directed toward the closet exhaust fan. It has been working well for 5 years.

I dread the hassle of a ceiling mount, and can do a similar shelf arrangement, mounting the Z4 upside down and encouraging the exhaust to head toward the closet exhaust fan. However, this would mean positioning the back of the Z4 9" or 10" from the back wall, which I think is a no no. Am I nuts to even consider this?

BTW -- if I do go with the ceiling mount, the Omnimount PMD-1, which I haven't heard mentioned here, looks pretty good and would come in at about $100.

Jeff

Got my Z4 last night and had it mounted and on within 45 minutes (had to take down the 4805).

Initial impression = wow!

I found that I enjoyed Vivid mode. Haven't heard many talking about it in here, but it's beautiful. Plasma-like. I have noticed the iris dimming down for dark scenes and brightening up for the lighted ones. It was a little bothersome, but you can adjust the speed in which it adjusts. You can also opt to leave the iris open or close it.

SDE effect is minimal. I'm throwing onto a 100" screen. Projector is ~15' back and seating is about ~17. Even w/ the projector essentially right above my head you can barely hear it.

It seems like tweaking could go on forever with this thing. You have control over just about everything. My fiance was quite annoyed after two hours of tweaking, so I let it be while we watched a rerun of Lost.

I'll be tweaking it some more before I have people over for the SuperBowl. They all loved the 4805, but I'm sure they're gonna be blown away by the Z4.

Oh, and one more thing. The physical size of the projector shocked me. It's huge. Especially side by side w/ the 4805.

Mine is in a closet shooting thru a round aperture in the wall. Replaced an older Sharp projector which was ceiling mounted in the closet. No problem to mount it in the closet right side up using a very sophisticated yellow pages "mount". with the lens shift, it takes a few trips up and down a ladder to check on position, but it was very easy to adapt it to the existing setup. Also, much less heat thrown off than with the Sharp, little fan noise, and almost immediate shutdown with little cooling off needed.

As to "huge" size, I once had a JVC g10, nest to which this guy is teeny.

anyone getting a noisy picture at 1080i or 720p using a Dish 811 receiver?

Dvd looks fine so doesen't look as though the culprit is the projector. The 811 has been out for awhile now, this satellite receiver should not be buggy...will need to check out the HDTV hardware part of the forum. Just posting here in case someone has a similar set-up with similar issues.

I use Comcast hd dvr (not the Dish 811, obviously but still a hd dvr) at 720p and the picture is pristine. My dish 6000, on the other hand, is more washed out but always has been with other displays. But even the 6000 picure is not noisy.

Shelly

It works really well. I have a slight bend in my setup - the sides are dead level but the top and bottom are "tiltled"clockwise by about 1/8" (the projector is level on both axes). Unnoticeable except on geometry test patterns (I use the iScan's built-in for centering).

What I have noticed is a bit of vertical drift. Will drop about 1/4" after a while. I've tried moving the shift dials to their "between" positions before locking but still moves. Today I set it slightly high and will see if it settles into the right position.

I recall an earlier post where someone had a similar issue. Others?

I think I may have figured out the 'drift' issue. I'll have to see tomorrow if this worked or not. Last night I readjusted the position and left the wheel's in the 'play' portion of the motion if that makes sense. This morning, I was shifted almost an inch down. There is a large amount of 'play' in the lense shift wheels where the picture doesn't actually shift and several 'click' points where it sort of 'falls' into place. After I adjusted it again this morning, I moved the wheels until they 'fell' into the notches in place. This didn't move the picture because it was part of the 'play' in the wheel motion. I have a hunch (which might prove wrong) that this 'locking' into place might fix this drifting issue. I realize that the 'lock' button should do it, yet, I'm thinking this might be the fix.

I'll let you guys know tomorrow.

thanks Shelly,

called Visual Apex on this and will play around a bit more to see if i can pinpoint this issue. No problems with component just with DVD/HDMI

i run my dish 811 at 720p (now) to a dtronics 2x1 DVI switcher then i run a DVI to HDMI cable (25ft) from the switcher directly to the projector. Had no issues before so i will have to try the HTPC again, could be the cable in which case i would go back to my DVD to DVI cable and try the DVI to HDMI adapter. Heard the monoprice cables were good so i bought a 25ft DVI to HDMI so i could avoid using the adapters but purchased two adapters just in case, it but looks as though this is where my set-up could be problematic, as in the cable itself maybe. Originally i though my problem was related to the projectors scaler.

Can anyone comment on how the original XBOX looks on the Z4 via component, if it is worth purchasing the advanced AV pack with component cables and fiber audio cable?
Does it look worse than on a regular TV?

The High Def AV pack you mean right? It allows you to play games in progressive scan and some games are 720p also. You'll see a brighter, more colourful picture. The drawback of a large screen is that the pixelation is easier to make out. Other than that I highly recommend them. If you have a receiver with Digital sound, the optical cable will give you that ability..worth it!

Arrgh! FedEx effed up by delivery and I won't get my Z4 until tomorrow!!!!!

Arrgh! FedEx effed up by delivery and I won't get my Z4 until tomorrow!!!!!

That's characteristic of DHL, not FedEx :p

Hey Guys, the way I understand it many people are comparing the Panny to the Epson and Sanyo in the same range. This Saturday at TVAuthority Santa Monica we will be hosting a Superbowl "Shoot Out" between the Panny Pe900, Sanyo Z4 and the Epson 550. Come on down for some free food and some incredible demos!

This Saturday at TVAuthority Santa Monica we will be hosting a Superbowl "Shoot Out" between the Panny Pe900, Sanyo Z4 and the Epson 550. Come on down for some free food and some incredible demos!
What time on Saturday?

Charles D in the"Boonies"

You should contact John Schuermann of in Co Spgs for a demo. Notice I am even further in the Boonies. www.integrityhometheater.com

Okay...with the Superbowl right around the corner I was wondering what fellow Z4 owners are planning settings wise. I'm going to have a very small amount of light on so guests can eat and drink during the game without spilling wings and beer all over themselves. I assume many will do the same. I think I'm gonna be running a variation of Rone's hdmi living settings...but curious as to everybody else.

Hey Guys, the way I understand it many people are comparing the Panny to the Epson and Sanyo in the same range. This Saturday at TVAuthority Santa Monica we will be hosting a Superbowl "Shoot Out" between the Panny Pe900, Sanyo Z4 and the Epson 550. Come on down for some free food and some incredible demos!


Cool...what time does this start? I don't get off until 4:00PM on Saturday.

If you are a long time PJ user, feel free to disregard this post. If you want to get to the meat of the mini review, skip to the end.

Like many of the posters here, I am brand new to the world of projector owners. That being said, I’ve been planning to buy for quite some time. I come to the pursuit as a long time fan of two channel music, and initial forays into surround and rudimentary HT with CRT and 5.1 Pro Logic. Funny thing is that I only found AVS forum a week and a half ago. A job relo a few years ago presented an opportunity to build my perfect “media” room in a 15 X 25 foot room with 7’2 ceilings down in the basement.

I’ve used Russ Herschelman’s suggestions as guidelines as to seating and speaker locations, run all kinds of cables in the walls, and rocked the ceiling over resilient channel to reduce sound transmission into the LR above. I’m using an exterior door to for the entrance. At the PJ mounting location, I’ve got power in the joist space, and cable conduit running to my AV stack in the rear corner. I’ve purchased resonance control foam which will be mounted at appropriate reflection points to tame slap echo. Needless to say, this project has been a labor of love and a lot of work to boot.

Then a few years ago, I was wrecked when a dealer showed me the perfect living room and voila, push a button and a pj screen magically appears from the ceiling, and now you’ve got a media room. Gotta have one of those! In the mean time, I was prowling dealer showrooms looking at pj’s and hoping that the quality and price would intersect at a point that matched my budget.

So all the work is underway and mostly complete and late last fall 2005 I decided to see what was available in a pj. I had been convinced by the enthusiast rags that DLP was the way to go. It was then that I started looking at pj – screen distances, and had a heart stopping moment. Based upon where I set up the pj mounting location, it appeared I needed a long throw lens, and that typically pushes you into the high end machines. A couple of months of agony ended when I saw an initial review of both the P900 and the Z4. Both had zooms that would make them usable in my space, and reviews indicated that LCD had dramatically improved and reduced DLP advantages. Like many of you, at this point I’m torn between the two options.

I’m a firm supporter of your local high service AV retailer. Nothing beats seeing/listening for your self, and that was my intent for this purchase as well. Research at the Sanyo web site on the free bulb offer led me to believe that there were only a few retailers that would be able to provide the same. I tried to locate a local dealer in the frozen north who would have either projector in stock for me to audition. No luck, but if you can, do it. The peace of mind of a local face and reputation outweighs the couple hundred dollar (at most) price difference. Even tho my experience to date has been perfect, I recommend buying locally if you can.

The answer to a simple question from my wife pointed me to the Z4. “Is color accuracy and a less precise picture more important or slightly inaccurate color and a sharper image more important?”. After she responded “The latter.”, I ordered a Z4 off the web. Jumped to another site to buy the AVIA set up DVD. Then I stopped by the cable company to upgrade my cable box to a HD capable unit with HDMI out, and ordered a couple of HDMI cables. Then I found this site. I’ve read every post in this thread. THANKFULLY I ordered beforehand or I would have been firmly planted on the fence, concerned and worried about everything that is on your mind.

Z4 arrived last Thursday but I had other commitments. I was so excited that I had to take off early on Friday to run home to start playing.

Disclaimer: I have only had SD in my home, and have never owned a pj before. So I’m obviously easily impressed.

First up, Discovery HD via HDMI. Jaw droppingly good. Colors might be a tad off, but unbelievable. Like looking thru a pane of glass. Hooked up the trusty INTERLACED Yamaha DVD player via component, using Creative Cinema. Fellowship of the Ring, colors a bit muted, but again, a super image. 480 deinterlacing working pretty well at least to this untrained eye. SD TV via cable/HDMI, again, pretty darned good, not “unwatchable” as some here would have you believe. Screen Door is not an issue at the distance I watch from, 1.8x screen width. Eyes at 175” from 106” diagonal Draper white (M1200??) manual retract screen. PJ is temporarily mounted @ screen midpoint on a stand, approx 17 feet from screen. Zoom is not at it’s end point, but towards the long end of the range. Light output is very good, both in light controlled dark room or with reading lights on. Did I mention that two days before ordering I fell in deep lust with the new $10K Sony LCos pj? I’m sure that there are differences, but the Z4 is about 95% of the way there.

Over the weekend, I started to adjust, using ROne’s tweak sheet. Being new to all this, I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but sometimes you just have to jump in and work it. My images are much brighter via DVD now. My setup is different enough that I see a definite yellow cast to skin tones, but other than that, I like what I see. I started running thru the AVIA disk last night and teaching myself how to set up the video, but then it hit me, probably ought to put all of the components in the chain before I adjust too much.

So 9P last night I hook up the other major purchase: DVDO VP30 processor. After having read the reviews that said deinterlacing was a problem, I ordered one the day after committing to the Z4. Seeing what the pj was natively capable of made me question the purchasing decision over the weekend, but having seen what the processor can do last night confirmed that it is a highly capable unit, and will add to my enjoyment of SD tv, and save me some money on a new DVD player to boot! I have seen posts from those who say “Unconscionable in 2006 for Sanyo to release a product that processes so poorly.” I suggest that any product that is less than a “Statement Product” (translated: so expensive you have to mortgage your house to buy it) is a collection of trade offs. I’ll take the vibrant colors and lens adjustability/precision over a hot scaler with lower quality optics any day, because you can upgrade the scaler easier than you can deal with optics.

Bottom line: If you, like me, are new to this hobby, there is a LOT to like about this projector. The shortcomings while few are real, and your precise situation may lead you to a different projector. If so, great. If the Z4 seems like the one that fits best, go for it. You will be absolutely stunned by the capabilities of this projector.

Francois


Great post, but as someone who is considering the Z4, I wanna know more about how your VP30 improves the images. Does it actually turn the Z4 into a Sony Ruby?

Okay, I have been a VERY satisfied Z4 owner since November and will be transporting the Z4 for the first time to an Xbox 360 party tonight. I do have the original box and eggshell thing to put the projector in, which fits pretty well. My question is whether that cover that was attached to the lens when the Z4 was shipped (the one with the three foam prongs on it) is necessary to put on when taking it? The paper on that cover does say to put it on there when transporting the projector, but it doesn't appear that you can close the sliding door with it on there (don't think it was closed when it shipped either).

I was considering just closing the sliding door and packing it into the eggshell etc., anyone have any experience or know why it would matter to put that cover on there if the sliding door is closed anyway? Thanks.

Okay, I have been a VERY satisfied Z4 owner since November and will be transporting the Z4 for the first time to an Xbox 360 party tonight. I do have the original box and eggshell thing to put the projector in, which fits pretty well. My question is whether that cover that was attached to the lens when the Z4 was shipped (the one with the three foam prongs on it) is necessary to put on when taking it? The paper on that cover does say to put it on there when transporting the projector, but it doesn't appear that you can close the sliding door with it on there (don't think it was closed when it shipped either).

I was considering just closing the sliding door and packing it into the eggshell etc., anyone have any experience or know why it would matter to put that cover on there if the sliding door is closed anyway? Thanks.

There's a reat difference between shipping and transporting. Of course, you would want to secure everyting as tight as possible if you were boxing up and shipping the Z4.

Butsince you are personally taking the Z4, probably in your car, you should have no problem with it being thrown, dropped or otherwise mishandled. I have transported pj witout any box just on the front seat.

I think that placing the Z4 back into the shipping carton with the eggshell protector is all you need to do. You should be fine without the extra lens protection.

That's how I would do it.

Shelly

Isamu,

The shootout sounds like a great idea. I live in Idaho so I won't be able to make it on such short notice :D

It would be nice if you could post your impressions for the rest of us. I still have not made up my mind yet on what pj to get. The only dealer in town sales epson, so i'm leaning to the 550 at this time.

Thanks

John

After studying these discussions for many hours and asking zillions of questions, I have decided to go with the Z4. It may take a little more tweaking, but the free bulb and 3-year warranty were too good a deal to pass up. I ordered a 92-inch Dalite B white matte pulldown screen with 18-inch drop, and I plan to mount it about five feet in front of the front wall, with the projector on some bookcases in the rear of the room (The room is 20 feet in length). Regarding the position of the screen, I'll experiment moving it forward and back until I find a good viewing arrangement with sufficient brightness and no objectionable screen door effects, and which is also compatable with a pair of large Maggie panel speakers. I plan to use an HD dish receiver and Sony DVD player initially, but will probably look into getting the Oppo DVD player with HTMI and 720p output.

One concern is that I couldn't find a dealer who could demo the Z4, so I haven't seen one. - And I sold my 64-inch HD RPTV, which has provided great HD reception, particularly on 1080i broadcasts. (Doesn't seem like a rational decision, does it?) In any event, next week I'll find out whether the 720p picture from the Z4 is comparable. - If not, I'll get a Ruby, or the equivalent, when third generation 1080p's are available at a reasonable price.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful information.

Jim

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I will be doing an inverted ceiling mount. I can position the lens at exactly the same height as the top edge of the screen, or it would be a little more convenient to drop the Z4 down about 8" below the top. I realize the lens shift will accommodate either position, but I'm curious if from an optical standpoint one position is preferable.

Jeff

Great post, but as someone who is considering the Z4, I wanna know more about how your VP30 improves the images. Does it actually turn the Z4 into a Sony Ruby?

When I was at my local salon, all I watched on the Sony was Discovery HD, so I did not get a chance to see how it would react to SD signal.

With out a a side by side in my media room, I don't know that I can state that adding a VP30 to the Z4 has given me a Ruby at less than half the price, but this much I can say:

I'd say that with the 400 W Xenon bulb (I believe), the Ruby throws a bright vibrant image. They were displaying with a rear proj screen in a well lit showroom. My understanding is that rear screens knock down the image a bit. These guys sold me my Draper, so they knew what I was going to be projecting on, and they told me that my results would be brighter. The Sony is a light canon.

My cable feed SD upconverted to 720P by the VP30 is major league. I watch a lot of the history channel, and I was looking at B&W gun camera footage from dubya dubya too. That was where it hit me: this is not a minor improvement, it's exponentially better. (of course a skeptic would say "But you've doubled the price of the projector!")

In playing with it the other night, trying to figure out how to get it to keep 4:3 unstretched and HDTV native in 16:9, I was amazed at how good SD can look. It is easily the equivalent of DVD. I'm using a Scientific Atlantic 8300 with HDMI out if anyone cares.

Ruby? Probably not, but would I pay double for the Ruby now that I've seen my hot rodded Z4? No way.

Hope that helps.

Francois

I'm curious, if I'm going to be tweaking my Z4 using Avia, am I better off to tweak the pj, or my DVDO processor?

What would the pros and cons be of either option?

Thanks in advance,

Francios

Has anyone shelf mounted their Z4? In my current setup I've got an old Sony 400Q mounted on a closet shelf 15 feet back from a 106" screen. Up at the top right hand side of the closet I've installed a 6" DC fan which sucks warm air out of the closet into an adjacent storage area. The exhaust from the 400Q goes out the back and is directed toward the closet exhaust fan. It has been working well for 5 years.

I dread the hassle of a ceiling mount, and can do a similar shelf arrangement, mounting the Z4 upside down and encouraging the exhaust to head toward the closet exhaust fan. However, this would mean positioning the back of the Z4 9" or 10" from the back wall, which I think is a no no. Am I nuts to even consider this?

BTW -- if I do go with the ceiling mount, the Omnimount PMD-1, which I haven't heard mentioned here, looks pretty good and would come in at about $100.

Jeff

Jeff,
I have my Z4 on a shelf (6') at the back of a 16/17' room. The PJ is about 10" from the rear wall. Intake and exhaust are from the sides so there is no issue with the heat. The PJ has ALLOT of range adjustment and I had no problem hitting my 4'x8' goo screen. Does a fine job replacing my HS10.
Remington

Sorry if this is a dumb question. I will be doing an inverted ceiling mount. I can position the lens at exactly the same height as the top edge of the screen, or it would be a little more convenient to drop the Z4 down about 8" below the top. I realize the lens shift will accommodate either position, but I'm curious if from an optical standpoint one position is preferable.

Jeff

Who cares :D Seriously though... I had a million questions like this in the 2 years :eek: I shopped for a PJ and finally pulled the plug and it arrived yesterday. I got a Z4 and a Da-Lite Model C w/CSR HCMW but that didn't show so I made a quick frame and stretched a white painting drop cloth over it.... WOW. Maybe I'm easily impressed but... WOW. I have friends who have LCD's and plasmas in the 50-60" range and they are impressive but this is really a jaw dropping experience to watch... and I'm projecting on an old drop cloth... and even with the screen it is HALF the cost of some of the smaller plasmas my friends have! I have it mounted on the ceiling maybe 10' back from a 100" (or so) diagonal screen and at a height of maybe 1 foot over the top edge of the screen and the image adjustment dials easilv centered that picture with adjustment to spare. All I can say (IMHO and from experience) is BUY IT! You will be amazed... and I haven't even touched this thing... all settings are out of the box. I figured tweeking on the drop cloth will be a waste of time :rolleyes:

Happy Super Bowl Everybody!

csmart01, my Z4 came yesterday and I set it up on a chair (won't mount it for another week until after we get the area painted. So I have it on a blank primer white matte wall. I originally was shooting for a 106" screen withe my BA Bravo II's on the side, but after setting this up and making the screen as big as possible (from 15' away) I decided to go big likely 119" diag! This thing is amazing, once it warms up and you put it on the "dynamic" setting, wow!

Here are 3 shots, this is actually even bigger than 119"

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/efe48ac4.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/81843735.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v121/cgoldens/9a57f5c3.jpg (http://photobucket.com)

What is really nice is that I got mine the end of November and I still get a smile on my face every time I turn it on. Z4 is that darn good and I am coming up on 300 hours. So expect to continue enjoying that "wow" factor at least until a Z5 comes out next fall.

I got to skim this thread, but not read it fully.
Can someone tell me if there are tweaking mods done to the z4?
my best friend purchased one recently, and if I can get him set even better than what he has now, that would be perfect.
He's got a Floor Mounted Z4 displaying to a High Power Screen.

Thanks

I got to skim this thread, but not read it fully.
Can someone tell me if there are tweaking mods done to the z4?
my best friend purchased one recently, and if I can get him set even better than what he has now, that would be perfect.
He's got a Floor Mounted Z4 displaying to a High Power Screen.

Thanks

This general thread you are on is very long but has valuable information.

Another valuable tweak thread is here.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=591989

Why not teach him rather than do it for him? Once he learns how easy it is to tweak and use the Color Management tool, he can dial in the colors and picture to his tastes should you not be available to him for some reason.

Shelly

Well, purchased my Z4 Friday along with a light contrast screen kit from diytheatre. I must say that between this thread and the tweak thread, just about all of my questions have been answered, and doubts have been relieved. Unfortunately due to the setup of my HT room, my seating will be approx 105" from the wall, limiting me to an 80" screen if I stick to the 1.5x rule. My wall is approx 89.5"w giving me a max screen size of 102" if I wanted to ignore that rule and max it out. I plan on tryin it out when it arrives this week.

My question is in regards to mounting the projector. I am going to purchase a chief RPA mount, and would like to keep the projector as low profile and close to the ceiling as possible. The wall I'm projecting to however has a basement window (covered, no ambient light) above it, so the top of my screen is approx 16.5" below the ceiling. From what I've read in this thread, I'm almost 99% sure the projector's shift features will accomodate for this light of a shift, however I wanted to be sure I didint need to lower the projector before mounting.

Also, with regards to the throw distance, if I use Sanyo's website and calculator on their site, they specify a throw distance of 7.95 feet for "WIDE" and 16.13 Feet for "TELEPHOTO". Are these the 2 numbers that I want to be in the middle of when mouting the projector? In other words, for an 80" screen, is 12' a descent throw distance. I have a very long and narrow room, so I can go much further back without any problems, just trying to determine the best location for optimal performance of the projector.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Good news. So after a long stretch with the projector today...superbowl, Grey's Anatomy, followed by X-Men2(that DVD proves how awesome the Z4, so does HD) I flipped that bad boy over to attempt the self cleaning one more time before sending it to sanyo in the morning(I already have a QRP#). Well, after giving it several attempts of using the blower at all possible angles I thought I saw the blue spot budge. So, I kept trying and believe it or not it blew out of there...well at least off of the panel. So, no more blue spot and won't have to send it for service, at least not yet.

Big problem )-8.

I setup a new Z4 this evening -- fed by a new Oppo at 1080i HDMI, using Oppo's cable. On the plus side, at 1.55X screen door is a non-issue, the image is sharp as a tack, and compared with my old Sony 400Q it's a huge improvement. One HUGE problem, though, portions of the image that have a sightly reflective quality are an unmistakable yellowish green. The camera can pan across a blue wall and large blotchy areas will be yellow green. Exactly which parts of the wall will be green seem to depend on how brightly lit it is. The old priest in the opening scenes of the 5th Element -- his silvery white beard -- green! A similar effect can be seen with magenta, but not as pronounced. Faces can be perfect flesh tones, or depending on the lighting, part green and part magenta. Strangely enough, whites are usually plain old unaduterated white.

I've applied Rone's tweaks -- to no avail, and I've experimented with raising and lowering the green level and the brightness, also to no avail. The next step will be to hook up a 480p DVD player using component cables, and I guess I'll have to try a new HDMI cable.

Any ideas?

Jeff

Big problem )-8.

I setup a new Z4 this evening -- fed by a new Oppo at 1080i HDMI, using Oppo's cable. On the plus side, at 1.55X screen door is a non-issue, the image is sharp as a tack, and compared with my old Sony 400Q it's a huge improvement. One HUGE problem, though, portions of the image that have a sightly reflective quality are an unmistakable yellowish green. The camera can pan across a blue wall and large blotchy areas will be yellow green. Exactly which parts of the wall will be green seem to depend on how brightly lit it is. The old priest in the opening scenes of the 5th Element -- his silvery white beard -- green! A similar effect can be seen with magenta, but not as pronounced. Faces can be perfect flesh tones, or depending on the lighting, part green and part magenta. Strangely enough, whites are usually plain old unaduterated white.

I've applied Rone's tweaks -- to no avail, and I've experimented with raising and lowering the green level and the brightness, also to no avail. The next step will be to hook up a 480p DVD player using component cables, and I guess I'll have to try a new HDMI cable.

Any ideas?

Jeff

I use the Oppo with its included cable and he picture is peefect so I doubt that changing cables or dvd palyers will affect your problem.

It sounds like a real internal problem witth your Z4 and suggest that you contact Sanyo this morning to send it in for repair.

Shelly

csmart01, my Z4 came yesterday and I set it up on a chair (won't mount it for another week until after we get the area painted. So I have it on a blank primer white matte wall. I originally was shooting for a 106" screen withe my BA Bravo II's on the side, but after setting this up and making the screen as big as possible (from 15' away) I decided to go big likely 119" diag! This thing is amazing, once it warms up and you put it on the "dynamic" setting, wow!

Here are 3 shots, this is actually even bigger than 119"



Very nice!! One thing to be very careful of however when going so big is SDE. Just make sure that you can easily sit far enough from the screen so that Screen Door isn't a problem. With my 106" screen, I need to sit 14 1/2' away for SDE to not be an issue. With a 119" screen, you are going to need to be at least 16 feet away for that not to be an issue I'm guessing. It'll be more visable on a good screen as it'll be much sharper so it's hard to base SDE via a wall with primer.

Just didn't want you to forget that factor. :)

Good news. So after a long stretch with the projector today...superbowl, Grey's Anatomy, followed by X-Men2(that DVD proves how awesome the Z4, so does HD) I flipped that bad boy over to attempt the self cleaning one more time before sending it to sanyo in the morning(I already have a QRP#). Well, after giving it several attempts of using the blower at all possible angles I thought I saw the blue spot budge. So, I kept trying and believe it or not it blew out of there...well at least off of the panel. So, no more blue spot and won't have to send it for service, at least not yet.
Holy cow! I guess that dust blower does work!

I just pulled the trigger on a Z4 from Projector People. They are very knowledgeable and have a fair price. I can't wait to set it up this Friday. I am coming from a Sharp business DLP and will be projecting onto a 110" Carada BW screen. One question I have, has anyone posted settings for a component connection? I will be running a Denon 1600 into it.

My main reason for purchasing this over the ae900u, was the warranty (yes I've heard of the warranty issues, but am hoping they found the error of the their ways, and I know a lawyer). I am also planning on purchasing the mack warranty on the bulb from one of the sponsors. Another aspect I found favorable was the service ports for removing dust. I also find myself prefering some pixelation for sharpness over whatever panasonic does to remove it. I have no intention of blowing sd to 110" so I don't really care if it can't deinterlace. That is my opinion. I do believe the two are extremely close.

Thanks to everyone who has posted their experience in this thread.

Very nice!! One thing to be very careful of however when going so big is SDE. Just make sure that you can easily sit far enough from the screen so that Screen Door isn't a problem. With my 106" screen, I need to sit 14 1/2' away for SDE to not be an issue. With a 119" screen, you are going to need to be at least 16 feet away for that not to be an issue I'm guessing. It'll be more visable on a good screen as it'll be much sharper so it's hard to base SDE via a wall with primer.

Just didn't want you to forget that factor. :)

noob needs help!

just ordered mine Z4 along with the 16:9 106" screen and the Chief RPA-048 ceiling mount to set up my HT room that has 8" ceiling. What is the ideal placement of the pj to get optimal viewing experience? bty there's no seating restriction with my dedicated HT

xuantocdo,
i think the optimal is to mount your pj dead center of screen, level with the top of screen if you are doing a ceiling mount (which i assume because of the chief mount), bottom of the screen if you are doing a shelf mount. As for distance, i dont think anyone has compared the affect of lens zoom on PQ for the Z4. Personally, I would think that it would be best to mount as close as possible to get maximum brightness. For your screen the throw range is 11-21'. i would say 13-15' throw should give you enough flexibility, go with what works best for your room - thats the advantage of this PJ...

-paul

xuantocdo,
i think the optimal is to mount your pj dead center of screen, level with the top of screen if you are doing a ceiling mount (which i assume because of the chief mount), bottom of the screen if you are doing a shelf mount. As for distance, i dont think anyone has compared the affect of lens zoom on PQ for the Z4. Personally, I would think that it would be best to mount as close as possible to get maximum brightness. For your screen the throw range is 11-21'. i would say 13-15' throw should give you enough flexibility, go with what works best for your room - thats the advantage of this PJ...

-paul

Ideally i would want to get max. brightness for viewing so, using your advice, i will go with 14' throw.

Thank you paul

My Z4 must be cursed. I got the dust blob out and all seemed fine. Tonight I come home and turn it on and it shuts itself off and the replace lamp light comes on. The bulb doesn't look like it blew.

I use the Oppo with its included cable and he picture is peefect so I doubt that changing cables or dvd palyers will affect your problem.

It sounds like a real internal problem witth your Z4 and suggest that you contact Sanyo this morning to send it in for repair.

Shelly

Whew! It looks like it's the Oppo! This afternoon I picked up a Comcast DVR with an HDMI interface, and with the help of an adapter, connected it to the Z4 at 1080i. The HD image was just superb! None of the green/magenta crud I was getting from the Oppo through the same cable and the same Z4 HDMI port. Needless to say, I would much rather deal with a warranty issue on the Oppo.

Jeff

Whew! It looks like it's the Oppo! This afternoon I picked up a Comcast DVR with an HDMI interface, and with the help of an adapter, connected it to the Z4 at 1080i. The HD image was just superb! None of the green/magenta crud I was getting from the Oppo through the same cable and the same Z4 HDMI port. Needless to say, I would much rather deal with a warranty issue on the Oppo.

Jeff

That's great. I gues it's possible that either the cable or player has a problem but this would be an exception to those of us using the Oppo witth its included cable.

By the way, I also have the Comcast hd dvr and found that I preferred the component connection picture over the hdmi connection. The component was much more vidid and colorful. Give it a try.

Shelly

My Super Bowl party went very well. Everyone was impressed w/ the Z4. I had quite a bit of lighting in my basement during the game. I used the Vivid mode and it looked fantastic. The people sitting up close (~6-8' away) didn't comment on any SDE. I can barely see it myself and that is only because I am looking for it, but from regular viewing distance (~16-18' away) it's a non-issue.

Ideally i would want to get max. brightness for viewing so, using your advice, i will go with 14' throw.

Thank you paul

The best PQ is the middle of the throw range. This has been talked about before, but it is the same as a regular optical zoom lense. It has it's optimal image in the middle of the zoom range. Towards the exremes and you get some amount of distortion. In real world applicaiton, it's hard to say that closer to one end or the other would show a noticable difference, but technically speaking, it's the middle of the range to shoot for. Might as well do that if you can. Closer in the range is not better. If your range is 11' to 21' then 16' is optimal, not 14'. 14' should be fine as well, but optimally speaking, 16' is best. Again, in reality, you may see no difference between 14' or 16', but if you can do either, 16' is what to aim for.

Anyone sitting at 10' with a 92" diag DaLite model B HCMW screen?

This is 1.5X screen width... any screen door or other problems?

The best PQ is the middle of the throw range. This has been talked about before, but it is the same as a regular optical zoom lense. It has it's optimal image in the middle of the zoom range. Towards the exremes and you get some amount of distortion. In real world applicaiton, it's hard to say that closer to one end or the other would show a noticable difference, but technically speaking, it's the middle of the range to shoot for. Might as well do that if you can. Closer in the range is not better. If your range is 11' to 21' then 16' is optimal, not 14'. 14' should be fine as well, but optimally speaking, 16' is best. Again, in reality, you may see no difference between 14' or 16', but if you can do either, 16' is what to aim for.

Thanks Dweezilz for the clarification

Regarding the best zoom position ...info from Bob Williams Projector Engr at Infocus*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The lens has a variable f-number, as pretty much all lenses in projectors in this price class do. What this means is that, similar to camera lenses, for maximum contrast and best focus the picture should be at its smallest, but for maximum brightness the picture should be at its largest"

This was a surprize to me but answers a lot of questions.
____________________________________________________________ ___________
* On page 17 of the new IF thread.

My Z4 arrived today, and it's now set up in "living" mode projecting HDTV from Dish via component cable (projecting on a white sheet, since the Dalite screen has not been received yet). It looks impressive and clear, no SD problems at 12 feet, 70-inches wide image, although I realize that I need to do some tweaking. As an initial (novice) overview, I think the reds are a little too pronounced, and that the contrast should be increased.

I have studying the Tweak settings provided by ROne and others, but I'm confused as to which are the most recent ("latest and greatest") settings. - Is there a master site in which improvements are integrated into the originals? (For example, one site entitled "recap of my LIVING Settings" is dated 8/11/05.) I have difficulty seperating the recommended settings from the current discussions in recent notes. Also, are there recommended settings for use with component cables, used with HDTV, as opposed to HDMI? - Or, would the settings provided for HDMI, for the Oppo player, etc., be a good start for adjusting the picture with component cables? -

Thanks for any suggestions. - I would appreciate some "tweak-light" recommendations for getting started.

Jim Cate

Regarding the best zoom position ...info from Bob Williams Projector Engr at Infocus*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The lens has a variable f-number, as pretty much all lenses in projectors in this price class do. What this means is that, similar to camera lenses, for maximum contrast and best focus the picture should be at its smallest, but for maximum brightness the picture should be at its largest"

This was a surprize to me but answers a lot of questions.
____________________________________________________________ ___________
* On page 17 of the new IF thread.

So...based on the info I have from very reliable sources that say the middle of the zoom is best (people who are experts in the photography field), if according to Bob at Infocus, the best focus & contrast is at the minimum and the best brightness the maximum, wouldn't that mean that the best over-all position is in the middle?

Anyway, this is exactly why I said many posts back that this wasn't worth debating. Everyone has their own version... At any rate, I found this on a very respected Photography magazine's website:

"Most zoom lenses have pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the zoom range and barrel distortion at the wide end. In between, there may be a setting at which there is practically zero distortion, the best setting for copy work and critical architectural images. There is a "sweet spot" in the lens' focal length range that allows the greatest macro magnification. This sweet spot is just past the center of the zoom's range, in the direction of telephoto settings"

According to these reliable sources, the zoom on a projector is no different in this regard. And it seems that Bob at Infocus agrees about the similarities to a camera lense.

If anybody is interested, here is the latest story with my Z4. I spent most of the day talking to tech support, or waiting to talk to tech support, and then talking to a sanyo engineer. He had me take off the cover of the projector and reset this switch that was keeping the lamp and projector from operating. After that he had me go into service mode because he thought since I live in Albuquerque, NM the elevation might have triggered it and he thought the cool down cycle should be extended. I don't think the elevation here is a problem, but went along with him anyway because what could a little more cool down time hurt. Well, then he was having me enter things that was adjusting the fan speed and it kept getting louder, and louder. He was saying I should operate the projector this way to help keep it cool. Heck no! I mean it was as loud as an oven range fan blower on high!...completely ridiculous. I told him no way and just get it back to where it was normally. It got quieter, but with the code for the extended cool time mixed in I didn't think he brought the level down to factory out of the box setting. So, I went back in and put the settings we first turned back to 0's. I believe I got it right, I know its risky. He told me to pretend I never went into service mode so I wouldn't mess it up since most of the codes are not standard and they don't know what they are. Is that right? Anyway, I guess I'll also pretend I didn't go back in and change his adjustments. Everything looks normal, but it still sounds a bit louder than before. Maybe because I'm overly sensitive to it now and I'm looking for a problem.

So, the big kicker of all this is what actually caused the problem. Well, I find out later that while I thought nobody else was home, my roommates family swung by to pick up some things they left on Sunday and either sat on the remote or something and turned the projector on and didn't know how to turn it off so they gave it nice hard power down with the rear switch. Likely story I know, but I'm inclined to believe them knowing how spacey they are.

These thing must only happen to me. Its nuts. So, how many hours of my lamp did that kill? Hopefully water under the bridge, and I hope my fan speed is indeed normal.

Is there a master site in which improvements are integrated into the originals?
Hey Jim

If you go to the tweak thread you'll see there is a link in ROne's signature to a Word document that he updates. It has all the current settings. Likewise there's a link in the later pages to a new site that was set up that also has this information in convenient table format.

Is there a master site in which improvements are integrated into the originals?
Hey Jim

If you go to the tweak thread you'll see there is a link in ROne's signature to a Word document that he updates. It has all the current settings. Likewise there's a link in the later pages to a new site that was set up that also has this information in convenient table format.

For those interested.


Owners Manual and Service Manual download links: here (http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/showthread.php?p=450#post450).

Thanks for the manual links.

I just received my Z4 on Thursday and have found that it is having a problem with projecting red images. There are vertical lines running through pure red images and the red is bleeding outside the object which is distorting the red objects. The 'WARNING' message at the beginning of the Jurassic Park DVD or the red cape on Superman are examples of the types of red that create this problem. I am running progressive scan DVD through quality component cables. I have tried different cables, different inputs, different DVD players and adjusted different settings on the projector all with the same result. I have also been to the menu where adjusments can be made for VB and that look fine. Any thoughts as to what the problem may be. I stopped my testing at 3 hours on the lamp as I can return this unit with under 4 lamp hours.

thank you

I just received my Z4 on Thursday and have found that it is having a problem with projecting red images. There are vertical lines running through pure red images and the red is bleeding outside the object which is distorting the red objects. The 'WARNING' message at the beginning of the Jurassic Park DVD or the red cape on Superman are examples of the types of red that create this problem. I am running progressive scan DVD through quality component cables. I have tried different cables, different inputs, different DVD players and adjusted different settings on the projector all with the same result. I have also been to the menu where adjusments can be made for VB and that look fine. Any thoughts as to what the problem may be. I stopped my testing at 3 hours on the lamp as I can return this unit with under 4 lamp hours.

thank you

No question, if you can now return the unit, please do so. You are fortunate to be able to return the Z4 to your dealer.

There are way too many units without any problems so the few that exhibit them are the exception.

Your replacement unit would probably be perfect.

Shelly