I am new to this. just set up the z4 and the quality, both dvd and hdtv , is awful, so I figure it is not set up correctly.
my connections are the following
for dvd
denon dvd 1910- dvi-dvi/hdmi adapter -z4

for hd
comcast cable-component- z4

any suggestions? have tried z4 thru hdmi and it does not make a difference

I think you'll have to provide more information than just the quality of dvd and hdtv is awful. If you don't think its set up properly...be sure you thoroughly examined the owners manual and give it another go. There could be many things going on...bad cables, dvd player not set-up properly for the Z4, using an image mode that you don't like.

I agree with Smithy. This generation of LCD projectors certainly aren't perfect, but "awful" is a real stretch. What specific image aspect is "awful" to your eyes? What factory preset are you using (Creative Cinema and Living seem to be the best)? Have you adjusted beyond that with a calibration disc? What DVDs are you using for reference material? Given that you're using the DVI connection are both the DVD and Z4 set to the same levels (ie. L1 or L2)? Have you tried switching the cables and running DVD through component?

Best suggestion I can offer is to go to the Z4 Tweak Thread, find a post by ROne, and download the Word document linked in his signature. It offers two calibrated settings to get you started, both of which look excellent (much better then factory and what I was able to get with a basic Avia or DVE calibration).

"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. "

A friend suggested this might sound like a Chroma Bug with substandered de-interlacers. I am not very familiar with this and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts. I am currently using a Sony 70H progressive DVD player with component out. Should I try using a DVD player with foujida processer?

thank you

I recently bought a z4 and am extremely happy with its performance. I have however noticed that the screen height on the left side is slightly larger than on the right side by about 2 inches. Is there an option to fix this?
The keystone option is used for making tweaks when the top and bottom of the screen are of different widths.

"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. "

A friend suggested this might sound like a Chroma Bug with substandered de-interlacers. I am not very familiar with this and was wondering if anybody had any thoughts. I am currently using a Sony 70H progressive DVD player with component out. Should I try using a DVD player with foujida processer?

thank you

Most of the better DVD players out now don't have issue with the Chroma Bug, however, even for those that did, (I had one that did and viewed with my Sony 51" HDTV), the picture was still pretty good, so there must be something more wrong with your setup.

Anyway, give us some more information as to your setup. One other thing to try is to fix the red LCD panel. There is an adjustment in the user menu that can adjust each panel separately. It's possible that you can get rid of these 'lines' via that tool. Mine was fine, but just to see what it did, when I ajusted the red, I actually created some red lines, thus I think it's possible this might be your issue.

Let us know.

I recently bought a z4 and am extremely happy with its performance. I have however noticed that the screen height on the left side is slightly larger than on the right side by about 2 inches. Is there an option to fix this?
The keystone option is used for making tweaks when the top and bottom of the screen are of different widths.

If I had to guess, I'd say the issue lies in your projector mount. Try using the tilt and roll features of your mount (hopefully it has these adjustments) to physically move the Z4 up & down on it's axis (tipping right and left) and up and down (forward & back tilt) and see if this fixes the issue. You are right that the keystone adjusts wider on the top & bottom, but won't do anything about a scew such as having one side be 2 inches higher.

Give the manual mount adjustments a shot, otherwise, it could be something physically wrong with the Z4 because obviously one side shouldn't be 2 inches higher.

After three days of experimenting with the Z4 using a 92-inch Dalite matte screen, I can summarize our experience as follows: Wow! On HD from OTA broadcasts, the picture is simply spectacular. - The Olympics in HD last night were a great introduction. I see no bad pixels, no VB, and (at a viewing distance of 11.5 feet, or 1:75 screen width) no screen door effect.

Some improvement could be made in color balance, contrast, etc, but I haven't had great results so far from tweaking attempts, with or without RHone's recommendations. In general, I find the more "accurate" modes such as CC are not bright enough and prefer to live with some color imbalance rather than a lack of contrast and brightness. - But I'll try again. It also turns out that my concerns about receiving standard TV were not well founded. The Dish 6000 HD receiver with OTA cartridge does in fact pick up SB TV, and it's not too bad. Also, most of the major network stations in our area now have digital broadcasts, which are still better.

My questions relate to the fact that, so far, I don't seem to get great results on DVD. - I'm using a rather high-end Sony player (the DVP S9000es) which cost almost as much as the Z4 projector when purchased five (?) years ago. The unit is connected to the projector with a 25-foot component cable (Monster), also used (with good results) on the HD OTA. - From others' experience, would I notice a great improvement if I switched to an upscaling player with 720p output, such as the Oppo, using an HDMI cable? Is the Oppo still considered one of the best choices? (I notice that several other manufacturers seem to have similar models, and one has an HD-DVD, though not BluRay, for about the same price.) I also understand that Oppo plans to introduce a new model with upconversion for component output next month. Excuse the stupid question, but what's the significance of that? - Isn't HDMI still going to give a better picture? I would expect to use a long (20-feet) Toslink fiber optic cable for audio. - Would a fo cable this long be OK, or is there a better approach? (I'm using an older Onkyo TX DS676 receiver, located near the power amps feeding the speakers, for audio processing.)

For the time being, I am experimenting with (Radio Shack) switching devices for switching between the Dish receiver/tuner and the Sony DVD player, using component cables. Are these switches considered deleterious to picture quality or not?

Sorry for the list of questions. - I have tried searching the Forum for answers under several of these topics, but I find that most discussions don't include an english translation of the technobabble, and actually seem to assume that the reader already understands most of what's being discussed.

Thanks for any suggestions and recommendations.

Jim Cate

I am new to this. just set up the z4 and the quality, both dvd and hdtv , is awful, so I figure it is not set up correctly.
my connections are the following
for dvd
denon dvd 1910- dvi-dvi/hdmi adapter -z4

for hd
comcast cable-component- z4

any suggestions? have tried z4 thru hdmi and it does not make a difference

HDTV via your Comcast cable box should be STUNNING even on the default Z4 settings out of the box. The fact that instead of stunning, what you are seeing is 'aweful' makes me think there could be something wrong with your Z4. Other contributing factors are lighting, proper viewing distance, proper throw distance, and a screen that is good for the Z4. Still, even with all those things (aside from ambient lighting issues) wrong, Z4 should still be giving you the WOW factor with HD content via your comcast box. Give us more info on your settings and theater setup and it will be easier to diagnose, however, if it is truely aweful, obviously something is very off as it should at the very least be very very good with no tweaking at all.

If I had to guess, I'd say the issue lies in your projector mount. Try using the tilt and roll features of your mount (hopefully it has these adjustments) to physically move the Z4 up & down on it's axis (tipping right and left) and up and down (forward & back tilt) and see if this fixes the issue. You are right that the keystone adjusts wider on the top & bottom, but won't do anything about a scew such as having one side be 2 inches higher.

Give the manual mount adjustments a shot, otherwise, it could be something physically wrong with the Z4 because obviously one side shouldn't be 2 inches higher.

I would try the yaw adjustment. The axis of the lens needs to be perpendicular to the screen. Don't try to "point" the lens to the center of the screen. Go to minimum zoom and move the projector so you can see how it affects the picture. You should be able toget a perfect rectange without keystone adjustment as long as you are within the lens shift range.

hey jim

I can tell you my experience so far and impressions regarding dvd and upscaling. I am using a Samsung HD850 upscaling dvd player. I realize that some people don't like this player that much, but its probably just a few notches below similiar sony which some have said have overscan issues. Anyway...overall it puts out a great image. I would say the only draw back is that the dvd picture tends to look a bit soft at times. Its most likely a combination of the dvd player and the projectors processing of dvd based material. Cuz like you said...on hd its stunning...and sharp. But its important to remember that dvd isn't hd and our previous displays were probably bested by the capability of dvd and now its the other way around...our modern displays like the Z4 can handle way more than dvd and are designed to do so. For me it seems like switching to an Oppo player would yield better results, but by how much is the question. I think that blu-ray will solve this issue for us. Not just because its HD...but more importantly because content producers won't have to consider the NTSC video spectrum at all. That might sound like the same thing...but really HD is better not just because it has more lines of resolution...but more importantly because its not NTSC. ATSC is still flawed and full of some compromises (consider that it was established 9 years ago!) but its certainly better. I will say that even though my OTA HD generally looks great...I'm much happier with my image settings on dvd. I'm perfectly satisfied with how I have it set up right now and think the color and image contrast is beautiful. I don't feel the same on HD yet...but its close.

Okay, regarding HDMI vs Component. Well, people have different opinions on this and I think different sets of equipment yield different results. But for me, I don't really see a difference between the two when upscaling dvd. The samsung upscales over component so I've tried both 1080i and 720p and then switched over to hdmi and really it all looks good. My OTA reciever is HDMI and I haven't tried component over that. For me its a toss up. HDMI is easy to run since its basically one cable versus 3 in a component cable...but for image clarity I doubt you would be displeased with one over the other. Thats just me. Good Luck!

I would try the yaw adjustment. The axis of the lens needs to be perpendicular to the screen. Don't try to "point" the lens to the center of the screen. Go to minimum zoom and move the projector so you can see how it affects the picture. You should be able toget a perfect rectange without keystone adjustment as long as you are within the lens shift range.

Yeah, I couldn't recall that word...Yaw! ha! Anyway, I agree with Dick to make sure you have proper geometry of your picture, don't use the full screen as it makes it harder to see the rectangle. Once you make it smaller & adjust it properly, then you can blow it up in size again & it will be fine.

I recently bought a z4 and am extremely happy with its performance. I have however noticed that the screen height on the left side is slightly larger than on the right side by about 2 inches. Is there an option to fix this?
The keystone option is used for making tweaks when the top and bottom of the screen are of different widths.
I had the same issue - projector is not square to the screen. Your left side is slightly closer then the right, hence the larger image. Loosen the appropriate screws on your mount and rotate the projector slightly, then readjust position with lens shift. The more shift or zoom you're using the more these effects will be exagerrated.

Thanks for all your replies. You were right. Rotating the projector slightly to the right fixed the problem.

overall the z4 thread is pretty quiet. Everyone must be enjoying their projectors. How many are watching NBC HD Olympic coverage? I haven't been too impressed so far, but tonight I tuned into the late night coverage after Leno and thought that some of the HD material looked amazing. Really, really amazing. Anyone else agree? I can't wait for blu-ray (or HD-DVD, but I think blu-ray is gonna be the winner) as HD can look spectacular on the Z4, especially when its clear of compression artifacts.

overall the z4 thread is pretty quiet. Everyone must be enjoying their projectors. How many are watching NBC HD Olympic coverage? I haven't been too impressed so far, but tonight I tuned into the late night coverage after Leno and thought that some of the HD material looked amazing. Really, really amazing. Anyone else agree? I can't wait for blu-ray (or HD-DVD, but I think blu-ray is gonna be the winner) as HD can look spectacular on the Z4, especially when its clear of compression artifacts.


Curious if you have any of ROnes's tweaks applied? How is your HDTV box connected to your Z4? I thought the olympic HD picture was descent. I have my Z4 connected via HDMI from my Acientific Atlanta 8300HD, right out of the box, no tweaks yet, and projected on a plain wall (not even primed yet). See pic.

Http://www.cdecker.com/images/hdtv.jpg

I have tried 2 sources feeding my z4 and both during fast moving video with give a vertical line in the middle and some breakup in the picture. I have been playing with the sync some and that has seemed to help some, Not sure if I should send back to have it looked at?
Im running it with component inputs. Thanks for any help.

Curious if you have any of ROnes's tweaks applied? How is your HDTV box connected to your Z4? I thought the olympic HD picture was descent. I have my Z4 connected via HDMI from my Acientific Atlanta 8300HD, right out of the box, no tweaks yet, and projected on a plain wall (not even primed yet). See pic.

I'm using an OTA HD tuner connected via hdmi. I am using ROne's settings and made small changes to brightness, contract, and gamma. Overall it looks great. I'm definitely having a harder time with those settings on HD vs DVD, but I'm still pretty happy with it. If I remember correctly I also have a user setting stored based on natural that I've used with HD hdmi and that sometimes looks better. Depends on the source programming I guess. Your picture looks darn good considering its being projected on a plain wall.

I can't wait for blu-ray (or HD-DVD, but I think blu-ray is gonna be the winner) as HD can look spectacular on the Z4, especially when its clear of compression artifacts.

I too am looking forward to less compressed/macroblocked content that we currently see, for eg, in fast action olympics coverage. Hopefully the new HD DVDs will deliver but they're compressed as well to some extent so we shall see.

No doubt that the z4 can really shine when the source is excellent. The odd time we get those 'wows' from picture quality would really be impressive if the picture quality was consistently high. So we're really waiting for the content/delivery quality to catch up to what the z4 can do.

hey jim

I can tell you my experience so far and impressions regarding dvd and upscaling. I am using a Samsung HD850 upscaling dvd player. I realize that some people don't like this player that much, but its probably just a few notches below similiar sony which some have said have overscan issues. Anyway...overall it puts out a great image. I would say the only draw back is that the dvd picture tends to look a bit soft at times. Its most likely a combination of the dvd player and the projectors processing of dvd based material. Cuz like you said...on hd its stunning...and sharp. But its important to remember that dvd isn't hd and our previous displays were probably bested by the capability of dvd and now its the other way around...our modern displays like the Z4 can handle way more than dvd and are designed to do so. For me it seems like switching to an Oppo player would yield better results, but by how much is the question. I think that blu-ray will solve this issue for us. Not just because its HD...but more importantly because content producers won't have to consider the NTSC video spectrum at all. That might sound like the same thing...but really HD is better not just because it has more lines of resolution...but more importantly because its not NTSC.

Okay, regarding HDMI vs Component. Well, people have different opinions on this and I think different sets of equipment yield different results. But for me, I don't really see a difference between the two when upscaling dvd. The samsung upscales over component so I've tried both 1080i and 720p and then switched over to hdmi and really it all looks good. My OTA reciever is HDMI and I haven't tried component over that. For me its a toss up. HDMI is easy to run since its basically one cable versus 3 in a component cable...but for image clarity I doubt you would be displeased with one over the other. Thats just me. Good Luck!

Thanks for the information. I'm probably going to wait for the new model of the Oppo, which will include 720p out on component, if I understand their notice. - With a switcher, that would allow me to use my 25 ft. component cable.
I'm questioning the picture quality from my Sony DVD player, since it was outstanding on my previous TV (a 65-inch CRT HDTV). I don't think the larger picture size exaplains it, since the picture I get on the Z4 with "standard", not zoomed format, is substantially smaller than the size of the screen (contrary to the HD input,which fills the screen), so is probably about the same size as the 64-inch CRT.

I think I may be doing something wrong re the connections or setup.

Jim

Thanks for the information. I'm probably going to wait for the new model of the Oppo, which will include 720p out on component, if I understand their notice. - With a switcher, that would allow me to use my 25 ft. component cable.
I'm questioning the picture quality from my Sony DVD player, since it was outstanding on my previous TV (a 65-inch CRT HDTV). I don't think the larger picture size exaplains it, since the picture I get on the Z4 with "standard", not zoomed format, is substantially smaller than the size of the screen (contrary to the HD input,which fills the screen), so is probably about the same size as the 64-inch CRT.

I think I may be doing something wrong re the connections or setup.

Jim

If this is true it would be great, however, I'd be suprised if they allowed 720p or 1080i via componant. The Zenith DVB318 made this famous back almost 2 years ago now, but they quickly nixed this 'feature' as it goes against the agreed upon copy protection for HD outputs. The MPA came down on them so they stopped producing them with the componant out working for HD and any firmware updates that fixed other problems disabled the componant outs. It would be very interesting indeed if Oppo ignored the MPA and went with unprotected componant upconverting. What they need to do is allow 480p via componant to bring it up to speedf for those that want at least that. If they do go against this copy protection rule, I wonder how long it will take before they are forced to remove it like Zenith was with the 318?

-T

I'm using an OTA HD tuner connected via hdmi. I am using ROne's settings and made small changes to brightness, contract, and gamma. Overall it looks great. I'm definitely having a harder time with those settings on HD vs DVD, but I'm still pretty happy with it. If I remember correctly I also have a user setting stored based on natural that I've used with HD hdmi and that sometimes looks better. Depends on the source programming I guess. Your picture looks darn good considering its being projected on a plain wall.


Thanks for the info and compliments! I must say this projector is amazing! I pulled it from the box, mounted it securly to my ceiling, hooked it up to my SA8300HD via HDMI, and threw the picture on the wall. I was totally blown away by the picture. I fully intend to tweak its brains out using ROne's settings, but was a little hesitant since his settings were optimized for a HTPC setup. It seems like your having good results with your STB via HDMI and his settings, so I plan on trying it once I get the screen complete. Yea, that pic above was on a plain "eggshell" wall in my HT room. Cant wait to see the results with the 1.2 gain of the screen and black velvet up! :)

hanks for the information. I'm probably going to wait for the new model of the Oppo, which will include 720p out on component, if I understand their notice. -I think I may be doing something wrong re the connections or setup.

Jim

I think that the new Oppo will output 480p, not higher resolutions, from component. Right now it just outputs 480i over component.

Shelly

Projector Central gave a solid review for an upconverting DVD player that gives full res out of both digital and analog outputs.

Unfortunately on the DVD Benchmark website, they basically say it's a poor player on every level except features. It failed more than 10 test categories and pretty much everything else about it is bad according to them.

Oh well, it was worth a try. Seems the DVB318 with older firmware is still the only way to go for 1080i/720p via componant.

Thanks for the info and compliments! I must say this projector is amazing! I pulled it from the box, mounted it securly to my ceiling, hooked it up to my SA8300HD via HDMI, and threw the picture on the wall. I was totally blown away by the picture. I fully intend to tweak its brains out using ROne's settings, but was a little hesitant since his settings were optimized for a HTPC setup. It seems like your having good results with your STB via HDMI and his settings, so I plan on trying it once I get the screen complete. Yea, that pic above was on a plain "eggshell" wall in my HT room. Cant wait to see the results with the 1.2 gain of the screen and black velvet up! :)

For Comcast HD over component, I'm using a DaLite HiPower screen and Creative Cinema with edge enhancement turned down to -6 and the lamp in eco mode. The result may not be perfect, but for now I'll just have to settle for awesome. (-8

Once the Olympics are over I'll have more time for DVDs and Rone's settings, but at the moment it's beating the pants off my venerable 400Q.

Jeff

For Comcast HD over component, I'm using a DaLite HiPower screen and Creative Cinema with edge enhancement turned down to -6 and the lamp in eco mode. The result may not be perfect, but for now I'll just have to settle for awesome. (-8

Once the Olympics are over I'll have more time for DVDs and Rone's settings, but at the moment it's beating the pants off my venerable 400Q.

Jeff


I hear ya, my new Z4 has seen almost nothing but HD Olympics so far. Just purchased a 4-way HDMI switch from monoprice and some cables, so hopefully by this weekend I can get the PC connected and watch some DVD's. I'd also like to try Rone's settings. To bad they didint make an HDMI adapter for the ps2 :(

I think that the new Oppo will output 480p, not higher resolutions, from component. Right now it just outputs 480i over component.

Shelly


The information I saw on the new Oppo wasn't very specific, so that may be right. 480p may be all it does.

Meanwhile, I made further adjustments on my Sony DVP-S9000ES, and I'm getting much better clarity and an appropriate picture size and aspect ratio. So I'm now wondering whether the improvement available on the current Oppo (at 720p with HDMI output) would be that much better than my present system. - Has anyone made such a switch (from a good picture from an older DVD player at 480p (via a component cable) to 720p from the Oppo on HDMI)? If so, how much improvement did you get?

Thanks,
Jim Cate

The information I saw on the new Oppo wasn't very specific, so that may be right. 480p may be all it does.

Meanwhile, I made further adjustments on my Sony DVP-S9000ES, and I'm getting much better clarity and an appropriate picture size and aspect ratio. So I'm now wondering whether the improvement available on the current Oppo (at 720p with HDMI output) would be that much better than my present system. - Has anyone made such a switch (from a good picture from an older DVD player at 480p (via a component cable) to 720p from the Oppo on HDMI)? If so, how much improvement did you get?

Thanks,
Jim Cate


I switched from a Panny RP91 to the Oppo displaying 720p. The difference isn't significant at all, if you've already own a decent 480p player, don't switch. I had a chance to compare the RP91 to the Oppo before buying, and I went with it mainly for the ability to play all regions and Pal discs in addition to R1 NTSC.

I feel that the RP91 has much better color depth than the Oppo, the autozoom/stretch feature on the Panny is nice too.

The Z4 arrived this evening (UPS actually knocked on my door just after 7:30 PM).

Out of the box, I was impressed with the picture quality and color. Put in ROne's settings and played around a bit...and I'm supremely happy.

The image is very sharp, which is a big thing for me. The depth of the picture is phenomenal.

I've been through a couple of LCD projectors before, trying to find the right unit for me without spending a fortune. The sp5000 and the Z1 just didn't cut it from a resolution, sharpness, and contrast point of view. I also own a 37 inch panny plasma EDTV and, upon comparison, I just couldn't get an image that even approached the panny. I was discouraged to say the least and had to unload both projectors.

As the Z4 price came down and the free bulb offer surfaced, my hopes arose for one final try before waiting for affordable projectors to "catch up".

Well, I have no reservations in saying I feel my Z4 rivals my plasma's picture, and that's saying a lot as I love my plasma and hold it higher than most other HDTV's I've seen. With the size factored in, it's no contest. I couldn't be happier.

I popped in Matrix: Revolutions as I've been wanting to watch it again lately and felt it would be a pretty good test of the units contrast work for an initial run through. It performed beautifully. I had no problem with the many dark scenes, either with detail or the deepness of the black levels. The final fight between Smith and Neo looked better than it did in the theater. I split the feed and had it running into the panny as well for comparison's sake every once in a while...as I said, the Z4 rivaled the quality for me. The only issue was having some of the limitation of my progressive scan dvd player as the defects in the dvd image were blown up on the larger screen (to be solved shortly...I have a Zenith DVB318 coming via Fed Ex any day now). They were there on the plasma, but much less obvious in a 37 in screen; I feel that if I moved the projector in and made a 37 in screen, I'd get similar results.

As for other common problems, I had to get within 2 feet of the screen to appreciate any SDE. I had problems with that on the Z1 and the sp5000, so I was expecting it to some degree with the Z4...even to the point I had trouble deciding between it and the AE900. I went with my gut on the "sharp" pic I had read so many times about with the Z4 (sharpness and "depth" are a big thing for me) and hoped I could arrange an appropriate screen size/seating distance ratio to keep the SDE to a minimum. Looks like that won't really be a problem as I literally have to get up and stand next to the screen and work to see the pixels. Extremely pleased there.

I also saw no vertical banding.

The lens shift is a godsend. So incredibly easy to get my image up and going and in line, even with my "in progress" set-up.

So, another happy recommendation of the Z4 here. Some more tweaking to do here and there, some 360 time spent (Ghost Recon is just around the corner...), and, hopefully, another jump in DVD quality when the upconverting DVD player arrives...I couldn't be more excited!

:D

For the Owners of the Sanyo Z4 And Denon 3910, could tell me if exist the Macroblock Bug?

I am asking it because i will get the 3910, and soon i am pretending to but the Z4 Projector ;)

..I literally have to get up and stand next to the screen and work to see the pixels. Extremely pleased there.
Glad to hear you're enjoying your new Z4 as we all are. But for the benefit of those still considering a purchase and where SDE weighs heavily on the decision I would challenge this statement. Individual sensitivity to SDE is one thing, where pixel structure might be visible but some may not care vs. others can't continue to watch. But objectively the pixels are flat out visible inside of 1.3 to 1.5x screen width. I can clearly see pixels from 10 feet away, particularly on areas of flat color or onscreen menus. Within a few feet it's a sharp grey grid.

Pixel structure is a fact of life on the Z4 (and on most LCD 720p projectors for that matter) and likely contributes to its perceived sharpness. But with proper viewing distances (ie. greater then 1.5x in most cases) this becomes a non-issue.

The Z4 arrived this evening (UPS actually knocked on my door just after 7:30 PM).

Out of the box, I was impressed with the picture quality and color. Put in ROne's settings and played around a bit...and I'm supremely happy.

The image is very sharp, which is a big thing for me. The depth of the picture is phenomenal.

I've been through a couple of LCD projectors before, trying to find the right unit for me without spending a fortune. The sp5000 and the Z1 just didn't cut it from a resolution, sharpness, and contrast point of view. I also own a 37 inch panny plasma EDTV and, upon comparison, I just couldn't get an image that even approached the panny. I was discouraged to say the least and had to unload both projectors.

As the Z4 price came down and the free bulb offer surfaced, my hopes arose for one final try before waiting for affordable projectors to "catch up".

Well, I have no reservations in saying I feel my Z4 rivals my plasma's picture, and that's saying a lot as I love my plasma and hold it higher than most other HDTV's I've seen. With the size factored in, it's no contest. I couldn't be happier.

I popped in Matrix: Revolutions as I've been wanting to watch it again lately and felt it would be a pretty good test of the units contrast work for an initial run through. It performed beautifully. I had no problem with the many dark scenes, either with detail or the deepness of the black levels. The final fight between Smith and Neo looked better than it did in the theater. I split the feed and had it running into the panny as well for comparison's sake every once in a while...as I said, the Z4 rivaled the quality for me. The only issue was having some of the limitation of my progressive scan dvd player as the defects in the dvd image were blown up on the larger screen (to be solved shortly...I have a Zenith DVB318 coming via Fed Ex any day now). They were there on the plasma, but much less obvious in a 37 in screen; I feel that if I moved the projector in and made a 37 in screen, I'd get similar results.

As for other common problems, I had to get within 2 feet of the screen to appreciate any SDE. I had problems with that on the Z1 and the sp5000, so I was expecting it to some degree with the Z4...even to the point I had trouble deciding between it and the AE900. I went with my gut on the "sharp" pic I had read so many times about with the Z4 (sharpness and "depth" are a big thing for me) and hoped I could arrange an appropriate screen size/seating distance ratio to keep the SDE to a minimum. Looks like that won't really be a problem as I literally have to get up and stand next to the screen and work to see the pixels. Extremely pleased there.

I also saw no vertical banding.

The lens shift is a godsend. So incredibly easy to get my image up and going and in line, even with my "in progress" set-up.

So, another happy recommendation of the Z4 here. Some more tweaking to do here and there, some 360 time spent (Ghost Recon is just around the corner...), and, hopefully, another jump in DVD quality when the upconverting DVD player arrives...I couldn't be more excited!

:D

Doesn't the Z4 upscale the image for you? So far I am not too impressed with my brand new Z4 but that was with a fair amount of ambient light in the room. My X1 did look better albeit on an 84" screen as opposed to the 106" I was projecting. I am now about to try it again in a dark room with the Gray Wolf. Here's hoping my jaw drops . . .

Greg

I am using the creative cinema mode, with a few adjustments, and I am finding that the image periodically gets brighter in the middle of a bright scene where there is no change of brightness in the film. I'm thinking this is the auto iris causing this effect, but was wondering if this is common with this projector. This occurs a few times throughout a movie. I would understand if this occured at the very beginning of a scene but it is occuring in the middle. I'm not sure if this is a problem or if there is anything I can do to correct this as it is alittle distracting.

thanks,
Tim

This may be a dumb question, but any way to get the grey bars on the left and right of the screen during 4:3 viewing of SD channels to be black instead of grey? Thanks.

I am using the creative cinema mode, with a few adjustments, and I am finding that the image periodically gets brighter in the middle of a bright scene where there is no change of brightness in the film. I'm thinking this is the auto iris causing this effect, but was wondering if this is common with this projector. This occurs a few times throughout a movie. I would understand if this occured at the very beginning of a scene but it is occuring in the middle. I'm not sure if this is a problem or if there is anything I can do to correct this as it is alittle distracting.

thanks,
Tim


If you think that is bad, try watching the title/text crawl at the opening of Star Wars. Set the image level to dynamic and you'll see the text change from an orange-yellow to a green-yellow to a red-orange. The space scene will go from pitch black with almost no stars to grey with all stars visible. This sounds just like what you have experienced but to a lesser degree. I think the auto iris is the culprit in each case and frankly, I think the auto-iris thing is not quite fully realized.

I have since moved to creative cinema and the phenomenon is much less pronounced. Even with the gray wolf black levels still aren't what I would like, but they are better than with my X1.

You may try Rones settings. That is what I am going to do next. My picture is very red and basic manipulation hasn't helped.

Greg

If you think that is bad, try watching the title/text crawl at the opening of Star Wars. Set the image level to dynamic and you'll see the text change from an orange-yellow to a green-yellow to a red-orange. The space scene will go from pitch black with almost no stars to grey with all stars visible. This sounds just like what you have experienced but to a lesser degree. I think the auto iris is the culprit in each case and frankly, I think the auto-iris thing is not quite fully realized.

I have since moved to creative cinema and the phenomenon is much less pronounced. Even with the gray wolf black levels still aren't what I would like, but they are better than with my X1.

You may try Rones settings. That is what I am going to do next. My picture is very red and basic manipulation hasn't helped.

Greg

I started out with a defective Oppo (replaced almost overnight by their great customer service), so most of my viewing has been HDTV, with a movie last night, and some tests with 5th Element. Anyhow, Creative Cinema is working pretty well on a 106" DALite Hi Power at 1.55X. I set the lamp on Eco, which with the Hi Power screen in a light controlled room is fine. I've also turned down edge enhancement to -6. I think I will wind up using AVIA to further tweak Creative Cinema, and leave it at that.

I've experimented a bit with Rone's tweaks, and so far they are not working for me. The problem may be that not all Z4's are leaving the factory tuned in precisely the same way, so a tweak might be great on one machine and a disaster on another. Bottom line, Creative Cinema is good enough for the moment.

Jeff

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new Z4 as we all are. But for the benefit of those still considering a purchase and where SDE weighs heavily on the decision I would challenge this statement. Individual sensitivity to SDE is one thing, where pixel structure might be visible but some may not care vs. others can't continue to watch. But objectively the pixels are flat out visible inside of 1.3 to 1.5x screen width. I can clearly see pixels from 10 feet away, particularly on areas of flat color or onscreen menus. Within a few feet it's a sharp grey grid.

Pixel structure is a fact of life on the Z4 (and on most LCD 720p projectors for that matter) and likely contributes to its perceived sharpness. But with proper viewing distances (ie. greater then 1.5x in most cases) this becomes a non-issue.

I don't think objectively is the right word. I think SDE is a very subjective experience depending on each person's eyesight and what their eyes "choose" to focus on in an image.

Perhaps I was a bit overzealous, but I maintain that I had significant problems with SDE on the Z1 and the sp5000 at the same distances with no problem on the Z4. Doesn't mean it's not there, doesn't mean I don't care about it...I just don't appreciate it outside of a 1.0 seating distance and find it suprisingly mild within that distance. I'm sure others would feel the same while others would differ. SDE is just one of those things.

Doesn't the Z4 upscale the image for you? So far I am not too impressed with my brand new Z4 but that was with a fair amount of ambient light in the room. My X1 did look better albeit on an 84" screen as opposed to the 106" I was projecting. I am now about to try it again in a dark room with the Gray Wolf. Here's hoping my jaw drops . . .

From what I understand, the Z4 can only display what you feed it. If you send it a 480p image, that's what you'll get displayed.

I'm actually waiting for my GrayWolf to arrive. I see you've had some improvement in your black levels. I'm curious to see what you get with ROne's settings.

After some more time with the projector, it's kind of odd. Watching Castaway via ABC's HD feed last night revealed some difficulties during the night scenes. The contrast just wasn't near what it had been during my dvd watching. I noticed a bit less contrast during some of the other HD broadcasts, as well. The image quality was still there...the Olympics look stunning, but the contrast isn't the same. I'm using the same settings (basically, ROne's). Might just be a problem with my STB...I popped Matrix Revolutions back in tonight to see if I was going crazy but it looked just as good.

I don't think objectively is the right word. I think SDE is a very subjective experience depending on each person's eyesight and what their eyes "choose" to focus on in an image.
Screen door effect - the presence of pixel structure with a given projector - is objective. It's fundamentally part of the projected image. Where it is no longer visible or is a concern to the viewer is subjective. From your chosen seating distance I have no doubt that SDE is not an issue for you. But 1.0 seating is in the minority for Z4 owners and those still deciding need to take that into consideration.

I sent in my free lamp offer about 7 weeks ago and was wondering if anyone else who bought the projector with that offer received their's yet. Ususally, on a rebate card, there is a web site listed to check the status of a rebate, however, nothing was listed on the official form I received from the dealer.

Thanks,

Jerry

Quote:
Originally Posted by thar
I am using the creative cinema mode, with a few adjustments, and I am finding that the image periodically gets brighter in the middle of a bright scene where there is no change of brightness in the film. I'm thinking this is the auto iris causing this effect, but was wondering if this is common with this projector. This occurs a few times throughout a movie. I would understand if this occured at the very beginning of a scene but it is occuring in the middle. I'm not sure if this is a problem or if there is anything I can do to correct this as it is alittle distracting.

thanks,
Tim


If you think that is bad, try watching the title/text crawl at the opening of Star Wars. Set the image level to dynamic and you'll see the text change from an orange-yellow to a green-yellow to a red-orange. The space scene will go from pitch black with almost no stars to grey with all stars visible. This sounds just like what you have experienced but to a lesser degree. I think the auto iris is the culprit in each case and frankly, I think the auto-iris thing is not quite fully realized.

I have since moved to creative cinema and the phenomenon is much less pronounced. Even with the gray wolf black levels still aren't what I would like, but they are better than with my X1.

You may try Rones settings. That is what I am going to do next. My picture is very red and basic manipulation hasn't helped.

Greg

Does this mean that my projector is functioning within specs in regards to periodic brightness shifts? I just want to make sure the auto iris is function properly. I was just surprised to see this shift occur when there was no change in brightness level of the source material (occurs just a couple times throughout a movie). I certainly don't want to request to have it serviced unnecessarily.

thanks again,
Tim

FYI - I posted previously about color bleeding and that turned out to be a result of my DVD player. Just wanted to mention incase anybody else were to run into that.

Glad to hear you're enjoying your new Z4 as we all are. But for the benefit of those still considering a purchase and where SDE weighs heavily on the decision I would challenge this statement. Individual sensitivity to SDE is one thing, where pixel structure might be visible but some may not care vs. others can't continue to watch. But objectively the pixels are flat out visible inside of 1.3 to 1.5x screen width. I can clearly see pixels from 10 feet away, particularly on areas of flat color or onscreen menus. Within a few feet it's a sharp grey grid.

Pixel structure is a fact of life on the Z4 (and on most LCD 720p projectors for that matter) and likely contributes to its perceived sharpness. But with proper viewing distances (ie. greater then 1.5x in most cases) this becomes a non-issue.

Agreed 100%. Ya know, it's really amazing to find that exact point where it disappears. For me it is such a very exact distance. On my first row couch at 13.5 feet (106" screen), I can see SDE and fixed pixel noise quite clearly, although it's not horrible. I see it mostly in only bright portions of the picture. From right at 14.5 feet, it completely goes away. If I lean forward by 1 foot, poof, there it is again. Pretty amazing how that works like that. Right now I'm just waiting for my couch for the 2nd row (on a 6" riser) and I will definately sit there once it arrives. For now, I defocused just a tad to diminish SDE from 13.5 feet in the front row.

From what I understand, the Z4 can only display what you feed it. If you send it a 480p image, that's what you'll get displayed.



Is that really the case guys? That is not at all what I have previously thought. If you feed it 480p, it displays 720p. If you send it 1080i, it displays 720p. With LCD projectors, isn't the native resolution what it always displays?? If not, then the Z4 would basically have no scaling or de-interlacing at all.

Is that really the case guys? That is not at all what I have previously thought. If you feed it 480p, it displays 720p. If you send it 1080i, it displays 720p. With LCD projectors, isn't the native resolution what it always displays?? If not, then the Z4 would basically have no scaling or de-interlacing at all.

I think we're talking on different wavelengths here. The projector displays at 720p. If you feed it a 480i, 480p, or 1080i, yeah, it scales it to 720p.

You get a different image quality, though, from each resolution. If you use an upscaling dvd player, the player upscales it (and does a much better job at it), then sends a 720p or 1080i image to the projector. Your results should be improved compared with sending a 480p image (from a progressive scan player) and allowing the projector to scale it and project it.

I think we're talking on different wavelengths here. The projector displays at 720p. If you feed it a 480i, 480p, or 1080i, yeah, it scales it to 720p.

You get a different image quality, though, from each resolution. If you use an upscaling dvd player, the player upscales it (and does a much better job at it), then sends a 720p or 1080i image to the projector. Your results should be improved compared with sending a 480p image (from a progressive scan player) and allowing the projector to scale it and project it.

That is correct, but not what you said really. I was trying to dance gently by saying it's not what I had thought previously. I was close to saying it's not true but chose to take the high road. ha! :)

Image quality is very much different than saying it can only display what you feed it but it makes sense now that you restated what you intended to say. The projector is doing very much the same thing that an upconverting DVD player is doing however, as you said, it just doesn't do it as well as the standalone players. I have always thought that the reason is that those players are geared to do one thing which is convert a 480 line DVD into 1080 or 720 lines, while the Z4 or any other HDTV needs to accommodate all sources thus can't be nearly as accurate in doing the upconversion. Not sure if that's really why, but just what I have heard. I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Anyway, I just wanted to clarify that the Z4 indeed does take a 480p, 1080i, 480i etc...and upconvert it to 720p. How well it does each one of those compared to an external source doing it is a different story. By the way, it does a very nice job of taking 1080i to 720p in the case of my DVB318 which is very weak at 720p.

I'm not sure where posts regarding problems with the Z4 go (I made separate thread also), so I'm posting here as well.

My installers just hooked up my Sanyo Z4. It is projecting onto a Da-Lite HCCV. Regardless of the source: Sony 777 dvd changer or Direct TV, there is a double image. It is almost like ghosting on an analogue t.v. where the picture is being drawn twice. At a throw distance of 18 feet on a 106 inch screen, the picture offset seems to be about 1/4 - 1/2 inch (i didn't go right up to the screen to measure, this is my estimate from 14 feet back). The pj is being fed through a Denon 3806 on component cables.

Any ideas on what this could be and how to fix it?

I'm not sure where posts regarding problems with the Z4 go (I made separate thread also), so I'm posting here as well.

My installers just hooked up my Sanyo Z4. It is projecting onto a Da-Lite HCCV. Regardless of the source: Sony 777 dvd changer or Direct TV, there is a double image. It is almost like ghosting on an analogue t.v. where the picture is being drawn twice. At a throw distance of 18 feet on a 106 inch screen, the picture offset seems to be about 1/4 - 1/2 inch (i didn't go right up to the screen to measure, this is my estimate from 14 feet back). The pj is being fed through a Denon 3806 on component cables.

Any ideas on what this could be and how to fix it?

It's obvious this is far from normal. What you need to do is eliminate everything external that might be causing the problem and isolate your source & Z4. Connect your HDTV source (assuming you have HD with DirectTV) directly to the Z4 with no 'middle man' between. See how that looks. If it's bad, use a different cable. If that's bad, try the DVD player directly connected. If it's still double image, then you need to return the Z4 to the dealer you got it from & get a new one as it is defective. My first instinct is that either the Denon is the problem for the Z4 or the Z4 is bad. Since you just purchased it, you should not have to go through the Sanyo RMA. I suppose you might check the panel adjustments on the Z4 but out of the box, you should not have a double image like that no matter what.

Dweezilz - You were right on the money. I spoke with Sanyo. This appears to be a "panel convergence" issue. Basically, the three panels are not properly aligned and do not "converge" in the same place.

The way to test this, per Sanyo, is to push the "menu" button. If the double imaging is in the words from the menu (which is a source within the projector and is not affected by cabling issues, exterior source issues), then panel convergence is the problem and it must go to Sanyo for repair.

I am sending the projector back to Sanyo who is supposed to fix it and return it within 72 hours. If so, I will be very impressed with Sanyo CS!

Hi all,
I recently purchased a sanyo z4 for my HT system. Before I mount my PJ, I didn't think too much about the distance and where I should mount it since I thought I can always adjust image by using the manu zoom. But from reading the threat, it seems a lot of you believe that the position of PJ can really matter the image quality. So to achieve the optimal resolution, I hope you guys can give me some sugguestion and ideas.

Okay, my wall is about 8' by 12'. If I a project a 115" screen, 56" x 100", that will give me roughly 20" space away from top, bottom, left and right of the wall. Will this be too close to the side of the walls and affect the black-level of the image? Do you guys think I should reduce the image size?

And my second question is: how do you find the mid-zoom range of the projector, for example if i want a 115" screen, what's the optimal distance to mount my PJ so that I can precisely use half of its zoom, not the extremes? The lense throw distance calculator on sanyo website gives you the minimal mounting distance or the optimal distance? (http://www.sanyo.com/calc/index.cfm?FUSEACTION=home%2ECalcForm)

My last question, what about the vertical placement? Would less use of veritcal digital adjustment result in better image quality? If so, does it mean vertically I should try to place the PJ as close to the top of the projected image as possible? And in my case, I should place it around 76" height, please correct me if i am wrong. (lol now i feel like a geek, but whatever we all trying to squeeze the most out of equipment, right?)
Thanks for looking and helping.

sunpole, Go to the projectorcentral website and they have a calculator which will answer some of your questions about screen size, distance, etc...

________________________________

I am interested in purchasing some calibration tools to tweak my Z4 on my new screen. Can anyone recommend the best calibration tool for the Z4?

Thanks

Well I may be upgrading to this PJ from my X1 and I think I will be happy. I can't seem to find the bulb hours anywhere for this PJ, I was told 2,000 but I was wondering is that was in eco mode, I'm thinking it has to be low since they are giving away a free bulb with the purchase. I am looking forward to the 22db in eco mode, my X1 was at times a bit too intrusive.

Sanyo's zoom is between 1x - 2x, so the optimal is at 1.5X?

It is almost like ghosting on an analogue t.v. where the picture is being drawn twice. .

Any ideas on what this could be and how to fix it?

See Westshorestudios post about misconverged panels and if it's not that then it is probably due to a bad component video cable. If the impedance of the cable (or if the impedance of the output of the DVD player or the impedance of the input of the projector) is not correct then you get a reflection of the signal and that it is that reflected signal that causes the ghost image.

Or it can be due to a difference in the lengths of the red, green and blue wires in the cable so that the images arrive at different times at the projector.

These issues are why really long component cables are really expensive.

These issues are why really long component cables are really expensive.

Not if you buy your cables from monoprice.com ;)

Has anybody viewed both the Sanyo Z4 and Hitachi HDP-J52 in person? I am torn between the 2. Is the Hitachi worth the extra $$$. I can't view anything in the Chicago area. Any opinions is greatly appreciated! Jeff D.

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?


That's approximately where mine is, although I sometimes move the chair to get a little further back (about 1.7). In any case, I haven't noticed any screen door problems unless I walk up to about 7-8 feet from the screen. Of course, your mileage may differ (your eyes may be better than mine.).

Jim Cate

Has anybody viewed both the Sanyo Z4 and Hitachi HDP-J52 in person? I am torn between the 2. Is the Hitachi worth the extra $$$. I can't view anything in the Chicago area. Any opinions is greatly appreciated! Jeff D.
Ive tested both here at home and went wih the Hitachi.
Not beter in looks but better in EVERYTHING else!

OK, I've had my Z4 for about a month now and I have to say I'm not impressed. I've tried tweaking it without success. So, since I like to hear myself talk, I figured I'd start my own thread in this thread about my tests in an effort to improve image quality from the Z4, and maybe we'll uncover some helpful information and hopefully some of you can chime in with your own observations So let's begin:

1st, let me descibe my setup and equpiment so we are on the same page. The video components are as follows:

- Sanyo Z4, of course
- DaLite Cinema Contour fixed frame screen, 110" diagonal and Cinema Vision finish, 1.3 gain, screen is white, not gray.
- Sony DVPNS70H upconverting DVD player connected to Z4 via HDMI.
- Dish 6000 HiDef receiver with over the air module connected to Denon AVR 3805 for component switching to Z4. Denon component out is connected to C1 on the Z4.

My screen is mounted 3.5 inches in the wall (a little deeper than flush) and the projector is mounted in a wall with ample ventilation. The throw distance is 22 feet (perhaps a problem, but we will test this and post pictures). The projector is off center by about one projector length (~18") and mounted about 7 feet above the floor.

I haven't made enough posts so AVS isn't allowing me to insert hyperlinks to images of my setup. So, I'll post them later.

Now, when anyone says they are not impressed you need a basis for comparison. So, I had pre-conceived expectations based on absolutely nothing, but I have a basis for comparison as well and that is my friends Z3. Basically, we both agreed his image from his Z3 looked better, sharper, and had more punch on HD material. We both have the Dish 6000 by the way, so it's the same input source. His screen however, differs from mine in that it is a 92" diagonal DaLite pull down with the High Contrast Matte White finish and a 12 foot throw distance. So we are not talking apples to apple in screens, but this is good as we can compare images on different screen finishes and sizes.

So, here is where I'll stop. My 1st test will be to post test images output by the Z4 at my 22 foot throw distance, then at 14 feet. I will then bring the Z4 to my friends and compare images from the Z3 and Z4 on the different screen surface. I will choose one of the Z4s preset configurations with no tweaking to start.

Basically, I want to find out why his image appears better than mine. Is it throw distance, screen finish, screen size, maybe all of them combined. I just can't stand his joking about how I paid more for my Z4 and screen and my image is inferior to his.

Jerry

22' is part of the problem, but if you can compare your friend's Z4 versus his Z3 side by side at the same distance and set to the factory settings and his looks better, than you may have a lemon.

I have a similar setup, 110" contour cinema (da-lite), but using a yammy 2600 to do my switching from a Comcast 3412 -> component -> 2600 -> hdmi -> Z4. I have a regular toshiba progressive scan DVD hooked up in the same manner (the 2600 upconverts to 720p/1080i). My projector is ceiling mounted at about 16'. no tweaks, using the "natural" setting, which to me gives the best brightness and color combo.

my results? awesome, incredible, wow. Looks as good as my 50" plasma which I tought was great. Even with some ambient light.

Jerry, my Z4 setup consists of a 106" DaLite HiPower pull down screen, Oppo dvd at 720p over HDMI, and Comcast HD DVR using Component. Cable run is short at about 5 feet. The projector is inverted and shelf mounted at 16 feet, and seating is about 1.55X. I won't have a lot of dvd experience until the Olympics is over, but I can say that using out of the box Creative Cinema with edge enhancement at -6 and an eco bulb, a good HD image is absolutely stunning. I have some experience with home theater and know an image that will produce a "WoW!" from someone unaccustomed to HT, and this is unquestionably it. It's hard to know how it could be a whole lot better. By the same token, a brief experiment with Rone's tweaks produced a horrifying unwatchable image.

1. Are you using a pre-set?

2. Any particular bulb setting?

3. Have you used a test pattern to verify your focus and check for panel misalignment?

4. Are you able to control the light in your room?

5. Are you feeding the Z4 1080i or 720p?

6. DVDs are not going to look as good as some HD, and all DVDs are not created equal. I assume you are using known good material. I've always liked the 5th Element for demo purposes.

I am no expert, but if you can answer those questions maybe there will be something that someone can suggest. Without knowing more about your setup, I don't think pictures will necessarily be of much help, since issues like sharpness and punch are hard to define once they've been run through a digital camera and converted to a jpeg.

Jeff

Jerry, my Z4 setup consists of a 106" DaLite HiPower pull down screen, Oppo dvd at 720p over HDMI, and Comcast HD DVR using Component. Cable run is short at about 5 feet. The projector is inverted and shelf mounted at 16 feet, and seating is about 1.55X. I won't have a lot of dvd experience until the Olympics is over, but I can say that using out of the box Creative Cinema with edge enhancement at -6 and an eco bulb, a good HD image is absolutely stunning. I have some experience with home theater and know an image that will produce a "WoW!" from someone unaccustomed to HT, and this is unquestionably it. It's hard to know how it could be a whole lot better. By the same token, a brief experiment with Rone's tweaks produced a horrifying unwatchable image.

1. Are you using a pre-set?

2. Any particular bulb setting?

3. Have you used a test pattern to verify your focus and check for panel misalignment?

4. Are you able to control the light in your room?

5. Are you feeding the Z4 1080i or 720p?

6. DVDs are not going to look as good as some HD, and all DVDs are not created equal. I assume you are using known good material. I've always liked the 5th Element for demo purposes.

I am no expert, but if you can answer those questions maybe there will be something that someone can suggest. Without knowing more about your setup, I don't think pictures will necessarily be of much help, since issues like sharpness and punch are hard to define once they've been run through a digital camera and converted to a jpeg.

Jeff

Thanks for the quick replies Jeff and cgoldens.
To answer some more questions about my setup:
- Total light control in the theater area of the basement.
- Running Dynamic Preset, but shut off the auto iris and opened it up all the way. I like the Dynamic mode the best and I like a bright picture.
- I'm not running econo mode on the bulb
- Running 720p on both the DVD player and the Dish receiver. Have tried 1080i, see no discernable difference so my reasoning is send it native.
- Focus and convergence are fine, the menu looks very clear and focused.
- I'm sitting 18 feet from the screen.

Quite a few people think it's my 22' throw distance, so I just need to put the projector closer to the screen and see what happens.

I'm watrching CSI now (rerun) in HiDef from the OTA module on the dish and it looks very good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Z4 image looks terrible, I just think it should look better compared to the Z3 setup I saw.

As far as comparison to plasma, watching ABC's Lost on the Z4 just didn't look as good as my brother's 50" Panny plasma. The plasma looked very 3D and definately has a POW to it.

I will lower my throw distance and see what happens. Again, I'm no expert either, I just used the calculator on projectorcentral and it threw out the 22.1' throw distance, so that's where I put the PJ.

Since this is my 6th post I should be able to put a link or image in here now.


http://www.incollingo.com/images/Basement/DSC03921.JPG

Jerry,

It looks (at least on the photo) like the walls and ceiling are fairly light. Do you think you could be getting some reflections that are adversely affecting the image?

Good Luck

Brit

I'm Jerry's friend.. my ceiling is white as well, and light walls also.

The basic difference is his colors are totally off, and just washed out compared to my Z3, don't ask why I was also expecting his $1000 screen, to blow away my Z3, and my $250 DaLite HCMW pull down. but for whatever reason it doesn't. Jerry's Z4 has clay faces, and the image is basically washed out.. I'm beginning to think it's the throw distance is the issue. My colors are vibrant, sharp and realistic, natural looking. I know Jerry's Z4, is supposed to be better, but in this case it just isn't. We will do some testing and post.

Jerry,

It looks (at least on the photo) like the walls and ceiling are fairly light. Do you think you could be getting some reflections that are adversely affecting the image?

Good Luck

Brit

Good question. Actually, I used no white in the basement at all. The flash on the camera makes everything appear lighter than it really is. I used a color called Gobi Dessert on the walls from Home Depot. It is more a light mud color. The drop ceiling in the area of the screen is also an Armstrong acoutic type in a color they call Haze. So I don't think the color of the surrounding walls and ceiling are affecting it. I still need to get off my lazt butt and move the PJ closer to the screen.

Jerry

Jerry, when I initially set up my Z4, I wasnt very happy with the image either.

The picture seemed a little washed out. I have a 110 inch Carada BW screen and the PJ was mounted about 21 feet away.

I know some say it doesnt make a difference, but when I moved the PJ to about 12 feet, the picture quality doubled. It was more vibrant and "punchy". The image jumps off the screen almost.

The difference was big enough for my girlfriend to say "WOW"........and she doesnt really care about HT.....I can never impress her with anything!!!

- Running Dynamic Preset, but shut off the auto iris and opened it up all the way. I like the Dynamic mode the best and I like a bright picture.
Jerry, not that the Z4 is without its flaws, but I think this is part of your problem. Your friend Mendes notes that your colors are "off and washed out". Dynamic is a mess with colors, everything actually, as it's so jacked up in the levels. Dynamic, Powerful, and Vivid seem to be better starting points (and I say starting points because the out-of-the-box raw settings aren't that great) for ambient light viewing. Most Z4 owners prefer Creative Cinema and Living for viewing in a darkened room. Have you done any calibrations beyond the the adjustments you indicate above?

Have you tried ROne's settings from the Tweak thread as a basis for comparison? My system is similar to a couple above in that the Z4 is ceiling mounted about 16' from a 100" diagonal Da-Lite HCCV screen. While not perfect ROne's settings can look excellent given the source material. My colors are both vibrant and, to my eyes, accurate. I would try his CC and Living settings immediately and then post your thoughts. Or start with CC and Living instead of Dynamic and calibrate from there.

Forgive me if this question was answered in the first 40 or so pages of this thread ... I read the first five and the last five and wasn't seeing it, so here goes.

We're building a dedicated home theatre (light controlled, no windows, alternate exit) in our new home, scheduled to be complete late this year (September or October). Anyway, the room is 18x15 and we're putting the screen on the far vertical wall (15'), so we've got up to 18', give or take, for the projector throw. We're looking at several DLP projectors but people seem to have great things to say about the Sanyo. The only problem is when I go to projectorcentral.com and do the calculator it says we'd need to place the projector 22 feet away for a 110" screen, which is what we were considering. We've got viewing distance of 10-11' feet for the front row, 14'-15' for the main row of seating and all the DLPs we've looked at (Optoma 72 and Mits 3000) seem to be easily able to sustain a screen that large with good viewing distance. Am I missing something or would going with the Sanyo limit us to an 86" screen--a compromise my husband doesn't really want to make, by the way. (He's definitely in the bigger is better camp, and I sorta' agree since we are building a dedicated room and want the best possible theatre experience.)

susanandmark...

no way, the Sanyo is good up to 300' diag screen...throw range of 22' is fine, but I would try and go with 15-18', that seems to be more in it's "sweet spot".

I am around 16' throw on a 110" screen and it looks great.

the 22 feet reading you are seeing is the distance if you left the zoom at 1x. You can place the projector anywhere from 11' to 22' for a 110" screen by adjusting the zoom on the z4.

on the projector central calculator, look just above the sliders (just to the left of the drawing of a generic projector). There's your zoom adjustment range.

Forgive me if this question was answered in the first 40 or so pages of this thread ... I read the first five and the last five and wasn't seeing it, so here goes.

We're building a dedicated home theatre (light controlled, no windows, alternate exit) in our new home, scheduled to be complete late this year (September or October). Anyway, the room is 18x15 and we're putting the screen on the far vertical wall (15'), so we've got up to 18', give or take, for the projector throw. We're looking at several DLP projectors but people seem to have great things to say about the Sanyo. The only problem is when I go to projectorcentral.com and do the calculator it says we'd need to place the projector 22 feet away for a 110" screen, which is what we were considering. We've got viewing distance of 10-11' feet for the front row, 14'-15' for the main row of seating and all the DLPs we've looked at (Optoma 72 and Mits 3000) seem to be easily able to sustain a screen that large with good viewing distance. Am I missing something or would going with the Sanyo limit us to an 86" screen--a compromise my husband doesn't really want to make, by the way. (He's definitely in the bigger is better camp, and I sorta' agree since we are building a dedicated room and want the best possible theatre experience.)

One thing that's worth mentioning with your setup is that with a 110" screen, the seats at 10-11' are gonna see SDE quite easily. With your main row at 15', you'll be at just the right spot where SDE should go away. 14' might even be a tad too close for SDE to be 100% gone. As we've seen, this depends on each person's tollerance to SDE, but for me at 13' on my 106" screen, it's quite obviously there, while at 14' it goes away. For the 110', 15 feet is gonna be the ticket. As for throw range, you are at 11' - 22' so aim for about 16' for the best spot to throw from.

One thing that's worth mentioning with your setup is that with a 110" screen, the seats at 10-11' are gonna see SDE quite easily. With your main row at 15', you'll be at just the right spot where SDE should go away. 14' might even be a tad too close for SDE to be 100% gone. As we've seen, this depends on each person's tollerance to SDE, but for me at 13' on my 106" screen, it's quite obviously there, while at 14' it goes away. For the 110', 15 feet is gonna be the ticket. As for throw range, you are at 11' - 22' so aim for about 16' for the best spot to throw from.
Wise words - take them to heart. 1.5x seems to be the threshold, with about 1.7x pretty much a guarantee you won't see any image structure.

Yeah i project my Z3 on a 110 in Carada screen. Awesome PQ for this $2k setup. The projector mount is a converted 15 dollar bedside table.

Yeah i project my Z3 on a 110 in Carada screen. Awesome PQ for this $2k setup. The projector mount is a converted 15 dollar bedside table.

Bobpaule, what is the throw distance between the screen and the PJ? I think the problem here is that many people goto projectorcentral and are given the maximum throw distance for a particular projector and what we are seeing is that picture quality will be compromised by putting the PJ at the maximun distance. Again, as soon as I have time to move mine from 22 feet to about 13-14 feet for testing I will report my findings.

Jerry

Just ordered my Z4 from Projector people along with the Oppo. Dealed with Rich. Good guy. Threw in free shipping for both items. Very excited right now and this is my first projector. I have a light controlled room 28'Lx14'W room and 7'7" ceilings. Seating can be anywhere from 12-18' back and I'll probably end up ceiling mounting this unit. Will a 110" diagonal screen be ok for me watching mostly HD and DVDs? I just sold my 60" Sony Grand Wega LCD tv and hope this can be double the size and be just as clear.

turboa, just stick with a throw range of between 15-18" and you will be fine.

I have a 110" screen (Da-Lite Cinema Contour) and it's pretty friggin incredible. With the lighting low, it looks as good as my 50" zenith plasma, but over twice the size.

Cgoldens, Sounds good. That was actually one of the screens im looking into else I'll just make a DIY one from Dazian Fabrics or Parklands. I'll give a noobies review on it when I receive it friday. CANT WAIT!

I bought from the projectorpeople as well, that screen was recommended to me by my sales person. It's pricier than some of the others, but was well worth it.

Jerry

Have you had a chance to look at ROne's settings yet in comparison to the Dynamic preset?

My Z4 is sitting on a bookcase about three feet above and behind the seating area, and I seldom hear the fan unless I am standing fairly close to the unit. I would prefer to run the projector at a higher fan speed during most viewing, even if it meant having a somewhat higher noise level, if by doing so it would run cooler and extend the life of the unit and the lamp. Does the Z4 have a control for increasing fan speed independent of the other settings? I normally watch in "living" or CC mode, and I'm aware that the fan speeds up slightly at higher intensities, but I don't see anything in the manual about a control for increasing the fan speed at the option of the user.

Other than it's being "too quite," I have been very impressed with the unit, particularly on HD broadcasts.

Jim

I'm not sure that it is necessary or will help cool the lamp in a way that would extend its life...but fan adjustments can be made in the service menu. Personally, I thought my fan was quieter when I first got the projector, like I could barely hear it. Then the sanyo engineer thought maybe that because I live at 4700ft I should have a different fan setting. After cycling through them I have to say that the noise level on anything but default setting is intolerable. I asked him to give me the code to reset it. It was reset, but I swear its louder now than it was. So, my advice is LEAVE THE FAN ALONE!!! enjoy the z4.

I know in order to get into it you hit menu and input button at same time.
My question is which input button do you hit since there are 6 of them on the remote. thanks

I know in order to get into it you hit menu and input button at same time.
My question is which input button do you hit since there are 6 of them on the remote. thanks

Input and Menu on the projector itself. When you are done, hit the power button once on the remote to exit the service menu.

Input and Menu on the projector itself. When you are done, hit the power button once on the remote to exit the service menu.


What a idiot I am.

Just received my Z4 from Fedex. Hooked it up using component ( oppo comes in tomorrow with the dvi/hdmi cable ) watching finding nemo projecting a 110" diagonal image onto my dark yellow wall and if this picture wows me. I will probably go nutz once i get HD stuff hooked up with a screen!!!! Thanks to everyone for helping out on this forum and I'll post pics soon. Havent dont any adjustments or calibrations yet. Projector on a temp stand 15' away and sitting at 14" with no problems of SDE.

BTW. How do i know where is the center or zero part of the lens shifts??

Jerry

Have you had a chance to look at ROne's settings yet in comparison to the Dynamic preset?

Jay,
I tried Rone's settings within the first few weeks of owning the Z4. I was not pleased at the picture I saw. Again, this just be my taste. Just like some people like to jack up the bass and treble on their audio gear, I seem to like jacking up the Z4 for a brighter picture. The Cinema presets are just too tark for me, even in a totally light controlled room. So, there may be the 'correct' way to watch video and then there is the personal taste settings as well.

I am fairly pleased with this projector. Again, I made a purchase based on feedback in this forum. I really wish there was a brick and mortor store where one could go to compare projectors and screens. But the problem there is that everyone would demo the products and then buy them cheaper on the Internet, so a real store couldn't make money.

Jerry

Does anyone know if the service manual for the Z4 can be viewed online as a PDF or some other doc. Does anyone have a link?

Thanks,
Jerry

Owners Manual = http://bfdguide.ws/PLV-Z4_OM.pdf

Service Manual = http://bfdguide.ws/PLV-Z4.pdf

Owners Manual = http://bfdguide.ws/PLV-Z4_OM.pdf

Service Manual = http://bfdguide.ws/PLV-Z4.pdf


Thank you very much!

Jerry

Hello!

I wonder if anybody has any experience with HDMI connection between the Sanyo Z4 projector and Denon 5910? I have just received a DVD-A1XVA (European model 1080p ready) and are experiencing that when setting the projector to 0 overscan the picture on PAL disc and NTSC discs does not cover the whole picture area (ie “underscan”). Om PAL discs there are 5/6 black pixels left and right and 2/3 black pixels on the bottom of the picture. On NTSC discs the picture is shifted to the right 10/12 black pixels on the left side 4/5 black pixels at the bottom and zero at the top and right side. Have you experienced something simular? It seems like the scaler is not scaling properly. I can of course turn on the overscan on the projector but much of the point of buying a player with the DVDO scaler integrated is to omit the projectors scaler.

There are variations between various DVD’s but all new well mastered risks disks are consistent with the observations reported in the previous post (above). I have also used the DVE disc in both PAL and NTSC and watched the overscan patterns with the same result and I assume at least they are correctly mastered.

The reason I first suspect the player is that I have tried other DVD players without experiencing this issue and that there are differences between PAL and NTSC discs. The NTSC discs are shifted to the right ref my first post.

Any comments on my suspicion? Any suggestion on how to confirm if the problem is in the player or the projector?

If in the orjector does anyone know if there are possibilities to adjust this in some of the service menues, if so witch parameters?

Between this and the tweak thread there have been discussions re: shimmering from Da-Lite's HCCV screen. I have found this as well and was fortunate enough to look at a Da-Mat screen for comparison. After some experimenting I have decided to keep the HCCV. While the Da-Mat screen reduces or eliminates the shimmer the hit on black on contrast levels is too great, moreso when there is some ambient light in the room (as expected). Strangely there was little difference when the lights were off, not enough for it to be noticeable without the benefit of side-by-side comparison. With some lights on the image becomes noticably milky with the Da-Mat.

Jay,
I tried Rone's settings within the first few weeks of owning the Z4. I was not pleased at the picture I saw. Again, this just be my taste. Just like some people like to jack up the bass and treble on their audio gear, I seem to like jacking up the Z4 for a brighter picture. The Cinema presets are just too tark for me, even in a totally light controlled room. So, there may be the 'correct' way to watch video and then there is the personal taste settings as well.

I am fairly pleased with this projector. Again, I made a purchase based on feedback in this forum. I really wish there was a brick and mortor store where one could go to compare projectors and screens. But the problem there is that everyone would demo the products and then buy them cheaper on the Internet, so a real store couldn't make money.

Jerry

One thing to Note is that ROne's settings are for L2 DVI/HDMI only. Because L2 introduces more range for computer desktop white/black, things will look considerably brighter when Z4 is set to L2. For componant or L1 settings, ROne's Creative Cinema is WAY too dark. So what you are seeing is normal and not just that ROne likes really dark settings. :) On L2 via HTPC, they are not too dark, although other pre-sets are brighter by default. That said, it may not be best to set to L2 for programs such as Theater Tek.

There was some conversation a few weeks ago in regards to which setting to use for PC outupt, L1 or L2 (L1 is video levels and L2 is PC levels which provides for the full range of white to black). From what I could gather, it seems that while PC desktop applications use L2 settings, Theater Tek & other software DVD players are really setup for L1 Video levels, instead of L2 PC levels. So L2 is good for desktop applications, but for most DVD programs, L1 Video levels are what they have been tuned to be used with. I think that's the conclusion we came to...and it's what I've found too. With ROne's CC settings, if I set to L2, you get a picture that is pleasing and bright (if not a bit too red), but at L1 they are way too dark. If I use my adjusted settings that I setup for Componant, for my PC, on L2, things are very washed out & have a white 'haze'. For componant, ROne's CC settings are not useable as given as it's also way too dark and they are also not useable for L1. His settings compensate for the extra brightness that seems to come with L2 thus on any other setting, they appear way too dark. So in the end, as ROne has stated over & over, his settings are ONLY for L2 DVI/HDMI from a Home Theater PC. Using them for L1 or Componant may result in less than desirable PQ and that is exactly what you are seeing I'd guess.

Hope that makes some sense.

I just got my Z4 and overall I really think its cool.

But I have a wierd problem, I hope any of you can help. The problem is that the futher you look to the left on the screen the more greenish it turns and the futher you look to the right the more red the picture gets. I'm sorry about my ebnglish, but i hope i did make myself clear.

Do any of you know what i should do about this? Do you think I have to return my Z4 to the seller or can I adjust the projetor so that the error would disappear?

I have some vertical banding on my Z4. It is not horrible but I have been unable to completely remove it using the panel adjustment feature. The red and blue panel look good, but I can't completely remove it from the green panel. I noticed this when I first got the projector, but now it seems to be slightly more noticeable. I realize I may just be more sensitive now that I am getting use to the projector. I was just wondering if Vertical Banding is something that changes over time, for better or worse. I can live with it, but don't want to worry about it getting worse.

thanks for any feedback,
Tim

Does anyone have discrete IR codes for the Z4's Screen and Image presets? I already have power on/off codes, but I'm looking to automate my switching from Full -> Zoom screen modes without having to cycle through them. Thanks!

Does anyone have discrete IR codes for the Z4's Screen and Image presets? I already have power on/off codes, but I'm looking to automate my switching from Full -> Zoom screen modes without having to cycle through them. Thanks!

Yeah I'd love to get discrete IR codes for the User1-User4 settings as well. My Harmony 880 loaded itself with almost everything except some of the discretes mentioned. If there are disctretes for the User1-User4 sets that would be just amazing since I find that out of all the things I need to cycle through, I use those the most.

-Todd

I already have power on/off codes...
Interesting - we've been looking for discrete ON. Can you post the hex code?

Jay, I think someone posted that in the other thread. Not sure if it's correct but I think they said it was the 'on' discrete. For me this would be great because I can put that in place of the double power click that my Harmony 880 makes automatically. Now if I leave an action, I can go back to it without it turning the Z4 off! I usually have to put my hand over the remote so it won't turn it off and I can get back to my action setup with all the buttons I want to use for all my devices.

Now if I leave an action, I can go back to it without it turning the Z4 off! I usually have to put my hand over the remote so it won't turn it off and I can get back to my action setup with all the buttons I want to use for all my devices.
You shouldn't have to do this if you leave power confirmation 'on' in the Z4 setup menu. You run the macro as normal after the Z4 is on, a "Power Off?" message will appear on screen but it's ignored as a second power command is not issued. Result: Z4 stays on. The discrete OFF, however, bypasses this confirmation and shuts the system down immediately. All discrete ON will do is eliminate that power prompt onscreen, but nice to have nevertheless.

You shouldn't have to do this if you leave power confirmation 'on' in the Z4 setup menu. You run the macro as normal after the Z4 is on, a "Power Off?" message will appear on screen but it's ignored as a second power command is not issued. Result: Z4 stays on. The discrete OFF, however, bypasses this confirmation and shuts the system down immediately. All discrete ON will do is eliminate that power prompt onscreen, but nice to have nevertheless.

Right that is what I thought, however, for some reason (keep in mind, the 880 makes it's own macros automatically), when I issue the 'watch DVR' action again when the Z4 is on, it'll turn my Z4 off. It've done it several times already by accident!! :eek: It's possible that it's doing the double for 'on' very quickly to ensure the Z4 gets the command...but when Z4 is turning on, it won't respond to the quick off anyway once it get's the 1st 'on' signal. Then if I hit the action again by accident later, it gets the same double power which turns it off. Hard to say exactly what's going on, but I do know I've turned it off several times by accident and as you all know, that makes you want to break something!! :)

Hard to say. I probably can tweak that 'on' macro & see why it's sending it twice but I just haven't had time to mess with it. Either way, if I add the descrete on for that action, it'll never happen again. I'll let you know what I find.

I don't have the discrete ON, just OFF. And as Jay mentions, OFF is really the most useful.

Still, I know there's got to be some discrete codes for screen modes and image presets. Anyone have a good Sanyo rep or technician in their area?

I just got my Z4 and overall I really think its cool.

But I have a wierd problem, I hope any of you can help. The problem is that the futher you look to the left on the screen the more greenish it turns and the futher you look to the right the more red the picture gets. I'm sorry about my ebnglish, but i hope i did make myself clear.

Do any of you know what i should do about this? Do you think I have to return my Z4 to the seller or can I adjust the projetor so that the error would disappear?

On the Z3, this happens when the iris is closed too much. Opening up the iris made the issue go away. Not sure if the iris works the same on the Z4, but probably worth a look.

Rookie Question regarding mounting location:

I'm finishing off a part of the basement, and I wish to ceiling mount the projector. I'll have dimmable recessed lights in the living room (18'x35'), and the screen will be mounted on the narrow (18') wall. There will be a single 4x5 egress window on the opposite side of the room in the corner, so some ambient light will be present in the daytime, but for now assume I'll have curtains that can block all light if required.

I'm looking at the Projection Calculation on projector central (www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLV-Z4-projection-calculator-pro.htm) and have some question about zoom and light intensity. I'd like to get a screensize of around 90-100". According to the calculator, to get a 90" screen I need to mount the PJ between 9' and 18' feet away. Would it be better to go 9' and use the 2x zoom, or back it up some? Given that average viewing distance will be 15'+, am I better off using as much of the zoom as I can?

TIA!

try to use as little zoom as possible, 12-15' away should be ok, not sure if I would go as close as 9'.

try to use as little zoom as possible, 12-15' away should be ok, not sure if I would go as close as 9'.

So Zoom is just a bandaid to help if you have no other choice? Because I'm ceiling mounting and the ceiling is still unfinished, I can plan to put it anywhere. Maybe I will put it around 15-16 feet, just to give myself some wiggle room to fit the picture to the screen.

So Zoom is just a bandaid to help if you have no other choice? Because I'm ceiling mounting and the ceiling is still unfinished, I can plan to put it anywhere. Maybe I will put it around 15-16 feet, just to give myself some wiggle room to fit the picture to the screen.

No that isn't the case. Please do a search in this thread as I have posted (and others) about the best spot in the zoom range & why. There is some debate on it, but it's no different than a 35mm camera zoom...close to the middle is best. You get different types of distortions at both ends of the zoom range with close to the middle having the least distortion. My z4 is about 2 feet short of the middle. If you got a 90" screen, range is 9 to 18 with 13-14 being the middle spot.

My search didn't bring up anything, so excuse me if this has been addressed...

I have had the Z4 for about a month. It is hooked up to my HTPC via DVI to HDMI cable and the image is great.

However, whenever I turn off, and then on, the projector, the HDMI input does not register a signal. But if I (1) reboot the PC, (2) unplug and replug the HDMI or DVI end of the cable, or (3) put the PC in standby before shutting off the projector, and then bring it back from standby after turning on the projector, the image then shows up.

Has anyone else seen this kind of behavior or know a fix for this problem? It is the only source of frustration I have with the Z4.

Please help.

Okay, need some advice. I currently purchased a Z4 from projector people which will be here Tuesday, the 21st. I will be projecting onto a 92" dia. screen from 10' away. My DVD player that I'm using is a Denon DVD-3910. I'm currently running my HD satellite STB, my Denon 3910 and my XBOX 360 all component out to component in on my Denon 3805 and having it do my switching for me. Should I keep this current configuration or should I opt. to run a HDMI cable to the projector with the component cable. I really didn't see that much of a difference when I ran a HDMI cable from the 3910 to the 62" 1080P Mits. I currently have it hook up to, in all honesty I prefer the quality of picture using component over the HDMI but I'm just not sure if it will be the same using a 720P projector. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

However, whenever I turn off, and then on, the projector, the HDMI input does not register a signal. But if I (1) reboot the PC, (2) unplug and replug the HDMI or DVI end of the cable, or (3) put the PC in standby before shutting off the projector, and then bring it back from standby after turning on the projector, the image then shows up.

Has anyone else seen this kind of behavior or know a fix for this problem? It is the only source of frustration I have with the Z4.

Please help.

I have a LeadTek 6600GT. I'm running DVI at 1280x720. I do not have that problem. When I turn the projector on there is no signal but as soon as I hit the keyboard or move the mouse, the projector and PC sync up. Note that my PC is always on (no standby or hibernate). Once when I did go to standby and turned the projector on, the resolution changed and I had to manually change it back. I haven't had a chance to work out that quirk.

I suspect our different behaviours maybe due to different video cards?

In my NVIDIA control panel there is an option under "Tools" to "Force TV detection". I do not have that checked. If your control panel has that option, let us know if it fixes your problem.

I have my Z4 connected to my GeForce 6600GT via DVI to HDMI through a Gefen converter box. When I turn the Z4 on, I hear my PC immediately detect it (it gives a sound notification like when you plug a new USB device in). I then use the nVidia icon in the systray to run in clone mode. Once it's switched, the image immediately displays on the Z4. If I turn the Z4 off, I hear another audible sound and if I turn it back on, again, the PC detects it immediately.

I have not changed any of the default settings on the latest nVidia drivers and I have not had one issue. I guess aside from something faulty going on with your Z4 (if it gets a signal, it'll display it so I'm guessing that's not the case) it seems this is a PC related issue. It's going to be very difficult to tell what that problem is however without being there. It could be the video card itself or possibly your drivers. Make sure you have the latest drivers for your card. I suppose there is a slight chance it could be the cable as well. Have you tried a different cable just to rule that out? If you are up to date & everything else checks out, it could be a quirk with your video card that may not be fixable. Unless someone has this same card & can confirm the problem (or say there isn't one with their card), it's gonna be tough to tell what the issue is.

How can Video Noise be improved? Tweaking, a Vid Processor, a different Source, or what?

The Z4 has replaced a Panny 700, and it is superior in all ways except for 1: Video Noise (gnat storms and blurry/ghosty blocks on other than close-ups) and notchy Edge Effects, especially on SDTV and DVDs. HDTV is terrific tho subject to the station's output quality.

I'm especially interested in improving the DVD PQ:
- Close-ups are great, but objects at middle distance are almost blurry from the dithering. More distant objects seem to add a ghost outline to the blur. Basically we're talking about small (distant), medium (mid dist), and large objects (close-ups)
- Edges run pretty notchy, even with the sharpness tuned down to -6.
- Gnat storms are visible in most solid areas, both dark and light.

What's improve-able, and what's just a limitation of the 480 DVD content?

Francois du Nord mentioned the VP30 as a significant improvement, but what about the specific areas I've listed?

For ref:
- the DVD is a Panny S97 (720p output has been best on HDMI and component)
- calibration's done with an Avia disc.
- Screen is a Firehawk (1.3 gain)
- I've tweaked plenty using the Tweak Thread as a source, but the noise probs remain pretty much the same.

Your input appreciated.

I got a chance to check out my fathers Sanyo Z4 last weekend for the first time.

He had it hooked up via Svideo for satellite (no hdtv yet :( ) and an oppo dvd player.


I liked what i saw.

Im curious as to how some people are seeing SDE from any reasonable seating distance. I always read the panny 900 was nice in the fact that SDE was minimized but honestly i didnt see them at all (this includes sitting 1:1 , hell maybe closer, because 8 of my college friends were watching us lose to texas in the NCAA tourny ) Maybe i/we need to go get my/our eyes checked :).

I loved how the thing was dead silent, and the light leaks from the unit were very minimal.

I got a chance to check out my fathers Sanyo Z4 last weekend for the first time.

He had it hooked up via Svideo for satellite (no hdtv yet :( ) and an oppo dvd player.


I liked what i saw.

Im curious as to how some people are seeing SDE from any reasonable seating distance. I always read the panny 900 was nice in the fact that SDE was minimized but honestly i didnt see them at all (this includes sitting 1:1 , hell maybe closer, because 8 of my college friends were watching us lose to texas in the NCAA tourny ) Maybe i/we need to go get my/our eyes checked :).

I loved how the thing was dead silent, and the light leaks from the unit were very minimal.

I agree with you on the SDE thing. That was my biggest concern in buying the Z4, and it's a complete non-issue. I've never seen anything from any sort of halfway reasonable distance. My vision is 20/25 uncorrected, but I wear glasses just for watching movies. I've been into front projection for five years, so I know what SDE looks like, but at 1.55X, which is my normal seating distance, there is absolutely nothing, not a hint, not a scan line -- nothing.

By the way, despite my concern over the SDE, the thing that tilted me toward the Z4 was the annual dismantling of my 400Q to blow out dust. The Z4 dust ports and bulb really speak to me. My heart goes out to those AE900 owners the first time a blob shows up.

I agree with you on the SDE thing. That was my biggest concern in buying the Z4, and it's a complete non-issue. I've never seen anything from any sort of halfway reasonable distance. My vision is 20/25 uncorrected, but I wear glasses just for watching movies. I've been into front projection for five years, so I know what SDE looks like, but at 1.55X, which is my normal seating distance, there is absolutely nothing, not a hint, not a scan line -- nothing.

By the way, despite my concern over the SDE, the thing that tilted me toward the Z4 was the annual dismantling of my 400Q to blow out dust. The Z4 dust ports and bulb really speak to me. My heart goes out to those AE900 owners the first time a blob shows up.

All I can tell you is that I have a 106" screen and that from 13.5 feet where I sit, I can clearly see screen door on bright areas including white text. 1.55X my width (92") is about 11.8 feet. From there, I see SDE in all areas of the screen. At about 14' 6" I stop seeing it. My other friends with Z4's (one of whom posts on this very thread & is an expert) also sees SDE quite clearly from 1.55X. Some people just don't see SDE for some reason I'm guessing. It's not a slam against them (heck, I wish I didn't see it). It could be different eyes see different things or that it just doesn't register, but I can tell you it's there quite clearly. We have had our neighbors over for a movie & they have sat on the floor about 6 feet in front of the screen...when I mentioned SDE & that they might want to sit back, they said they didn't see anything wrong & it looked great from there. It's obvious that they just didn't know exactly what to look for. There's no way they wouldn't see it if I pointed it out, but why do that? If they don't know what I'm talking about & it doesn't bother them that's for the better. After the movie, I told my buddy what to look for & of course he saw it then.

Here is what you need to do since it's obvious everyone has a different point where they see SDE. Go right up to the screen. Get a good look at what SDE actually looks like. You can clearly see each pixel & it's outline around it. Make sure you have on a bright scene when you do this or your test won't be worth while. Even a pure white is perfect. Now back away from the screen 1 foot at a time. Keep trying to see the pixel structure. See when you can no longer see it at all. That's where you need to sit.

I guess what I'm saying is, that to tell someone that at 1.55 X the screen width, that they simply will not see SDE, is doing them a disservice if you ask me. I can see it at that point & so can many others. Is it 100% someone will see it at 1.55X? Obviously not since you guys don't; however, many do. My feeling is that if you can't sit at least 1.8X the screen width away, expect that it's possible you'll see some SDE. If you don't, that's a bonus then. Certainly at only 1X the screen width (which for my screen would be under 8 feet!!!), if people know what SDE actually looks like, you can't not see it. My wife sees it there & if she sees it, anyone will. ha! :p

If you wrote all that to point out variance in ocular sensitivity I can do nothing more then agree. As you said, every persons eyes will be different in the threshold at which they can physically see SDE and likewise when it mentally bothers them. My point wasnt to question the strength or weakness of an internet strangers vision ; however, i did intend on pointing out that in my opinion the Z4 v 900U SDE arguement was (again in my eyes) without reason.

I need to head home again, and get more screen time with the z4 to better judge other areas of its performance.

I guess what I'm saying is, that to tell someone that at 1.55 X the screen width, that they simply will not see SDE, is doing them a disservice if you ask me. I can see it at that point & so can many others. Is it 100% someone will see it at 1.55X? Obviously not since you guys don't; however, many do. My feeling is that if you can't sit at least 1.8X the screen width away, expect that it's possible you'll see some SDE. If you don't, that's a bonus then. Certainly at only 1X the screen width (which for my screen would be under 8 feet!!!), if people know what SDE actually looks like, you can't not see it. My wife sees it there & if she sees it, anyone will. ha! :p

Hmmm. Did I "tell someone that at 1.55X the screen width "they" simply will not see SDE"? Let me see. Gosh! I never said that!! I said "I" don't see it, "I" can't see it, "I haven't seen it, and for "me" it is not an issue. And yes, I know what SDE is, as in I KNOW what SDE is. Dweezilz, I'm happy for your great eyes, but please don't presume to tell me what I do or don't see, and I will be sure to extend to you the same courtesy. (-8

Jeff

Jeff, don't feel bad. I'm at the other end of the spectrum, I didn't see SDE at 1.1 x screen width on the Z3 that I saw. Dweezilz is in the group of people that have perfect visual acuity and a high sensitivity to pixelization.

I have been somewhat immunized to SDE ever since I worked with PCs in the mid '70s that had a whopping 320 x 240 resolution. Even on a CRT monitor, the pixel structure of the digital signal was very visible. My first LCD PJ had 640 x 480 panels (around 1980) and, even on a 80" (64" x 48", 4:3) screen, at 10' (1.88 x screen width), the SDE was very noticeable, if I looked for it. Since I watch the movie (and not the screen), the SDE just didn't bother me (a good surround sound system also helps to maintain the illusion).

I've learned not to be ultra picky about video (or movie theaters). If I look for it, I can find fault with any system (that was part of my EE job for many years). I've also learned when it's not worth nit-picking (when the system - video or audio is good enough to be enjoyable, or when the electronics is good enough to get the job done, as specified).

If you wrote all that to point out variance in ocular sensitivity I can do nothing more then agree. As you said, every persons eyes will be different in the threshold at which they can physically see SDE and likewise when it mentally bothers them. My point wasnt to question the strength or weakness of an internet strangers vision ; however, i did intend on pointing out that in my opinion the Z4 v 900U SDE arguement was (again in my eyes) without reason.

I need to head home again, and get more screen time with the z4 to better judge other areas of its performance.

First off...and I say this with a smile on my face, just so you understand the tone...you guys gotta take it easy. I believe you've really misinterpreted the tone of my post or how it was intended. I don't think I was a jerk to you or sarcastic to anyone (at least I didn't intend to be), so let's nip that in the bud right now. Up until this very moment in this thread, nobody has been upset with anyone else & it's been a very friendly & nice discussion. Let's keep it that way. I'm a bit baffled as to how you guys took what I said as a rip or how you figured that I was saying you were wrong about what you saw. I don't recall saying that nor did I say that you didn't know what you were looking for or what SDE was. My post was general information for anyone considering the Z4 & was not aimed at your or your particular situation. You don't want me to put words in your mouth, please show ME the same courtesy. I believe my exact words were 'It's not a slam against them (heck, I wish I didn't see it)'. As you point out about your post, I only said what I see & what others might see, not what YOU see. I thought it could be of value to others....sorry it was offensive to you. My line about it being a disservice to tell people that 1.55X was a guarantee didn't come out as I intended. It wasn't aimed at you because I know you didn't say that. I was just saying that for the benefit for people who aren't as informed as you are that it could be a very negative experience if they don't realize they might have an issue at those distances. And as for my super power vision, I wasn't saying that at all. That's exactly the opposite of the point I was trying (obviously very feebly) to make. I have 20/20 vision & so do lots of other people (even those with glasses after the correction). The thing is, that it's all about perception not visual power. It's like the ink blotter test in that having perfect vision isn't what reveals what shapes people see. SDE is something that many people will see and something others will not see. I'm very happy for you that you don't see it. As I said, I wish I didn't because my first row has to be at 13.7 feet & I have an issue with SDE there. That's the main point I wanted to make. With a DLP HDTV, the rainbow effect is clearly there, however some people simply can't see it which is a good thing...not bad. Still, it's worth mentioning when one considers a DLP TV so they know what they might be up against.

I guess I'll just go back to lurking instead of trying to help. :confused:

BTW, when we discuss things...it's not an arguement, it's just a discussion. :)

Jeff, don't feel bad. I'm at the other end of the spectrum, I didn't see SDE at 1.1 x screen width on the Z3 that I saw. Dweezilz is in the group of people that have perfect visual acuity and a high sensitivity to pixelization.

I have been somewhat immunized to SDE ever since I worked with PCs in the mid '70s that had a whopping 320 x 240 resolution. Even on a CRT monitor, the pixel structure of the digital signal was very visible. My first LCD PJ had 640 x 480 panels (around 1980) and, even on a 80" (64" x 48", 4:3) screen, at 10' (1.88 x screen width), the SDE was very noticeable, if I looked for it. Since I watch the movie (and not the screen), the SDE just didn't bother me (a good surround sound system also helps to maintain the illusion).

I've learned not to be ultra picky about video (or movie theaters). If I look for it, I can find fault with any system (that was part of my EE job for many years). I've also learned when it's not worth nit-picking (when the system - video or audio is good enough to be enjoyable, or when the electronics is good enough to get the job done, as specified).

I agree with you...it's nothing to feel bad about and if Jeff & crew don't see SDE...it's a VERY good thing! I wish I was in their boat...trust me I do. I know Jay & others have the same issue I have but hopefully we are in the minority. It's good to mention however what we do see and that while we might be a bit picky, it's certainly not taking away from my enjoyment of the Z4. I still love my Z4 and even with the slight SDE it really isn't a deal breaker at all. It's there, I see it, I deal with it. The Z4 has considerably less than other projectors I've seen in the past so that's a good thing. When I can afford another couch on my riser at 14', it'll be gone for me. One thing I've mentioned before is that I've slightly defocused the Z4 (just a nudge on the ring) which reduced SDE nearly 80% for me at my viewing distance with little noticable degredation of sharpness.

BTW, it's good to see you posting in this thread CT! I missed ya from the Z3 thread days!

Hi
New to the Z4 or any FP,on a Draper HC Grey 92". Setup and my own cal. went fine for now.
My only problem and this just happens on viewing DishNetwork thru a s video cable. In very dark scenes that happen to have some red in them, lets say from somehting they are wearing. I get a very bright red image in that area that almost looks like very extreme blooming of the red. Like you took a red dye packet and smacked it against that area and it spread.

I havent seen this on any DVD or HD using component cables, only on the SVideo thru the Sat. Doesnt happen on mid to bright scenes just on very dark.

Thanks

Dweezilz ,

I apologize if the wording or syntax of my post lead you to believe i was angered. I assure you that was not my intent :) .


Cheers

Not a problem man...I was responding mostly to Jeff who seemed to take what I said as a personal insult for some reason which was also far from what I intended. Thanks for the reply. Let us know how your Z4 is doing after some viewing time. I'm sure you'll love it.

Not a problem man...I was responding mostly to Jeff who seemed to take what I said as a personal insult for some reason which was also far from what I intended. Thanks for the reply. Let us know how your Z4 is doing after some viewing time. I'm sure you'll love it.

Sorry, Dweezilz, I've calmed down. At least we livened up the thread. It was getting a little boring. Have a nice day. (-8

Jeff

I guess what I'm saying is, that to tell someone that at 1.55 X the screen width, that they simply will not see SDE, is doing them a disservice if you ask me
I agree. Dweezilz comment was not made as a slam. Different people will have different sensitivity to SDE so your best bet is to use these values as guidelines only. Eliminate the extremes and stick with middle ground to get you in the ballpark if you are unable to test yourself. In most cases 1.5x plus or minus a foot seems to be the threshold.

I agree. Dweezilz comment was not made as a slam. Different people will have different sensitivity to SDE so your best bet is to use these values as guidelines only. Eliminate the extremes and stick with middle ground to get you in the ballpark if you are unable to test yourself. In most cases 1.5x plus or minus a foot seems to be the threshold.

I just had both AE900 and Z4 for comparison. The way I see it, if you do have great eye sight and would pick up the SDE, I think you might also pick up the AE900 smoothscreen effect. At least that's true in my case.

For my taste the AE900 was fuzzy even with highest sharpness setting and HDMI (unless I made the screen really small). The Z4 looks maybe bit oversharpened to some but that's personal preference. For me personally the SDE is also a non-issue (have to get very close to 'notice' the pixels when I tested that).

I have now the Z4 and I have one question. When I change the lamp mode from full to 'half bright' I don't see much of a visual difference in brightness. Is that normal? I do notice the fan noise is little bit down.
On the AE900 the difference was much bigger so I wonder if that's normal.

I've had my Z4 for almost a month now - just set it up for a 7 foot wide screen w/about 11.5 feet viewing distance. SDE is just barely perceptible at this point (used to have it splashing up a little less than 6 feet wide and no SDE was visible)

Just did a quick search for "screenburn" and didn't see any hits - since I'm using a computer half the time and movies have the time, I notice dark banding on the left and right side of the screen when watching movies - presumably where the image is masked on the sides when doing 4:3 computer operations. LCD isn't supposed to have screenburn, yet I see these bands - anyone else have this issue? It's barely noticible, but I DO notice it and am not too pleased. Been running with all pixels for about four hours (and an overnight cool off period) and I still see it so I'm wondering if it's not going to go away.. Anyone have ideas??

Thx! -Mike

Okay, need some advice. I currently purchased a Z4 from projector people which will be here Tuesday, the 21st. I will be projecting onto a 92" dia. screen from 10' away. My DVD player that I'm using is a Denon DVD-3910. I'm currently running my HD satellite STB, my Denon 3910 and my XBOX 360 all component out to component in on my Denon 3805 and having it do my switching for me. Should I keep this current configuration or should I opt. to run a HDMI cable to the projector with the component cable. I really didn't see that much of a difference when I ran a HDMI cable from the 3910 to the 62" 1080P Mits. I currently have it hook up to, in all honesty I prefer the quality of picture using component over the HDMI but I'm just not sure if it will be the same using a 720P projector. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My Denon 3805 is on eBay now, just replaced with the 4306. I have a single HDMI cable running to the Z4. The XBOX 360, Dish 6000 HD receiver, Sony 1080i/720p DVD player are all switched by the Denon. Part of my reason for the 4306 was the fact that it upconverts 480i to 720p and outputs that via HDMI. We all know what a terrible job the Z4 does with 480i. Now, I don't watch much 480i, but sometimes the kids want to watch Disney or some other standard definition programming and the Denon has done a great job upconverting it to the Sanyo.

In your case, similar to mine, you have an HDMI DVD player and other component video devices. This issue for you, and me, was that if you run component to the Denon from the DVD player I beleive you are only getting 480p. I beleive most upconverting DVD players only output 720p / 1080i via the HDMI connector. So you would have to swich the Z4s video input when you go between the DVD player and say the 360. I prefer never having to switch the Z4 from HDMI and using the Denon 4306 to do all the audio and video switching.

Jer

Just was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Logitech Harmony 880 on the Z4.

Looking at buying one, but concerned that it may be annoying or difficulty to operate with the Z4- and didn't really want to spend the money for the 890.

einstein, I have thge 880 and the Z4 and it works great. I click watch TV, it turns on everything, I click the off button it turns off everything, even tells the Z4 to turn off (once it asks the question "turn projector off?")....

Nice to hear that it works!

Do you have any troubles with directing the remote? My biggest fear is mounting the projector via a ceiling mount and not having it respond without pointing the remote straight up or such.

Thanks.

I sit right under the projector and point it straight ahead and it turns the projector on and off everytime...it must emit a beam upward as well. The nice thing about the harmony's is that you keep it charged all the time, so it never emits a weak beam like the battery operated ones.

I'm looking at setting up a projector for some friends who'd like to mount their Z4 under their bed (!), shooting a 106" screen from about 16' away. They'll be seated (or laying down) another 4' back so they're over 2x screen distance.
The question I have is what screen will best suit them. Since the proj will be about 3' below their viewing height, will an Optoma Graywolf still be a good choice? How about a hi power or matte white or HCCV?
Thanks for your help.

Can anyone who has a Z4 confirm that if you switch from high to low power lamp model the light isn't much dimmer? For some reason I hardly see a difference and I wonder if that's normal.


Also anyone already calibrated the Z4?

Thanks
Lucien

I sit right under the projector and point it straight ahead and it turns the projector on and off everytime...it must emit a beam upward as well. The nice thing about the harmony's is that you keep it charged all the time, so it never emits a weak beam like the battery operated ones.

Yeah I agree. Same setup & results here. I don't know why, but with the Z4 remote, I need to hold it up & backwards so it's pointing right at the Z4 for it to work, but with my 880, I can point it straight ahead and the Z4 picks it up instantly. It might just be that much more powerful a signal than the Z4 remote or it's possible the signal comes out of the back too...not sure. Either way, the 880 works beautifully with Z4 & it's auto programmed macros turn it on & off with one click (along with my other compontants).

I'm looking at setting up a projector for some friends who'd like to mount their Z4 under their bed (!), shooting a 106" screen from about 16' away. They'll be seated (or laying down) another 4' back so they're over 2x screen distance.
The question I have is what screen will best suit them. Since the proj will be about 3' below their viewing height, will an Optoma Graywolf still be a good choice? How about a hi power or matte white or HCCV?
Thanks for your help.

That Optima Graywolf is a pull down screen isn't it? I'm not sure if that usually mounts on the ceiling, but I'd guess it does and if so, I'd think that could be too high since it only pulls down as far as the top of the screen (or close to it). Without measuring & knowing exactly how far down the Graywolf will pull, it's hard to tell. It really depends on how much he wants to spend as there are better options than the Graywolf, however, it is inexpensive and if you can get it to the right position, if money is an issue, it should do a nice job. I'd still recommend a better screen if he can spend a bit more. The DaLite HCCV is a great choice for this projector as it really adds to the black levels that a white screen just can't do plus it is still has a nice 1.1 gain. It is however quite a bit more expensive than the Optima. With a pull down, you'll really need to measure how far down it goes & how far up he'll have to shoot the Z4. With the mounted DaLite (or other mounted screens), that won't be an issue.

Could not find the DaLite HCCV, could you provide a link?

Thanks

Never mind....High Contrast Cinema Vision! Found it explained else where, still got lots to learn.

Thanks! Answered my question and I now have a 2nd 880 inbound for my setup. Great deal on it too, $50 rebate puts it around 120-130ish.

I'm looking at setting up a projector for some friends who'd like to mount their Z4 under their bed (!), shooting a 106" screen from about 16' away. They'll be seated (or laying down) another 4' back so they're over 2x screen distance.
The question I have is what screen will best suit them. Since the proj will be about 3' below their viewing height, will an Optoma Graywolf still be a good choice? How about a hi power or matte white or HCCV?
Thanks for your help.

How dark is the room and it there any light on the screen?
If it's completely dark I'd go with Matte white. You can request samples from Dalite and other vendors so you can test this before you buy.

I ordered last week pull down da-lite matte white 133" (significantly cheaper than fixed frame for some reason and under 500 bucks).

I'm looking at setting up a projector for some friends who'd like to mount their Z4 under their bed (!), shooting a 106" screen from about 16' away. They'll be seated (or laying down) another 4' back so they're over 2x screen distance.
The question I have is what screen will best suit them. Since the proj will be about 3' below their viewing height, will an Optoma Graywolf still be a good choice? How about a hi power or matte white or HCCV?
Thanks for your help.

Our Z4 is also in our bedroom (but ceiling mounted). An 86" image viewed at 16 feet on a smooth light gray painted wall. No screen at all. If your friends room configuration allows it, you might try going without a screen (you can always add one later). I was surprised at how well it works...and mismatched image-screen borders are pretty much a non-issue.

Hi Guys,
I am pickingup my new Z4 tommorow, I remember reading a thread regarding the use of a filter in front of the projector, to give it better color.
Can any one give me some info on that please, Also setting up the projector in a dark room, are there any setting that work ok so I can get the most out of it.

Peter

It was determined that on the Z4, the filter did not result in any positive improvements. ROne & Chuck C. tried with disappointing results. Z3 is the one where filters helped quite a bit.

It was determined that on the Z4, the filter did not result in any positive improvements. ROne & Chuck C. tried with disappointing results. Z3 is the one where filters helped quite a bit.

See http://www.cine4home.de/Tuning/Z4/Z4Tuning.htm for the use of a filter with good results (after prof calibration). It's in German but use one of your favorite translators.

It's a red-orange filter. After prof. calibration he got great results and improved black level.

Yep that is true, but nobody has seemed to be able to duplicate those results...at least not on this forum. If you do a search in the tweaks thread, I know Chuck posted his results and he had already read the article from cine4home. ROne's results are there too.

If someone manages to perform this filter tweak with great results, please let us know since nobody here has been able to do so thus far. It would be great if someone found that it was both easy & effective besides cine4home.

Can anyone who has a Z4 confirm that if you switch from high to low power lamp model the light isn't much dimmer? For some reason I hardly see a difference and I wonder if that's normal.


Also anyone already calibrated the Z4?

Thanks
Lucien

Ya, i notice the same result, the lamp control doesnt really seem to do anything. A little bizarre really. The preset modes obviously do though.

Hi!

I'm considering purchasing a Sanyo PLV-Z4, but have a couple of questions about screen gain. For purposes of reference, here's my set-up:

The room is 21' long, and I'll be projecting from about 14' (or so) onto a 106" diagonal screen. It is possible to make the room go completely dark, but I had Lasik and get the halo affect when I don't have some amount of ambient light in the room and look directly at a light source. (Watching a regular 25" televsions from 14' away in a completely dark room bothers my eyes.)

I've been to Projector Central and it says I should get at least a screen with 1.1 gain and that that maximum light in the room should be 4% (2 fc). But I don't know how much 4% light is, let alone 2 fc. (Though I've read about it all on the web.)

Can anyone here recommend a good screen that will give me a great picture in a relatively dark room that will work well with the Z4? Also, should I be painting the walls dark in this room...will that help? Or, should I try a smaller screen?

I live in Portland, Oregon and haven't been able to find anybody that carries the Z4 so I can't go test it out in person. I'm simply purchasing based upon reading about the Z4 on the web.

Thanks for any help you can give!

Hi!

I'm considering purchasing a Sanyo PLV-Z4, but have a couple of questions about screen gain. For purposes of reference, here's my set-up:

The room is 21' long, and I'll be projecting from about 14' (or so) onto a 106" diagonal screen. It is possible to make the room go completely dark, but I had Lasik and get the halo affect when I don't have some amount of ambient light in the room and look directly at a light source. (Watching a regular 25" televsions from 14' away in a completely dark room bothers my eyes.)

I've been to Projector Central and it says I should get at least a screen with 1.1 gain and that that maximum light in the room should be 4% (2 fc). But I don't know how much 4% light is, let alone 2 fc. (Though I've read about it all on the web.)

Can anyone here recommend a good screen that will give me a great picture in a relatively dark room that will work well with the Z4? Also, should I be painting the walls dark in this room...will that help? Or, should I try a smaller screen?

I live in Portland, Oregon and haven't been able to find anybody that carries the Z4 so I can't go test it out in person. I'm simply purchasing based upon reading about the Z4 on the web.

Thanks for any help you can give!

2fc is dark, probably dark enough that it would bother you with a halo effect.
If you need to illuminate the area to avoid this, the way to do it with the least harm done to the Z4's picture quality would be to light the back wall from *behind* the screen. Since this really wouldn't be specific to the Z4 and to keep from going too far off-topic on this thread you can search for bias lighting or backlighting in the screens forum here on AVS. Several members have setups with some bias light coming from behind the screen to avoid excess light shining onto the screen. Good luck.

This ant good, i was planning on using mistic evening like for my old z1, which would be like .9 gain. Should i still use it or go for something brighter?

The Da-Lite High Contrast Cinema Vision is the perfect screen for your situation (and the screen I have). It has a 1.1 gain and is a silver-gray color. This combination provides plenty of brightness and the silver/gray (almost a metallic look) material will give you much better black levels than any white screen can provide which is needed for most LCD projectors. It will also be better with ambient lighting as well. When I am watching sporting events with friends, I will often times have the back row of lights on in my 21 foot theater room. I usually have them at about 1/3 brightness or so which should be more than sufficient for you. It doesn't really affect the picture enough to cause a problem. Of course total dark is best, but this combination of screen & lighting works perfectly & the picture is still bright & gorgeous with tons of punch!

I would go with darker colors for the walls & ceiling. I have chocolate brown walls & a black ceiling all of which can really help stop light reflection that can wash out your pictures, especially with ambient lighting on.

I too am trying to find a suitable screen for the Z4 ( 92"screen, 12 feet away, can control light, lightly colored room). See pics in referenced post below)

One question I have: Why would the Z4 ever be considered "not bright"?? On the review of the Z4 at http://projectorreviews.com/ChooseHT/Sanyo/PLV-Z4/index.asp , they say that " The Sanyo is one of the least bright projectors in the group. If you prefer a larger screen - say over 110" diagonal, the limited brightness may be a deal breaker for you. " I dont get this. If it's rated at 7000 lumens, why would they say its not bright????

Really confusing when trying to decide on white, bright white, grey , etc,

(Ref: my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=662219)

I don't think they are saying it's not considered bright, just that in their opinion, compared to the AE700 and PE7700 (note that it's a DLP, not LCD), it's slightly less bright. Releatively speaking, it might not be quite as bright, however it's plenty bright for almost any normal scenario. I haven't seen anyone else say it wasn't bright enough for 110" or more, but there are lots of factors that can hurt the results, including the screen, type of lights, wall color, settings, etc... I'd say that if you couldn't look at them side by side, you'd be very hard pressed to tell that there was a difference in brightness anyway. The review also states that the Sony HS51A is the same brightness as the Z4, yet that projector has long been considered one of the best LCD's on the market (but often left out of comparisons because of it's higher price). I wouldn't get too caught up in one being much brighter than the other and just 'focus' on the other aspects where each projector shines. I don't think that any of them are going to be all that much better than the others with too much lighting in the room anyway. Just look at the over all packages & pick the best one for your situation.

I too am trying to find a suitable screen for the Z4 ( 92"screen, 12 feet away, can control light, lightly colored room). See pics in referenced post below)

One question I have: Why would the Z4 ever be considered "not bright"?? On the review of the Z4 at http://projectorreviews.com/ChooseHT/Sanyo/PLV-Z4/index.asp , they say that " The Sanyo is one of the least bright projectors in the group. If you prefer a larger screen - say over 110" diagonal, the limited brightness may be a deal breaker for you. " I dont get this. If it's rated at 7000 lumens, why would they say its not bright????

Really confusing when trying to decide on white, bright white, grey , etc,

(Ref: my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=662219)

The projectorreviews comparison review I thought is misleading. The reviewer is only compared the cinema program which is the least bright. The dynamic/vivid/living settings are much brighter and can get tweaked.

I currently have a 133" size screen and still looks to me bright enough (in completely darkened room).

By the way does anyone know if there's a Z4 or a generic 16:9 display driver for windows?

My PC does only output 1280x768 and the Z4 doesn't like it as it reports it as 1360x768.

I just installed Powerstrip last week and set my Windows up for 1280x720, works beautifully and was easier to get going than all the reading I've perused. I HIGHLY recommend it!

-Mike

I just installed Powerstrip last week and set my Windows up for 1280x720, works beautifully and was easier to get going than all the reading I've perused. I HIGHLY recommend it!

-Mike

I upgraded my video drivers (855GME videocard) and I finally got 1280x720. However Z4 doesn't like it because the H-Freq is a few Hz higher and reports it as 1360x768. 1280x800 works better but then it gets truncated.

I installed Powerstrip but haven't figured out yet if it's possible to change the H-Freq. I tried to setup a new default monitor (z4) but didn't succeed yet.
I wish the Z4 would be less picky...

If you have an nVidia card, their drivers have custom timings that are already setup. 1280x720 @ 60Hz is already a preset & it's as easy as clicking the systray icon & switching. Before I realized what the base drivers could do, I used Powerstrip which worked. For some reason it didn't always play well with the nVidia drivers so I just use the nVidia standard drivers now with no issues at all. Turn the Z4 on, switch to preset for 1280x720, switch to clone mode and I'm flying.

For those that don't have an nVidia based card, Powerstrip will work very nicely. Just make a preset for 1280x720 @ 60hz & save it & you should be all set.

I too am trying to find a suitable screen for the Z4 ( 92"screen, 12 feet away, can control light, lightly colored room). See pics in referenced post below)

One question I have: Why would the Z4 ever be considered "not bright"?? On the review of the Z4 at http://projectorreviews.com/ChooseHT/Sanyo/PLV-Z4/index.asp , they say that " The Sanyo is one of the least bright projectors in the group. If you prefer a larger screen - say over 110" diagonal, the limited brightness may be a deal breaker for you. " I dont get this. If it's rated at 7000 lumens, why would they say its not bright????

Really confusing when trying to decide on white, bright white, grey , etc,

(Ref: my post at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=662219)

Marvin, the Z4 is rated at 1000 lumens, not 7000 lumens. Unfortunately even 1000 lumens is a number that does not apply to it's optimal video settings. To get good looking video with high contrast (deeper blacks) you could not get such high lumens. In addition, projector bulbs dim fast, many of them are at 1/2 their brightness after 1000 hours compared to when they were new. The Z4 has closer to 350 lumens calibrated. You should plan your screen size / material / setup around a 250-350 usable lumens number (the lower number being after many hours of usage.) You could get higher lumens in a mode that does not maximize contrast and color balance.
The 7000 number you were thinking of is probably the quoted 7000:1 contrast. This is also not a reasonably expectation - even with the dynamic iris, in a usable video calibrated mode you will not have such high contrast.

If you have an nVidia card, their drivers have custom timings that are already setup. 1280x720 @ 60Hz is already a preset & it's as easy as clicking the systray icon & switching. Before I realized what the base drivers could do, I used Powerstrip which worked. For some reason it didn't always play well with the nVidia drivers so I just use the nVidia standard drivers now with no issues at all. Turn the Z4 on, switch to preset for 1280x720, switch to clone mode and I'm flying.

For those that don't have an nVidia based card, Powerstrip will work very nicely. Just make a preset for 1280x720 @ 60hz & save it & you should be all set.

I have intel 855GME (typical for notebooks). I have been able to set it to 1280x720 60Hz but the v-freq is slightly higher and Z4 doesn't like it. So you also need to have the correct v-freq at 45Hz to get it working unfortunately.
Powerstrip didn't allow me to change the v-freq independently from the h-freq.

I don't have it installed anymore & I'm not positive about this, but I really thought in the custom timings, you could plunk in any numbers you wanted in any of the values. Aren't settings like back porch settings etc... for just this situation? Again, I am not positive, I'm just going by memory. I can reinstall it again & test if nobody else chimes in.

In looking at my nVidia custom timings (it allows many of the features of Powerstrip), when I set to the built in timing for 1280x720 @60 Hz (which works on Z4 with no tweaking), my vertical refresh is set to 59.999 Hz so I don't understand why yours would be 45hz. My other settings are as follows:

Horizontal Pixels:
Front Porch 56
Back Porch 192
Sync Polarity -
Front End Active - 1280
Sync Width - 136
Scan Rate - 44.76 kHz
Back End Active 1280

Vertical Lines:
Front Porch 1
Back Porch 22
Sync Polarity +
Front End Active 720
Sync Width 3
Refresh Rate 59.999 Hz
Back End Active 720


Pixel Clock - 74.48 Mhz

Not sure if those will help, but I think you should be able to plug those into Power Strip just like that & Z4 will work. It's always possible that a certain video card (especially laptops without a separate video card) might not be capable of the timings needed.

Let me know if this helps.

I was wondering if any of you z4 owners have noticed a ton of "noise" in your picture in the darker back ground of many DVD's? I have had mine professionally calibrated and am using a Denon 2910 with a 100 inch Da-Lite HCCV screen. I watched Ice Harvest last night and could see it in the background here and there throughout the movie? Another great example is in Walk the Line when Johny Cash passes out and falls face first in the grass and then wakes up...In the back shot of his head when he gets up, his hair looks like it has little grey/white bugs crawling around in it. Is something wrong with mine? Is there an adjustment to minimize this? All of the (transient improvement, Auto black stretech etc are turned OFF...I know they can introduce noise into the picture)...I never noticed this on my z2. Otherwise the picture is great...sharp! It's wierd, because the closeup of a face is crisp and clear, but then in the background, it looks like bugs are crawling around the screen (in darker areas of the picture). I don't really like it and would appreciate your comments on this matter. Thanks, Bill

Well, after a year and a half of sitting on the fence I've decided to get the Z4, will probably place an order online in the next 2-3 days. Never used a home theater projector, once in a store I saw 10 minutes of Nemo on PT 700-U.
What do I need to know or look out for?
Thanks in advance!

I have the Sanyo PLV-Z4 and a 100 inch Criterion screen from Carada.

I am shotting from about a 13 foot ceiling mount.

I find the Carada screen and Sanyo made for each other. The quality of the picture from the projector is unreal and the screen is awesome. I get so many compliments on the look and feel of being in a real theater.

Carada has a screen with gain. I presently use a darkened room with some ambient overhead dimmed lights and use the regular movie screen from Carada.

By the way, Carada is very helpful in helping you select the right screen for yourself.

Troy

Hi!

I'm considering purchasing a Sanyo PLV-Z4, but have a couple of questions about screen gain. For purposes of reference, here's my set-up:

The room is 21' long, and I'll be projecting from about 14' (or so) onto a 106" diagonal screen. It is possible to make the room go completely dark, but I had Lasik and get the halo affect when I don't have some amount of ambient light in the room and look directly at a light source. (Watching a regular 25" televsions from 14' away in a completely dark room bothers my eyes.)

I've been to Projector Central and it says I should get at least a screen with 1.1 gain and that that maximum light in the room should be 4% (2 fc). But I don't know how much 4% light is, let alone 2 fc. (Though I've read about it all on the web.)

Can anyone here recommend a good screen that will give me a great picture in a relatively dark room that will work well with the Z4? Also, should I be painting the walls dark in this room...will that help? Or, should I try a smaller screen?

I live in Portland, Oregon and haven't been able to find anybody that carries the Z4 so I can't go test it out in person. I'm simply purchasing based upon reading about the Z4 on the web.

Thanks for any help you can give!

[QUOQuote:
Originally Posted by bobpdx
Hi!

I'm considering purchasing a Sanyo PLV-Z4, but have a couple of questions about screen gain. For purposes of reference, here's my set-up:

The room is 21' long, and I'll be projecting from about 14' (or so) onto a 106" diagonal screen. It is possible to make the room go completely dark, but I had Lasik and get the halo affect when I don't have some amount of ambient light in the room and look directly at a light source. (Watching a regular 25" televsions from 14' away in a completely dark room bothers my eyes.)

I've been to Projector Central and it says I should get at least a screen with 1.1 gain and that that maximum light in the room should be 4% (2 fc). But I don't know how much 4% light is, let alone 2 fc. (Though I've read about it all on the web.)

Can anyone here recommend a good screen that will give me a great picture in a relatively dark room that will work well with the Z4? Also, should I be painting the walls dark in this room...will that help? Or, should I try a smaller screen?

I live in Portland, Oregon and haven't been able to find anybody that carries the Z4 so I can't go test it out in person. I'm simply purchasing based upon reading about the Z4 on the web.

Thanks for any help you can give
TE]Quote:[/QUOTE]

Before deciding on the specific screen, I would try using the wall the screen is going up on, if an off white or light color, and see how much light you have just with the Z4. As the 106" is pretty good sized, a normal room with light control, and painted normally a light color, is going to be fairly lit with that size screen. You may or may not need any additional lighting depending on the presentation. If you find this acceptable, you can then settle on a screen that would present the picture better. If you still find you need some additional lighting in the room, you might want to consider a higher contrast grey screen, allowing a better-meaning higher contrast picture, with some additional lighting applied. I'm using a Draper, 1300 material, white screen and, with this material, some of the light hitting the screen passes through the material and is dispersed on the back side. I have complete control in this basement area but the room is painted off-white in color. Your going to love the front PJ experience!

ProjectorPeople/Sanyo are still homoring the free bulb rebate through the end of the month...I just ordered one.

ProjectorPeople/Sanyo are still homoring the free bulb rebate through the end of the month...I just ordered one.

It appears that AVS Sponsor Visual Apex is also working with an extended rebate offer of 5/31. Got similar reports when I checked with other dealers.

Have to admit I'm dissappointed. I was hoping for a price drop so I could just skip playing the rebate game altogether.

Well, the bulb on my Z1 finally burned out. I ordered my Z4 last night from AudioGeneral, and will receive it tomorrow. It does come with the extra lamp rebate, so I'm definitely partaking in that!

Anyways, I've been watching my Z1 in a room with 5% opening PVC shades. A fair amount of light seeps into the room in the day, and I'm projecting on a grey wall. I've been living with this for over a year and a half, so I'll let you know how well the Z4 stacks up as compared in those conditions. I'll be building a screen next week, probably just a parkland until I figure out what I really want... This will be my second parkland screen, my first is still in use at another house with a Z1.

Well, the bulb on my Z1 finally burned out. I ordered my Z4 last night from AudioGeneral, and will receive it tomorrow. It does come with the extra lamp rebate, so I'm definitely partaking in that!

Anyways, I've been watching my Z1 in a room with 5% opening PVC shades. A fair amount of light seeps into the room in the day, and I'm projecting on a grey wall. I've been living with this for over a year and a half, so I'll let you know how well the Z4 stacks up as compared in those conditions. I'll be building a screen next week, probably just a parkland until I figure out what I really want... This will be my second parkland screen, my first is still in use at another house with a Z1.

I found that my Z4 is much brighter than my Z1. I think you will be happy with the result!

Hi,

Can someone do me a favor? Does anyone have the Z4 hooked up to the computer using RGB cable? What do you see for the monitor info? Does it say 'plug and play' or does it say 'default monitor'?

Someone told me the Z4 should report as a plug and play monitor but instead I get 'default monitor'. So I wonder if the Z4 is broken or if Sanyo didn't design this as a plug and play device?

Thanks a lot
Luc

Hi,

Can someone do me a favor? Does anyone have the Z4 hooked up to the computer using RGB cable? What do you see for the monitor info? Does it say 'plug and play' or does it say 'default monitor'?

Someone told me the Z4 should report as a plug and play monitor but instead I get 'default monitor'. So I wonder if the Z4 is broken or if Sanyo didn't design this as a plug and play device?

Thanks a lot
Luc

Hi Luc,

I've got my HTPC hooked up via RGB and the video card just says "Default Monitor". While going thru the setup with Powerstrip, it never recognized the Z4 either so I did the manual setup. It's workin' like a champ, now.

-Mike

Hi Luc,

I've got my HTPC hooked up via RGB and the video card just says "Default Monitor". While going thru the setup with Powerstrip, it never recognized the Z4 either so I did the manual setup. It's workin' like a champ, now.

-Mike

Thanks a lot for letting me know! My desktop works so seems just an issue with my notebook. One workaround I found it to choose 1280x800 then use full-through to avoid any scaling. Then play back letterbox WMV and looks great:-).

I received my da-lite matte white 133" (significantly cheaper than fixed frame).
Looks pretty good just little bit heavy and of course wall studs are in the wrong places. But I should be able to attach it to the drywall with some special screws.

Anyone who's been waiting for their free bulb from Sanyo will find it takes about 10 weeks. I called my rep about 2 weeks ago who put me in touch with Sanyo and they indicated they were running behind getting the bulbs out.

Probably won't be long before I replace the origial bulb. We are using the sh*t out of the Z4. Put about 6 hours a day on that pupply and love it!

Jerry

I got my bulb monday, I can't remember when I sent the rebate out :)

One thing, this bulb is not under warranty, so I guess there is no need to test it. Either it works or it doesn't out of the box... (I noticed that in the fine print).

I got my bulb monday, I can't remember when I sent the rebate out :)

One thing, this bulb is not under warranty, so I guess there is no need to test it. Either it works or it doesn't out of the box... (I noticed that in the fine print).
Mine came in yesterday (Tuesday). I note there is a guy in a Z2 thread who claims to have more than 6,000 hours on a bulb, so at the rate of a couple or three movies a week, hmmm, let's see. Carry the two, divide by 365 -- yes that's it! Spring of 2037!

I got my bulb yesterday after I was thinking they may not have received my rebate...

I ordered it 3 weeks ago so that's not bad.

Just got my bulb yesterday, too! About three weeks.... Musta been a big batch they sent out recently.

I think mine only 3-4 weeks as well....

I have a regular progresssive scan DVD player (480p) which I would connect to the Z4 ( just purchased) via component inputs. Will I see it as 480p?...or does the Z4 upconvert it to 720p? ...or is the only way to see 720p from a DVD to purchase an upconverting DVD player and connect it via the Z4's HDMI inputs?

Tx

Marvin

I was wondering if any of you z4 owners have noticed a ton of "noise" in your picture in the darker back ground of many DVD's? I have had mine professionally calibrated and am using a Denon 2910 with a 100 inch Da-Lite HCCV screen. I watched Ice Harvest last night and could see it in the background here and there throughout the movie? Another great example is in Walk the Line when Johny Cash passes out and falls face first in the grass and then wakes up...In the back shot of his head when he gets up, his hair looks like it has little grey/white bugs crawling around in it. Is something wrong with mine? Is there an adjustment to minimize this? All of the (transient improvement, Auto black stretech etc are turned OFF...I know they can introduce noise into the picture)...I never noticed this on my z2. Otherwise the picture is great...sharp! It's wierd, because the closeup of a face is crisp and clear, but then in the background, it looks like bugs are crawling around the screen (in darker areas of the picture). I don't really like it and would appreciate your comments on this matter. Thanks, Bill


Will some of you z4 owners please comment on this??? I think it's the dvd player because I don't notice it with HD source material...

I have Walk The Line & did not see this happen in that scene. I'm going to go back again and take another look, but I have not seen this bug effect on my Z4. The only thing close to this was seeing some sparkles on a compressed (converted to DVD5) copy of a DVD. Someone else had this same issue with the bugs previously in this thread and it turned out to be the DVD player if I can recall. If you do a search on bugs you'll find it.

I've had my Z4 since January and have only put 72 hours on it.

I turned the projector on and watched the lamp warm up for a minute (when the Sanyo background comes up and there is a countdown). I left the room for a few minutes (while my DVR was on) and came back to find the dreaded "Warning" light on (not flashing) and my projector off.

I unplugged it and closed the shutter door and waited for an hour. I turned it on again and the power light turned green,shutter opened,fans turned, but the lamp wasn't coming on.

I assumed the lamp was the culprit but when I went to turn it off it wasn't responding to the controls on the remote or projector itself. The only way I was able to power it off was the switch on the back.

Before I look into my warranty options, does anyone have any idea what the problem is? The projector responds to the power button only when I turn it on. It seems to be operating fine other than the fact the lamp isn't on and the buttons don't respond. I've also removed the lamp and it doesn't appear to have exploded or have any other problems, but then again this is my first projector.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Dweez,
What dvd player are you using? Does it upconvert to 720p? Are you using HDMI/DVI to connect it? Let me know, Thanks

Using my HTPC 99% of the time now, via DVI/HDMI. I also have a Zenith DVB318 upconverting to 1080i (or 720p but it does 1080i better). I am using componant for the DVB318 when I use it.

Hmmmm,
And you can't notice any of the "image noise" I speak of? The 2910 is a solid DVD player, but it must be the culprit...anyone else using a Denon 2910 and z4 combo notice the image noise I speak of? I just finished watching Good night and good luck and didn't notice it very much during the movie (a little during the special features, but that is probably due to poor quality)...

Finally got one for myself last week. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/Z4Small.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/RPTVSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/ScreenSmall.jpg

Mike - looks great!

Question - What size screen do you have , and how is the SDE for those sitting on the side couch shown in your pic - they look like they might be about 4 feet away.

The screen is 106". SDE is obvious there, but it's where the kids sit. :)

One quirk I'm having is with the CSI shows. When they do that quick flash of white light between frames of flashback scenes, I get a flicker on the screen. I've tried adjusting the fine sync with no improvement. :confused:.

Hey Mike, we both have the same projector & the same Sony TV too! :)

For thet CSI issue, I've never noticed that, but I'll look this Monday. I have not had any of the sync issues at all either that some others have had. One thing of note though that might help. Try changing your overscan settings & see how that might effect it. Try different settings and see if one eliminates it. I've heard before that someone had the sync issue and couldn't fix it, but it was only when they were using a very low overscan. Once they bumped the overscan up, it was gone.

Changing the overscan didn't do anything. I read a post from someone else that said it may have to do with the component video running through my receiver. The only way for me to get around this would be to buy a HDMI switcher not knowing if it would even fix the problem.

Yeah I've heard that possibility as well. It's always best as I'm sure you know to go straight from source to projector if having issues just to eliminate any other variables. Try going straight in from the cable box and bypass your receiver just to test and see if indeed that's the problem. Then at that point you can seek alternatives for switching componant or HDMI.

Sold the Z1. Now the Z4 be a huge improvement?


Also I probably going to keep my hookups the same RGB. I will be running a Sammy HD850 dvd player. Will I been more happier w/ the pic quality results? Thanks

ive been using 1280x960 then hitting the auto screen adj on mine for the pc output. Seems to make it come out without stretching or any other weirdness. which is strange since the panel is supposed to be 1280x720. but when i choose that resolution everything doesnt come out right. im using dvi out on the video card and vga in on the projector. I couldnt be happier with mine. Its nice and bright on a 120" screen with the pj ceiling mounted about 15' away. I really like how you can basically just throw the z4 anywhere in the room and make it work.

SIAP.

Anybody still waiting for delivery on the free bulb offer? FYI, I bought a Z4 2 weeks before the superbowl and received my free bulb last week.

I'm a bit concerned about this free lamp offer. I ordered this projector at the beginning of this month, after hearing the offer had been extended. When I received the projector, the certificate said it had to be purchased by 3/31/06. I contacted Projection Wholesale about it, and they sent me a new invoice with a date from last month. Now I flip the certificate over, and it has a sticker on it saying
SANYO PLV-Z4
Free Lamp Offer
EXTENDED:
Purchase by 5/31/06,
offer request postmarked by 6/30/06.
See official certificate for details.
However, their website still has the 3/31/06 date: http://www.sanyo.com/business/projectors/PLVZ4offer.cfm?showFileID=318

So now I'm wondering what I should do: Send the real invoice and hope they honor the extension, or send the fake invoice and hope they accept it. I don't feel very comfortable with either one.

Hi newbie here,

Remodeling basement now to include a HT. The AVS forums have been a great source of prebuild information .I thank you all. My first piece of new equipment was the Yamaha 2600, mainly for the HDMI switching and upscaling abilities. I am somewhat disappointed though in reading these forums of the problems with most current cable set boxes and HDMI switching. I have TWC and the current box they supply for HD/DVR is the SA8300, which has been shown to problematic in terms of HDMI switching by folks here. This is my planned "work-around" for the HDMI problem. And yes I know I could go straight from SA8300 to display via HDMI without problems but I really want to use the 2600 as a "switcher"

SA8300>component>2600
Oppo DVD>HDMI>2600
XBOX360>component>2600
Computer>DVI/HDMI adapter>HDMI>2600

All of these then outputed to Sanyo Z4 via single HDMI. So I get to use the 2600 as the controller for all my inputs.

My questions:

1) Does this seem reasonable and is anybody doing something similiar?

2) Will I see a noticable difference in using component-vs- HDMI from the SA8300 in HD content?

3) Using the 2600's upscaling capabilites thru HDMI out, will/can I expect an "improvement" from SD channels from TWC. (Does using component vs HDMI from the SA8300 to the 2600 affect this it all)?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice. Wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Display or other forums so I'm starting here.

I'm a bit concerned about this free lamp offer. I ordered this projector at the beginning of this month, after hearing the offer had been extended. When I received the projector, the certificate said it had to be purchased by 3/31/06. I contacted Projection Wholesale about it, and they sent me a new invoice with a date from last month. Now I flip the certificate over, and it has a sticker on it saying

However, their website still has the 3/31/06 date: http://www.sanyo.com/business/projectors/PLVZ4offer.cfm?showFileID=318

So now I'm wondering what I should do: Send the real invoice and hope they honor the extension, or send the fake invoice and hope they accept it. I don't feel very comfortable with either one.

If the sticker on the actual certificate says it's 5/31/06, that's what it is. I'm sure Sanyo didn't want to re-print all the certificates so they started to put the sticker on them. Sanyo has notoriously been extremely slow to update their website. In fact, they still don't have 1/2 the dealers that are participating listed on their site either. As for which you should send, it honestly doesn't matter. If your 'new' receipt doesn't look doctored, it's fine. Since the official rebate certificate says it's been extended, I'm guessing sending your original receipt is fine too. I had originally purchased my Z4 on Dec. 30th!!! 1 day later, they announce the rebate so I called the place where I purchased from to complain and say I'm just going to return it & they sent me a 'new' receipt that showed a purchase date of 1/5/2006. I sent that one in and three weeks later (Monday) I received the lamp. No problems at all. I'm sure they don't look at that closely anyway.

I think you don't have anything to worry about. Either way will be fine. If you want, call Sanyo to see if somehow that sticker on the back of the certificate is wrong, but I'd bet it's fine. If your Z4 wasn't manufactured after (or even close to) the doctored sales receipt date, I'm sure sending that would be fine as well.

Hi newbie here,

Remodeling basement now to include a HT. The AVS forums have been a great source of prebuild information .I thank you all. My first piece of new equipment was the Yamaha 2600, mainly for the HDMI switching and upscaling abilities. I am somewhat disappointed though in reading these forums of the problems with most current cable set boxes and HDMI switching. I have TWC and the current box they supply for HD/DVR is the SA8300, which has been shown to problematic in terms of HDMI switching by folks here. This is my planned "work-around" for the HDMI problem. And yes I know I could go straight from SA8300 to display via HDMI without problems but I really want to use the 2600 as a "switcher"

SA8300>component>2600
Oppo DVD>HDMI>2600
XBOX360>component>2600
Computer>DVI/HDMI adapter>HDMI>2600

All of these then outputed to Sanyo Z4 via single HDMI. So I get to use the 2600 as the controller for all my inputs.

My questions:

1) Does this seem reasonable and is anybody doing something similiar?

2) Will I see a noticable difference in using component-vs- HDMI from the SA8300 in HD content?

3) Using the 2600's upscaling capabilites thru HDMI out, will/can I expect an "improvement" from SD channels from TWC. (Does using component vs HDMI from the SA8300 to the 2600 affect this it all)?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice. Wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the Display or other forums so I'm starting here.

I don't notice any difference with my 8300HD when I switched from HDMI to Componant. When I hooked up my HTPC I went HDMI and switched to componant for the 8300HD. They look nearly the same to me although componant seems to be a bit more saturated in color. I don't think either looks better than the other however. If you have the 8300HD box set to output ONLY 720p, it will do the upconvert on the SD content and that alone will make things a bit better since the Z4 won't need to deal with the 480i to 720p conversion which it's not very good at. It's hard to say if your receiver would do a better job with the conversion (I'm guessing it wouldn't or at the very most, it will look the same). That part you'll have to test out to see. Still, as they say, garbage in garbage out, so even upconverted, SD material still looks crappy at these sizes. It looks crappy on my 51" Sony, let alone at 106". :D

One thing I noticed that might not work is that you are mixing up componant & HDMI inputs in your receiver & outputing them all via HDMI. I have no idea if your receiver can do that or not so make sure that it can. My Yamaha (which doesn't have HDMI) can't mix inputs/outputs. So for instance I can switch componant inputs with it, but it will only output componant via the componant outs. If I had an Svideo input, it's not going to output that svideo via the componant output, it'll only go out via Svideo. Again, this just struck me as something you need to double check. Your receiver may allow this but just make sure first.

...

One thing I noticed that might not work is that you are mixing up componant & HDMI inputs in your receiver & outputing them all via HDMI. I have no idea if your receiver can do that or not so make sure that it can. ...

The 2600 can convert everything to HDMI, but I was reading a review somewhere (wish I could remember where) that said they had trouble with picture freezing occasionally when converting component to HDMI (as if the unit was resyncing periodically) and they said it would sometimes totally lock up on DVD menus as if the HDCP handshaking had stopped.

I was looking at the 2600 because I've been really happy with my 995 Yamaha, but I now need HDMI switching. After reading the review of the 2600, I'm back to looking at seperate HDMI switchers like the gefen or the monoprice. :(

Finally got one for myself last week. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/Z4Small.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/RPTVSmall.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v210/mlang2000/ScreenSmall.jpg
what type of mount are you using on your Z4?

Dweezilz....

Thanks for the response. The 2600 should handle the switching ok even when mixing component and HDMI inputs.The 2600 can upconvert all when outputing thru HDMI. I'll compare the upscaling capabilities of the SA3800 and the Yama to see which does the best job on the SD signals. The HD signal will just have to be via component from the SA8300, (maybe I should never even hook it up straight thru HDMI so I won't know what I'm missing, if anything!!!)

Mac The Knife...

Thanks for your response. If you ever remember the article/review that you were referring to please post it back here. The DVD menu lockup- was that even when going thru DVI/HDMI to the YAMA 2600, because thats what my Oppo will be doing, not using the component inputs.

hi,

could someone please upload the service manual somewhere or mail it to me... (the6thday@rihannsu.de)

the links on page 53 are broken...

thx...

what type of mount are you using on your Z4?
This one...
http://www.projectorbundles.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=117

Dweezilz....


Mac The Knife...

Thanks for your response. If you ever remember the article/review that you were referring to please post it back here. The DVD menu lockup- was that even when going thru DVI/HDMI to the YAMA 2600, because thats what my Oppo will be doing, not using the component inputs.


RE: DVD menu lockup, I can't recall if they were using component out or hdmi out on the DVD player, but they were going through the 2600. So the 2600 was doing the switching but I'm not sure if it was also doing a conversion.

IIRC, the main login page for avsforum had a link to a review on the 2600 a couple of weeks ago. IIRC the link was to the audioholics website. Perhaps that was the review that I read? :confused:

BTW. apologies to everyone else for the OT posts on the 2600. :o

Just rec’d my Z4 last night and I have a thousand questions but let me ask my first handful off the top:

1) MOUNT- I managed to install the ceiling mount, such that I still have access to the lamp replacement panel and the lense cleaning panel, but there is one remaining small hole (with an access screw about an inch below) that the mount covers– could not find what this was for in the manual – I assume its okay to keep it covered.

2) Z4 UPCONVERSION - Does the Z4 do any unconverting to 720p from 480i/p material?

3) HDMI - The Z4 only has only one HDMI input,. I soon hope to purchase an uncoverting DVD player with an HDMI output. I also have HD terminal with will need a HDMI input . Are there good HDMI switchers (other than a new AVR) on the market that people are happy with?

Thanks

Marvin

Mac,

The 2600 can convert everything to HDMI, but I was reading a review somewhere (wish I could remember where) that said they had trouble with picture freezing occasionally when converting component to HDMI (as if the unit was resyncing periodically) and they said it would sometimes totally lock up on DVD menus as if the HDCP handshaking had stopped.

I was looking at the 2600 because I've been really happy with my 995 Yamaha, but I now need HDMI switching. After reading the review of the 2600, I'm back to looking at seperate HDMI switchers like the gefen or the monoprice. :(

I had a Yamaha 995 for many years - I bought it when it came out, must have been 1999 or so. Great receiver. 2 years ago I upgraded to a Yamaha 2400. I couldn't believe the difference in sound. The YPAO really made it much better. And everything had more punch. Just FYI, the video switching is not the only reason to upgrade the receiver.

The 2400 I have only does 2 component switch, and no HDMI or DVI. The DVD player (Pioneer DVD-655A) is connected to the first component. The second component has a Zektor 4- component switch hooked up; for a total of 5 devices with component. Right now I have 5 component devices - a PS2, a JVC 30k D-VHS, Dish 921 HD DVR, Dish 622 HD DVR, and Samsung SIR-T165 OTA HD receiver. The last 3 of those devices have a digital video output (DVI for Dish 921 and Samsung, and HDMI for Dish 622).

My current PJ is a Z1 which only has component in - no DVI or HDMI. I have been considering upgrading it to the Z4. But I'm somewhat at a loss of what to do with the switching for all those devices. I don't want to upgrade the Yamaha 2400 amp that I just got 2 years ago - it's just too expensive, and the sound is great. On the other hand there are reports that the digital picture looks much better than component on the Z4 .

I'm thinking I need a 4 component HDMI switch, two DVI/HDMI converters for the 2 devices that have DVI, a 35ft HDMI cable for the PJ to the switch ... And a new universal remote with lots of macros to switch the PJ input to HDMI or component at the same time as the receiver source ...
And composite too, for the PAL and SECAM sources I have that can't be upconverted at all - sigh, the Yamaha 2400 s-video and component upconversion only works for NTSC.

Changing the overscan didn't do anything. I read a post from someone else that said it may have to do with the component video running through my receiver. The only way for me to get around this would be to buy a HDMI switcher not knowing if it would even fix the problem.

I had this exact problem when feeding (direct) my Z4 using component video from my H10-250 HD Directv box (CSI and 24 were noticable). It went away when I switched over to HDMI and added a Monoprice 5x1 HDMI switcher.

I plan to set up my z4 at the back wall and I'm looking for the wall mount kit to reflect the image horizontally. Searched through the net but could not locate the item; though I remember seeing it before... Can anyone provide info?

Are there any former 4805 owners in this thread? I'm upgrading and think the Z4 is my best option with its longer throw. I'd love to hear from someone who has had both.
Mark

I plan to set up my z4 at the back wall and I'm looking for the wall mount kit to reflect the image horizontally. Searched through the net but could not locate the item; though I remember seeing it before... Can anyone provide info?

Chief Industries makes an excellent wall mount, the WMA-300 here:

http://www.chiefmfg.com/product_display.asp?id=4301


I would recommend the universal RPA-U, PJ mount, in conjuction with the WMA-here:

http://www.chiefmfg.com/product_display.asp?id=6890

The RPA-U would be configurable for other PJ's in the future thus preventing its becomming obsolete.

MarvinG -- To answer your questions:

1 -- Be sure that you also leave the filter covers accessable. You need to clean the air filters every 40 hours (manual says 100 hrs.) or so. Also be sure that you don't cover any of the air vents (or you'll blow your lamp in no time at all).

2 -- The Z4 only projects as 720p, that's its native resolution. It converts all inputs to 720p. This is true of any fixed pixel (non-CRT) display. If the DVD is a 4:3 video (also called "Full" screen) then you will have black bars on either side. Most new movies (on DVD, except for widescreen IMAX) are filmed at 1.85:1 up to 2.40:1. These will show black bars at the top and bottom (your Z4 is 1.78:1 = 16:9).

3 -- The one from Monoprice is supposed to be good (other AVS members reports on the new one, the old one had problems) and a lot less money than the Gefen. If you have a long cable run (more than 30' or so) to your Z4, the Gefen may be a better choice.

Dweezilz -- Glad to hear from you too. I'm seriously considering getting the Z4 to replace my "Dead Lamp afflicted MT700". I hate spending the extra money (and admitting I have a $2K boat anchor), but I'm getting tired of watching movies on my backup HC3 PJ - too much SDE (its 960 x 540 LCD & no smoothscreen) & poor CR (800:1 advertised). BTW, the HC3 in its default mode actually does a reasonably good job on SD TV signals using the HD-15 (SVGA) connection from my D* STB.

I finally decided to take the plunge and ordered the Z4 from one of the forum sponsors yesterday. I should have it friday. I already got my 35ft HDMI cable and a couple of DVI/HDMI adapters from monoprice. I did not order any HDMI switch yet, because I want to see it if it is really better than component and the extra hassle of having an HDMI switch and a more advanced remote setup with 4 macros for each source (switch receiver input, switch component/audio on my Zektor switch to feed the right audio to the receiver, switch projector input - component vs HDMI, switch HDMI source - to feed the right picture to the PJ ). Right now the receiver upconverts everything to component so I hardly ever change the PJ input; I just change the receiver input and the Zektor input, with 2 presses.

I am interested in everybody's experience with Z4 regarding component vs HDMI.
The 3 devices I am going to test for component vs HDMI are :
- Dish 622 HD DVR (HDMI out) . This one can output both component and HDMI at the same time, so it should be easiest to tell the difference - just switching inputs on the projector should do it
- Dish 921 HD DVR (DVI out + adapter) . I believe it will either output DVI or component, but not both at once . Not sure how to toggle.
- Samsung SIR-T165 HD OTA receiver (DVI out + adapter) . This will only output component or DVI, but not both at once. There is a manual switch in the back to toggle and I think it needs a reboot too switch .

Also, what's the best output resolution to use ? 720p or 1080i ? Intuitively, it would seem 720p would be better to match the Z4 panel, but is that always true ?

On my PLV-Z1, 1080i looks *much* sharper than 720p, but the Z1 is 1/4 HD - 960x540 is 1/4 of 1920x1080, so it makes sense .

My DVD player doesn't do DVI/HDMI unfortunately, and I will probably wait until Bluray or HD-DVD before I upgrade it - it will be a while . It's kind of hard to find a multi-region player that does DVI, and PAL without conversion, as well as DVD-Audio and SACD, so I'm keeping my Pioneer DV-655A with component out .

Neither does my first generation DVHS deck (JVC 30000) - it is component only, and I'm pretty sure I will never upgrade it since it is a dead format. I can play DVHS tapes through firewire and DVI on the Samsung unit, but not the copy-protected D-theater ones - I have to use direct component from the JVC to play those.

I am interested in everybody's experience with Z4 regarding component vs HDMI.

Also, what's the best output resolution to use ? 720p or 1080i ? Intuitively, it would seem 720p would be better to match the Z4 panel, but is that always true ?

On my PLV-Z1, 1080i looks *much* sharper than 720p, but the Z1 is 1/4 HD - 960x540 is 1/4 of 1920x1080, so it makes sense .



I have found there is little difference between componant and HDMI when I use my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD box. Maybe if I could look at them side by side there might be something I'd see, but just switching back & forth between inputs seems almost identical. As with any device, it can depend on how well each output is implemented too. I have set the box to both 720p and 1080i and for that particular box, 720p looks better to me, but not by much. Previously when I was using the Zenith DVB318 upconverting player, 1080i looked better because the unit itself has far more issues with 720p. All things equal, with HD content, 720p is the way to go. With upconverted material, it really depends on how good a job your DVD player does with 720p and 1080i.

Ok, I currently have a Boxlight SE2HD (Z2) and I got a fantastic deal on a Z4. My SE2HD has been working terrific but I couldn't pass up the deal. I have the SE2HD hooked up to Starchoice (Canada) high Def PVR (DSR530) via a 30 ft DVI cable. This works ok....there is an occasional flicker but I live with it. My SE2HD is an older one with older firmware (1.03) I have a philips DVD player hooked up via component.

So, to hook up the Z4 I will be getting a DVI-HDMI adapter. I'm hoping this works ok. I have my fingers crossed that since the (Z2) works with this setup the Z4 should. The other option would be to hook up the PVR via component and get an upconverting DVD player for the DVI cable. I watch way more HDTV though and the picture on the Z2 via DVI is great.

I really prefer not to have to go buy a HDMI cable and run it.....I have conduit but it is a pain to pull through. Theoretically would my current DVI cable work ok with a DVI-HDMI adapter at both ends?

I'm hoping I will be as happy with the Z4 as I have been with my SE2HD (Z2).

I have found there is little difference between componant and HDMI when I use my Scientific Atlanta 8300HD box. Maybe if I could look at them side by side there might be something I'd see, but just switching back & forth between inputs seems almost identical. As with any device, it can depend on how well each output is implemented too. I have set the box to both 720p and 1080i and for that particular box, 720p looks better to me, but not by much. Previously when I was using the Zenith DVB318 upconverting player, 1080i looked better because the unit itself has far more issues with 720p. All things equal, with HD content, 720p is the way to go. With upconverted material, it really depends on how good a job your DVD player does with 720p and 1080i.

Well, my PLV-Z4 projector came one day early. I guess paying a litlte extra for fedex 3 days was really worth it - it came in 2 days . Fedex actually tried to deliver yesterday morning while I was in the shower. If they had, I probably wouldn't have gotten any work done all day, so good thing they missed me. I ended up picking up the PJ at fedex after work, and setting it up at night. I have almost all the connections hooked up, component 1, s-video and composite going to my Yamaha RX-V2400 output. The only change in connections that I made vs my Z1 setup was to add the HDMI cable from monoprice directly from the PLV-Z4 to the Dish 622 . I even reused the Sanyo power cable from the Z1.

I found that the remote codes on the Z4 were not the same as for the Z1 - neither code 1 or code 2 have anything in common. So I had to reprogram all the keys on my "TV" component on my Sony RM-AV2500 universal remote - one at a time .

First thing I have to say is WOW, this thing is bright ! In some of the presets, this PLV-Z4 is extremely bright compared to the PLV-Z1. Even with a new lamp in high lamp mode, the Z1 could not be half as bright. I was watching at night with almost complete light control, and my screen is a Da-Lite High Power 106" with 2.8 gain . Vivid and Powerful really have a lot of punch - far too much for night viewing, actually. But maybe it will make day viewing half tolerable - I have some pretty bad light leakage from the window in the staircase during daytime.

I ended up testing only 3 video devices - the Dish 622, Dish 921, and my DVD player.

The Dish 622 3-tuners (2 sat, 1 OTA) HD DVR was hooked up with component through my Zektor component switch, then to Yamaha RX-V2400, then to PJ with a thick Bluejeans belden cable, same as before with the Z1. I also added a direct HDMI connection from the 622 to the PLV-Z4.

At first, I noticed a very big difference between HDMI and component - component had much better colors. That's until I figured that the Z4 had preset memory for each input, unlike my Z1. I'm not sure I like that. It will take some getting used to. Once I used the same presets for both inputs, it was nearly impossible to tell the difference. With a paused HD program, and switching back and forth, you could tell there were not exactly the same, but none looked obviously better than the other.

The 622 was originally set to output 1080i. I watched some SD programs on it (comedy central, daily show). Colors were great, but the picture was really hard to watch, a lot of pixelation, much worse than on the Z1 which had a much closer pixel mapping to the source. I guess the reviews about SD on the Z4 were true :-( Even upconverted by the 622, the SD programs just looked plain bad. I changed the STB output to 720p instead of 1080i. No noticeable change, it was still pretty bad. Then I changed the 622 output to 480p. It was still pretty bad, when letting the PLV-Z4 do the upconversion. Finally, I used the "full through" screen mode of the Z4 that does 1:1 pixel mapping. I got a much smaller picture in the center of my screen, but also a quite viewable one. I think I will probably watch most SD this way now. Too bad that I have to go both in the 622 menu and the Z4 menu to make this change ... I wish the 622 had a passthrough native resolution mode, but it doesn't. The only device I have ever seen that does is my JVC 30000k DVHS deck. But it has only component output.

HD (NBC OTA, and TNT HD satellite) from the 622 on the other hand looked stunning. Incredibly sharp. Great contrast, great blacks, great colors. I spent quite a lot of time tinkering with the picture settings. I don't know what I will end up using most of the time yet. I will definitely have different settings for TV programs and movies though, and maybe differents for day and night too. So I will likely use all 4 user modes.

Then, I switched to DVD - Pioneer DVD 655a player, using component, set to 480p. I did a quick calibration using the THX optimizer on my Indiana jones set. I actually ended up changing nothing at all from the "creative cinema" preset. Brightness, sharpness, colors (using the THX glasses) - everything was perfect.

The movie I watched was "Last holiday", that I had not previously seen. I really got into the movie much more than usual, and I wasn't thinking about the picture or the projector at all at any time. Now, granted, there didn't seem to be any very dark scenes in that movie, which was always the weakest point on my Z1 - some movie scenes for example in LOTR were really tough to see. I'll have to do some more tests with other movies.

After that, I went back to the satellite. I watched the Dish 921 HD DVR a little bit, through component, both at 1080i and 720p. When I switched to 720p, it looked noticeable better. Again, great picture. Then back to the Dish 622 on component. And then it hit me. I noticed some ghosting on the highlighted program text in the DVR menu. I think it was blue text on an orange background. The text had ghosting about 2 - 3 inches to the right. There was no ghosting anywhere else that I could see, on any other text that used other colors. Then, I switched to the HDMI input. Same PJ preset. No ghosting at all on this text ! So, I can say there was a very definite and obvious difference between HDMI and component on the Dish 622 with the PLV-Z4 . But it was only obvious on parts of the menu, and not obvious at all when watching actual programs, or even still pictures (paused program) and switching inputs.

This finding about the ghosting on component was rather surprising to me, because I rarely saw much ghosting even with the Z1 before - sometimes on DVD, which I attributed to the discs, but rarely ever on HD. I always thought my Bluejeans 35ft component cable was excellent, especially compared to the 2 other component cables I had tried before - one of which my cats had managed to claw through the rug, killing the blue channel, the other a cheap one from Fry's that shorted the red channel over time . The Bluejeans I have now is a bundled one - really THICK black bundle, probably 3 inches around - no cat clawing possible through this one - but I really need to run it under the living room in the crawl space of the house, instead of under my rug, because it makes a big visible bump.

The ghosting on component wasn't just obvious to me BTW, my boyfriend was there and he noticed it as well. Just about anyone with functioning eyes would have been able to see the difference between the ghosting on the text on one input and lack of it on the other.

This is the sort of thing that makes the perfectionist in me really want to use HDMI/DVI as much as possible. I didn't get to test the HDMI with DVI on the Dish 921 yet. Since I don't have an HDMI switch, I have to unplug the HDMI cable from the back of the Dish 622, and connect it to the Dish 921. I will do it tonight.

I didn't get to test the Samsung SIR-T165 OTA unit either. That unit is not hooked up at all currently - I ran out of component inputs when I got my Dish 622 and the sound is off too. Plus I need a 3 way splitter for my OTA antenna since both the 921 and 622 have OTA tuners, but currently I only have a 2 way splitter. I still want to keep the Samsung since in combination with the DVHS deck, it's the only way to permanently archive HD. The two Dish DVRs won't backup to anything ...

If the DVI is as compelling on the Dish 921 and Samsung as it is on the 622, then I will probably be in the market for an HDMI switch. My Yamaha receiver doesn't do HDMI, and some of my components are DVI anyway, so I need a switch that does digital audio separately. That rules out all the cheap HDMI-only switches. Given all the problems reported with HDCP and active HDMI switches, a passive switch is probably best. The one I have my eyes on is
the Video storm TMDS61 http://www.video-storm.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TMDS61 . It is remote controllable . But I haven't seen any reports of any users of that unit. Still, I don't know if it's worth it, and I probably need a new remote to do the macros (to set receiver input, switch input, and PJ input). Life was simpler with the Z1 when I hardly had to ever change the PJ input away from component.

I haven't done any DVHS or D-Theater tape viewing yet. I can hardly wait. I actually have a few tapes (of 2nd and 3rd rate movies ...) that I got from ebay that I have never watched yet. They will probably make a fine projector test.

I also have yet to try a PAL DVD. My DVD player plays PAL discs without conversion (a must, on projectors - most of the ones that convert to NTSC are completely unwatchable due to frame rate conversion). It plays PAL discs at 575 interlaced, through component. I expect it may not look as sharp as on the Z1 which had 540 lines, an almost exact resolution match. But I'll see. I have a fair collection of PAL discs. I will try some SECAM anime tapes from France too when I get some time. This is why I still have to keep the composite connection. My Yamaha receiver won't upconvert PAL or SECAM composite signals to s-video or component - not without losing colors, anyway. I can let my Aiwa MX100 VCR do the standards conversion, but it's usually much worse due to the frame rate change. I don't think I actually need the s-video connection to the PJ for anything anymore ...

I haven't done any PS2 video game playing yet. I have it hooked up through component (but it's 480i). That should be interesting .

All in all, I have already used the PJ for 5 hours last night - past the 4 hours that my dealer allows for a return without a restocking fee. But I'm already quite sure I won't be returning it and I'll be mailing the voucher for the free Z4 spare lamp soon . I'll keep the Z1 as a backup. With the Z1 going for 500 new and replacement lamps going for 300, I figure a used Z1 out of warranty with 3 repairs on it and a dying lamp can't be worth more than $100 now ... Now that's depreciation from the $1500 I paid in 3/2003 (from the same dealer).

Question for everyone. I'm pulling up on 160 hours on my Z4 and I have not used the air cleaning system that came with it yet. I asked a few audio/video dealers how often they thought it should be cleaned and they said there is no set number of hours and that I should clean it when I see blobs or dust. Someone here had said that the manaul says to clean it every 100 hours, but I've read the manual over & over and have not seen where it says that.

So, here's the question. How many here have cleaned and how many haven't and how many hours do you have on it. Is there anything I missed in the manual that indicates a specific number of hours before cleaning it?

I would expect cleaning the panels only as necessary. More regular would be the filters. Which remindeds me that I need to do mine.

In trying to calibrate my Z4 I'm noticing my red panel appears very 'hot' or almost overdriven compared to blue and green.

Starting with the Living preset, I have R, R Gain, and R Offset dialed ALL the way back. But when I go into Panel Adjustment and look at the red test pattern, the two upper leftmost red blocks are still the same color, whereas the blue and green patterns look correct (a clear difference in gain between the two blocks). CC setting acts pretty much the same.

I'm assuming this is not normal, can anyone confirm? Thanks.

I had my first serious issue with my Z4 tonight. I fired up an XBOX game and everything looked normal, but after about 5 minutes of playing, the screen scrambled and the Z4 went blank for about 2 seconds, then the game came back on. After another 2 minutes of playing, the same thing happened, with scambled lines as if sync was lost; then nothing. At that point, the Z4 was 100% locked up. I couldn't even power it off as it was not responding to the remote or physical buttons on the Z4 itself. The green light was still on & there were no warning signals at all. It was just frozen so I had no choice but to turn the power switch on the back off, cutting off power without a cool down. Luckly, it had only been on for about 5-8 minutes so the bulb probably wasn't all that hot yet (I hope). After that, since we had just spoken of cleaning the filters, I removed the long filter & blew it clean (it wasn't very dirty). The smaller filter however was totally dust covered. Not sure if this had anything to do with it since there was no heat warning & also since it was only on for a brief period. When I turned it back on everything seemed fine. It's been on now for 10 minutes & nothing has gone wrong. I have no idea if my XBOX might have sent a wacky signal that locked the Z4 up or if there could be an actual developing problem. I'm switching my backup DVD player and XBOX with my Yamaha RV1200 as I have done since I got the Z4.

Anyone have an experience such as this?

Hey Dweez - I've had my modded Xbox and Z4 running fine for almost 2 months. I run Xbox Media Center in 720p, and switch video modes often (whenever I run a game for instance), and haven't seen any sync problems. I'm using the 'official' MS HD pack with component connections; the only thing I can think of is that if you're using a non-MS A/V pack that might be the culprit.

I'm setup exactly as you are. Offical MS-HD AV pack etc... Have had it for 4 years and never had one single glitch. It's been running just fine on my Z4 since January. This wasn't during a resolution switch either, it was right in the middle of a NBA Live 06 during gameplay.

It's been running ok now for over 30 minutes. No clue what could have been the problem, but I hope to not see it happen again! :)

Hi, newbie here.


Mike Lang,


What is the your ''screen maker'' name?
:confused: Stewart,OS etc..


Thanks.
Sincrely
Bach

I conducted more experiments with DVI / HDMI yesterday.

I tried with the Dish 921 HD DVR, connecting its DVI output to the PLV-Z4 HDMI input. The picture was great. I switched back to component (this involves unplugging the DVI cable ...) but there was no notable difference. I couldn't find any trace of the ghosting that I saw with the Dish 622 HD DVR component output. I even swapped the component cables - I still had the ghosting on the 622, but not on the 921 .

I also hooked up my Samsung SIR-T165 OTA HD tuner yesterday. I got a Channel master video amplifier to try to solve the problem of splitting the OTA signal 3 times. This is the worst box to do A/B comparisons between component and DVI - there is a switch in the back to select DVI or component, and changing the setting causes a reboot, which takes 10 seconds. Nevertheless, I noticed a huge difference between the two signals - the DVI was much darker, and unwatchable ! I found a solution however : in the Z4 settings menu, change "HDMI setup" to L2 ("enhanced") instead of L1 ("standard"). After I set it to L2, the picture was very similar to component, though I couldn't say if it was the same.

The requirement to change that HDMI setting for the Samsung really flies in the face of usability. This means that even if I got an HDMI or DVI switch to toggle between the Dish 622, Dish 921 and Samsung SIR-T165 digital video outputs, I would still need to change this project setting for the picture to look right. This is not something that can be automated by a macro - nor should it need to be .

Primarily for this reason, I have decided not to get an HDMI switch (the other reasons are small differences with component, and cost of the switch) . I'll just keep watching everything with component, except for the Dish 622, since HDMI makes such a difference with it, unlike with the other units. So, I have the Dish 622 HDMI output directly connected to the PLV-Z4 HDMI in. I preserve the ergonomics of my system by still being able to watch everything with component, since the Dish 622 also has its component connected, and fortunately keeps it active at the same time as its HDMI.

I also played some DVHS D-Theater tapes. I decided to play a tape I knew, X-men. I played it with component under the JVC 30k. It looked great. Then, I tried to play it over firewire through the Samsung SIR-T165, and then via the Samsung's DVI out. To my surprise, it all played fine - no copy protection problem in the way. But the Samsung selected the stereo PCM sound from the Firewire stream, rather than the DD5.1 stream ... To get the best sound, I had to set my audio receiver to the JVC deck, and then set the PLV-Z4 to HDMI which was directly connected to the Samsung. Things were pretty good ... But then I paused the tape, and I switched back between the component out of the JVC, and the DVI out of the Samsung. The main difference was ... they were playing different frames of the movie :-( I would say they were probably about 3 frames apart, meaning about 125 ms. That means using the DD audio of the JVC at the same time as the DVI of the Samsung would result in pictures and sound that were also out of sync ... This was not immediately obvious to me, but I still would rather watch a movie with things in sync. So, I'll watch the DVHS movies on the JVC with component.

Overall, I'm sorryto say that DVI/HDMI seems to be causing about as many problems as it solves, if not more :-(

In regards to my post 6 up from this, can someone help confirm that this red panel issue is or isn't normal with the Z4? Thanks!

Well, I'll be damned.
I got the ghosting to go away completely on the Dish 622 component output.
I just plugged it to my Monster 2100 line conditioner, just like all the other devices ... I hadn't done that because I got the 622 just a month ago, and had a few problems originally with it that required unplugging. But Dish sent me a replacement unit that had no problems and no longer needs any hard reboots. So I finally got it plugged to the line conditioner saturday . And last night I compared the component vs HDMI again. And there was no longer any difference, the component output is completely clean now ! So at this point, I no longer have any reason to use HDMI.

In regards to my post 6 up from this, can someone help confirm that this red panel issue is or isn't normal with the Z4?
Red having to be boosted relative to green/blue is endemic to LCD. Which is why some opt for color correction filters to absorb blue and green wavelengths. You are then better able to balance the panels by having blue and green higher than otherwise possible. Or something like that. ;-)

How many hours I can expect from the bulb? did any body got more then 2000h ?

How many hours I can expect from the bulb? did any body got more then 2000h ?

If anyone wached 2000 hours in 6-8 months since Z4 came out, they win a prize! ha! (and probably get the boot from their wife!) :p

Quote:
Originally Posted by lubmar
How many hours I can expect from the bulb? did any body got more then 2000h ?



If anyone wached 2000 hours in 6-8 months since Z4 came out, they win a prize! ha! (and probably get the boot from their wife!)

OK, another q. did anybody had to replace the bulb yet ? and what is your milege
on the bulb now ?
How was it with Z3 ?

Red having to be boosted relative to green/blue is endemic to LCD. Which is why some opt for color correction filters to absorb blue and green wavelengths. You are then better able to balance the panels by having blue and green higher than otherwise possible. Or something like that. ;-)

So, since what I am seeing is the exact opposite, would you say that it is abnormal to see this much red on the Z4? With all red settings at their minimum (except for gamma of course), and with the Red test pattern in Panel Adjustment still showing way too much red as I described, it seems to be nearly impossible to color calibrate.

To rephrase the question: Are others able to get a normal looking red pattern in the Panel Adjustment menu?

I am very close to purchasing a Z4 with a Dalite 119" HP screen. One salesman told me that I would be better off with a 106" matte white screen, because the 119" HP would negatively affect contrast and color balance.

I want the HP screen for two reasons: 1) I can use the increased gain as the bulb dims over time and 2) even if the screen is wrinkled, the wrinkles don't show up in the picture because of the retro-reflectivity characteristics of the HP screen.

What do you guys think?

Hi,

I am very close to purchasing a Z4 with a Dalite 119" screen. One salesman told me that I would be better off with a 106" matte white screen, because the 119" HP would negatively affect contrast and color balance.

I want the HP screen for two reasons: 1) I can use the increased gain as the bulb dims over time and 2) even if the screen is wrinkled, the wrinkles don't show up in the picture because of the retro-reflectivity characteristics of the HP screen.

What do you guys think?

I'm using a Dalite 106" High power . It's a permanent screen - Permwall model .
I bought it in march 2003 with a Z1 . The high power helped with the Z1 which wasn't that bright to begin with . But I didn't compare with any other screen. I ordered the screen sight-unseen, the week after the got the projector - once I made sure of the dimensions .

I just got my Z4 last week, and the screen works well with it. It is plenty bright. The powerful preset is way too bright, at least for night viewing when I have no leaking light. But it makes for some decent day viewing now (with curtains closed, still), which is more than I could say for the Z1 with the HP screen, it just was not bright enough during the day.

I don't know how long it will take for the Z4 bulb to dim . Hopefully not too quickly. I had my share of problems with the Z1 : 5 bulbs in 3 years . I just sent in the voucher for the free bulb. I wouldn't say there is any problem with the picture on the HP and the Z4. It looks great. Whether it could look better with a different screen, I don't know, but I'm very happy with this combination.

Another screen to consider is the Da-Lite High Contrast Cinemavision. LCD's tend to have issues with blacks and those high gain white screens often make that situation worse. So while your picture will be extremely bright, your blacks will too! ha! The grayish silver color of the HCCV material really does improve those blacks quite a bit. The gain is 1.1 as well which is nice.

Another screen to consider is the Da-Lite High Contrast Cinemavision. LCD's tend to have issues with blacks and those high gain white screens often make that situation worse. So while your picture will be extremely bright, your blacks will too! ha! The grayish silver color of the HCCV material really does improve those blacks quite a bit. The gain is 1.1 as well which is nice.

The blacks were really very grayish on the HP screen with the Z1, and it was very noticeable . But they are much better with the Z4, to the point that it really isn't a problem, unless you are looking at a completely black screen and evaluating how black it is . But in any video scene that includes things other than black at the same time, the blacks are very convincing.

That said, I'm not impressed at all by the Z4's dynamic iris. It's very bothersome in fact. I tried on some HD movies which had white credits on a black background at the end. The iris opening kept changing depending on how many lines of white text were displayed on the screen. That resulted in constantly varying white levels as the credits scrolled, making the text very hard to read. It's also obvious during movies. The contrast changes are unnatural and really distract from the programs. I set my favorite presets not to ever use the dynamic iris. This problem isn't caused by the HP screen though. I would expect it to be visible on any screen.

Another screen to consider is the Da-Lite High Contrast Cinemavision. LCD's tend to have issues with blacks and those high gain white screens often make that situation worse. So while your picture will be extremely bright, your blacks will too! ha! The grayish silver color of the HCCV material really does improve those blacks quite a bit. The gain is 1.1 as well which is nice.

Could I use a filter with the HP screen to lower the brightness and increase the black level at the same time? Then when the bulb starts to dim, I would take off the filter and recalibrate if necessary. I really want the HP screen so I would not have to worry about wrinkles in the screen material. But I also don't want blacks that are too grey. So many variables.

The blacks were really very grayish on the HP screen with the Z1, and it was very noticeable . But they are much better with the Z4, to the point that it really isn't a problem, unless you are looking at a completely black screen and evaluating how black it is . But in any video scene that includes things other than black at the same time, the blacks are very convincing.

That said, I'm not impressed at all by the Z4's dynamic iris. It's very bothersome in fact. I tried on some HD movies which had white credits on a black background at the end. The iris opening kept changing depending on how many lines of white text were displayed on the screen. That resulted in constantly varying white levels as the credits scrolled, making the text very hard to read. It's also obvious during movies. The contrast changes are unnatural and really distract from the programs. I set my favorite presets not to ever use the dynamic iris. This problem isn't caused by the HP screen though. I would expect it to be visible on any screen.

Z4 definately has better black levels than Z1, that's for sure. So in comparing those two, Z4 will definately seem to have very convincing blacks, no doubt about it. Even so, black levels on Z4 won't look as good on all types of screens. Jay Mitchosky among others have done direct comparisons (search in the tweaks thread for his findings) of the Z4 on white high gain screens vs. High Contrast screens and the black levels were considerably better on the High Contrast screen while picture brightness & color doesn't suffer in a significant way (with a good HC screen like the Da-Lite which has 1.1 gain). The brightness and color trade off was minimal but the increase in black levels was significant. The evaluations weren't just for viewing a totally black screen; it was during several scenes in several movies and shows. It's not to say the blacks won't look good on a high gain white screen or that they won't look convincing, but it's hard to see what effect the better black levels will have until you see it in action on a HC screen. Black levels are usually considered one of the most important aspects of PQ. The other benefit is that you can, if desired, have a bit of lighting in the room for when you do not want a totally black environment and these HC screens do a far better job in that situation as well. Obviously for those that have a white screen already, it's not being suggested that they should dump it & spend another $600 plus to get a HC screen, but for those that have not purchased yet, it comes highly recommended. The best bet is to ask for fabric samples from Da-Lite and other companies & compare.

It's all personal preference of course so nobody can tell you that what you are seeing doesn't look good (we've been through that before here...let's not go there). If you love what you see & it works for you, that's all that counts.

The dynamic iris is troublesome in most of the modes except for CC & Living. This has been talked about quite a bit in the tweaking thread. Those are the two modes where you will hardly, if ever notice it, so it's fine to leave it on in those modes. That's also why all the tweaks are based on those two settings. There are some fixes in ROne's documents that can help with the dynamic iris and really tone down how it works in the Dynamic mode. I've done those tweaks and they really do help. Before, for me, Dynamic was unusable aside from sporting events where brightness stays about the same. For movies, it was horrible before the tweaks to the iris.

Could I use a filter with the HP screen to lower the brightness and increase the black level at the same time? Then when the bulb starts to dim, I would take off the filter and recalibrate if necessary. I really want the HP screen so I would not have to worry about wrinkles in the screen material. But I also don't want blacks that are too grey. So many variables.

So far, using filters has not worked out too well. Cine4home (a European website) says they have succesfully used a filter, but so far, our top 'tweakers' here had less then desireable results after several attempts.

I wouldn't worry too much about wrinkles if you get the right screen. Cheaper screens do have some issues with waves and wrinkles, but if you get a good quality screen from one of the respected companies, it's a non-factor. Pull down screens suffer more from this on the low end products, but if you have a perminant wall solution that stretches tightly over the frame, there will be no wrinkles at all. The Da-Lite HD Cinemavision is a rubber-like material and when it's attached to the frame, it's smooth as silk.

I wouldn't worry too much about wrinkles if you get the right screen. Cheaper screens do have some issues with waves and wrinkles, but if you get a good quality screen from one of the respected companies, it's a non-factor. Pull down screens suffer more from this on the low end products, but if you have a perminant wall solution that stretches tightly over the frame, there will be no wrinkles at all. The Da-Lite HD Cinemavision is a rubber-like material and when it's attached to the frame, it's smooth as silk.

I would like to use a permanent wall solution, buy unfortunately I am forced to use a manual pull down screen (My SD TV and audio/video gear are going to go behind the screen).

If I do go with the Dalite HCCV screen instead, with the Model C with CSR, how good are my chances that I will not get wrinkles over time? Will the Z4 be bright enough for a 119" HCCV screen?

I would like to use a permanent wall solution, buy unfortunately I am forced to use a manual pull down screen (My SD TV and audio/video gear are going to go behind the screen).

If I do go with the Dalite HCCV screen instead, with the Model C with CSR, how good are my chances that I will not get wrinkles over time? Will the Z4 be bright enough for a 119" HCCV screen?

The Z4 is definitely bright enough for a 119" on that screen material, however, I can't say for sure that over time you will not get waves or curling. I've never had one, but I was told that over time, it's something that happens to many pull-downs. Is their Model C their low end one or higher end? I thought they had a high end motorized one that people said was very good, but it's pretty expensive from what I recall. I'd give Da-Lite a call and ask them a bunch of these questions. They are very cool there & they'll answer honestly I'd think. The problem with any pull down or motorized is that it still needs to roll up into the tube and any of them can get waves or wrinkles. Give them a buzz & see what they say.

Model B is the lower end and Model C is the higher end. I will call Dalite and ask them a bunch of questions.

The Z4 is definitely bright enough for a 119" on that screen material, however, I can't say for sure that over time you will not get waves or curling. I've never had one, but I was told that over time, it's something that happens to many pull-downs. Is their Model C their low end one or higher end? I thought they had a high end motorized one that people said was very good, but it's pretty expensive from what I recall. I'd give Da-Lite a call and ask them a bunch of these questions. They are very cool there & they'll answer honestly I'd think. The problem with any pull down or motorized is that it still needs to roll up into the tube and any of them can get waves or wrinkles. Give them a buzz & see what they say.

I've had a 106" DaLite HP pull down for about five years. Never a hint of a wave, wrinkle or hot spot. With the lens of the Z4 6" below the top of the screen I have ample brightness to run Creative Cinema with the bulb in eco mode in a light controlled room. In fact, anything brighter seems to my eye to be almost too bright -- a situation I could never have imagined with my old Sony 3 candle power 400Q. I have to love that screen.

Hello all, happy to find this forum.

I just got a great deal on a demo z4 with 20 hours on it- with full warranty, bulb & screen voucher, free avia disc, free shipping, etc. for around 1400US- and will arrive, with luck, on my birthday to boot. Like most here, I was considering the ae900, and even had put a few bids on a used z3 on ebay before deciding to go with a new z4 despite my tight budget, and couldn't have been happier to grab a demo for the price.

I was kind of an a/v geek as a teen, and had more money to burn back then- I would ride my bike to the only LD rental place in town to feed my then new pioneer LD player with discs I would copy to my mitsubishi hu65 svhs deck- how else could a teenager in suburban michigan own a *widescreen* copy of el topo or bladerunner? It was a big deal at the time for me.

Fast forward 15 years, and I find myself owning my first house, and a bit strapped for cash- I had budgeted last year buying whatever new monitor I could reasonably afford by this may- and was beginning to shop around seriously for a low-end 40 inch plasma. Until my girflriend brought home from her job (after much nagging from me) a pj to try out.

I had just finished renovating the front room of my old victorian house, and set the pj up on the ladder still there, fired it up and was blown away- even it being quite old and not designed for ht (epson powerlite 50c) i was stunned to watch a bright, relatively smooth 100 inch picture. Good-bye plasma, hello pj!

So I have chosen the z4, with the same concerns as most- but have purposely avoided going to the few high-end stores uptown to look at projectors in person- so I am going to go from watching dvds via svhs on the *extremely* loud (58db) 800x600 epson, to the z4 with oppo via hdmi- without having even seen what modern projectors look like- just based on what I have read on the internet. This is being financed by selling off a small chunk of my soul/r&b record collection, and I do not think I will have any regrets.

So finally, a few questions! I have a freshly painted very light colored room- and will be projecting on the bare wall until i can afford a proper screen. I will send off for the free 92 inch draper luma- has anyone used this screen? Is it rubbish? I will obviously try it, but wondered if anyone else has received it via the promotion and gave it a spin, or if we will see a glut of them on ebay. Secondly, regarding sde, and the ae900's smoothscreen tech- is it possible in the future that a feature like this could be added to the z4 via software/firmware update? I am not too worried about it, but do not fully understand if it is a hardware or software process, and to what extent a piece of hardware like the z4 could be changed/enhanced by firmware.

While I wait though the next loooong week for the z4, I will be repurposing my gaming pc (not much time for that anyway) for ht- have already been downloading lots of 720p clips.

Excuse the long, autobiographical post- I have just been only reading about modern gear for too long, and am finally about to have some of it for myself! :o

Secondly, regarding sde, and the ae900's smoothscreen tech- is it possible in the future that a feature like this could be added to the z4 via software/firmware update? I am not too worried about it, but do not fully understand if it is a hardware or software process, and to what extent a piece of hardware like the z4 could be changed/enhanced by firmware.


The AE900 uses a special lens or prism for the smoothscreen technology. You can use an add-on lens (I forget what it is called) to create a similar effect with your projector. Another way to minimize SDE and pixel structure is to defocus the image slightly.

One of my sources will be from a non-HDTV satellite receiver. How well does the Z4 handle 480i?

One of my sources will be from a non-HDTV satellite receiver. How well does the Z4 handle 480i?

Reviews and various accounts in this thread have repeatedly pointed to a weak de-interlacer on the Z4. It didn't stop me but that's because I have an older Iscan that de-interlaces to 480p which the Z4 handles just fine.

After putting it off for many months and many many hours of research at AVS and other resources, I finally pulled the trigger on a Z4. The minute I got it, I put in A Bugs Life through my HDMI DVD player and was definitely in need of some AVIA tweaking. After making the necessary adjustments, proceeded to watch SWEPIII and continued making adjustments... Then plugged in the xbox 360 with Ghost Recon: AW and then...WOW! I have to say... playing at 720p on a 92" screen... it's going to be hard to go back to my 50" GW RP LCD TV. Anyway, to make a long story short I am very happy with the Z4s performance and I think it'll only get better with more tweaking.

Thanks to everyone here for all their knowledge and expertise.

G

Can the iris be opened and closed down manually with the Z4? Thanks.

The lens iris is manual, the lamp iris is automatic..

Jay Mitchosky among others have done direct comparisons (search in the tweaks thread for his findings) of the Z4 on white high gain screens vs. High Contrast screens
As Dweezil summarized my comparison vs. a Da-Mat led me to keep the HCCV. Whites were basically the same but blacks were darker. Particularly with ambient light - within reason you can still get decent contrast. Colors were neutral either way.

I placed my Z4 order today. The combination of lens shift and cleanable LCD panels (along with the excellent reviews it has received) made it impossible to pass up. Hopefully it will arrive before the end of the week. :)

I currently have the hitachi PJ-TX100 and am considering upgrading to the Z4.

Would this be a wast of time or a good improvment in picture?

I used the Z4 with a Dalite High Contrast Cinema Perf screen and noticed horizontal banding. I'm using a 106" screen and throw distance of 20'. When I zoom in or out I can see the banding change shapes/direction, and when the image is about 95", or smaller, the banding disappears completely. Has anyone ever experienced this?
I guess it's some interaction between the pixel spacing and perf size/spacing...
The Panasonic 900 has no problem.
If there's no fix, I'll have a Z4 to sell....

Thanks for any suggestions!

Hi there. I have the 106" HCCV and do not see anything like what you are seeing. I shoot from about 14.5 feet. I've never seen the perforated screen before (I'm assuming you have your speakers behind it) so it's hard to say if the combo of Z4 and the perforations are the problem. I'd call Da-Lite as they might be able to help you. They are pretty cool to deal with.

Hopefully they have a solution. The other option is if you do not have your speakers behind the screen, sell that one & get a HCCV without the perfs.