A certain store that shall remain nameless is advertising this PJ for short money. Question is, is it any good? I tried researching it but there's little out there. I do know that its a DC3 PJ with vertical lens shift, and real good contrast numbers. Anyone know anything? I was looking at the Mits HC3000, but this might be better, what with the DC3 and lens shift. It's priced around where the Optoma H73 is, would that be a better deal? Help!

Floridapoolboy

I also saw that price and I am seriously interested. It's a monster in size but with it's long throw and mechanical lens shift, it works well for my room. This was Sharp's best pj before the 1080p XV-Z20000. It was pricey at $1ok a year ago and even at $5k recently but it's very tempting now.

Here's a couple of comercial reviews:

HomeTheater Review (http://www.hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/306sharp/)
UltimateAV Review (http://www.ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/1105sharp/)

Also do a search for Z12000 here on AVS. There is not a lot but it is generally positive.

I'd like to hear more though!

I pulled the trigger this morning and ordered one.

I've been waiting for a DLP with lens shift at this price point for a long time. I did see the original Z12000 without the DC3 chip. It threw a beautiful picture bright enough for a room with total light control. I expect it to look great on a high gain screen. Sharp has an excellent if expensive reputation. At my distance and screen size it didnt' make sense for me to spend alot more for 1080. I will wait until 1080 is cheaper and brighter possibly with an LED or Laser light source. This should serve very nicely for the next 3-4 years. With 90 days to return, it was a no brainer. I orderd one and expect it by this Wednesday. The only issue is whether Sharp will honor the warranty from this retailer.

For that price it is a steal, well below dealer cost. It isn't the brightest PJ in high contrast mode/ low lamp mode but if you don't go too big for a screen the picture is great! Good calibration controls as well.

I think I'm gonna go for it, sounds like a good deal. The "store" extends the warranty for 2 years, shouldn't be a problem getting service!

could someone PM me the store you guys are referring to? Not sure if I found the same one. Also, seems to be a bit on the loud side - 32dB in eco mode?

I'd like to know the "store" as well if someone doesn't mind. Thanks!

I own this projector. I think the z20000 is only incrementally better having seen both. To stay that this is a steal is understating it.

Just to add a few points for those who might be interested. I think that this is one of the best home theater projectors available at any price. For $2k it is a no brainer. The picture quality still amazes me. On/Off and ANSI contrast are some of the best out there and it is obvious from the picture it presents. To be honest, the much hgher priced Z20000 is only just a little bit better. You have to look very hard to see any differences. Its not 1080p. That it why it is cheap now. Do some investigating and see why 1080p is really no different than 720p.

Some things to note. This is a long throw projector. To get a 106" image you need at least about 14 feet. There is vertical lens shift but no horizontal lens shift. That means the projector has to be horizontally centered on the screen but it can be table, shelf or ceiling mounted. It is huge. It is built like a tank. The lens is all glass and built by minolta. It is a bit on the noisy side. I don't hear it during movies.

I would be happy to answer any questions that anyone may have. It will be nice to get up a discussion on this projector again.

I'd like to know the "store" as well if someone doesn't mind. Thanks!

We are not allowed to say because of this.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805880

Is the lens shift up and down or just up? In other words if sitting on a shelf, can the picture be shifted down so that the bottom of the screen would be below the lens?

We are not allowed to say because of this.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=805880

Smooth!

Is the lens shift up and down or just up? In other words if sitting on a shelf, can the picture be shifted down so that the bottom of the screen would be below the lens?

I just read the manual. If projecting from a table, you can only shift the image up (e.g. distance from lens center to the lower edge of screen is 0 to -52" for a 52" high 16:9 screen). This means that if you are placing the projector on a high shelf, you'll have to put it upside down like with a ceiling mount.

I just read the manual. If projecting from a table, you can only shift the image up (e.g. distance from lens center to the lower edge of screen is 0 to -52" for a 52" high 16:9 screen). This means that if you are placing the projector on a high shelf, you'll have to put it upside down like with a ceiling mount.

Thats too bad. I have my Pany mounted on a high shelf, and was hoping i could do the same with this on.

Also, 33db in eco. sounds a bit loud. One problem I had with the XVZ3K was the fan noise, and that was 30db in eco. Does anyone have one of these that can comment on the fan noise?

Wow, outstanding price, I had to order one! Big thanks for posting this. Hopefully they're not into April Fools jokes...now I have 2 projectors to get rid of!

Some info on the PJ since we install this model. First the price is great and WELL below any dealer cost. I don't know of a better deal at the moment.

It is a little noisy. If placed in the back of the room and no one is sitting directly under it it won't bother most people. If you sit directly below it might be bothersome. Compared to any Panny it is louder.

Picture quality is outstanding. The PJ is very flexible in set up but needs to be inverted with a ceiling/wall mount for best results. Certainly not as flexible as the Panny mentioned above but the Panny's trade quality for flexibility. The lens in this alone probably costs more than the panny to make. :D

If critical viewing is your number one concern do not got over 100" screen. 92" recommended for up to 1.4 gain screens. In high contrast/ low power/ iris closed this PJ is not bright. In my professional opinion 92" is the ideal size for this PJ and also accounting for aging of the lamp. At 92" you get a phenomenal pciture if your watching with no ambient light. Want to watch with lights on? Open the iris to medium or high and switch the lamp high power. This makes this PJ very versatile.

Can you go with a bigger screen and just keep the PJ in its brighter modes? Certainly! It will still will give better PQ than just about anything in the under 2K range currently. For the videophile I'd recommend 92" but for others not as critical 106" would be OK. Definitely, less than 120" unless you have a 2.0 or higher gain screen. This will work with a HP screen if you aligh it with the top of the screen. Its longer throw helps make this possible to keep you in the viewing cone and get the benefit of the screen.

Lastly, this unit is big compared to anything in the under 2K range. So keep that in mind.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Thanks Bob! Have you seen the XVZ3K? How do they compare? Is this one that much better? I assume it has better parts all around, but that may be a bad assumption.

Thanks Bob! Have you seen the XVZ3K? How do they compare? Is this one that much better? I assume it has better parts all around, but that may be a bad assumption.

Yes, we have installed both models. The 3k is nice but the 12K is much nicer. No contest.

Bob

I use my 12k with a 106" Dalite High Power screen. The projector is set up about 18" over viewing distance when seated so I am getting a lot of gain. I get a picture that is plenty bright in High Contrast/economy lamp mode (the iris closed as far as it can be and the lamp on economy setting). I would guess that if I did not have a high power screen that the picture would be too dim to view in High Contrast mode. BobL is probably right about his screen size recomendations if your screen does not have a lot of gain. The alternative is to open the iris or use the brighter lamp setting.

My projector is set up about a foot behind the seating area and 18 inches above. It is not the quietest projector out there. Fan volume is probably this projector's weakest link but it does not bother me under normal viewing conditions, even when in the seating location closest to the screen. Others will probably not agree.

One thing to note is that the projector ships with colors at the 8500k setting. Don't keep this setting. Changing them to 6500k is as easy as pressing a few buttons on the remote. I don't think that the 6500k setting is perfect but it is very close and not at all objectionable. There are no lime greens or anything like that. I also use the dynamic contrast setting, which emphasizes black detail.

If I had to sum up the character of the image that the 12k projects, I would have to call it film like, although that term is used too often. The high ANSi contrast ensures that images leap off the screen. Mixed light and dark scenes are particularly breathtaking because blacks are inky while whites are bright enough to cause you to blink a few times to allow your eyes to adjust.

I have now seen quite a few 1080p projectors (not the JVC yet) and still feel that the 12k is better than most. The only one that I have seen that is better is the Sharp 20k. Even then, although the 20k is spec'd to have much higher contrast, in practice, the difference is small and hard to notice and not worth an over $5k difference in price.

Thank you Lawguy for your review. It makes me feel good about my order which I thought was a steal. I can't wait to receive it now. What is the gain of the screen you are using?

I am planning a 120" x 51" 2.35:1 setup with SmX AT screen (1.16 gain) and plan to use high contrast low lamp mode in a light controlled room. From what I read so far, it sounds like I will need an anamorphic lens to get that size so that I can limit the projector's 16:9 output to 51" x 92".

Thank you Lawguy for your review. It makes me feel good about my order which I thought was a steal. I can't wait to receive it now. What is the gain of the screen you are using?

I am planning a 120" x 51" 2.35:1 setup with SmX AT screen (1.16 gain) and plan to use high contrast low lamp mode in a light controlled room. From what I read so far, it sounds like I will need an anamorphic lens to get that size so that I can limit the projector's 16:9 output to 51" x 92".

The gain on the High Power is 2.8. I am not getting all of that based on how it is setup. Probably closer to 2.

I think that in order to set up for a 2.35:1 screen you will need both an anamorphic lens and a video processor. This is true with most projectors. This can get expensive very fast.

O.K., now that it's daytime and I can rethink this let me say, WOW, this is one big honking PJ! I made a cardboard mockup and Holy Cow, it makes my H31 seem tiny by comparison! After reading the reviews I need to ask: is the PQ sufficiently superior to warrant the huge size and relatively noisy operation? This thing would stick out like a sore thumb, and 33db in eco-mode does seem too noisy for the somewhat limited light output in high contrast mode. Righty now I'm also considering the Mits HC3000, which has been reviewed very favorably. Has anyone seen both of these PJs in action? Would the Mits have a comparable image without the size and noise? Help!

I haven't seen either, but I have my finger on the trigger to import a Mitsu HC3100 - which I believe would be the better comparison as it also has the DC3 chipset. The 3100 seems to have quite a bit more light output (see cine4home review) and in eco mode is rated at a much more tolerable 25dB. The z12000mkII will still get better contrast #'s and is built like a tank with superior calibration capabilities and I love the lens shift feature, but I think I'm still going to go with the 3100.

PQ the 12K is better than the Mits 3100. The 3100 is a bit brighter and might work better for some depending on screen and room conditions.

Bob

Thanks Bob and Lawguy!

I had a Dwin crt for 8 years so neither the size nor lack of super brightness concern me. I replaced the Dwin a year ago with a Z4 and have been unhappy ever since. Most of the other dlp's in this range have offsets that are difficult for my room.

I ordered the z12k morning. :D

Ron

I have seen the 3100. To me it would be no contest. I would get the 12k. The only advantage that the 3100 has is size. It is smaller. The advantages of the 12k are: better PQ, better lens, lens shift, better onboard scaler, iris settings, and easily configurable.

Thanks Bob and Lawguy!

I had a Dwin crt for 8 years so neither the size nor lack of super brightness concern me. I replaced the Dwin a year ago with a Z4 and have been unhappy ever since. Most of the other dlp's in this range have offsets that are difficult for my room.

I ordered the z12k morning. :D

Ron

I know what you mean. I had a Hitachi HDPJ52, which is a nice LCD projector, but it does not hold a candle to the 12k. I am not a CRT expert and haven't really had the chance to see any. Thus I don't know how it compares to one.

Ron,
Congratulation! I just replaced the CRT in my home. The 12K is the closest you will get to that level of quality for the price.


I find a lot of this discussion funny. Not long ago before all the 1080P PJs started appearing we would have people debating is it worth the extra $ to get the Marantz (VP12S4) over the Sharp 12K. On the lower priced pieces the same discussion exists, is the Infocus worth the extra $ over an Optoma/Benq/Mits etc.

I can't remember hearing is the Sharp 12K worth the extra $ over a Mits3100. These are in different leagues. It is like considering getting an Accord/ Camry over a Lexus/ Mercedes/ BMW for the same price.

The 12K is not perfect and has its shortcomings which have been discussed - Physical size, fan noise, and not very bright. But, if these aren't an issue for you then it is a no brainer at this price. None of the other PJs near this price point touch this for PQ.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Anyone have comments on the Z12000MK2 in comparison with the Samsung H710? I currently have the H710 and am very happy with picture quality, but long-term reliability is a concern. I am considering the Z12000MK2 as a backup/alternate. I've read the pro reviews, and the projectors sound comparable in terms of picture quality -- but I'm not aware of any direct side-by-side comparison. Any personal experiences on how the two compare?

Anyone have comments on the Z12000MK2 in comparison with the Samsung H710? I currently have the H710 and am very happy with picture quality, but long-term reliability is a concern. I am considering the Z12000MK2 as a backup/alternate. I've read the pro reviews, and the projectors sound comparable in terms of picture quality -- but I've not aware of any direct side-by-side comparison. Any personal experiences on how the two compare?

My general rule is that if you are happy with your projector, don't buy a new one. The reason for this is that there will be a cheaper, better projector available in the future when you actually do want to upgrade. Wait until your H710 dies and then buy a new projector.

Ron,
Congratulation! I just replaced the CRT in my home. The 12K is the closest you will get to that level of quality for the price.


I find a lot of this discussion funny. Not long ago before all the 1080P PJs started appearing we would have people debating is it worth the extra $ to get the Marantz (VP12S4) over the Sharp 12K. On the lower priced pieces the same discussion exists, is the Infocus worth the extra $ over an Optoma/Benq/Mits etc.

I can't remember hearing is the Sharp 12K worth the extra $ over a Mits3100. These are in different leagues. It is like considering getting an Accord/ Camry over a Lexus/ Mercedes/ BMW for the same price.

The 12K is not perfect and has its shortcomings which have been discussed - Physical size, fan noise, and not very bright. But, if these aren't an issue for you then it is a no brainer at this price. None of the other PJs near this price point touch this for PQ.

Hope this helps.

Bob

The only way size and fan noise wouldn't matter is if the PJ was mounted well behind the seating position, which many can't do. All things being equal a large PJ would be expected to either be bright OR quiet, and hopefully both. To have a physically imposing PJ be both loud and not very bright seems a bit strange in this day and age! Since the Mits HC3000 has been said to rival DC3 PJs in terms of PQ, is much smaller, and much quieter, why again would the Sharp be the better choice? I have a converted living room that is my HT, and this behemoth would be mounted 1 foot behind my seated position, clearly visible when entering the house. It's gonna be a tough sell for WAF, I need to know that the PQ is worth the battle!

The only way size and fan noise wouldn't matter is if the PJ was mounted well behind the seating position, which many can't do. All things being equal a large PJ would be expected to either be bright OR quiet, and hopefully both. To have a physically imposing PJ be both loud and not very bright seems a bit strange in this day and age! Since the Mits HC3000 has been said to rival DC3 PJs in terms of PQ, is much smaller, and much quieter, why again would the Sharp be the better choice? I have a converted living room that is my HT, and this behemoth would be mounted 1 foot behind my seated position, clearly visible when entering the house. It's gonna be a tough sell for WAF, I need to know that the PQ is worth the battle!

Here is another review by Cine4Home. Pick your translator.

http://cine4home.de/tests/projektoren/test_DLPProjo_SharpZ12000/SharpZ12000.htm

I will try to address your concerns.

First, the HC3000 is not the equal of the 12k in PQ. It is really that simply. If you want better PQ go with the Sharp. If you are willing to sacrifice PQ for smaller size or less noise, go with the Mitsu.

It is not fair to label the 12k as "not bright." It is not as bright with the Iris closed. If you want it brighter, open the iris. It is simple as that. I run it that way myself when I am watching sports and don't want to be in a dark room. The HC3000 has no iris to close. Isn't it nice to have the option?

As for fan noise and size, pick your poison. Have you seen the dimensions of a Ruby, Pearl, Z20000 or RS1? Big projectors tend to be better. I can understand why you don't want to hear the fan. If you think it will bother you that much, don't get this projector. The projector is about 2 to 2 1/2 feet from my head. I hear it when it starts up. I have never been distracted by it during a movie. This is not a guarantee because it might bother you. Just my experience.

How do you plan to mount your projector?

By all accounts, the Mits is a good pj for the price and a bit cheaper than the 12k. The difference may be significant for some and not for others. For my ceiling, the offset was the killer. The 12k has a lot of flexibility.

Perhaps a small point for waf, but the 12k has a cover for the cables and power cord.

Then again, it's not a small for my waf!

Ron

Here is another review by Cine4Home. Pick your translator.

http://cine4home.de/tests/projektoren/test_DLPProjo_SharpZ12000/SharpZ12000.htm

I will try to address your concerns.

First, the HC3000 is not the equal of the 12k in PQ. It is really that simply. If you want better PQ go with the Sharp. If you are willing to sacrifice PQ for smaller size or less noise, go with the Mitsu.

It is not fair to label the 12k as "not bright." It is not as bright with the Iris closed. If you want it brighter, open the iris. It is simple as that. I run it that way myself when I am watching sports and don't want to be in a dark room. The HC3000 has no iris to close. Isn't it nice to have the option?

As for fan noise and size, pick your poison. Have you seen the dimensions of a Ruby, Pearl, Z20000 or RS1? Big projectors tend to be better. I can understand why you don't want to hear the fan. If you think it will bother you that much, don't get this projector. The projector is about 2 to 2 1/2 feet from my head. I hear it when it starts up. I have never been distracted by it during a movie. This is not a guarantee because it might bother you. Just my experience.

How do you plan to mount your projector?
Is that cine4home review on the older model or on the MK2 version?

There is only a very minor difference betwen the MK I and MK II versions of this projector. The MK I uses the Mustang chip. The MK2 uses a DC3 chip. The MK2 is reportedly slightly brighter than the MK I. Hence there is a slight difference in spec. The MK I is spec'd at 900 lumens. The MK2 is spec'd at 1000. How can anyone notice the difference? Otherwise, they are identical.

I have a Z12k (not the MK2) and I'm pretty happy with it though I think about upgrading mainly for HDMI and 1080p support. I know I have a great pj though and don't really need to upgrade.

A lot of the bigger PJs aren't that bright but are bigger in size such as the Marantz. They are built for the long term reliability and the light engine with larger lens takes more room. I've seen both the Mits and 12K and the 12K is the winner for PQ. If you can't live with its shortcomings then trade off for a PJ with lesser PQ at this price point. Life can be about compromises and tradeoffs. The only problem is we want it all! :D Believe me I understand that concept all too well.

There are options for making it quieter such as a hush box or building it into a soffit/tray on the back wall if the noise bothers you. A hush box would be huge and might not meet the WAF but a tray/soffit is usually quite acceptable. Just some food for thought.

Rawise,

The 12K is an upgrade from the 710. The 12K you will notice deeper blacks (the 710 doesn't have great blacks in comparison), shadow detail is similar with the 12K doing slightly better than the 710 but the difference won't be night and day. The 710 is brighter and has better accuracy out of the box without calibration. I agree with Lawguy don't buy it as a backup and I'd probably wait for a 1080P to upgrade. With projector prices dropping everyday you'll soon be getting 1080P PJs when you open a checking account. :)

Hope this helps.

Bob

A lot of the bigger PJs aren't that bright but are bigger in size such as the Marantz. They are built for the long term reliability and the light engine with larger lens takes more room. I've seen both the Mits and 12K and the 12K is the winner for PQ. If you can't live with its shortcomings then trade off for a PJ with lesser PQ at this price point. Life can be about compromises and tradeoffs. The only problem is we want it all! :D Believe me I understand that concept all too well.

There are options for making it quieter such as a hush box or building it into a soffit/tray on the back wall if the noise bothers you. A hush box would be huge and might not meet the WAF but a tray/soffit is usually quite acceptable. Just some food for thought.

Rawise,

The 12K is an upgrade from the 710. The 12K you will notice deeper blacks (the 710 doesn't have great blacks in comparison), shadow detail is similar with the 12K doing slightly better than the 710 but the difference won't be night and day. The 710 is brighter and has better accuracy out of the box without calibration. I agree with Lawguy don't buy it as a backup and I'd probably wait for a 1080P to upgrade. With projector prices dropping everyday you'll soon be getting 1080P PJs when you open a checking account. :)

Hope this helps.

Bob

Aloha Bob,

Thanks for all the great info. At the current price I am very close to buying one of these and selling my Panny AE900. I figure since the PJ will sit 7 feet behind and above my seating area the noise level might not matter--my XVZ3k sat right next to my head and I just could not take the noise of the fan.

One thing I saw is that the bulb is only rated to 2000 hours. Is this in eco mode? Seems so low.

Also, I have seen some say that the Sharp wartanty on this PJ is for two years. On the Sharp site it says one year. Do you know which it is?

I have also heard that Sharp even covers the bulb? Is that true? Nice if it is.

Thanks so much once again.

bdbaba

bdbaba,

This is a big upgrade over the 900. It won't be as loud as a Sharp 3K right over your head but certainly louder than the 900.

Sharp's warranty is 1 year and 90 days on the bulb. The place selling this unit extends the warranty to 2 years and also has a 90 day return policy. I can't tell you how Sharp's service is because we have yet to have a failure with a Sharp PJ. Knock on wood.

2000 hours is correct irregardless of which mode it is in. Trust me at 2000 hours you will want a new bulb. You could probably reset it and run it in bright mode for a while but some of the higher end PJs have lower hour ratings because they know the color shifts of the bulbs as they start to decrease in brightness. Runco, Marantz, JVC, Sony Qualias are good examples. I know someone that put 4400 hours on an Infocus 777 which is only rated for 1500 hours. I personally would replace it at the recommended time and keep the old lamp for an emergency backup.

Hope this helps.

Bob

bdbaba,

This is a big upgrade over the 900. It won't be as loud as a Sharp 3K right over your head but certainly louder than the 900.

Sharp's warranty is 1 year and 90 days on the bulb. The place selling this unit extends the warranty to 2 years and also has a 90 day return policy. I can't tell you how Sharp's service is because we have yet to have a failure with a Sharp PJ. Knock on wood.

2000 hours is correct irregardless of which mode it is in. Trust me at 2000 hours you will want a new bulb. You could probably reset it and run it in bright mode for a while but some of the higher end PJs have lower hour ratings because they know the color shifts of the bulbs as they start to decrease in brightness. Runco, Marantz, JVC, Sony Qualias are good examples. I know someone that put 4400 hours on an Infocus 777 which is only rated for 1500 hours. I personally would replace it at the recommended time and keep the old lamp for an emergency backup.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Mahalo nui loa for all the info Bob! Very, very helpful. Have a great night.

bdbaba

Does anyone know how many lumens the sharp puts out at 65k in high contrast mode, and if there are any overscan issues?

Oh, and any idea on bulb cost for this unit?

According to Greg Roger's review of the Mark I, "After re-calibrating the 6500K color temperature, the projector produced 862 lumens, which is equivalent to 39.4 fL from the same screen. In the Low Power lamp mode, the brightness was reduced to 29.4 FL." That is on a 85" screen. You can figure out from there what would happen on your size screen.

There are no overscan issues with this projector. If you feed it a 720p source you have the option of displaying it pixel for pixel. Other sources scale unremarkably (meaning good). It does the best smart stretch of 4:3 material to 16:9 that I have seen absent an outboard processor.

Retail bulb costs are around $500 but you can reliably import them from Japan for $350.

Those numbers are very different than what Ultimate AV came up with the MarkII version:
Eco / IRIS / CR / Lumens (note, converted from fL to lumens on their 80" 1.3 gain Studiotech and at D65)

Off / Med / 2400 / 231
On / Med / 2400 / 185
Off / High / 3660 / 212
On / High / 4272 / 164
Off / Low / 1233 / 522

So with it in its brightest mode = lamp on high and Iris open up it has at best 522 lumens....

Does anyone know if this is available in the store from this retailer or only online?

That's quite a discrepancy in brightness. I wonder if both of those reviews were done with new bulbs.

Regardless, I think I'll probably wait a bit, since 1080p units seem like they're starting to drop to more reasonable levels. I also don't want to give up the brightness of my dt-500, although the z12000 would have worked better in my room. I'm surprised at how much brighter the dt-500 is.

I couldn't resist. After 4 years of bliss with my Piano Plus/Bravo D1/Carada B/W I had to go for it. I want to thank BobL for that original recommendation. What a marvelous 4 years it was! As I age I'm finding that waiting for gratification is more fun than early adoption.

Once again, thanks Bob!!

Set this up yesterday. Unit is on a 22" high table top projecting onto a 92" wide high power screen. Feed is component from HD cable box and HD DVD - DVI from HTPC. With the iris open, unit is about as bright as the Infocus SP7200 (bulb had about 1,000 hrs) it replaces. But even with the iris full open the contrast far exceeds the 7200. Where this projector really "shines" is with the iris closed and the room totally darkened. The depth of image yeilded a life like picture that quickly made me forget the bright image I had favored from the 7200 and the Sanyo PLV70 that will now be retired. The fan is not as intrusive as the 7200's though certainly noticeable during quiet sceens. With the long throw and added flexibility of lens shift I will probably ceiling mount and accept the fall off in brightness on the high power screen. There are certainly better projectors out there, but I doubt there is a better value. Oh, changed the color temp to 6500K and knocked down the color saturation to about -5. I am completely satisfied.

My 12k Mark II arrives tomorrow. I currently using HDMI cable with my Panny AX100, but since this PJ does not have a HDMI input I will need an adaptor.

Does anyone know if the unit comes with a HDMI to DVI adapter in the box?

My projector is set up about a foot behind the seating area and 18 inches above.

Does this mean the bottom of your screen is 18" above the seating areas as well? I am trying to make sure I understand the lens shift range as explained in the manual. The way they have it outlined in the manual (as mentioned in a previous post) seems like a severe limitation of a feature that should allow for alot of flexibility.

IOW, if I read the manual correctly, the lens must be outside of the perimeter of the projected image regardless of the lens shift. Is this correct?

RG

Does this mean the bottom of your screen is 18" above the seating areas as well? I am trying to make sure I understand the lens shift range as explained in the manual. The way they have it outlined in the manual (as mentioned in a previous post) seems like a severe limitation of a feature that should allow for alot of flexibility.

IOW, if I read the manual correctly, the lens must be outside of the perimeter of the projected image regardless of the lens shift. Is this correct?

RG

No. Not true at all.

My projector is well within the area of the screen.

The projector must be centeredhorizontally, but you have a lot of freedom to move it vertically: ceiling, shelf, or table or anywhere in between should be no problem.

Where this projector really "shines" is with the iris closed and the room totally darkened. The depth of image yeilded a life like picture that quickly made me forget the bright image I had favored from the 7200 and the Sanyo PLV70 that will now be retired.

Agreed. This is where this projector really shines and what still wows me about it.

My 12k Mark II arrives tomorrow. I currently using HDMI cable with my Panny AX100, but since this PJ does not have a HDMI input I will need an adaptor.

Does anyone know if the unit comes with a HDMI to DVI adapter in the box?

Mine had a short hdmi to dvi adapter cable in the box.

Does this mean the bottom of your screen is 18" above the seating areas as well? I am trying to make sure I understand the lens shift range as explained in the manual. The way they have it outlined in the manual (as mentioned in a previous post) seems like a severe limitation of a feature that should allow for alot of flexibility.

IOW, if I read the manual correctly, the lens must be outside of the perimeter of the projected image regardless of the lens shift. Is this correct?

RG

That is what I found. Sitting on a table without lens shift the bottom of the image is even with the middle of the lens. Lens shift is only in the up direction. Conversely inverted from the ceiling the top will be in line with the middle of the lens and shift will only be down. The lens center cannot be within the image. This does somewhat compromise shelf placement behind my seating area. That's why I'll go with ceiling mount.

That is what I found. Sitting on a table without lens shift the bottom of the image is even with the middle of the lens. Lens shift is only in the up direction. Conversely inverted from the ceiling the top will be in line with the middle of the lens and shift will only be down. The lens center cannot be within the image. This does somewhat compromise shelf placement behind my seating area. That's why I'll go with ceiling mount.

Mine is shelf mounted about 5 feet off the gound. I could raise it a bit more if I were inclined but after that, I would have to flip the projector over as if I were ceiling mounting it.

"My projector is well within the area of the screen. "

Is your projector level?

According to the manual for a table top projector the Sharp will only do edge aligned to the bottom of the screen then the lens shift can move the image up from there. It can not move it down.

So unless your unit is very odd if you are projecting from within the screen is with an unlevel projector which would in turn require digital keystone correction. Digital keystone correction is best avoided if possible as you loose resolution in doing that.

I have a Sharp on the way too and this is one issue I need to deal with. I have a HP screen and for optimal gain need the projector within the screen boundries which the Sharp can not do per the manual. So I need to see which is the better trade off... edge aligned (ceiling mount) and loss of gain or get the unit within the screen for more gain but needing digital keystone correction. I also use a HE anamorphic lens so I can try and see if I can do an optical keystone correction based on the tilt of the lens itself.

Shawn

Mine is shelf mounted about 5 feet off the gound. I could raise it a bit more if I were inclined but after that, I would have to flip the projector over as if I were ceiling mounting it.

Maybe I'm missing something. I'd prefer to take full advantage of the high power screen by setting it on a 42" high table behind my seating area and projecting to my pull up screen that begins 24" from the floor. Without keystone, I can't get the unit to do this. I would end up with the bottom of the image about 45" off the floor. But how did you do it on a 5 Foot shelf?

Shawn

Where in the manual are you looking?

I assure you that my projector is indeed shelf mounted about 5 feet off the ground and perfectly level. There is a lens shift dial on the top of the projector that allows me to lower the image so that it fills the screen properly. No keystoning is involved. Again, If I raise my projector much further, I would have to flip the projector and invert the image and then raise the image until it fills the screen properly.

Maybe I'm missing something. I'd prefer to take full advantage of the high power screen by setting it on a 42" high table behind my seating area and projecting to my pull up screen that begins 24" from the floor. Without keystone, I can't get the unit to do this. I would end up with the bottom of the image about 45" off the floor. But how did you do it on a 5 Foot shelf?

I think that you are missing something. You should have no problem placing your projector 42" off the ground and on to a screen that is 24" off the floor. Are you sure that you are using the lens shift? My setup is very similar and I have no problem.

Lawguy,

I would love for it to work the way you are saying yours does, that is what I need too.

But the manual says the opposite, Page E-31.

Read the distance from the Lens Center to the Lower Edge of the screen.

The upper limit is 0... meaning edge aligned. The lower limit is a negative number. Down lower on the page it explains. "Values with a minus sign indicate the distance of the lens center below the bottom of the screen."

Do you have the 12000 or the 20000? The lens shift works opposite in the 20000. Actually... on re-reading the manual the manual only says XV-Z12000.... it does not say Mk II. Could that have been changed?

Shawn

Is it possible that a lens offset was introduced in the Mark II that did not exist in the Mark I? In other words are some people relating experiences with one versus the other and hence the inconsistency? It doesn't seem likely that Sharp would change the offset -- but if not, what gives?

I am still considering buying this projector and would need to extend my ceiling mount down to have the lens fall within the bounds of the screen if there is no offset. If there is an offset, I could install it straightaway with my current setup (center of lens about 4 inches above the top of screen).

Lawguy,

I would love for it to work the way you are saying yours does, that is what I need too.

But the manual says the opposite, Page E-31.

Read the distance from the Lens Center to the Lower Edge of the screen.

The upper limit is 0... meaning edge aligned. The lower limit is a negative number. Down lower on the page it explains. "Values with a minus sign indicate the distance of the lens center below the bottom of the screen."

Do you have the 12000 or the 20000? The lens shift works opposite in the 20000. Actually... on re-reading the manual the manual only says XV-Z12000.... it does not say Mk II. Could that have been changed?

Shawn

I see that chart in my manual. I remember seeing that before I got my projector and was worried about it but it has nothing to do with lens shift. That chart is for screen size and projector distance. It is not meant to comment on vertical lens shift. Trust me.

Is it possible that a lens offset was introduced in the Mark II that did not exist in the Mark I? In other words are some people relating experiences with one versus the other and hence the inconsistency? It doesn't seem likely that Sharp would change the offset -- but if not, what gives?

I am still considering buying this projector and would need to extend my ceiling mount down to have the lens fall within the bounds of the screen if there is no offset. If there is an offset, I could install it straightaway with my current setup (center of lens about 4 inches above the top of screen).

If it works the way the manual says, you should have no problem. The disparity here is that the manual says the lens has to be outside the screen area, but lawguy has his on the inside, and pennstater says his works as the manual implies. I was/am considering this PJ, but this point is critical for me.

From Greg Rogers' review:

Optimally, the center of the projector lens should be level with the top of the screen when ceiling mounted or at the bottom of the screen when table mounted. But the lens shift function will allow the projector to be positioned at any height between the top and bottom of the screen. The projector can be tilted if it must be located above or below the screen, but this will cause the picture to keystone. Digital Keystone Correction and an accompanying vertical size adjustment can be used to restore the image to a perfect rectangle. But the digital keystone correction produces moiré patterns on closely spaced vertical lines, so it should be avoided if possible.

It's not an issue guys. Don't worry about it.

See, now that is what I would have expected (and desire).... why is penn's different (or seemingly so)?

Is it possible that a lens offset was introduced in the Mark II that did not exist in the Mark I? In other words are some people relating experiences with one versus the other and hence the inconsistency? It doesn't seem likely that Sharp would change the offset -- but if not, what gives?

I am still considering buying this projector and would need to extend my ceiling mount down to have the lens fall within the bounds of the screen if there is no offset. If there is an offset, I could install it straightaway with my current setup (center of lens about 4 inches above the top of screen).

The unit i just received has the Mark II label on it. If I were to invert it and ceiling mount the lens shift would allow the top of the image to start any where from the middle of the lens down up to one entire screen height. But, I cannot get the lens shift to work the other way. Maybe my unit is defective.

I did a search and found a similar discussion here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=827963

If seems that at least some owners have the same limited lens shift function that does not allow placement of the center of the lens within the image.

When someone else sets one up please let me know if indeed my lens shift should work in both directions.

"That chart is for screen size and projector distance. It is not meant to comment on vertical lens shift.

Sure it is. If it was just screen size there would be no reference to the limits of min/max screen height relative to the lens at the various throws. The same page in the 20000 manual further expands on the lens shift with diagrams showing the various offset abilities.

Shawn

"From Greg Rogers' review:"

Isn't that from the review of the XV-Z20000?

The lens shift on the XV-Z20000 is opposite of what the XV-Z12000 has. Read both manuals.

Shawn

Double checked and that is from the review of the 12000. Here is hoping that is accurate as that is what I need for lens shift to work with the HP. My unit is supposed to be arriving tomorrow so I will know for sure then.

Shawn

I did a search and found a similar discussion here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=827963

If seems that at least some owners have the same limited lens shift function that does not allow placement of the center of the lens within the image.

When someone else sets one up please let me know if indeed my lens shift should work in both directions.

Everyone in that thread appears to be speaking hypothetically as opposed to from experience.

Another reviewer confirms my experience:

Click (http://www.laaudiofile.com/xvz12ku.html)

The lens shift adjustment on the XV-Z12000 allows the projector to be positioned anywhere from the bottom to the top of the screen. Ideally, we prefer not to use the keystone correction (due to image degradations), so we placed the projector to produce a perfectly rectangular image.

Can you confirm that you are, in fact, using the lens shift dial located on the top of the projector?

Yes the lens shift dial moves easily only in the up direction. I did not attempt to force it past resistance in the down direction. I will gently try this evening. Thanks for the help.

Yes the lens shift dial moves easily only in the up direction. I did not attempt to force it past resistance in the down direction. I will gently try this evening. Thanks for the help.

Hopefully it is just a bit stuck. I am sure that you removed the two foam pads surrounding the lens?

Removed the ONE i saw with the big tag on top of the lens. I did not see one on the bottom. Of course that would explain it not rotating down. I'm anxious to get home and check. Much prefer not to ceiling mount. Many thanks.

Yes the lens shift dial moves easily only in the up direction. I did not attempt to force it past resistance in the down direction. I will gently try this evening. Thanks for the help.
Aloha pennstater,

I am ready to buy this now as well, but I am very curious what you find out about how the lens shift works. If it has the limitations some are saying here, it might be a problem for my tricky room set-up. Look forward to hearing what you find.

Thanks,

bdbaba

Did some more searching. The XV-Z9000 manual is interesting. It has pretty much the same chart as the Z12000, (same wording, same numbers) but on the next page it has diagrams that show the lens shift. It shows it as Lawguy describes, shifting within the screens edges.

So here is hoping the "Values with a minus sign indicate the distance of the lens center below the bottom of the screen."

is just incredibly poorly worded and you are supposed to apply the negative number against that statement. In other words -3' below the bottom of the screen.... or in other words 3 feet above the bottom of the screen.

The wording in the X20000 manual is far more clear and has diagrams to back it up.

Lens shift like that would be much easier for me to deal with and would complement the HP screen... fingers crossed.

Lawguy... any recommendations on initial settings for the best out of the box color accuracy?

Thanks,

Shawn

Shawn,

I have done a lot of tinkering, but my favorite settings are: high contrast, economy lamp, color temp at 6500k, standard picture, and dynamic contrast. Sometimes I prefer the natural picture setting.

I don't think that colors are dialed in precisely at 6500k but they are very close. Images just are incredibly three dimensional and lifelike. After coming from an LCD projector, as I did, that I thought had pretty good blacks, it was very surprising to see the vastly superior blacks that the 12k is capable of. It is best seen rather than described.

The onboard scaler is also excellent and underrated. It does a great job of taking 4:3 material and converting it to 16:9. I also have my cable box set to pass through because the 12k does a much better job of scaling than the cable box does. Make sure you do this.

There is an old Z12000 calibration thread that has been archived. I tried the settings that were recommended there but I went back to the standard ones because they looked better in my opinion.

The HP screen is a great pairing with this PJ, let me know how it all turns out.

Steve

Steve,

Thanks, I'll give them a whirl. BTW, if you check out the WSR of the XV-Z10000 it specifically mentions that the instruction manual is wrong about how the lens shift works.... so horray there! Thanks for setting me straight on that, that is good news.

"After coming from an LCD projector, as I did, that I thought had pretty good blacks, it was very surprising to see the vastly superior blacks that the 12k is capable of. It is best seen rather than described."

I had a filtered AE900 before this and JVC G10 before that. So I would expect the black level to improve quite a bit and the ANSI contrast on this is far better. This has ANSI contrast close to what the on/off contrast of the G10 was!

My big concern is simply that it is a DLP. With older slower color wheel units I have viewing problems (carsick/headaches) watching them but I have never spent much time with a 5x 7 segment unit. So it will be interesting to see how that turns out. My other concern is SDE, my front row on 2.35ar material is at just about 1x screen width. And noise as the thing will be very close overhead for the second row. If it ends up a keeper I might go hushbox as I did with the G10.

"The onboard scaler is also excellent and underrated."

Sounds like it from the reviews, but I have a Lumagen which I need for the constant height screen I run.

Thanks,

Shawn

Funny about that review because I didn't notice it when I looked!

If SDE was acceptable on you the AE900, it will be much improved on the 12k.

You will have to judge the noise for yourself. to me it is not so loud that I would consider a hushbox. You may disagree. I've got tons of fans in all kinds of components so this one did not put it over the edge.

I may be very lucky or have bad eyes, but I have have noticed no dlp-related issues like RBE or eye fatigue. I even watched Sin City because people swear that you cannot watch that movee and not see rainbows. None for me. I'm not complaining.

Good luck and post what you see.

Steve

Steve,

"If SDE was acceptable on you the AE900, it will be much improved on the 12k."

It was but just. I could just see it in my front row on white text and such. If the 12k is better then the AE900 that should be OK.

"I've got tons of fans in all kinds of components so this one did not put it over the edge. "

So do I, but for that reason none of them are in my theater. ;)


I'll let you know how it goes after I get some time with it. If it does not whip the Hitachi Home-1 I have been temporarily using (sold the AE900 a few months ago expecting to get the RS-1 in Feb.) something is seriously wrong.

Thanks,

Shawn

Funny about that review because I didn't notice it when I looked!

If SDE was acceptable on you the AE900, it will be much improved on the 12k.

You will have to judge the noise for yourself. to me it is not so loud that I would consider a hushbox. You may disagree. I've got tons of fans in all kinds of components so this one did not put it over the edge.

I may be very lucky or have bad eyes, but I have have noticed no dlp-related issues like RBE or eye fatigue. I even watched Sin City because people swear that you cannot watch that movee and not see rainbows. None for me. I'm not complaining.

Good luck and post what you see.

Steve
Aloha Lawguy,

You have a PM!

Thanks,

bdbaba

Lawguy,

Do you have the original Z12000 or the Mark II version that came with the DC3 chip?

Moe

I don't have this projector, but the way I interpret the manual, and the way I've always understood this lens shift to work (9k, 10k, and 12k) is that the pj can be placed anywhere within the thrown picture. That is, it can be level with the top, level with the bottom, and anywhere in between. I have the XV-Z200 and the shift works in the same way. In the manual, the first offset number(Z1) is "0" because the lens is even with the bottom edge of the screen. The second number(Z2) is negative because the bottom of the screen is that much lower then the lens. Pennstater, if what you are saying is correct, and you really can not adjust your image so the pj can be anywhere within the projected image perimeter, than I'd say you have a defective unit.

Rob

Lawguy,

Do you have the original Z12000 or the Mark II version that came with the DC3 chip?

Moe

I have a MKI.

Truth is there really is only a small difference. TI changed the DC2+ process to make the dimple hinge slightly less apparent. This results in slightly better contrast and slightly better light output. Hence there is a slight spec change. I wouldn't get too hung up on it. Other than the chip, the projectors are identical.

Pennstater will assuredly post later about whether he left in the second foam insert and whether he can now use lens shift properly.

Hopefully it is just a bit stuck. I am sure that you removed the two foam pads surrounding the lens?

That's it. Did not see the bottom one last night. Shifts up and down. Perfect for shelf placement at about 42 inches. Can't say thanks enough.

That's it. Did not see the bottom one last night. Shifts up and down. Perfect for shelf placement at about 42 inches. Can't say thanks enough.

Great! That makes things sooo much easier......

Shawn

Great! That makes things sooo much easier......

Shawn

That was fun!

To the few who seem to have this pj already, how is the image sharpness on this model? Would you say that it is sharper and more detailed than its little brother the Sharp Z3000? I'm curious because one of the primary things I want to upgrade is the image sharpness.

Moe

Pulled the trigger this morning. Mine is on the way. Much Mahalo for all the great info. Steve, you are the MAN!

Aloha!

bdbaba

Seeing the XV-Z9000 manual along with the above conversation confirming the lens shift made me pull the trigger as well. I don't think another similarly priced/featured pj with lens shift that can take advantage of the HP will come around anytime soon.

BTW, here's a really great post on the gain vs. angle of the HP: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5862849&&#post5862849

Since I'm going to be using this 50/50 with lights vs. blacked out, 2x+ the ftL in high brightness mode will be nice.

Shawn,

I have done a lot of tinkering, but my favorite settings are: high contrast, economy lamp, color temp at 6500k, standard picture, and dynamic contrast. Sometimes I prefer the natural picture setting.

I don't think that colors are dialed in precisely at 6500k but they are very close. Images just are incredibly three dimensional and lifelike. After coming from an LCD projector, as I did, that I thought had pretty good blacks, it was very surprising to see the vastly superior blacks that the 12k is capable of. It is best seen rather than described.

The onboard scaler is also excellent and underrated. It does a great job of taking 4:3 material and converting it to 16:9. I also have my cable box set to pass through because the 12k does a much better job of scaling than the cable box does. Make sure you do this.

There is an old Z12000 calibration thread that has been archived. I tried the settings that were recommended there but I went back to the standard ones because they looked better in my opinion.

The HP screen is a great pairing with this PJ, let me know how it all turns out.

Steve
Hey Steve,

How do you put the cable box on pass through? Is there a setting in the menu, or do I just set it to 480i?

I am also using a Panny S97S DVD player. Should I set that to 480i as well? The Panny is supposed to have a pretty good scaler--is the Sharp's better?

Thanks,

bdbaba

Hey Steve,

How do you put the cable box on pass through? Is there a setting in the menu, or do I just set it to 480i?

I am also using a Panny S97S DVD player. Should I set that to 480i as well? The Panny is supposed to have a pretty good scaler--is the Sharp's better?

Thanks,

bdbaba

The answer to that depends on the kind of cable box you have.

On my Scientifica Atlanta box, I have to hit the settings button twice. Then I change the video output setting. The different options are fixed, pass though and
upconvert. Pass through will just send a 480i signal as a 480i and a 720p as a 720p. Then you can mess with the settings on the 12k, there are several levels of sharpening, etc.

Try your DVD player both ways and see which way looks better to you. I like the onobard sharp scaler better than my Oppo's, although they are pretty close for DVDs.

Steve

Seeing the XV-Z9000 manual along with the above conversation confirming the lens shift made me pull the trigger as well. I don't think another similarly priced/featured pj with lens shift that can take advantage of the HP will come around anytime soon.

BTW, here's a really great post on the gain vs. angle of the HP: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5862849&&#post5862849

Since I'm going to be using this 50/50 with lights vs. blacked out, 2x+ the ftL in high brightness mode will be nice.

That is what I do as well.

I have canned lighting in the ceiling. I slightly unscrewed the two closest to the screen because they wee washing out the image. As long as there is no light shining directly on the screen, I have a very usuable daytime image. I wouldn't watch movies this way but it is good for sports and light tv.

To the few who seem to have this pj already, how is the image sharpness on this model? Would you say that it is sharper and more detailed than its little brother the Sharp Z3000? I'm curious because one of the primary things I want to upgrade is the image sharpness.

Moe

I have never seen the Z3000 so I can't make the comparison. All I can say is that I am completely satisfied and will not consider a different projector until bulb technology improves. I find picture quality is not just a matter of detail or sharpness. I have a Hitachi 32" HD (not ED) plasma about 4 years old. Compared to my 1 year old 50" Pioneer the Hitachi's picture seems flat because it does not have the "depth" that improved contrast provides. I am sure others can be more technical and relate numbers on lumens, contrast, screen size etc. Believe your eyes. See it in your environment. I think you have 90 days to return it.

Mine is scheduled for delivery today. This will be my 4th projector since I started this hobby a few years ago...upgrading from a Panasonic PT-AX100U; previous to the AX100, I owned the 900, 700, 4805 and an X1. Will be table mounting and projecting to a 106" HP screen.

Can't believe how much prices have come down...this really looks like the best bang for the buck right now esp. considering it's a DC3. This projector MSRP's over 10k and from the reviews the optics/pq seem to be first rate. I will post some results when it comes in; really looking forward to it!

Skor, Please let us know your initial impressions of the 12k. I think that you will see dramatic differences between it and your prior PJs.

The answer to that depends on the kind of cable box you have.

On my Scientifica Atlanta box, I have to hit the settings button twice. Then I change the video output setting. The different options are fixed, pass though and
upconvert. Pass through will just send a 480i signal as a 480i and a 720p as a 720p. Then you can mess with the settings on the 12k, there are several levels of sharpening, etc.

Try your DVD player both ways and see which way looks better to you. I like the onobard sharp scaler better than my Oppo's, although they are pretty close for DVDs.

Steve
Thanks Steve. Sounds easy enough. I have the SA 8300--sounds like the same one you have. What settings in the PJ are you talking about and what did you set yours at?

bdbaba

My SA8300-HD STB operates a little different. Hit the settings button once, then the A button for advanced options and then scroll down to the output option. To get full passthrough, you need to select all the options (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i) and thus the 8300 will not do any deinterlacing nor scaling.

I just ordered mine. This will be to replace a panny 900 which replaced a SP4805. I was very let down with the image that the 900 produced vs the 4805. LCD does not produce the depth of image that DLP does. I can wait to see what kind of an improvement this is over the panny.

What would be the recomended screen gain for this pj? I am in a light controlled basement, 84" diag. screen. I can get either 1.0 or 1.4 gain. I will be sitting 10' away from the screen.

Thanks

Okay, a question WRT to screen size fellas. When you say 92" wide, you do mean 'wide' as opposed to 92" diagonal right?

Also, if you do in fact mean 'wide' would this PJ work well enough (in the interim) with an 48"x85.3" homemade BOC screen from about 14 feet?

Thanks

Also, I'm hoping someone would be willing to share their experience with HD-DVD or Bluray movies. In particular, I have a 360 with HD-DVD addon and a PS3 so I'm covered either way, but my question involves the input selection. I currently run my 360 via the VGA port on my 4805 and would prefer this method were I to buy this PJ. Of course the MK2 appears to have only DVI and component input. Is that correct? If so, what are people's experience using the component inputs with HD-DVD or Bluray?

Sorry for the rambling nature but I'm in kind of a hurry right now.

Thanks

dchayer - I'd go with the higher gain. When you do the math the ultimateav review puts the lumens much lower than the hometheatermag review (probably different aged bulbs and different throw distances). Either way this pj isn't very bright in high contrast mode.

Your best bet would be to wait to get the pj, and project either on a wall, a do-able board, or some other cheap/easy screen. Then you can tell whether a slight or more drastic gain is needed. Given how dim this pj is to begin with, the Da-Lite High Power is a great match. Putting the pj vertically within the height of the screen allows one to take advantage of most of the gain. And remember within 500-1000 hours the bulb is likely going to be half as bright. Of course the High Power's gain drops off as you go far to the left or right, so if your seating is 10 feet wide it may not be the best choice. The High Power also happens to be dirt cheap. I got my 92" wide for well under $300 from Jason here at AVscience.

Would you say that it is sharper and more detailed than its little brother the Sharp Z3000? I'm curious because one of the primary things I want to upgrade is the image sharpness.

I'll let you know when I get mine. I had to return my DT-500 due to dust blobs a few weeks ago, but I remember the ~1pixels of green/magenta chomatic aberration it had. I expect this unit's optics to be close to perfect, but we'll see.

Well, my Sharp came today. I have been watching it for about an hour and a half on various HD-DVDs.

The good..... the lens shift is fine for getting the projector inside the screen edges. So no problems with a HP screen setup at all. The increase dynamic range (contrast) over the AE900 is apparent. It is quite a bit sharper then it as well. From an initial impression of the image quality it looks like it would be a nice upgrade there. The ability to switch from high contrast mode to higher brightness modes could be handy when we are watching football in the theater.

The not so good. It is louder then I'd like. This I could work around if needed.
SDE it is worse then the AE900. With the AE900 on some white text I could just barely make out SDE from the front row. With the Sharp I'm seeing it like that from the back row of seats. From the front row I can see it clearly on most of the image and that is before the pixel size increases with my ISCO II. The ISCO might also help to blur the SDE a little but I don't have a way to mount it with the Sharp yet.

The bad.... rainbows rainbows rainbows. I'm seeing them all over the place on 'Serenity' and 'Batman Returns.' At one point in 'Serenity' Mal's face turned into a splash of color which made me blink and it did it again. Very distracting.

Shawn

Received mine today but havn't had a chance to open the box. I noticed the box was re-sealed. Am I getting a return unit?

One way to tell may be in the service menu if there's a total hours used for the projector. If it's not zero like the bulb timer then it's a used unit. Here's a service menu access thread (not sure if it'll work on the mk II): http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=536645

Does the rest of the unit look used at all (dusty lens, etc.)?

Well, my Sharp came today. I have been watching it for about an hour and a half on various HD-DVDs.

The good..... the lens shift is fine for getting the projector inside the screen edges. So no problems with a HP screen setup at all. The increase dynamic range (contrast) over the AE900 is apparent. It is quite a bit sharper then it as well. From an initial impression of the image quality it looks like it would be a nice upgrade there. The ability to switch from high contrast mode to higher brightness modes could be handy when we are watching football in the theater.

The not so good. It is louder then I'd like. This I could work around if needed.
SDE it is worse then the AE900. With the AE900 on some white text I could just barely make out SDE from the front row. With the Sharp I'm seeing it like that from the back row of seats. From the front row I can see it clearly on most of the image and that is before the pixel size increases with my ISCO II. The ISCO might also help to blur the SDE a little but I don't have a way to mount it with the Sharp yet.

The bad.... rainbows rainbows rainbows. I'm seeing them all over the place on 'Serenity' and 'Batman Returns.' At one point in 'Serenity' Mal's face turned into a splash of color which made me blink and it did it again. Very distracting.

Shawn

That's too bad. At least you can bring it back if it is not right for you.

"Received mine today but havn't had a chance to open the box. I noticed the box was re-sealed. Am I getting a return unit?"

Mine was resealed too. Costco puts an order paper in the box so it might be simply from that. The rest of the unit looked like it was still factory wrapped and the hour meter was at 0.

Shawn

"That's too bad. At least you can bring it back if it is not right for you."

I'm going to spend more time with it but if it doesn't work out it is easy enough to return it. So no worries there. I would nt have tried it without the return ability.

If one isn't bothered by rainbows this looks like it would be a heck of a unit at this price. It is kind of odd as I haven't noticed rainbows this badly on my friends (slower) DLPs. Probably related to my seating distance/brightness or something.

Shawn

Thanks for the link. Will check it out tonight... and hope I can keep it. Her reason: my delicated HT won't be ready in 2 months, and there will be better ones then. The reason I get it now because of my low ceiling, 7.5' and I want DLP.

Whose side are you on? ;)

Just to clarify, I looked at the manual and this PJ does offer RGB/HV via RCA connectors. So one really has six connection options:

Composite
S-video
Component
RGB/HV via 5 RCA terminals
DVI
HDMI (via convertor)

For the 360 VGA connection all one would need is a HD15 to RGB/HV breakout cable. The DVI to HDMI breakout cable is included.

Just get her to agree to buying an RS1 if this is sold out in 2 months. 2 months less warranty, etc. For anyone on the fence you can try adding 999 of these to your cart to see how many they have left. I'd imagine there are quite a few lurkers reading this thread as they seem to be selling a few a day.

I'm definitely interested if anyone can say whether that service menu code works and report anything interesting. I'd love it if this thing would go down to 4x in wheel speed (for me that's the only advantage the HD1000U has over this).

Just get her to agree to buying an RS1 if this is sold out in 2 months. 2 months less warranty, etc. For anyone on the fence you can try adding 999 of these to your cart to see how many they have left. I'd imagine there are quite a few lurkers reading this thread as they seem to be selling a few a day.

I'm definitely interested if anyone can say whether that service menu code works and report anything interesting. I'd love it if this thing would go down to 4x in wheel speed (for me that's the only advantage the HD1000U has over this).
Hey FlyingGimp,

What is the benefit of having a slower wheel speed? I thought higher is better--less rainbows. Does a higher speed degrade the PQ?

I had the XV-Z3K and I thought that the PQ was fantastic. Too bad I had 2 bum units. Hopefully we both have better luck with this unit.

bdbaba

sfogg,

I have never heard that rainbows are more visible based on seating. The only variable that I have ever heard discussed is the color wheel speed. Have you heard otherwise?

If I had the problems you describe it would be a deal killer for me. The problem is that you have to spend a lot more money to get comparable PQ without the threat of rainbows.

"I have never heard that rainbows are more visible based on seating. The only variable that I have ever heard discussed is the color wheel speed. Have you heard otherwise?"

Just a theory since I had not seen so many rainbows on my friends slower DLPs but there I sat further away. I think distance might be a component though. The closer you get to the screen the more the screen fills your field of vision which results in both movement on screen being 'larger/faster' from a field of vision point of view and you need to move your eyes more to take in the whole screen.

I can't move further back in my room (back wall) to test that theory though.

"If I had the problems you describe it would be a deal killer for me. The problem is that you have to spend a lot more money to get comparable PQ without the threat of rainbows."

Yeah, I watched Seabiscuit on HD-DVD and it was beautiful from the back row. I have actually have a RS-1 on pre-order since November. I was trying the Sharp to see about maybe just going with it at less then half the cost. The rainbows are probably going to end up making that an easy choice though. Which is a shame as the Sharp does look great not counting rainbows.

Shawn

Good luck. At least your path is clear although your wallet will be a bit lighter. The RS1 looks like a great projector. I have not seen one yet.

Your theory makes a lot of sense. I sit about 1 1/2 screen widths back and perhaps my eyes need not dart back and forth to follow things. I prefer it at that distance so I guess I am just lucky.

bdbaba - faster colorwheel speed means less time for the mirrors to switch and data to be delivered to the DMD. I believe the Mk II also came out before the newer/faster DPP3020 DMD controller. The 5x speed and the extra dark green segment leaves the potential for more temporal dithering artifacts. I noticed them on the DT-500 a fair amount, so I won't describe them in detail. No sense in training your eye to see a defect. They'd have to be much worse on the Mk II to be a dealbreaker for me.

Of course the most obvious temporal dithering artifacts are the DLP "green worms" on a near black screen. Since the Mk II's dark green segment eliminates these it will be interesting to see how this area compares overall.

How would this projector compare to the following -
Panasonic PT-AX100U or Sanyo PLV-Z5

BTW - I understand the basic differences between DLP and LCD...:)

I am in the market for PJ and gonna have my dedicated HT room done in a couple of months.

Also, I have a Samsung 43inch DLP and love it. See rainbows once in awhile but nothing bad.

Any advice would be welcome. I dont mind spending the extra cash if this PJ is so much better.

My dedicated room has controlled light and was looking at a 110 inch screen. The room is 14 x 22.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Here is another review by Cine4Home. Pick your translator.

First, the HC3000 is not the equal of the 12k in PQ. It is really that simply. If you want better PQ go with the Sharp. If you are willing to sacrifice PQ for smaller size or less noise, go with the Mitsu.

It is not fair to label the 12k as "not bright." It is not as bright with the Iris closed. If you want it brighter, open the iris. It is simple as that. I run it that way myself when I am watching sports and don't want to be in a dark room. The HC3000 has no iris to close. Isn't it nice to have the option?

As for fan noise and size, pick your poison. Have you seen the dimensions of a Ruby, Pearl, Z20000 or RS1? Big projectors tend to be better. I can understand why you don't want to hear the fan. If you think it will bother you that much, don't get this projector.

I know what the specs say but my Mits HC3000 is not quite! I saw the sharp at a dealer and could not hear it on low lamp mode. I thought something was wrong as it was a lot quiter then my mits. My guess is Mits and Sharp employee different measuring techniques. Plus the sharp wheel spins faster so I would assume that might help those that are rainbow sensitive.

bdbaba - faster colorwheel speed means less time for the mirrors to switch and data to be delivered to the DMD. I believe the Mk II also came out before the newer/faster DPP3020 DMD controller. The 5x speed and the extra dark green segment leaves the potential for more temporal dithering artifacts. I noticed them on the DT-500 a fair amount, so I won't describe them in detail. No sense in training your eye to see a defect. They'd have to be much worse on the Mk II to be a dealbreaker for me.

Of course the most obvious temporal dithering artifacts are the DLP "green worms" on a near black screen. Since the Mk II's dark green segment eliminates these it will be interesting to see how this area compares overall.
Hey FlyingGimp,

Thanks for the reply. Interesting. I do see RBE, but I did not have any problems with the XV-Z3K. Hopedully I won't with this one either. I ordered mine on Thursday, but it still has not shipped. Bummer. I am interested to hear what your experience is with this PJ when you get it.

Aloha,

bdbaba

How would this projector compare to the following -
Panasonic PT-AX100U or Sanyo PLV-Z5

BTW - I understand the basic differences between DLP and LCD...:)

I am in the market for PJ and gonna have my dedicated HT room done in a couple of months.

Also, I have a Samsung 43inch DLP and love it. See rainbows once in awhile but nothing bad.

Any advice would be welcome. I dont mind spending the extra cash if this PJ is so much better.

My dedicated room has controlled light and was looking at a 110 inch screen. The room is 14 x 22.


Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

If as little as six months ago someone would have asked that question they would have been laughed at becauseing comparing the sharp with a sanyo or a Panasonic would have been like comparing a BMW to a Honda. The obvious answer would have been that it isn't fair to compair them because they were built for different markets.

Now your question is far from silly because they really are in comparable price ranges. Would you buy a BMW if was priced just a bit more than an Accord?

I used and like LCD projectors but it really is not fair to them to compare on the merits. Some people who are rainbow sensitive buy LCDs because they can't watch dlps. LCDs have traditionally competed on cost. The Sharp will give you deep rich blacks and very high intrascene contrast. LCDs really can't compete with these. Dust blobs are also a problem with these LCDs (the Sanyo has an easy way of dealing with, them the Panny does not). The panny is also very bright. If you have a bad room with a lot of light the Panny would be a good bet because you will never take avantage of the Sharp's higher contrast in a bad room.

Thanks Lawguy!
So would this Sharp do well in my dedicated room? Is distance an issue and mounting it on the ceiling? Is 110 inch screen too big for this PJ? Also, what about sports, I enjoy football and that would be something I would like to watch on this?

Thanks for the advice, this deal seems to good to be true and I do not want to miss it, yet I want to be sure I am making the right decision.

Thanks!

In purely pragmatic terms, the 12000 isn't going to last. Try it and if you don't like, return it and you'll still be able to buy a AX100 or Z5.

As far as installation, to be sure take a look at the manual or projectorcentral.com: http://www.sharpusa.com/files/hom_man_XVZ12000.pdf . You don't mention whether the 110" is wide or a diagonal. I'm mounting mine ~15' back for a 92" wide / 106" diagonal screen.

The Z9000 has a better view of where the lens shift puts the pj relative to the screen, see p. 21. http://www.sharpusa.com/files/hom_man_XVZ9000U.pdf

Assuming you'd like to watch football with some lights on, this pj is a decent match. Just open the iris all the way. Of course there are significantly brighter pjs out there, though not many have dual iris' to tame that for lights out viewing. But if you mate this with a Da-Lite High Power or some other retroreflective screen then this becomes among the brightest home theater DLPs out there, assuming you can mount the pj in the middle of the screen.

Thanks for info. I am somewhat new to all of this and learning fast. When you say mount to the middle of the screen you mean horizontal and not vertical? That is not a problem in my room. Its being started as we speak. It is perfectly rectangular.

Are the Da-Lite HP screens wall mounted? Its seems I have only found pull down, but I may be misguided. A link would be great. Thanks! BTW I am talking diag. screen length.

Thanks for info and advice!

I was greatly impressed at the value this latest "deal" represented, which is why I started this thread to begin with. I've no doubt this PJ can throw a great picture, but I have concerns over the rated 33db of noise. The other PJ on my list is the Mits HC3000U, which is rated at 25db. I know specs are to be taken with a grain of salt, but if these are true, the Mits would be MUCH quieter than the Sharp, which would be a huge plus for the Mits in my setup. Can anyone who has actually heard both in action comment? I know one poster said his Mits was loud, but the reviews I have read seem to contradict that. Then again, the Sharp reviews I read don't really mention the fan noise, so what gives?

I was greatly impressed at the value this latest "deal" represented, which is why I started this thread to begin with. I've no doubt this PJ can throw a great picture, but I have concerns over the rated 33db of noise. The other PJ on my list is the Mits HC3000U, which is rated at 25db. I know specs are to be taken with a grain of salt, but if these are true, the Mits would be MUCH quieter than the Sharp, which would be a huge plus for the Mits in my setup. Can anyone who has actually heard both in action comment? I know one poster said his Mits was loud, but the reviews I have read seem to contradict that. Then again, the Sharp reviews I read don't really mention the fan noise, so what gives?
Aloha floridapoolboy,

I am pretty sensitive to noise. I had a big problem with my XV-Z3K because of noise--of course that PJ was pretty much right next to my head, and this one will be about four feet behind and above me. When I get the new one, I will report here on the noise level.

As a comparison, I almost never hear the AE900 I have now, and I leave that on high fan/low lamp all the time. It is placed where the new Sharp will go.

Any reason you do not want to go for the HC3100 if you go Mits? Japanese warranty perhaps?

bdbaba

Retail bulb costs are around $500 but you can reliably import them from Japan for $350.

I apologize for the interruption but I have a Sharp 10K going strong for four years now and I'm getting to the point of needing a new bulb (1850 hours). From the japan reference I assume you are talking about "**********." Anybody purchase from them? Good experience and worth the risk? Thanks for any feedback given.

I apologize for the interruption but I have a Sharp 10K going strong for four years now and I'm getting to the point of needing a new bulb (1850 hours). From the japan reference I assume you are talking about "**********." Anybody purchase from them? Good experience and worth the risk? Thanks for any feedback given.

I bought a projector from them and I got it delivered to NY in less than a week. I have no concerns about them.

Thanks Lawguy!
So would this Sharp do well in my dedicated room? Is distance an issue and mounting it on the ceiling? Is 110 inch screen too big for this PJ? Also, what about sports, I enjoy football and that would be something I would like to watch on this?

Thanks for the advice, this deal seems to good to be true and I do not want to miss it, yet I want to be sure I am making the right decision.

Thanks!

I would recommend a screen with gain for a 100" screen. I use a Dalite High Power and I love it. It come in both fixed and pull down Get a quote from Jason. I am pretty sure that he will beat any price out there. Just make sure that it is set up properly.

As noted earlier I have the HC3000 and run it in low lamp mode. The projector is above my head when seated (4-5' above). This thing clearly is louder then 25dbs to me. One of the main reasons I bought it was that it was supposed to be quite. The issue with specs is that it depends how far away they have the sound measuring equipment set up. To me at 25dbs it should be hard to hear period but I can clearly hear the projector in normal dialogue passages where there is limited background noise.

I am really considering the Sharp but don't want anything louder then what I currently have. I have actually seen the sharp in a couple dealers and have yet been able to tell it was loud though I figured there must be a lot of ambient noise in the rooms like air conditioning.

Aloha floridapoolboy,

I am pretty sensitive to noise. I had a big problem with my XV-Z3K because of noise--of course that PJ was pretty much right next to my head, and this one will be about four feet behind and above me. When I get the new one, I will report here on the noise level.

As a comparison, I almost never hear the AE900 I have now, and I leave that on high fan/low lamp all the time. It is placed where the new Sharp will go.

Any reason you do not want to go for the HC3100 if you go Mits? Japanese warranty perhaps?

bdbaba

I don't want to go import, it's not a gamble I want to take. Also, a certain forum sponser has the HC3000 for a VERY good price, which is tilting me in that direction. If the Sharp was at least as quiet as the Mits I would be happy, but if it's significantly louder I don't think I could live with it.

As noted earlier I have the HC3000 and run it in low lamp mode. The projector is above my head when seated (4-5' above). This thing clearly is louder then 25dbs to me. One of the main reasons I bought it was that it was supposed to be quite. The issue with specs is that it depends how far away they have the sound measuring equipment set up. To me at 25dbs it should be hard to hear period but I can clearly hear the projector in normal dialogue passages where there is limited background noise.

I am really considering the Sharp but don't want anything louder then what I currently have. I have actually seen the sharp in a couple dealers and have yet been able to tell it was loud though I figured there must be a lot of ambient noise in the rooms like air conditioning.

Right now I have an H31 mounted directly above my head on an eight foot ceiling. The noise is noticable, but not bad. Whichever PJ I replace my H31 with would have to be at least as quiet, or the wife would kill me! One thing, the Sharp has a longer throw, so I could mount the PJ several feet behind my seating. Perhaps this would offset any noise increase? I'm also a bit worried about the weight of the Sharp, although my Premier mount is rated to handle it. I'd have to make sure to hit the stud, however, to avoid the "crashing PJ" effect!

This is not a quiet projector. I love it otherwise, but those expecting quiet will be disappointed.

This is not a quiet projector. I love it otherwise, but those expecting quiet will be disappointed.


That IS disappointing! How would you compare it to my H31 or the HC3000 noise-wise? Would having it mounted several feet behind the seats help? I'm starting to thing this PJ might not be the one...bummer!

At this price, I still think this is one of the best projector values in the market today. Given its long throw, if noise becomes a problem, I'll put it on the back wall in a hush box.

Now that I ordered it, I am shopping for screens. I was thinking SMX AT screen but I'll lose about 18" behind the screen so I am now considering Carada Criterion with 1.4 gain fabric. I would appreciate any opinions on this gain as well as Carada in general (120" x 51" 2.35:1 with a Panamorph lens).

I have a Carada Precision CCW 96" HD aspect screen. I think it's one of the best screen values going, highly recommended!

This is a pretty good price for a quality PJ, but how does it compare to you guys with the Benq 9000 (1080p DLP, 8500-1 CR, nice warranty) for $1000 more?

When you say mount to the middle of the screen you mean horizontal and not vertical? That is not a problem in my room. Its being started as we speak. It is perfectly rectangular.

Are the Da-Lite HP screens wall mounted? Its seems I have only found pull down, but I may be misguided. A link would be great. Thanks! BTW I am talking diag. screen length.


To get the full gain on a High Power the pj needs to be mounted in the middle relative to the screen, both horizontally and vertically. You get less and less gain as the angle between the pj and screen increases (see earlier table I linked).

I'm not sure if Da-lite sells the HP in a fixed frame, I happen to have a pull down Model B.

floridapoolboy - I'm thinking that the 12000 having it's largest vent on the side along with it being mounted far back will help mitigate the noise. I'll be comparing against a Mits HD1000U, which i believe is similar if not identical to the HC3000 acoustically.

Cool, looking forward to your opinion on the noise factor! I really want to pull the trigger on the Sharp, but the noise is the only thing I can't figure out yet. If the Sharp was as quiet at 6 feet as my H31 is at 4 feet I'd get it in a heartbeat, especially since the Mits would need to be directly overhead. Some say the Mits is quiet, some say it isn't. I just don't know...!

I have a Carada Precision CCW 96" HD aspect screen. I think it's one of the best screen values going, highly recommended!

floridapoolboy, my 120 x 51 is going to be only slightly bigger than your 96" diagonal HD before Panamorph expansion. I am thinking the BW (1.4 gain) fabric. Are you perfectly happy with CCW or do you sometimes feel the need for higher gain? I used to be a fan of unity gain but I am wondering if I would need the higher gain for the screen size I am planning.
To get the full gain on a High Power the pj needs to be mounted in the middle relative to the screen, both horizontally and vertically. You get less and less gain as the angle between the pj and screen increases (see earlier table I linked).
My pj will be near the back wall ceiling mounted or on a high shelf (inverted of course). I can center align it horizontally with the screen but not vertically. I have a hard time imagining anyone vertically centering their projector with the screen.

Does anyone know if this has seeled path optics?

The answer to that depends on the kind of cable box you have.

On my Scientifica Atlanta box, I have to hit the settings button twice. Then I change the video output setting. The different options are fixed, pass though and
upconvert. Pass through will just send a 480i signal as a 480i and a 720p as a 720p. Then you can mess with the settings on the 12k, there are several levels of sharpening, etc.

Try your DVD player both ways and see which way looks better to you. I like the onobard sharp scaler better than my Oppo's, although they are pretty close for DVDs.

Steve
Does the XV-Z12000MK2 accept 480i over DVI(HDMI)? Or are you connecting it through component? The manual says the DVI connection doesn't accept 480i. I would prefer to connect my sat box to the DVI connection and let the the projector do the scaling.

Also, can anyone comment on the stretch modes to use with an anamorphic lense for a 2.35:1 setup? According to the manual, it will do stretch 480I/P correctly, but not HD sources.

Thanks,

To get the full gain on a High Power the pj needs to be mounted in the middle relative to the screen, both horizontally and vertically. You get less and less gain as the angle between the pj and screen increases (see earlier table I linked).

I'm not sure if Da-lite sells the HP in a fixed frame, I happen to have a pull down Model B.

I used the 12000 MkII with a HP screen. I ceiling mounted using a drop poll as low as I could where I could walk under it without bumping my head. This put the projector a 3 or 4 feet up from the viewing area. There was noticable gain from the HP screen this way, say maybe 1.8 or so.

Does anyone know if this has seeled path optics?

All the Sharp HT models had sealed optics as far as I can remember, my Z90 did.

Does the XV-Z12000MK2 accept 480i over DVI(HDMI)? Or are you connecting it through component? The manual says the DVI connection doesn't accept 480i. I would prefer to connect my sat box to the DVI connection and let the the projector do the scaling.

Also, can anyone comment on the stretch modes to use with an anamorphic lense for a 2.35:1 setup? According to the manual, it will do stretch 480I/P correctly, but not HD sources.

Thanks,
I am curious about this as well.

Has anyone who has this PJ compared the image from DVI and component? How do they compare? Is the HDMI to DVI really that much better?

Thanks,

bdbaba

Does the XV-Z12000MK2 accept 480i over DVI(HDMI)? Or are you connecting it through component? The manual says the DVI connection doesn't accept 480i. I would prefer to connect my sat box to the DVI connection and let the the projector do the scaling.

Also, can anyone comment on the stretch modes to use with an anamorphic lense for a 2.35:1 setup? According to the manual, it will do stretch 480I/P correctly, but not HD sources.

Thanks,

I don't think it does accept 480i over DVI. I think I tried it and it did not accept the signal. I use component and have no complaints. I couldn't notice and difference between component and a digital signal.

I don't think it does accept 480i over DVI. I think I tried it and it did not accept the signal. I use component and have no complaints. I couldn't notice and difference between component and a digital signal.
This begs the question if it is really worth the headaches to deal with the crappy connectors and drop outs and other problems that HDMI cables seem to have. If component is just as good on this particular PJ, why bother with HDMI/DVI?

Am I missing something?

"To get the full gain on a High Power the pj needs to be mounted in the middle relative to the screen, both horizontally and vertically. You get less and less gain as the angle between the pj and screen increases (see earlier table I linked)."

To get the full gain of the high power the projector needs to be as close to the primary viewing position as possible. That isn't necessarily in the middle of the screen though in some situations it will be. The HP is retroreflective. If reflects light back along the same path as the light hits it. As such the screen looks brightest at the projector.... so you move the projector closest to the viewing position as is feasible.

Shawn

floridapoolboy, my 120 x 51 is going to be only slightly bigger than your 96" diagonal HD before Panamorph expansion. I am thinking the BW (1.4 gain) fabric. Are you perfectly happy with CCW or do you sometimes feel the need for higher gain? I used to be a fan of unity gain but I am wondering if I would need the higher gain for the screen size I am planning.

My pj will be near the back wall ceiling mounted or on a high shelf (inverted of course). I can center align it horizontally with the screen but not vertically. I have a hard time imagining anyone vertically centering their projector with the screen.

In my room I have good light control, but I have a white ceiling and tan walls. Even so, I never felt the need to go with a higher gain screen. I keep my H31 on low power, and the picture seems plenty bright, with a lot of snap! Hope this helps! Edit: I have about 600 hours on my lamp, but it still looks good on low power!

Cool, looking forward to your opinion on the noise factor! I really want to pull the trigger on the Sharp, but the noise is the only thing I can't figure out yet. If the Sharp was as quiet at 6 feet as my H31 is at 4 feet I'd get it in a heartbeat, especially since the Mits would need to be directly overhead. Some say the Mits is quiet, some say it isn't. I just don't know...!

I'm sure I'll get the math wrong - it's been a while since I looked at acoustic power level formulas. But if I recall, the sound level halves as you double the distance. Now the way we perceive sound loudness is not linear, and a halving of sound energy is equivalent to 6dB measured drop.

Sooo, if I have the math right (and I'm sure to be corrected here shortly) then let's suppose the HD100u measures 25dB at 3' from your head. A projector that is rated at 31dB would sound the same as the HD1000u at a distance of 6' (which another way of looking at it is that the second project will sound twice as loud as the HD1000u if they are at the same distance from your ears). So, if the Sharp z12000 is measured to be 33dB at 3', then it would need to be about 8' back for it to sound the same (25db, or an 8dB drop) as the HD1000u. Of course this all assumes the starting numbers of 25dB and 33dB are measured the same way and at the same distance and my assumption is to use 3' as a standard measurement distance.

Cheers,
daggerNC

In my room I have good light control, but I have a white ceiling and tan walls. Even so, I never felt the need to go with a higher gain screen. I keep my H31 on low power, and the picture seems plenty bright, with a lot of snap! Hope this helps! Edit: I have about 600 hours on my lamp, but it still looks good on low power!
Many thanks for your feedback. Makes me rethink my decision to go with BW - I'm planning to use mostly black and very dark colors in my HT with full light control. But I am guessing 1.4 gain is not that high to begin with. I remember reading that someone actually measured less than 1.2 gain with this screen in his setup.

Looks like there is a variable vertical aspect ratio size adjustment for this projector under the keystone menu. This would be valuable for 2.35 CIH setups. Can anyone verify whether the black bars can be completely eliminated (leaving everything tall & skinny) on a 2.35:1 movie using this function?

Mike

I don't think it does accept 480i over DVI. I think I tried it and it did not accept the signal. I use component and have no complaints. I couldn't notice and difference between component and a digital signal.

I read a review in Consumer Report that said even though in theory HDMI since it is all digital should be better, but when they tested digital vs component they could not preceive any difference. Many of the potential features to of HMDI are not widely available yet; HDMI has more to do with preventing illegal coping and pricacy of content.

Well, I use HDMI with my z3k solely because my HD-A1 will upscale via HDMI only. HD via component/HDMI looks the same to my consumer level eyes.

I love the z3k but the z12k new . . . well that's amazing.

Too bad I just reconfigured my theater/living room for the short throw z3k. The z12k would have been a drop-in for my old long throw Hitachi.

How long did it take for the store that must not be shamed to ship your order? I ordered mine at 2pm on friday and my order status has not changed.

Thanks

How long did it take for the store that must not be shamed to ship your order? I ordered mine at 2pm on friday and my order status has not changed.

Thanks
I ordered mine at about 10 AM on Thursday and I have not received a "shipped" email yet. Hopefully order fulfillment is just running a bit behind because of Easter.

I ordered mine at about 10 AM on Thursday and I have not received a "shipped" email yet. Hopefully order fulfillment is just running a bit behind because of Easter.

This store has a habit of shipping without ever updating your tracking information. It happend to me on an unrelated purchase.

This store has a habit of shipping without ever updating your tracking information. It happend to me on an unrelated purchase.
Interesting. I hope they send me a tracking number soon--I like to be here when UPS delivers. "Oops" likes to leave packages outside my door when I am not around, and it can be hot and sunny one second and pouring rain the next here on the windward side.

A soggy PJ is just not fun at all!

Thanks for the info, glad to know I am not the only one.

I think it took 3 days for them to ship mine last week.

Shawn

I ordered Thursday night and I'm still "in process".

Rob

BQC-XVZ100005 is the part for replacement lamp ($500--ouch). Not much cheaper froogling for me.

http://www.sharpusa.com/files/hom_man_XVZ12000.pdf is link to the 12k manual. Have fun reading 97 pages :D.

Here is a screen calculator for this PJ: http://www.projectorcentral.com/SharpVision-XV-Z12000_MARK_II-projection-calculator-pro.htm

This is an AWESOME value guys. Even now most reliable places sells this PJ over $5K (Froogle and you'll see).

I ordered the 12k on Friday and just checked and it shipped today--should be here on Friday. Now I have to take back the DT-500, which never seemed to look quite right--I had thought about getting a second unit, but then I saw the 12k and jumped.

What I'm curious about is why a pj like the BenQ 8720 can have a sound level of 23/26 db, when this thing is at 33db. More efficient air movement? Heat sink? Just a quieter fan?

I ordered the 12k on Friday and just checked and it shipped today--should be here on Friday. Now I have to take back the DT-500, which never seemed to look quite right--I had thought about getting a second unit, but then I saw the 12k and jumped.

What I'm curious about is why a pj like the BenQ 8720 can have a sound level of 23/26 db, when this thing is at 33db. More efficient air movement? Heat sink? Just a quieter fan?

Woo Hoo! Mine has shipped as well! That is one heavy PJ.

Type: Package
Status: In Transit - On Time
Scheduled Delivery: 04/11/2007
Shipped or Billed on: 04/09/2007
Service Type: 2ND DAY AIR
Weight: 31.60 Lbs

I am curious about the noise thing as well. Seems like a huge beast like this would keep cooler just because of the extra space in the thing.

Can't wait to get this puppy up and running.

I had a chance to hook mine up today...this thing is pretty damn big. You know ahead of time it's big, but once you take it out of the box, the "girth" is still surprising....and it is loud. Probably my major complaint. Not sure if it's a dealbreaker yet, I'll have to watch a few movies first. It walks all over the Sony HS60 in terms of image depth and shadow detail for sure. Black levels are better too. Noticed some flickering though, hopefully it goes away...

OK, Just ordered mine tonight. The generous 90-day return policy (albeit not as generous as before!) forced me to check this one out. High quality long throw glass lens, DC3 chip, fully featured CMS and calibration control, top notch internal scaler and the PRICE compared to original MSRP was too much to resist for what you get.

Noise is a concern, size not too big of a concern (for the quality), and the long throw is great for an anamorphic lens...hopefully the vertical size adjust will work for CIH too (potential bonus).

I had a chance to hook mine up today...this thing is pretty damn big. You know ahead of time it's big, but once you take it out of the box, the "girth" is still surprising....and it is loud. Probably my major complaint. Not sure if it's a dealbreaker yet, I'll have to watch a few movies first. It walks all over the Sony HS60 in terms of image depth and shadow detail for sure. Black levels are better too. Noticed some flickering though, hopefully it goes away...

From what I understand, flickering is almost always exclusively a lamp issue. It will probably settle down. If not, call Sharp and seek their assistance. Failing that, return it. You should not have any flickering.

As for the size, the 12k is similarly sized to other projectors in its class. I know of no top tier projector that is "small."

As for noise, I would just say that although it is not as quiet as I would like, it has honestly never been a distraction when watching anything. I spent the other night trying to judge if this was true or not. For instance, when watching the Sopranos (not a loud show) with the volume at only a moderate level, I did not notice the projector unless I thought about listening for the projector. It is the kind of white noise that your brain easily overlooks unless you are trying to listen for it.

Mine shipped and is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I also ordered a new Carada BW screen that is scheduled for delivery on Thursday. and to top it all off my 4 berkline motorized leather recliners where just delivered. It is going to be a great week! I am never going to leave my theater!

Mine shipped and is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. I also ordered a new Carada BW screen that is scheduled for delivery on Thursday. and to top it all off my 4 berkline motorized leather recliners where just delivered. It is going to be a great week! I am never going to leave my theater!

dchayer, we must be doing the same research :) I received my Z12000 last night. I am also planning to get Carada BW and 4 Berklines. What size and AR Carada are you getting?

What ceiling mount would be suggested for this projector? I am going to go look at one in a showroom today, and then will decide or not to pull the trigger.

Our dedicated room is just getting started and the contractor we use is kind of slow. He is finishing off half the basement and I want to make sure I can use the full 90 days. Meaning the HT gets done in time to mount and test within the 90 day return period. So many complications and I keep refreshing the retailers site to see if they are taken down yet. Its funny what we do. I would be able to test it, but want to make sure I have time with it in my dedicated HT room.

Thanks -
tony

dchayer, we must be doing the same research :) I received my Z12000 last night. I am also planning to get Carada BW and 4 Berklines. What size and AR Carada are you getting?

I got the 16:9 84" precision screen. I will only be sitting 10 feet away so I did not want to go any larger.

If you haven't purchased your berklines yet I would highly recommend Roman, screen name rsh, who you can find over in the Theater Room Items & Accessories forum.

From what I understand, flickering is almost always exclusively a lamp issue. It will probably settle down. If not, call Sharp and seek their assistance. Failing that, return it. You should not have any flickering.

As for the size, the 12k is similarly sized to other projectors in its class. I know of no top tier projector that is "small."

As for noise, I would just say that although it is not as quiet as I would like, it has honestly never been a distraction when watching anything. I spent the other night trying to judge if this was true or not. For instance, when watching the Sopranos (not a loud show) with the volume at only a moderate level, I did not notice the projector unless I thought about listening for the projector. It is the kind of white noise that your brain easily overlooks unless you are trying to listen for it.

I wasn't complaining about it's size...I actually think it's a very good looking projector and it looks nice hanging from the ceiling.

How far is your seating distance from the projector? I measured and my head is 5' from the front of the case. I'll for sure watch a couple of movies and see if I can block it out.

Hey Guitarman,

what did you think of the brightness and PQ of the 12000 MkII?

I wasn't complaining about it's size...I actually think it's a very good looking projector and it looks nice hanging from the ceiling.

How far is your seating distance from the projector? I measured and my head is 5' from the front of the case. I'll for sure watch a couple of movies and see if I can block it out.

I am about 1 foot in front and 2 below the projector.

What ceiling mount would be suggested for this projector? I am going to go look at one in a showroom today, and then will decide or not to pull the trigger.

Our dedicated room is just getting started and the contractor we use is kind of slow. He is finishing off half the basement and I want to make sure I can use the full 90 days. Meaning the HT gets done in time to mount and test within the 90 day return period. So many complications and I keep refreshing the retailers site to see if they are taken down yet. Its funny what we do. I would be able to test it, but want to make sure I have time with it in my dedicated HT room.

Thanks -
tony

You can check the number that they have left by putting in 999 in the qty box and then going to checkout it will adjust the qty to the availabe inventory balance. I checked today and there were 86 units left.

Since this is an older unit, would there ever be the possibility of not being able to find a replacement lamp? Is there problems like this with FP.
Thanks,
tony

Hey Guitarman,

what did you think of the brightness and PQ of the 12000 MkII?

Super 720p image for clarity and color saturation plus color tones, black level, everything looked excellent. Mine was a 500 hour old demo and high contrast iris was a little darker than I'm use to. But I could use it at night. Plus I'm using a HP screen. I'm tempted to try one of these because there's not one review of the Sharp DC3, or at least one with the lumens and CR numbers I'd feel safe with.

A good guess would be CR is 4300.1 in HC/closed Iris and around just under 300 or 400 lumens when in high contrast mode. Iris wide open it's probably 1,000 lumens.

Aloha All,

My PJ arrived today--a day ahead of time! Go UPS. Shipped in the Dealer box--no double box--but it does not look too beat up. I will fire it up tonight and report about noise levels and such in the AM.

By the way, there is a guy selling a three month old Oppo 970 DVD player here on island for $100. I guess he bought a PS3. I think that this is the one that does 480i over HDMI? Also has SACD/DVD Audio.

Should I scoop it up to match with this Sharp?

Thanks.

bdbaba

Since this is an older unit, would there ever be the possibility of not being able to find a replacement lamp? Is there problems like this with FP.
Thanks,
tony

There s/b plenty of these lamps around for a long time.

Aloha All,

My PJ arrived today--a day ahead of time! Go UPS. Shipped in the Dealer box--no double box--but it does not look too beat up. I will fire it up tonight and report about noise levels and such in the AM.

By the way, there is a guy selling a three month old Oppo 970 DVD player here on island for $100. I guess he bought a PS3. I think that this is the one that does 480i over HDMI? Also has SACD/DVD Audio.

Should I scoop it up to match with this Sharp?

Thanks.

bdbaba

The sharp doesn't have hdmi, does it?

The sharp doesn't have hdmi, does it?

No it does not.

The sharp doesn't have hdmi, does it?

No HDMI, but it does have DVI. I had it plugged in via HDMI with a DVI/HDMI adapter tonight. This was from my Panny S97S and from my cable box. I would assume this will work with the Oppo as well. I would like to send the PJ the 480i signal and let it do the scaling.

Too late to get into much, but it is a very nice PJ. It is humongous! Makes my ae900 look like a toy.

The fan is louder then the panny, but from where I have it in the back of the room, not an issue at all. I did not see an option to change the fan speed. Is there one?

It was plenty bright on my painted wall--I actually had the brightness down almost all the way. I put it in economy mode as well, with all the irises engaged. I have not done any calibration yet.

Love the lens shift. Colors are pretty damn good out of the box.

More to follow. Now to sleep.

No HDMI, but it does have DVI. I had it plugged in via HDMI with a DVI/HDMI adapter tonight. This was from my Panny S97S and from my cable box. I would assume this will work with the Oppo as well. I would like to send the PJ the 480i signal and let it do the scaling.

Too late to get into much, but it is a very nice PJ. It is humongous! Makes my ae900 look like a toy.

The fan is louder then the panny, but from where I have it in the back of the room, not an issue at all. I did not see an option to change the fan speed. Is there one?

It was plenty bright on my painted wall--I actually had the brightness down almost all the way. I put it in economy mode as well, with all the irises engaged. I have not done any calibration yet.

Love the lens shift. Colors are pretty damn good out of the box.

More to follow. Now to sleep.

After I posted, I realized hdmi/dvi connector - doh!


Oh well, thanks for the comments.

No HDMI, but it does have DVI. I had it plugged in via HDMI with a DVI/HDMI adapter tonight. This was from my Panny S97S and from my cable box. I would assume this will work with the Oppo as well. I would like to send the PJ the 480i signal and let it do the scaling.

Too late to get into much, but it is a very nice PJ. It is humongous! Makes my ae900 look like a toy.

The fan is louder then the panny, but from where I have it in the back of the room, not an issue at all. I did not see an option to change the fan speed. Is there one?

It was plenty bright on my painted wall--I actually had the brightness down almost all the way. I put it in economy mode as well, with all the irises engaged. I have not done any calibration yet.

Love the lens shift. Colors are pretty damn good out of the box.

More to follow. Now to sleep.


I am also upgrading from an ae900. Is the image sharper with more depth than the panny? When I upgraded from my IF4805 I always missed the 3d like depth and sharpness of DLP.

"Is the image sharper with more depth than the panny?"

Yes, but depending upon seating distance you may have more SDE too. I had a touch of VB on the AE900 (couldn't dial it all the way out in the service menus) and of course that is gone with the Sharp as well.

If you are far enough back so SDE isn't a problem and don't see rainbows from a picture quality point of view this is a very nice upgrade over the AE900.

Benefits for the AE900 is it is quieter and also more flexible in installation.

Shawn

Shawn,

Have you officially decided to bring yours back? If so, what are you getting to replace it?

"Have you officially decided to bring yours back? If so, what are you getting to replace it?"

I have not decided yet. Trying to spend more time to see if maybe the rainbows will go away. I am still seeing them but they are not quite as distracting as before... though I haven't tried Batman Begins or Serenity again.

The thing throws such a nice picture which is what is making the choice a little bit tougher.

If it goes back I would be going with the JVC RS-1. Which of course will fix the rainbow problem, reduce the SDE, higher resolution, more contrast and should be a little quieter. On the negatives are the potential for shading errors, uncorrectable colors, potential for misconvergence... and 2.25x the cost.

At this point I am leaning toward the JVC but saving the money would be nice too.

Shawn

Anyone jumping from a Panasonic 900 even with the filter mods will be blown away with the difference. It's not even close. The image this thing throws is amazing.

Anybody know if there was a big thread over this or the non MKII version? Info seems kinda scarce around here for these. I'd really like to find a way to eliminate the overscan on 1080i signals, as it's adding a fair amount of ringing when being fed 1080i.

Anyone jumping from a Panasonic 900 even with the filter mods will be blown away with the difference. It's not even close. The image this thing throws is amazing.

Anybody know if there was a big thread over this or the non MKII version? Info seems kinda scarce around here for these. I'd really like to find a way to eliminate the overscan on 1080i signals, as it's adding a fair amount of ringing when being fed 1080i.

There is lots of info in the avs archives.

search in:

archives.avsforum.com (archive.avsforum.com)

or

archives.avsforum.com (archive2.avsforum.com)

If it goes back I would be going with the JVC RS-1. Which of course will fix the rainbow problem, reduce the SDE, higher resolution, more contrast and should be a little quieter. On the negatives are the potential for shading errors, uncorrectable colors, potential for misconvergence... and 2.25x the cost.



It also has bright corners on fade to black, but offers more lumens overall too while delivering higher contrast (at least in the middle).

I hope to see the RS1 also before settling on the Sharp to see how "bad" the RS1 negatives really are. Fortunately I don't see rainbows so that's a bonus for the Sharp.

I'm looking forward to your comparison. Does your RS1 arrive soon?

"It also has bright corners on fade to black, but offers more lumens overall too while delivering higher contrast (at least in the middle)."

Yup, might have that too. It is likely going to be too bright for my setup. I think it is roughly equivalent to the Sharp in high brightness mode. That is painfully bright on the High Power screen. I will have to knock down the JVCs brightness with a ND filter until the lamp dims I think or put a shorter pipe on the Chief mount to get less gain from the screen. That will of course make the blacks blacker too.

"Fortunately I don't see rainbows so that's a bonus for the Sharp."

That is a big bonus. The rainbows are by far my biggest complaint. I'd like less SDE but once I get into a movie I wasn't noticing it as much from the front row. When I looked for it I can easily see it though. A hushbox would take care of the noise.

"Does your RS1 arrive soon?"

I don't really know. If I am in the third batch of pre-orders that should mean second week of May or so.

Shawn

If you are willing to spend the money, the RS1 is a no-brainer. Why put up with rainbows and SDE that are bothering you? I almost jumped on that bandwagon as well. Two things stopped me.

First, I had no idea when I might get one.

Second, I saw the Sharp 20K that some people prefer to the RS1. When I had to look very hard to see a difference between my 12k and the 20k, I decided that maybe I would not get that much of a better picture for the extra dollars that I would have to spend.

If I saw rainbows and sat as close as you do, I would probably feel differently about it.

It is a strange feeling for me to actually be content with the decision NOT to upgrade. Then again, I haven't actually seen an RS1 yet.

I pulled the trigger on this today. Saw it in the local AVS showroom yesterday, it was selling for 6k. I loved the picture. Also, I would like to thank Lawguy for taking the time yesterday to end my buyers remorse. :) Seems like to good of deal to be true. Part of the reason I was unsure, if that makes sense. Will probably team this up with a Da-lite HP.

My HT will not be ready till end of May, but should have time to evaluate it in its setting for 30 days or so.

I am looking forward to my new adventure.
-thanks,
tony

On the rainbows with the 12K, do you have a rough idea of the ftL on the screen? I'm someone for which rainbows becomes a problem only on a bright DLP. With the HP you could try just watching off-axis to see if reduced brightness helps.

And you were dead-on earlier with the comment on HP's gain being the angle from the PJ to screen to person's head. I was just generalizing from my case where the middle of the screen happens to be the best spot for me.

The really great thing about this pj is that the six light level adjustments with iris and lamp mode really let you dial in the brightness. And speaking of filters, running the numbers for my setup I may be able to lose half my high lamp / high contrast lumens to a filter. From the www.cine4home.de Mk I review it looked like the lamp spectrum was a decent match for an FL-D. True contrast of 7000:1 should be enough to hold me off for a cost reduced version of the RS1 (though honestly with little kids around, the idea of hanging $6K on the wall is frightening).

Since we have some AE900 refugees in here, are there any others who will be monkeying with filters on the 12K?

politicalpunk,

I hope that you are happy with your purchase.

Let us know how your home theater is coming and which audio components you choose.

Good luck.

Steve

"On the rainbows with the 12K, do you have a rough idea of the ftL on the screen? I'm someone for which rainbows becomes a problem only on a bright DLP. With the HP you could try just watching off-axis to see if reduced brightness helps."

I ordered a light meter last week but it hasn't come in yet. So just estimates at this point.

I have it on eco mode in high contrast mode near the short end of the throw and it is bright.

If the projector has around 300 lumens in that mode with the new bulb if I'm getting 2.5x gain from the HP in the back row (about 12" below the projector) that is around 38 foot lamberts. If the front row is 1.3x gain it is about 19 foot lamberts. I was watching from the front row last night and still seeing rainbows.

I have a ND2 filter I can try with it. That would give me around 19 ft-l in the back row and about 10 ft-l in the front row. Assuming the lumens from the projector is accurate along with the screen gain.

"Since we have some AE900 refugees in here, are there any others who will be monkeying with filters on the 12K?"

If I end up keeping it I probably will. The 81EF worked well on my AE900.

Shawn

It has arrived. Holy Sh*t is this thing big and heavy! Can't wait to fire it up!

I am also upgrading from an ae900. Is the image sharper with more depth than the panny? When I upgraded from my IF4805 I always missed the 3d like depth and sharpness of DLP.
Hey bqmeister--no problems at all. I think I am going to get the Oppo today. At $100 I do not have much to lose.

dchayer--The picture is very nice on this Sharp. It is definitely better then the Panny, with more depth. However, i can't say I am completely blown away yet. In some ways, the XVZ3K seemed to have a bit more contrast to me then this one, but that could be past imagination. I am going to reserve judgment until I can dial the pic in better.

I am one that sees RBE. I have not seen any with this PJ so far, but i have not watched many movies yet. I guess i should go get the "sin city torture test" and see what happens. On HDTV and such, I have not had any problems yet.

As far as the noise from the fan, because you can have this PJ so far back, it really seems to be a non-issue, for me at least. If it was close by your head, this could be a problem for some. My PJ is about four to five feet back from where I sit. However, this also means that I cannot get as large a picture as I could from the Panny or the XVZ3K of course, but it is big enough. It would have been nice if the zoom was a bit larger, but this is not a big deal at all.

Love the lens shift on this baby!

The XVZ3K seemed to have a better over-scan option. I am curious to hear from anyone that came from a Z3K or DT500 to see how you think they compared to this one.

I do have some questions for people that have one of these already.

Is the only way to work the overs-can with the picture resizing mode on the remote? I did not see any over-scan key in the menu. The XVZ3K seemed to have a better over-scan option. I am curious to hear from anyone that came from a Z3K or DT500 to see how you think they compared to this one.

Is there a way to put the fan in a slower or higher speed, or is it just one speed.

Thanks,

bdbaba

"However, i can't say I am completely blown away yet. In some ways, the XVZ3K seemed to have a bit more contrast to me then this one, but that could be past imagination. I am going to reserve judgment until I can dial the pic in better."

Make sure you put up a gray ramp or black bars or something and adjust brightness/contrast in the menu. Fed from my Lumagen I had to set them to something like +12, -12 with the Lumagen's internal patterns to keep from crushing black/white. That made a big difference in contrast.

"Is there a way to put the fan in a slower or higher speed, or is it just one speed."

Only change in fan speed I have seen so far is with economy mode turned on. If you turn on economy mode after it has been running in full power after a little bit of time the projector backs down the fan speed.

Shawn

I'm at -17 for brightness, and around +9 - 10 for contrast. Color and tint at 0, and sharpness between -7 and -9. The black bars on 2.35 material are very close to the velvet border of my carada BW screen.

bdbaba, the only non overscan option I found is to run your source at 720p, and change the aspect to "dot by dot" mode. You have two aspect choices at 720p, and none at 1080i. So far, 1080i has noticeable ringing for me....I need to start searching the archives to see if you can disable the overscan at 1080, maybe via service menu.

You are projecting on a wall, correct? I expect that you need to calibarate around that fact.

As far as I know, there is now way to change the fan speed. Let us know what comes of Sin City.

Make sure you put up a gray ramp or black bars or something and adjust brightness/contrast in the menu. Fed from my Lumagen I had to set them to something like +12, -12 with the Lumagen's internal patterns to keep from crushing black/white. That made a big difference in contrast.

Only change in fan speed I have seen so far is with economy mode turned on. If you turn on economy mode after it has been running in full power after a little bit of time the projector backs down the fan speed.

Shawn

Thanks Shawn. I will play around with it.

I do have it set to economy. I also have it in high contrast with all irises engaged. I think my settings that I did on the fly last night were:

Contrast +7
Brightness -23
Sharpness -9

I did not mess with the color at all yet. The colors seem pretty good out of the box--better then the xvz3k, which had a limey green. I had the pic set at the standard I think? Whichever one is D6500K. DOn't get me wrong, I do think the image is very nice--just was not completely floored. Maybe with some adjustments I will get my jaw to drop some more.

bdbaba, the only non overscan option I found is to run your source at 720p, and change the aspect to "dot by dot" mode. You have two aspect choices at 720p, and none at 1080i. So far, 1080i has noticeable ringing for me....I need to start searching the archives to see if you can disable the overscan at 1080, maybe via service menu.

Thanks eatenbacktolife--Our numbers our pretty similar. I did that dot-to-dot thing as well. When the over-scan is on it really eats up the picture space. Let us know what you find out about 1080i.

bdbaba
You are projecting on a wall, correct? I expect that you need to calibarate around that fact.

As far as I know, there is now way to change the fan speed. Let us know what comes of Sin City.

Hey Steve--Hope all is well. Yep. I am just using a wall painted with a bunch of coats of Behr ultra white. I will let you know how "RBE City" is as soon as I get a chance to watch it. On my Bro's H31 it was almost impossible for me to watch. It should be a fun test for the Sharp.

Aloha All!
bdbaba

What resolution are you guys feeding it that lets you adjust the sharpness control?

I feed mine 720p (from a scaler) and the Sharpness control appears to be not available with 720p in. Not that it looks like it needs to be turned down, I haven't seen any ringing.

No overscan and it is mapped 1:1 as confirmed by test patterns.

Shawn

bdbada, I am pretty sure that the color temp setting is independant from the "standard, dynamic, natural" settings. I am pretty sure that I had to dial in the 6500k setting independantly of the color setting. Am I right?

Hello everyone,

I am a long time lurker on here and am in the process of redoing my basement. I decided to do a dedicated theater. Through all my reading this seemed like a great deal so I pulled the trigger this morning. Can anyone give me any sugesstions on Screen, chairs etc...?

My room is 14x20 with no windows or any natural lighting. I have been trying to educate myself and thanks to all your posts.

Right now I have ordered the Sharp and have all my audio equipment, but I will need 8 chairs, a screen and any other suggestions.

Hello everyone,

I am a long time lurker on here and am in the process of redoing my basement. I decided to do a dedicated theater. Through all my reading this seemed like a great deal so I pulled the trigger this morning. Can anyone give me any sugesstions on Screen, chairs etc...?

My room is 14x20 with no windows or any natural lighting. I have been trying to educate myself and thanks to all your posts.

Right now I have ordered the Sharp and have all my audio equipment, but I will need 8 chairs, a screen and any other suggestions.

The Dalite High Power is a very popular screen. I use it and really love it. Check out the Screens thread for a very detailed discussion of it. It does not work for everyone but if you can mount your projector near eye level, it helps create a really great image.

Seating is a very personal thing. There is no right answer. Check out the Theater Items and Accessories forum for the discussions there. Some AVS-affiliated companies run power-buys on seating on a regular basis. You can get a good price on those deals.

bdbada, I am pretty sure that the color temp setting is independant from the "standard, dynamic, natural" settings. I am pretty sure that I had to dial in the 6500k setting independantly of the color setting. Am I right?

I think it happens automatically depending on which one you choose. Some of them were at 8500k or something like that. I picked the one that was at 6500k--I think that was standar, but it could have been natural? Anyone remember which is which? I bet you can dial it in yourself as well, but i just went for the stock setting right now.

Did you use any of the other options like that white emphasis?

The Dalite High Power is a very popular screen. I use it and really love it. Check out the Screens thread for a very detailed discussion of it. It does not work for everyone but if you can mount your projector near eye level, it helps create a really great image.

Seating is a very personal thing. There is no right answer. Check out the Theater Items and Accessories forum for the discussions there. Some AVS-affiliated companies run power-buys on seating on a regular basis. You can get a good price on those deals.

Noticed you were trying to sell your Sharp XV-Z12000 back in February. Did you sell it? You seem pretty high on this projector but I noticed the comment
"I am determined to sell it and be done with it all by Wednesday"
Was their a negative about this projector that was causing your need to get rid of it?

I have it mounted and am now watching Discovery HD. This thing trounces my old panny ae900! It is a little loader but the picture is amazing. What a bargain.

Can you tell me what ceiling mount that you are using and the best place to purchase? Also, does it allow for the PJ to be extended down? I would like to use HP screen and maybe I will need to extend the PJ down a bit to get some more gain.

Thanks,
-tony

Can you tell me what ceiling mount that you are using and the best place to purchase? Also, does it allow for the PJ to be extended down? I would like to use HP screen and maybe I will need to extend the PJ down a bit to get some more gain.

Thanks,
-tony

Tony,

my mount is old and I would not recommend it. I am planning on replacing it.

Thanks

Tony,

my mount is old and I would not recommend it. I am planning on replacing it.

Thanks

Could you please let me know with what, when you do?
Thanks,
-tony

Noticed you were trying to sell your Sharp XV-Z12000 back in February. Did you sell it? You seem pretty high on this projector but I noticed the comment
"I am determined to sell it and be done with it all by Wednesday"
Was their a negative about this projector that was causing your need to get rid of it?

That was that case of upgradeitus that I referred to earlier. I shook it off.

That was that case of upgradeitus that I referred to earlier. I shook it off.

Was it the Z20000 you were going to upgrade to? I notice you said their was not that much difference between the MKII and the Z20000. Did you compare them side by side? What was the biggest difference you noticed? Thanks for the help.

makeusleep,

It's a kind of long thought process but you might find it useful so I'll repeat it.

I was seriously considering jumping on the RS1 bandwagon. Then there were several people that posted that did a side by side with the RS1 and 20k. Most of them preferred the 20k.

Following that, I saw the 20k myself. It was not side-by-side with the 12k, so I went on my visual memory however good that is. The 20k and the 12k looked surprisingly similar. I could not tell that the 20k has superior contrast, for instance. Only when I got very close were differences apparent. The pixel structure on the 20k is nearly invisible.

I sit about 1 1/2 screen widths away from my screen. At that distance, it was not worth it for me.

After that, since I thought that the 20k and 12k were similar and people seemed to like the 20k over the RS1, I decided that maybe an upgrade wasn't worth it for me.

Tony,

"Can you tell me what ceiling mount that you are using and the best place to purchase? Also, does it allow for the PJ to be extended down?"

Check out Chief mounts. They are very nice and offer the option of different length poles to drop them down from the ceiling.

Shawn

Anyone with a color analyzer willing to post their CMS corrections and other calibration settings?

I cannot wait to get this thing. I ordered yesterday and it still says the order is in progress.....hopefully I don't get an email saying they ran out of them.

Could anyone tell me if there is a best placement for the Sharp 1200? My room is 14x20 with 8 ft ceiling? Should I mounnt this as far back as possible? This room is dedicated HT so the seats will also be in back. Someone please help as my contractor wants to know where to put box. Thanks

The further away from your head, the less fan noise you'll hear. From forum comments this PJ is pretty loud!

Could anyone tell me if there is a best placement for the Sharp 1200? My room is 14x20 with 8 ft ceiling? Should I mounnt this as far back as possible? This room is dedicated HT so the seats will also be in back. Someone please help as my contractor wants to know where to put box. Thanks

What kind of screen do you plan to use?

Lawguy,

I am novice to the whole projector scene. I am very good on TV's and audio equipment, but the projector is new so any advice would be great. I grabbed teh Sharp only because it appeared to be a great deal. You seem very knowledgable in this area so your advice would be appreciated. I know you are using the Da lite so I am looking at that. With my room size 14-20 what size screen would you suggest? Also, would you suggest ceiling mount or back wall mount as the back wall is my staircase so I could set into the wall, not sure if that is good or not. Any suggestions would be appreciated

Harry,

What will your seating setup be? This matters if you plan to use the high power because it is best to keep the viewing angle (the angle from the projector lens to the center of the screen to each viewer's eyes) from each seating location as small as possible, preferably at 15 degrees or less from each seating position.

If you have wide rows of seating, then the outermost seats tend to have higher viewing angles and thus lower gain. Rows of three Berkline type seats or a conventional sized sofa are about the right width.

It will help that your projector will be against the rear wall. If you mount it about 5 feet or lower, you should have good gain, even if you have two seating rows that might be about 11 and 15 feet from the screen.

If you have more definite details about seating let me know them and we can work out viewing angles.


Steve

Steve,

yes I plan on doing a back seating area of 3 Berklines at 20' and they will be on a 9"
riser about 5' long. I wanted to do a second row of 4 Berklines but may limit it to three if you think it will diminish viewing. Let me know what you think. Thanks again

Harry,

Assuming that your projector is around 5' off the ground (not off the riser) and 20' from the projector, your back row of three, which will be located under the projector, will be just fine. The seating and eye level really be about 18 feet from the screen (in the center seat) and all the seats are elevated 9" off the ground. That helps as well because the distance from each viewers eyes to the lens is really very small. Each seat will be less than 15 degrees and you should get very good gain from your back row.

Le's assume that your front row is such that each viewer is really about 13 feet from the screen. I suspect that if you went with four seats that the two on the ends would have viewing angles over 15 degrees assuming that the distance from each viewer's eyes in the two outer seats perpendicularly to the projector lens is about 4 feet. I don't think it would be much over 15' but it might be.

If you have no pressing need to order furniture right away, I would set your projector and screen as you like them and then just take a chair and move it around to see how things look ffrom each potential seating position.

Steve,

thanks for the response. If my room is 20' where would be best to put projector? 15'? This is my main concern as the contractor needs to know where to put outlet. Thanks

Steve,

thanks for the response. If my room is 20' where would be best to put projector? 15'? This is my main concern as the contractor needs to know where to put outlet. Thanks

Since the 12k has no horizontal lens shift, make sure it is centered to wherever the screen will be. That is the most important thing.

Then, take a look at the throw distances for the particular screen size that you are interested in. It must be within that range for it to work. For instance, for a 106" inch screen, the projector has to be a minimum of 13'11" and a maximum of 18'11" from the screen.

Within that range, try to place it as far back as possible but me mindful of where your seating will eventually be. You don't want the projector in the aisle, especially if you you will be dropping it down relatively low to use a High Power screen.

Steve,

thanks for the response. If my room is 20' where would be best to put projector? 15'? This is my main concern as the contractor needs to know where to put outlet. Thanks


Your anticipated screen size and zoom range of the projector will dictate how far back you can place the projector. For example I have a 96 inch diagonal screen and I could mount the Sharp anywhere between 12.6 and 17 feet. For me the best compromise was 15ft. The following link will take you to the Projector Central calculator.


http://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

Hi,

I just ordered the z12000 and could not locate any discussion about calibrating the unit. Does anybody know of any threads about that or any other info here any anywhere else?

Thanks, David

Here are a couple highly recommended tools for calibration:

GetGray - http://www.calibrate.tv/ http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=586139
(Avia or DVE will work as well, but GetGray is hands down the easiest to navigate and use)

HDNet Test Pattern

A cheap colorimeter and HCFR http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=737550

In general posting calibration data verbatim is not useful because settings are different based on room, screen type, screen size, individual lamp characteristics, etc.

Got mine, and so far I'm fairly impressed. I've just done contrast/brightness calibration and setting it to the 6500k color temperature so far. I'm running high contrast iris, eco lamp mode to a 92" wide High Power. My calculated angle puts me at around 2x gain. The PJ is mounted ~24" higher than my head and ~5' back. I'm certain that a fair amount of the improvement I'm seeing is due to the 12K's lens shift allowing me to take advantage of the HP's ability to reject off-axis light.

First impression is that the pj produces a very film like image. Blacks are inky black. Not CRT black, but very close (for reference I do a fair amount of TV watching on a HD CRT RPTV).

Optics are the best I've seen from a projector, but are not perfect. On a convergence grid I see ~0.25 pixel chromatic abberation on many of the lines when I walk up to the screen. However some of this may be focus error on my part. I really need to get some binoculars to do better focusing. Though this would be mostly for kicks - I see this aberration only on test screens and perceive the image as very sharp on video.

In eco mode, to my ears the pj sounds roughly equivalent to my HD1000U. Boths pjs are at about the same distance behind me, with the HD1000U mounted near the ceiling. I imagine the 12K being more behind my head mitigates the sound, along with the fans on the HD1000U radiating more sound forward. Even in high lamp mode the 12K is acceptable (quieter than my 360, at least), though I likely would build a hushbox if I needed to run it that way long term.

More calibration as well as some HCFR and lightmeter results over the weekend.

FlyingGimp,

Could you post some comparison of the 12k to the HD1000. I think that many people might find it useful in deciding if the 12k is right for them. It is double the price, is it worth it?

Can anyone comment on the best way to connect this unit? I'll be using a Denon 3930 player and Lumagen HDP video processor. I can go component, RGBHV or DVI and all of these are accepted. What's best?

Additionally, will the performance be noticeably improved with the use of an external processor?

Thanks FlyingGimp,

Not that I know how to calibrate a projector but I thought there could be a thread like "The .......'s owners tips and tricks" or something to guide us newbies into this acclaimed projector.

David

I'm happy to help walk people through the steps I take as I calibrate. I'll try to document what I'm doing so people can follow along if they wish. And folks aren't shy about correcting mistakes, so I could learn something as well. I'll post these here as I'd rather just have to keep track of one thread - tips and tricks threads tend to meander quite a bit. Maybe I'll make a post in this thread and keep it updated with the latest tricks (if any).

My calibration and measurements are going to be delayed a bit. The temporary spot I have blocks a door, so I'm going to have to get it mounted first.

On the vs. HD1000U - Just based on intial impressions, the 12K is sharper and the iris/lamp configuration options are fantastic. Click of a remote button and it's ready for viewing with some ambient light, click again for a very dark and movie like experience. For those who don't want to mess with filters on the HD1000U this is worth it by itself. I've still got to do a lot more viewing, but right now my impression is that the 12K uncalibrated is worth it over the calibrated HD1000U.

I haven't checked out the MKII, nor read the manual (still a newbie to PJ). Does anyone know this PJ has scaling modes for Panamorph lens? I am thinking to buy a U85 currently on PowerBuy which ends 4/15. Thanks.

I haven't checked out the MKII, nor read the manual (still a newbie to PJ). Does anyone know this PJ has scaling modes for Panamorph lens? I am thinking to buy a U85 currently on PowerBuy which ends 4/15. Thanks.

I've read through the 7 pages of this thread. If I remember correctly the answer is no. You would need an outboard scaler. But, you might want to run a search within the thread to double check. You can use the search within a thread engine on the first page of this thread.

Can anybody tell me if this PJ accepts a 48hz signal? I would like to purchase a video processor and watch movies at some multiple of 24.

Was considering this PJ over the DT-500. The DT-500 has a DC2. It sounds like the DC3 has higher contrast but also has more SDE. Can someone who has experienced both comment? If the SDE is significant then I think I'll stick with the DC2 b/c this bugs me more than the improved contrast I would receive.

Thanks!

Can anybody tell me if this PJ accepts a 48hz signal? I would like to purchase a video processor and watch movies at some multiple of 24.

I think the answer is no, since I had just read that Sharp 20000 was getting a firmware update to allow for multiples of 24 (I would doubt the lessor model has that ability vs their top tier proj. and I wouldn't think they would continue to support this model with future updates since it seems to be on it's way out)....but that is just a guess based on the other annoucement.

Neuner - the DC3 chipset has improved fill factor and thus less screen door than the DC2 chipset as well as improved contrast ratio. Here's a pic comparison of the chipsets: http://www.realmsoftracon.com/wet/dlphistory.jpg

I've read through the 7 pages of this thread. If I remember correctly the answer is no. You would need an outboard scaler. But, you might want to run a search within the thread to double check. You can use the search within a thread engine on the first page of this thread.

I am a newbie to projector, so I am unfamiliar with a lot of functions and modes. On page 62 of the manual "Select the Picture Display Mode" described "This functiton allow you to modify or customize the picture display mode to enhance the input image. Depending on the input signal, you can choose 'side bar', 'smart stretch', 'cinema zoom', 'stretch', 'normal' or 'dot by dot'." I don't know this is the answer I am looking for to use with the Panamorph lens.

What external scaler would you recommend? or know of?

Does this unit accept 1080P over DVI (is that even possible over DVI ?). Any idea of what processor it uses ?

Does this unit accept 1080P over DVI (is that even possible over DVI ?). Any idea of what processor it uses ?

I don't think so - and yes its possible to send 1080p over DVI.

The Sharp uses it's own processor which used to be pretty decent in older models but has become long in the tooth with the advent of chips by Gennum, ABT, and Silicon Optix.

I am a newbie to projector, so I am unfamiliar with a lot of functions and modes. On page 62 of the manual "Select the Picture Display Mode" described "This functiton allow you to modify or customize the picture display mode to enhance the input image. Depending on the input signal, you can choose 'side bar', 'smart stretch', 'cinema zoom', 'stretch', 'normal' or 'dot by dot'." I don't know this is the answer I am looking for to use with the Panamorph lens.

What external scaler would you recommend? or know of?

It doesn't support CIH scaling so you'll need an external processor or HTPC.

The most affordable is the key digital special here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=790055).

Also check out the video processor section. There's more to choose from like Lumagen, DVDO, etc.

I'm planning on using a HTPC for Bluray and DVD for the time being.

I got mine last night, but I had to go to work and haven't had much time to play yet. One thing I did notice is when I was messing with the "Resize" button while watching Star Wars (a 2.35 anamorphic transfer), one of the settings stretched the picture to the top and bottom of the screen without cropping the sides. Isn't this what is required for using an anamorphic lens?

Rob

I got mine last night, but I had to go to work and haven't had much time to play yet. One thing I did notice is when I was messing with the "Resize" button while watching Star Wars (a 2.35 anamorphic transfer), one of the settings stretched the picture to the top and bottom of the screen without cropping the sides. Isn't this what is required for using an anamorphic lens?

Rob

Yep...with SD DVDs (480p). Now try it with 1080i for HD/BD.

Hi!
I just met with my contractor, and know I have more decisions to make. My room is 14 x 22 feet. I was thinking about building my projector in the back wall of the room. This means the throw distance for this PJ would be at about 21-22 feet? According to the calculator I would be at 21.4 with a 119 diag screen. I was planning on getting the Da-Lite HP screen, this placement would optimize viewing cone too. But do you think this is to far of a throw for this PJ? My other option is to ceiling mount, however with a riser in back this would mean the PJ would be pretty low?

Any sage advice based in experience would be great!
Thanks,
-tony

I got mine last night, but I had to go to work and haven't had much time to play yet. One thing I did notice is when I was messing with the "Resize" button while watching Star Wars (a 2.35 anamorphic transfer), one of the settings stretched the picture to the top and bottom of the screen without cropping the sides. Isn't this what is required for using an anamorphic lens?

Rob

I don't think so. I have the Sharp 10K with the same settings and I don't believe their functionality has changed.

Non-digital connection:
- Stretch is for watching standard anamorphic DVDs.
- Cinema Zoom is for watching non-anamorphic DVDs (zooms in all directions)
- Side Bar is for watching 4x3 material with no enhancements
- Smart Stretch is for taking 4x3 material and stretching it for 16x9 display (it basically stretches more at the edges horizontally then center and trims a bit off the top and bottom and stetches vertically to try to minimize the distortion of the shapes based on the horizontal stretch).

Digital (DVI) connection:
Normal
Dot-by-Dot

I think the answer is no, since I had just read that Sharp 20000 was getting a firmware update to allow for multiples of 24 (I would doubt the lessor model has that ability vs their top tier proj. and I wouldn't think they would continue to support this model with future updates since it seems to be on it's way out)....but that is just a guess based on the other annoucement.
I'm just trying to understand what the sharp website means by;

"Film Mode Yes, 24 Hz Progressive Format "

All of the other projectors on the website specifically say 3:3 pulldown. Is anyone using the MK2 with a video processor that can tell me if this PJ will accept 24 or 48hz? I'm ready to upgrade my current projector and want a 2:35 setup. If I need a video processor to do the correct stretch, I would also like 24fps support. :o