Hello Everyone im getting ready to buy my first PJ and i was wondering what would be the best choice for my room,my room is 13'x35' and has 2 windows in room but im planning on watching movies only maybe get HD someday thru Charter.My screen will be about 106" with seating about 13' back starting.
i been reading the forums for years now and it just becomes hell making choices.I like the reviews on the Sanyo being very sharp and having the 3 yr warranty.oh also my ceiling is 7' tall on the nose.

I would appreciate some help making a good choice.:)

I can't comment on the Sony, but I installed the Z5 about a month ago with a 1080i upscaling DVD player onto a 112" DIY screen. I cannot tell you how amazed I am with this projector. It is my first project...so that is probably what everyone's experience has been. I am sitting and projecting from ~15 ft and am not sure how the projector would perform at greater distances. I only watch movies and at night though. I have no problems with the brightness of this projector in dimish light, but anything lighter does wash out the image.

canuck439

I was wondering if i have a 7' ceiling and the pj is 15 ft back will i be able
to set up seats at 13 ft or is going to cause a problem with heads being in the way sitting there.if so maybe i need a short throw pj.

if anyone knows please let me know before i make my choice. Thanks.

I have my sony exactly at the that distance throwing 96" wide but can go smaller or larger. I am about 5'10"tall and have never had any issue with it in my 7' ceiling with people taller in my room as well.

thanks for the info.

The trick is to mount it out the way.
I have two rows and pj is intalled out of the walk way in between the rows right above the first row toward the back about a foot..

do you know where i can find some good pictures of the sanyo z5 being projected on the screen i would like to see how it looks.

also what kind of DIY screens are best right now.

Not Sanyo but here two from Sony HS51a.

that looks really good what size screen is that?
will the sanyo z5 look that good?

Hey lespaulman, I cant comment on Sony but I have the Z5, and the PJ is incredible. The pic is super sharp, its very quiet and easy to set up. As far as the pics -I have seen pic of Z5 and their just as if not sharper. You should go to projectorreviews.com - its a great site - alot of info. BTW I dont know if your into football but the games in HD are unreal and also gaming (Halo 3) WOW!!!!!!!!

If you read the reviews on projectorreviews I think the better choice would be the Z5.

that looks really good what size screen is that?
will the sanyo z5 look that good?

8' wide or 110" diag.
It is very hard to beat the sony in contrast and natural color.
The King Kong shot is a good example of how a well designed DI work in such difficult image which contains both deep black and white high lights and still delievering all the detail with excellent punch and pop.
All the photos are unedited.

If you read the reviews on projectorreviews I think the better choice would be the Z5.

Z5 is a good pj but lacks the contrast and its DI is a simplistic design and mostly end up disabling it. Sony has higher ansi cr as well.

is the Hs 51a the same PJ as AW 15 just wondering

AW15 is the replacement. Aw15 is brighter and has a more evolved DI.
They should have the same panels and filters and other than those..who knows.
Performance should be better or same overall but I have seen bhphoto price is still higher for hs60/51A if means anything at all. I would shoot for aw15 unless you find a good price for hs series.

In Projector Reviews review of the Sony Aw15:

"Overall, I found shadow details on the Sony (after adjusting brightness, contrast and grayscale), to be very good for a sub-$1500 projector, but not exceptional. It has been a long time since I had my hands on the Sanyo PLV-Z5, but after flipping through notes and images, I would have to give the Sanyo the slight advantage. Conversely, the Sony should have the advantage over the Epson Home Cinema 400, a slightly more expensive projector (but brighter). "

i would probably go for the z5. i didn't like the aw15. it's too dimm if you like bright and brillant pictures. it has good ansi contrast, so you have to choose if you prefer deep inky blacks, or a bright picture.

sony aw15 is great in a fully lightcontrolled room, but i didn't like it in my room with white walls.

projectorreviews.com: "The Sony is possibly the least bright 720p projector we have tested in some time. It has good color accuracy. Best mode - Cinema, the AW15 puts out only 281 lumens in low lamp mode"

i have a gain 1.2 screen and in eco mode, whites just were not white. but i have to say that this unit has amazing blacks

if you love blacks, go for the aw15! but don't forget the sde problem. it has actually quite a lot.


regards

i would probably go for the z5. i didn't like the aw15. it's too dimm if you like bright and brillant pictures. it has good ansi contrast, so you have to choose if you prefer deep inky blacks, or a bright picture.

sony aw15 is great in a fully lightcontrolled room, but i didn't like it in my room with white walls.

projectorreviews.com: "The Sony is possibly the least bright 720p projector we have tested in some time. It has good color accuracy. Best mode - Cinema, the AW15 puts out only 281 lumens in low lamp mode"

i have a gain 1.2 screen and in eco mode, whites just were not white. but i have to say that this unit has amazing blacks

if you love blacks, go for the aw15! but don't forget the sde problem. it has actually quite a lot.


regards

Same here susu.I demo the aw15 and the pic is just to dim.It would be a great fp if it just had more lumen.If you keep your screen below 96in the sony would be okay for movies in a total dark room.But get up to bigger screen and the sony just will not cut it.Z5 would be my choice here.Also do not forget the ax200 which is getting great reviews.It will outperform both the aw15 and z5.BOB

Same here susu.I demo the aw15 and the pic is just to dim.It would be a great fp if it just had more lumen.If you keep your screen below 96in the sony would be okay for movies in a total dark room.But get up to bigger screen and the sony just will not cut it.Z5 would be my choice here.Also do not forget the ax200 which is getting great reviews.It will outperform both the aw15 and z5.BOBthat a lie cr on ax200 is 6000 and aw15-cr-12000.z5 got great reviews and aw15 got great review.the only
thing ax200 have lumen and zoom.but u better make sure it have a 2yr warranty
ax100 had all kind problems and panny did'nt wont to fix the pj. go read about it on this forum.

lol it's not a lie... :)


specs are specs, reality looks different. just make sure you get about 12-16 FL. i had the sony, and it swallows a lot of details in dark scenes. i just didn't like it. i even prefered the hs51a / hs60.

i would get the z5 here. (sure aw15 is a good pj, but for MY taste, its too dimm)

yes don't forget the panny! the nex ax200 still has 500 lumens in eco mode @ cinema settings. that's great!
if you want a bright pj, you can get a dlp. they loose much less lumen @D65K settings than lcd pj. for example the mitsubishi hd1000 with 1500 lumen specs has incredible 650 lumens in it's best mode @ eco mode! But also with the panny you can get quite good colors at around 800 lumens!

but if you're not sensitive to rbe, i would get a dlp. colors just look more natural


regards

everyone is so helpful in here thanks alot.

I think i have my mind made up with the Sanyo Z5 overall because
of the contrast and sharpness.

Im going to need a screen should i build one or buy one any ideas on screens
that are not real $$$$.

i built my own PJ awhile back from a lcd monitor and was running it at 1024x768 thru my HTPC on a painted wall with Beurs prem ultra white flat paint it looked asome.

everyone is so helpful in here thanks alot.

I think i have my mind made up with the Sanyo Z5 overall because
of the contrast and sharpness.

Im going to need a screen should i build one or buy one any ideas on screens
that are not real $$$$.

i built my own PJ awhile back from a lcd monitor and was running it at 1024x768 thru my HTPC on a painted wall with Beurs prem ultra white flat paint it looked asome.

Sanyo adavantage is brightness not sharpness and contrast.
But either way you should be fine. With Sanyo you will get brighter whites.

caspian is right here. i would get a mattwhite gain 1.0 screen if you can fully darken your room. if not, or you have white walls, i would get a high contrast s screen (very light gray which improves blacks without reducing brightness)

the sanyo isn't as sharp but it's nice though. i think maybe you woudn't even see the difference in sharpness between the two

btw, its the goal of avsf to help each other ;)


regards

I have to REALLY disagree about the sharpness - The Sanyo Z5 is one of the sharpest
720p PJs for the price. I think alot of ppl. would agree, as far as screen I would project onto wall at first, then maybe get some samples of things that you might use. Also projecting on wall will help you decide what size you like.

All I can say is that the Z5 is one of the sharpest out there. I have read reviews from people that have Sony 1080p projectors that aren't as sharp as the Sanyo.
This thing is amazing, and jaw dropping. I had a ton of friends over after my wedding and were showing them the theatre room and plugged in Serenity on HDDVD. I had 3 WIVES asking how much and where they could get one for their place. The clarity, sharpness, and color brightness are outstanding. The blacks are better than most plasams Ive seen at friends, or the big retailers.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a Sanyo Z5 if you have a light controlled room. Even with the lights on in our room the 'Brilliant' setting looks as good as if the lights were of and it was in Econo mode.

Stop wondering and go buy a Z5 today !

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3664/soulcalibur4ou0.th.jpg (http://img526.imageshack.us/my.php?image=soulcalibur4ou0.jpg)

that is a really good picture do you have anymore pics please show me more.
what screen is that and the size.

lol it's not a lie... :)


specs are specs, reality looks different. just make sure you get about 12-16 FL. i had the sony, and it swallows a lot of details in dark scenes. i just didn't like it. i even prefered the hs51a / hs60.

i would get the z5 here. (sure aw15 is a good pj, but for MY taste, its too dimm)

yes don't forget the panny! the nex ax200 still has 500 lumens in eco mode @ cinema settings. that's great!
if you want a bright pj, you can get a dlp. they loose much less lumen @D65K settings than lcd pj. for example the mitsubishi hd1000 with 1500 lumen specs has incredible 650 lumens in it's best mode @ eco mode! But also with the panny you can get quite good colors at around 800 lumens!

but if you're not sensitive to rbe, i would get a dlp. colors just look more natural


regardswhen u post no what u talking about panny cr 6000 and sony is cr 12000 i have read your post in the past and u no nothing about pj.u was asking everone what to get u was LOST BIG TIME.JUST LOOK UP HIS PAST POST AND THAT NO LIE.

wow! ok snoopy :] you are the man! ;)

i suppose you have the sony so... sure the sony has 12000:1 but i just say that you will probably not see the difference. if you don't have a light controlled room, the aw15 is simply too dimm. + cr is achieved with iris, it's not native! say what you want.


ps: stop flaming now :]

rgds

when u post no what u talking about panny cr 6000 and sony is cr 12000 i have read your post in the past and u no nothing about pj.u was asking everone what to get u was LOST BIG TIME.JUST LOOK UP HIS PAST POST AND THAT NO LIE.

You might have an argument if you sounded more intelligent, but informed individuals know that the manuafacturer stated CRs are inaccurate at a best and meanless for all realistic intents.

You would do well to take your own advice.

You might have an argument if you sounded more intelligent, but informed individuals know that the manuafacturer stated CRs are inaccurate at a best and meanless for all realistic intents.

You would do well to take your own advice.:) I am not argument but dont call someone a LIE if u are just reading what the pj manuafacturer stated.that not nice.ppl on this forum have not put a real test in front of me to see the right numbers.when i buy something i go with the manuafacturer.

Sanyo adavantage is brightness not sharpness and contrast.
But either way you should be fine. With Sanyo you will get brighter whites.

Caspian what world are you living in.The z5 is one of the sharpest fp around.The sony aw15 does not even come close in sharpness.Only thing the axw15 has going for it is contrast.But heck when a fp is that dim it is easy to have good blacks,The trick is to have a bright pic with good blacks.Sony can't figure that out for some reason.BOB:rolleyes:

:) I am not argument but dont call someone a LIE if u are just reading what the pj manuafacturer stated.that not nice.ppl on this forum have not put a real test in front of me to see the right numbers.when i buy something i go with the manuafacturer.

There are several professional reviews available for both projectors and folks contemplating whether to buy either of these PJs should include them in their research, beginning with Art's reviews over at Projector Reviews dot com.

You are correct, nobody should be calling people liars as it does not help in the process of separating the facts from the hype/marketing/evangelism that tends to accompany some commentary for each projector.

If you want a real review put in front of you, YOU need to do that for yourself, because in the end, that is all that is going to matter to you.

As i have said before and will continue to repeat - In the price range of these two projectors, you are going to find very little PRACTICAL difference between them and you would be happy with the results both can bring. Your only concerns should be:

1. Ambient Light
2. Sensitivity to digital anomalies from either LCD or DLP
3. Mounting requirements to include ceiling height and throw distance

I posted earlier that Art found the Z5 to have a slight edge on the Sony so if that is important to you, there you go. If not, you might need to set up your own tests.

Caspian what world are you living in.:

It is not your world for sure. You have no idea..
Rather than presenting facts continue to bash and personal insults. I will report you next time.:mad:
Stop using my name with direct attacks.
You don't like what I say do not read it. I have been very patient with your childish comments sofar but do not count on it any longer.:mad:

Anyone...Post one report which says Sanyo has better sharpness than Sony.
Sharper meaning it resolves 1-pixel line with a 720p pattern that the other one cannot do or less capble of.

To the OP.. Buy Sanyo. Sony.. honestly is not for every one. It is a targetted product for some individuals who are after certain attributes and certain needs. It sure it is not intended for mass.

It is not your world for sure. You have no idea..
Rather than presenting facts continue to bash and personal insults. I will report you next time.:mad:
Stop using my name with direct attacks.
You don't like what I say do not read it. I have been very patient with your childish comments sofar but do not count on it any longer.:mad:

Anyone...Post one report which says Sanyo has better sharpness than Sony.
Sharper meaning it resolves 1-pixel line with a 720p pattern that the other one cannot do or less capble of.

To the OP.. Buy Sanyo. Sony.. honestly is not for every one. It is a targetted product for some individuals who are after certain attributes and certain needs. It sure it is not intended for mass.


I do not think asking what world you live in is a personal insult.You have continued to post wrong info here.It is quite knowed that the z5 is one of the sharpest 720p fp around.I have seen both.You post in the ax100 and ax200 thread even though you do not have one and state facts like the aw15 is brighter than the ax200.When I see wrong info I counter it with facts.If you like your aw15 fine but do not post wrong info.Good day

Based on all the info I read I orderd my first PJ recently and it is the Sanyo Plv-Z5, I am not sure how all this will work out so once I get home in a week I will unbox and check it out. As most people are saying this is my first PJ so I am sure I will be amazed and not capable of really differentiating between models since my eyes are new tho this genre of home theater.

I could use some advice such as, what is the first thing to do when I am unboxing my PJ? Yes that is broad question so let me get some details in, my room is 20X20 and 100% light controlled, I have about 8 foot celings and was considering mounting it or I could put it on a shelf. I plan on using the cables I bought to setup a temp line so I can tell whether to mount or put it on a shelf, I am not sure how to do this yet, maybe setting it up on a table in the back or something. This will tell me my throw distance and screen size, at least I think this is the way. Then I will decide on mounting or putting it on a shelf and run the cables how they should be, and finally I will use the calibration thread on AVS for the Z5 and put on some content to view it and check out the results and play with it, or use the AVIA DVD I have to calibrate it.

As I said this is my thought process, the screen I will be using will be a blackout screen I am making, I have the cloth although I need to get the wood and once I have the dimensions for the screen size I can proceed further. If you have any advice for the noobie please chime in as I could use any experiences to help me in my endeavor. Thanks :).

people should really stop posting threads like "z5 vs aw15, or pt-ax100 vs hc300 0" it ends every time in an owner's club pro battle!


you are right, the z5 is a very sharp pj. but don't underestimate the aw15's. i guess it has a slight edge in sharpness over the z5. aw15's weakness is just brightness and screendor --> sharpness

have you even seen the aw15 before saying the z5 is sharper?


regards

I do not think asking what world you live in is a personal insult.You have continued to post wrong info here.It is quite knowed that the z5 is one of the sharpest 720p fp around.I have seen both.You post in the ax100 and ax200 thread even though you do not have one and state facts like the aw15 is brighter than the ax200.When I see wrong info I counter it with facts.If you like your aw15 fine but do not post wrong info.Good day
You don't have a clue!:mad:

Well Guys

Im pulling the trigger tommoro im ordering the Sanyo Z5 for sure.
I wish they would throw in a ceiling mount for me to make the buy you think they would do that at PP.

Well hope everything goes good for this it took me along time to save.

My basement isnt even close to being done yet its just studed right now
i need to run can lights and drywall still too.alot of work for one and money.

I just returned from Tokyo with my new Sony Bravia AW15. Remote is in English and so is the OSD. 1 year Japan only warranty. Found the owners manual in English .pdf online. Its a beauty. The cine4home.de review convinced me. If you don't hear from me for a while, I'll be busy watching some movies... done arguing about which projector is best. Appreciate all the help! -TT

Congrats lespaulman, good luck and keep us posted.

toe tag,

I agree 100% about arguing about this ,that ,and the other. The reason why we like this hobby is to watch a great image and help others do also. All of this back and forth stuff about who has the best is all related to a bunch of things instead of the projector by it's self. Have fun...I'm doing the same with my sanyo Z4.