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Sharp XV-Z12000MK2

245K views 3K replies 228 participants last post by  JackB 
#1 ·
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!
 
#77 ·
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There is an old Z12000 calibration thread that has been archived.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
 
#78 ·
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
 
#79 ·
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
 
#80 ·
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
 
#81 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawguy /forum/post/0


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
 
#83 ·
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
 
#84 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zipplemeyer /forum/post/0


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.
 
#90 ·
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/showt...&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.
 
#91 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawguy /forum/post/0


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
 
#92 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bdbaba /forum/post/0


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
 
#93 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingGimp /forum/post/0


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/showt...&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.
 
#94 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zipplemeyer /forum/post/0


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.
 
#95 ·
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!
 
#97 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lawguy /forum/post/0


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
 
#98 ·
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.
 
#99 ·
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
 
#100 ·
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
 
#101 ·
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
 
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