SharpVision XV-Z3000 Projector (anyone know about it?) - Page 4

Does anyone know how to remove the adjustable foot on the front? Mine is ceiling mounted and I think it looks kinda dumb on it. I tried to see if there was and easy way to just 'snap' it off but couldn't see anything obvious.

yes, I have also seen it mention to be a re-badged xv-z3000. I will have to see what it has when it gets here to know since I cannot find any user comparison on the entire net.

Tradewinds check out this link from Projector Central

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Marantz-VP4001.htm

According to them it is a rebadged XV-3000. Lots of info on this site.

Yep, I've seen that also, however I am not sure how accurate that information is. First of all, the VP4001 has a round top where the controls are and the DT-500 and XV-Z3000 has a rectangle top. Also, if it is just a rebadge, then it would mean the optics in the XV-Z3000 is also a Marantz Custom optics which I am not certain about since the xv3K has some CA. Also, according to Marantz literature, the technology inside the VP4001 was based on technology originally developed for Marantz's VP11S1 projector. If it was a straight re-badge, then that would mean also that the XV-Z3000 had this development benefit. Right now, if it is just a re-badge, I am just glad about the 3-year Marantz warranty that comes with this PJ.


It appears the casing is probably very well engineered especially with the heat sink and lot of other manufacturers are using the design, like EIKI and one other I am forgetting about.

From the marantz picture, the focus ring looks identical. The lens is also the same size.
I haven't gotten that little front foot off either. Didn't seem to have an easy way, and decided it wasn't a big deal.

I got these from the Projector Central site. Scan 0001 is the top of the Marantz. Scan 0002 is the top of the Sharp. Sorry about the quality but the point gets across. The manuals are the same but the names and some of the pictures have been changed. Take a look for your self there is no dought in my mind that these are the same projectors, but that is not saying much. I think Sharp makes it for Marantz.

what I think may be happening (and I am totally surprise no one has anymore concrete information about this) is that a lot of manufacturers, Sharp, EIKI, Marantz are using the same OEM case supplier (as well as same OEM supplier for other parts), therefore the manuals will be the same since the OEM just needs to tailor it for the manufacturer. Also, with the Marantz Custom optics (which is usually Konica/Minolta) and "based on" technology of Marantz higher end unit that Marantz is claiming in their marketing material would be misleading if it was a DT-500 or XVZ3K re-badged.

I don't know how much more concrete we need, but go to this link.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Marantz-VP4001.htm

At the bottom of this spec page it says, "This projector is manufactured by SharpVision as the XV-Z3000. This projector is also marketed as:
EIKI EIP-1600T ". Why would Projector Central print it if it was not correct.

If you go to the Marantz site, http://us.marantz.com/Products/1908.asp, there is no mention of the Marantz Custom Optics in this pj. Marantz needed an entry level projector. They decided not to reinvent the wheel. They chose the Z3000, an excellent choice. I wish it could have worked in my situation but my throw distance is to great, rear shelf mount, high ceilings.

I am not sure how accurate this information is since the housing already has some differences. I would like to know where Projector Central got this information from or how it should be interpreted.



If you click on the Detail Specification tab on that same link you posted, you will see that it states for Optics - "Marantz Custom"

Projector Central also list the XVZ3K and DT-500 as 8.8 lbs and the vp4001 as 9.1 lbs. This may be attributed to the slight size differences of the housing.

Throw distance and image size are also listed differently leading me to believe that the optics might indeed be different. Although the detailed specs on Marantz site differs from Projector Central for image size.

The XVZ3K also is listed as having Lens Shift whereas the Marantz is listed as not.

The throw distances are virtually identical going by the projector central site.


Well, the Sharp does have image shift so that's what they might be on about.

The lens shift on this is not a true lens shift, Sharp calls it image shift which is more appropriate. Its DLP panel is 1280x768 but it only uses 1280x720. So you have 48 pixels you can shift the image. It is fine to make minor adjustments if you are off a slight amount ~1" but don't expect the range of other projectors with true lens shift.

Lens shift is really only a one time use item unless your PJ is mobile. I don't find it a big feature as an installer, a mount with up/down and left/right adjustability is much more important. There are some projectors that won't fit some situations just like throw distances will limit some situations. Unless someone has very flexible placement options their PJ choices will be narrowed by their room. Lens shift is hardly a "Must Have" option and shouldn't be a consideration for most.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Throw Distance Marantz - 6.9 - 29.8
Throw Distance Sharp - 4.6 - 29.8

Almost the same but not quite, therefore something in the optics must be different is what I am led to believe. If the optics were identical, these numbers should also be IMHO.

The optics on the Sharp are awesome, I don't think I'd want anything different!

tradewinds, I am quite sure you are going to fall in love with the PQ of the Marantz if it is indeed a Sharp Z3000.

I think we are falling into the splitting hairs trap here. I know I was. Any way, the Marantz is a fine projector that will give anybody years of visual pleasure. Especially with a three year warranty.

yep, I agree. I will certainly try to make it work for my setup and hopefully will be blown away and not regret not getting the Mits HC3100.

BTW - did anyone ever compared the HC3100 and the Sharp Z3000?

I thought I read somewhere the Sharp had CA. Are you experiencing any of this?

what's CA ??

that's Chromatic Aberration aka color fringing. Usually only shows up in certain zoom ranges on the most part on some PJs.

FWIW I had no clue what CA was either but my Sharp shows me nothing but a stellar picture and I'm pretty picky.

great. that is good to know since if it the same lens I have nothing to worry about. Thanks.

The Marantz version of this is one of the options I am considering. I have an 8 foot ceiling, would like to mount the projector on a shelf somewhere above my head at about 13 feet from the screen, and want to go with a 110 inch (diagonal).
Is this workable with the Z3000/Marantz VP-4001?

Thanks for any help.


John

You are lucky to have 8 foot ceilings. That PJ is great for that setup and will give you exactly 110 inch at 12.9 ft.

Thank you Tradewinds!


John

Just wondering what resolution do you feed the Sharp from your SD DVD and HD DVD player? My Toshiba HD-A1 is set to output 720p via HDMI.

I set evrything to 720p, I don't think the deinterlacer in the Sharp is very good...just my opinion though.

All my sources (A2, XBox 360, Dish HD) are all set at 720P. The less tinkering with the signal the better as far as I'm concerned.

Same here and the picture is fantastic.

Does it support 1080p/24?

Does anyone know if this unit will do 92" at 12 feet? I know it's not supported in the manual, but an installer is saying it will. Seems to me Sharp would have very little reason to greatly under report throw distance.