[waynejs]

Hey guys,


I decided to upgrade from my Sanyo Z2 to a Sanyo Z5. I've been extremely happy with my Z2 projecting a 109" screen on my basement wall, so I can't wait to see the quality difference with an extra 3 generations of improvement.


Visual Apex is selling the projector with an extra year of warranty plus they are adding a 2 year lamp warranty free.


Projector People is offering a free Toshiba Upconverting DVD Player (model TOSSDK860RE) instead of any extra warranties.


I decided to go with Visual Apex and their extra warranty. I didn't really need another upconverting DVD player. I'm probably gonna receive the projector either Thursday or Friday. Unfortunatly, I sold my Z2 yesterday so I'm gonna have to watch the NFL playoffs tomorrow on my 34" TV

 

[polygonkilla]

I'm getin the Z5 also hope you let us know how you like it


Are you geting a sceen too?

 

[BobDaMann]

I just installed my Z5 about a week or two ago, it is awesome. Mounted it on the back wall, throwing about 109 inch screen. It looks amazing and I am still working on making my own screen.


http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...nn/Sanyo%20Z5/


All of my friends still are amazed at the PQ/ screen size and when I tell them the price, They are like, why did i just buy that 55' RPTV

 

[archer75]

I just got my AX100 and free upconverting DVD player from projector people. The DVD player was better than I expected and the upconverting actually works.

 

[waynejs]



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


I'm getin the Z5 also hope you let us know how you like it


Are you geting a sceen too?

i'm going to project it onto a white wall in our basement for now. i'm thinking of maybe buying some behr silver screen paint and see how that goes. how about you? i can't wait to get the projector, it should be here this friday. hopefully both our Z5s turn out to be problem free.



bobdamann, good to know that you're enjoying your Z5. I'm going to be throwing a 109" screen down in the basement too, so hopefully i'm equally impressed.


archer, yeah, i probably would've gone with the dvd player too if i didn't have one already. hopefully i won't ever need the extra warranty, but it'll give me some peace of mind. although sanyo's support seems to be hit or miss.

 

[polygonkilla]

Hey Waynejs - I'm getting my Z5 tommorow. Think I'm getting the Dalite 92"

Screen - Model B w/crs- Hi-power. - Good Luck to Us Both -

Hope you post to let us know how it went. I'll do the same

 

[ArtT]

Hey Wayne...difinitely let us know what you think of the z5 vs z2. I'm very happy w/ my z2 but there is always that itch to upgrade. I was planning on waiting for z6 (hoping it will be true 1080) in the fall, but the price of the z5 is awfully tempting.

Can't wait to hear what you think of the two.

ArtT

 

[waynejs]

hey guys,


i just got my projector today, it's not dark yet, so i can't really properly give a good comparison against my old Z2 until nighttime, but so far, right out of the box, i can see a definite color improvement. and i think the picture may be a bit sharper than the Z2 too. And maybe it's because of the extra sharpness, but I think I can see more of the pixel structure on the Z5 than on my Z2. I really couldn't see the individual pixels on my Z2 until I got 3-4 feet away from the screen, but once I was farther away, the screen was smooth. With the Z5, when I'm sitting down about 13 feet away from my 109" screen, in scenes where there is text, I can faintly see the pixel structure for a brief moment. In the majority of scenes though I didn't notice Screen Door Effect. I'm going to try calibrating the projector using Avia tonight. I'm also gonna connect my computer with DVI out to the HDMI of my projector and I should be able to tell pretty easily if i can see SDE from 13 feet. I'll post my results once I'm done messing with it.


oh, for those of you that bought the Z5 through visual apex, did you receive the $200 rebate form after getting your projector? the rebate didn't come with the projector, so I e-mailed Paul from visual apex, at first he said that i'm supposed to download it from the website, but the form that i downloaded just said that they would mail me the rebate form. so I e-mailed him again saying what it said, and he said that i should receive it in 3 weeks.

 

[waynejs]

Okay, i was able to spend a couple of hours with the projector tonight using my computer, tweaking it with avia, and watching a bit of king kong on hd dvd. I'm happy to report that i did not see any screen door effect when sitting at my normal distance (13 feet) from the 109" screen. It's definitely noticeable about 3-4 feet away, as expected, but it looks great when i'm sitting at normal distance. I still think SDE might be slightly less on the Z2, but I think it may be because the picture on the Z5 is sharper. I wish I still had my Z2 to do a direct comparison, but I had to get rid of it before buying this one.


Anyways, for those of you wondering if the Z5 is worth upgrading over the Z2, I think it's a definite yes. As I mentioned earlier, the color detail and sharpness of the picture was definitely a noticeable upgrade over the Z2. Also, the projector can handle ambient light much better than the Z2. With my Z2, if I had turned on my flourescent lights in the back of my basement, the picture was noticeably more washed out than if there were no lights. The Z5 handled the flourescent lights like a champ, with no noticeable difference than if there were no lights. This was very important to me and one of the biggest reasons I wanted to upgrade, as my wife likes a little bit of lighting when watching TV. also, the shadow details, like other reviewers have mentioned, is very impressive and a big step over the Z2.


I'm definitely glad that I made the upgrade, just in time to host a superbowl party next sunday. polygonkilla, i think you'll be happy with your purchase tomorrow.

 

[polygonkilla]

Hey waynejs, Got the Z5 and I'm lovin it. I have not played with the settings much, but

out of the box it looks pretty damn good to me. I got the Avia disc, I just have to look for

it. Its funny but all the people that have seen it (average joes-who know nothing about

this stuff) are amazed at how great the picture looks. I tell them how I have to calibrate

the PJ and they are like - why the picture looks so great as is. Anyway I'm so glad that I

got it. How do you feel about the colors - do you think it can use a little more pop.

 

[waynejs]

polygonkilla, i'm glad you're happy with your purchase. i had a feeling that you wouldn't be disappointed. i agree, the picture looked great right out of the box. i put the projector on creative cinema mode with economy light bulb settings, and i had to make a few tweaks.


yeah, none of my friends have a front projector. the friends that come to see it are absolutely amazed at the picture. before they see it, they think the picture would be like one they would see in a classroom, all washed out. they are amazed that the picture looks just as good, if not better, than a plasma or flat panel LCD. my friends and i played nintendo wii for about 3 hours last night, it was so much fun. my friend hates me now because he's gonna have to spend some money now that he wants a front projector too. king kong on hd dvd looks absolutely amazing on this projector.


i think the colors look really good, tons better than my old Z2. i've only ever owned the Z2 and the infocus 4805, so i don't have much to compare to. but i'm more than happy with the colors on the Z5. i can't wait for the super bowl!

 

[artinhawaii]

My Z5 is scheduled to be here on Tuesday. I can hardly wait...


What's up with the warranty from Visual, does the GE-warranty kick in AFTER the Sanyo 3y. warranty ran out? They couldn't tell me on the phone.


Reminder to potential buyers: The $200 rebate runs out in about 16 hours.

 

[coderguy]

I have had the Z5 for about a month now and have 120 hours on the lamp.

See my Z5 tweaks thread if you are interested, it is far from perfect, but possibly a good starting point.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=796587

 

[waynejs]



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


My Z5 is scheduled to be here on Tuesday. I can hardly wait...


What's up with the warranty from Visual, does the GE-warranty kick in AFTER the Sanyo 3y. warranty ran out? They couldn't tell me on the phone.


Reminder to potential buyers: The $200 rebate runs out in about 48 hours.

Hi Art, Paul from visual apex said that yes, the GE warranty kicks in after the Sanyo 3 year warranty runs out. Hope you enjoy the projector!

 

[polygonkilla]

Hey waynejs, I got mine from B&H (I went to store) and the sales guy said there

would be no rebate form in box. He took my name and address and said that I

should get it in a week. I've played XBOX 360 on PJ and its incredible. I have to

get the Wii and check it out. Do you have a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray hooked up to

the Z5.

 

[waynejs]



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


Hey waynejs, I got mine from B&H (I went to store) and the sales guy said there

would be no rebate form in box. He took my name and address and said that I

should get it in a week. I've played XBOX 360 on PJ and its incredible. I have to

get the Wii and check it out. Do you have a HD-DVD or Blu-Ray hooked up to

the Z5.

Yeah, I e-mailed visual apex and they said that they will be mailing my rebate form soon. I have the HD DVD add-on for my Xbox 360, movies are absolutely amazing on the projector, especially King Kong. The colors are vibrant and the picture is razor sharp. If you don't have an HD-DVD player or the add-on yet, I definitely recommend getting the add-on, you won't regret it.

 

[waynejs]

here's a few pictures from king kong on my setup. the colors look a bit off in these pictures than in real life. the colors look quite a bit better in real life.

 

[artinhawaii]

Very nice shots, good camera. Just got my Z5 tonight...drooling still. The sharpness is unheard of. I can't hear the fan at all!

 

[neekos]

really nice shots.

 

[waynejs]

thanks guys, i used a canon rebel xt to take the pics. i have no idea how to use the advanced features of an SLR camera, it's still point and shoot right now. maybe if i learn a few of those features, i can get a more accurate representation of the picture.


art, i'm glad you're impressed with your Z5 too. i've been pleased with visual apex's service so far. once i get my rebate form from them, i'll be able to fully recommend them. let me know when you get your rebate form and i'll let you know when i get mine.