Recommendation on high lumen projector?

The Z4 was no light cannon. It doesn't even compare to the Panasonic AR100 or the Epson 8345 in terms of brightness. Hopefully you are being realistic about this and get the fact that home theater isn't a flat panel TV and ambient light and room conditions have far more impact on image quality than sheer lumens. If you destroy black levels, the image will be garbage.


You will also need to consider that the Z4 has serious lens shift so lens offset from cheap DLP projectors will be a significant factor in all of this.


From a 15' throw distance to a 144" diagonal screen, your options will be significantly limited. Understand that the above mentioned Optoma models don't work from that distance (lens to screen).


These do:
http://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?g=1&hide=0&st=1&mfg=&p=500&p=3000&w=&r=13&br=&ll=&ltg=&t=&db=&dt=&c=&ar=&dvi=&wr=&pjl=&pjw=&pjh=&td=15&i=d&is=144&sort=pop&sz=15


If you have been happy with the Z4, then the Epson 5030UB is a great option. It's brighter than previous models, retains the LCD that you are comfortable with, and has great black level performance.


I would look for some reviews of the Optoma EH501 to see how it stacks up as well, but my guess is that it has a low color wheel speed and loses a lot of light as you calibrate it for your theater.


For what it's worth, I would ask you to keep in mind that the Z4, despite it's rating, only typically delivered under 500 lumens of output after calibration.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv-z4.htm


Actually, closer to 300 lumens in Projector Central testing from years ago on a 120" screen.


So, a jump to 1,200+ actual calibrated lumens is huge.



Quote:
Originally Posted by ferday  /t/1521998/recommendation-on-high-lumen-projector#post_24600169


thanks a lot for the replies! as i said, i'm no PJ noob so i'm aware of all the issues...i just want something brighter while maintaining the z4 picture quality at a minimum (it's actually not that bad, just really dark). that epson 5030 looks pretty good and is locally available which is a plus.


it's too bad my room is so fixed but that's what it is.

Click to expand...

I'm just thinking that if the 5030 is in your budget, then it's one of the best projectors out on the market in the sub $3,000 class and is ideal for the dedicated home theater environment. If you want a real light cannon, the Panasonic AR100 or the Epson 8345 are both solid models, but would be of minimal upgrade to the Z4 compared to the 5030 (or Panasonic's AE8000).


I installed a Z4 a number of years back and was very pleased with the sharpness of the particular model I installed. It showed a bit more screen door effect than the competing Panasonic model of the time, but it also appeared sharper, and IMO, had better contrast. Just wasn't as bright.


Fortunately, you really do have a number of options for a projector which will work from that distance and there are some brighter models which are out there now.


But, if your budget allows the 5030, then that would be my recommendation. If has the brightness you want while delivering a solid jump in all the other areas of image quality which matter.


The BenQ W1070 is one of the brighter models on the list. I'm using mine on a 161" diagonal.


One thing I really didn't discuss is the reality that front projection isn't a TV. It's a projector. It requires darkness for best results, and always will. People like to forget this, but it's an absolute law for best image quality. The darker the room, the better the image. All you get with more lumens is a bit of forgiveness as some lights start to come on. If you control your lighting well, you can add a fair bit of light to a room with minimal on-screen impact.