Sanyo z2 vs. z3 vs. z4?

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I haven't seen the Z2, but has a bad reputation for its lack of reliability, and Sanyo has been reluctant to fix the problems sometimes. A lot of people say it's aproblem with the filter design. I had a Z1 and can attest that it ran hot and ate a lot of bulbs. I would say clear of the Z2 if I were you.


I also skipped the Z3 and just upgraded my Z1 to the Z4.

The Z4 has a promotion currently to get a spare bulb, until the end of may.

A spare bulb normally costs about $300. The price difference between a new Z3 and Z4 is roughly $300.


The Z4 is a newer and better projector. I didn't see the Z3 so I can't say by how much, but the Projector central review said the Z4 was a very significant upgrade .


The only good reasons to go for the Z3 now instead of the Z4 are :

- you can't afford the extra $300 for the Z4 today, but need a projector now

- you don't expect to use and keep your new projector long enough to ever need the spare bulb

- you will keep your PJ long enough to need a bulb, but your usage is low and that will take a while, so you prefer to invest the $300 difference now

I've owned a Z2 for going on three years now, and although I've never had a problem with bulbs (I'm just shy of the the 3,000 hour mark on my original bulb), dust blobs have sometimes been an issue. The Z3 and Z4 have the advantage in this regard because they have ports beneath the projector that you can use to blast air (a dust blower is even included) to clear the panels without opening the projector. This was never a big deal for me because it's easy to open up the Z2, but the new design does save time. Also, I've recently begun to have problems with the color balance on my projector. When I start it up, it looks fine. But after it warms up a bit, the color starts shifting to a blueish tint. I suspect the polarizer panels are going, but wouldn't the color be off from the beginning? If anyone has any advice on this, I'd appreciate it. Other than that, I've been very happy with my Z2. But having seen the Z4 I can say that it is definitely the superior projector. The difference in black level is easily noticeable.