Here we go again: the Sanyo Z5 or Panny AT-X100? (1 Viewer)

[Bart_R]

Hi everyone,

It's very likely that I'm doing something wrong, because I cannot find any comparison thread on these two projectors on here. Nor can I find many threads on the Z5 to begin with.

So, until someone directs me elsewhere I'll go ahead with my questions here....

Anyway, I've been in this same position before, about a year and a half ago - having to choose between the Panny 900 and the Sany Z4 - and I opted for the 900, but now I'm in the same predicament. I have just sold my 900 which was a very good projector, even though I noticed some slight VB, but after almost 1000 hours it started to get too dim for my tastes. It was starting to lack punch. Plus, the sharpness could have been a bit better.

Naturally, I was looking at the follow-up projector from Panny, the PT-AX100 for an alternative. It's supposed to be a veritable light cannon, and has an improved sharpness (and less VB) on top of that. How can I go wrong, right?

But, of course, Sanyo is always there to make things sticky. Their Z5 seems to be significantly sharper than the Panny and..., well that's it basically. But I really like sharpness.

What to do, now?

* One down-side of the Sanyo would be the lower ansi-lumens rating. Now, I have a pretty well-darkened room - and I basically only watch at night anyway - so a large amount of lumens isn't really necessary. At the same time, if I even found my 900 lacking after a year, I'd say a popping, bright image is at least desirable. Will the Sanyo be sufficiently bright? (And after 1000 hours of usage?)

* Another negative is the pixelation, which would need you to sit further away from the screen. I now sit at around 1.25 times the screen width (at most, really [with 1:1.78-content]). Would this still be possible with the Sanyo?

What I loved about the Panny 900 was the absence of pixellation through the smooth screen technology. You could get as close as, oh I don't know, 20" to the screen, and you still wouldn't see pixels. However, there was a trade-off in sharpness. At times, and in certain shots, the image did look somewhat soft.

From what I've read the Z5 is very sharp. And since I have pretty much zero ambient light in my room (and I only use it for movies), it would seem the logical choice. That is, IF things such as pixellation and brightness weren't there to worry about.

Alright, you get the picture . It's quite the predicament, but does anybody have any insightful comments for me?

In any case, thanks for listening/reading.

Regards,
Bart.

 

[Karynak]

My opinion is smeared all over this thread. I love my AX100...

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=249622

 

[Bart_R]

Hi Matthew,

Thanks for replying. Yeah, I read that thread. And to tell you the truth, I've already ordered the AX-100. Still, I was thinking about ordering a Z5 simultaneously and then send one of them back for refund.

But now I'm on the verge of cancelling my AX-100 purchase alltogether because of the horror stories I read about the Panny over at AVS forum. It seems like more people than not have color gradient problems with their PJ (for starters).

So, how many hours do you have on your bulb right now? And do you have any color problems on your test screen? (Blu-ish coloration at the top and red-ish at the bottom?)

And have you by any chance also sampled the Z5 before purchasing the Panny?

Thanks again,
Bart.

 

[Karynak]

I am coming up on 20 hours....and I have not noticed the coloration issues. I love the picture. Right out of the box it needed little (if any) calibration and I was up and running in no time.

I didn't get to sample the Z5. At the throw distance I had for the projector, the Z5 was out of the question anyway. The Panny was my best option. I read hundreds of reviews and researched it for almost a year and The picture/coloration issues were actually a very, very small % of the total.

 

[Bart_R]

Well, ok, that's a little comforting, I guess. Still, the amount of people with problems seemed quite excessive to me.

I'm not sure what I'll do yet. I'd like to hear first from someone with a Z5... to tell me at what distance you start seeing pixels and if the projector is bright enough to provide a picture that has some punch... If that would be the case, I'd go for the Z5 (what with the better sharpness and fewer reports of faulty pj's).

(And if not, well, I liked the Panny before, and with the extra sharpness and brightness, I'm sure I'll like this one even better...)

Cheers,
Bart.

 

[Bart_R]

Another concern of mine is the reports that the PJ cannot handle frequent use. On my 900, I tended to watch films "A LOT". Watching 2 or 3 films a day wasn't exceptional. I would easily arrive at 16 hours of play per week.

If this means a faster breakdown/deterioration than would be the case with the Z5, it would be another negative to consider...

I'm really unsure what to do at this point. I had already made up my mind when I sold my 900 to simply go for the follow-up (AX-100), but now, after some reading-up, I'm getting a lot of second thoughts....