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Need advice - Sharp XV-Z12000 v. Vidikron Vision40 (1 Viewer)

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Hey all,
I got invaluable feedback when I was setting up my system in my condo years ago and now that I'm finally moving up in the world I need some more sage advice. Has anyone directly compared these two projectors? I've seen good reviews on both but never a head to head. I'm designing my new home and will have a dedicated HT.

My HT/home automation consultant is suggesting I go with the Vidikron. I really like the guy and he's a straight shooter. He's also a Vidikron dealer and his price seems very fair. I saw the Vision 40 on a 96" Firehawk at his place and was very impressed but probably won't have a chance to audition the Sharp. He's said he's installed both and prefers the Vidikron and he works w/ a lot of high end stuff (has an unbelievable whole house Crestron system in his home) so there's a 90% chance I'll go with the Vision40 but a second (or third) opinion never hurt.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Taylor

Proprosed gear:
Dedicated Home Theater (approx 16'x25'):
Sharp VX-12000 DLP/Vidikron Vision40
Outlaw Model 950 Preamp or Denon AVR 3805/equivalent
NAD or Outlaw 7100 Amp
Sony DVP-NS999 ES or comparable DVD player
Berkline Cinema 099 Seating - 3 front, 3 back on 10-12" two-step riser
Stewart Firehawk approx. 120" 16:9 fixed screen
DISH Player HD DVR/DirectTV Tivo HD DVR
Atlantic Technology 4200 system
Acoustiblok or comparable insulation
Approx. Budget 16-18K not including cabling, installation
 

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Hey all,
I got invaluable feedback when I was setting up my system in my condo years ago and now that I'm finally moving up in the world I need some more sage advice. Has anyone directly compared these two projectors? I've seen good reviews on both but never a head to head. I'm designing my new home and will have a dedicated HT.

My HT/home automation consultant is suggesting I go with the Vidikron. I really like the guy and he's a straight shooter. He's also a Vidikron dealer and his price seems very fair. I saw the Vision 40 on a 96" Firehawk at his place and was very impressed but probably won't have a chance to audition the Sharp. He's said he's installed both and prefers the Vidikron and he works w/ a lot of high end stuff (has an unbelievable whole house Crestron system in his home) so there's a 90% chance I'll go with the Vision40 but a second (or third) opinion never hurt.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Taylor

Proprosed gear:
Dedicated Home Theater (approx 16'x25'):
Sharp VX-12000 DLP/Vidikron Vision40
Outlaw Model 950 Preamp or Denon AVR 3805/equivalent
NAD or Outlaw 7100 Amp
Sony DVP-NS999 ES or comparable DVD player
Berkline Cinema 099 Seating - 3 front, 3 back on 10-12" two-step riser
Stewart Firehawk approx. 120" 16:9 fixed screen
DISH Player HD DVR/DirectTV Tivo HD DVR
Atlantic Technology 4200 system
Acoustiblok or comparable insulation
Approx. Budget 16-18K not including cabling, installation
 

Max Leung

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
4,611
No chance you can demo both? I saw a Sharp 12000 and it was wonderful! Very quiet projector too. Nice long throw, so you can stick it in the back wall.

I hear that customer service with Sharp is very very good. No idea about Vidikron...
 

Max Leung

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
4,611
No chance you can demo both? I saw a Sharp 12000 and it was wonderful! Very quiet projector too. Nice long throw, so you can stick it in the back wall.

I hear that customer service with Sharp is very very good. No idea about Vidikron...
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
Isn't the Vidikron vision 40 an HD2 unit? That's what google tells me...

In which case the HD2+ Sharp is the superior projector.
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
Isn't the Vidikron vision 40 an HD2 unit? That's what google tells me...

In which case the HD2+ Sharp is the superior projector.
 

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Thanks for the replies. I could probably check the Sharp but I'm afraid there are too many variables for me to make an objective decision. Was hoping someone w/ some FP experience could help me out.

I did notice the Sharp has the HD+ but I've yet to determine if that actually makes it better. I have a lot of experience w/ cars and an "upgrade" doesn't always make for a better car if other things are lacking. Both units have received good reviews so I'll keep searching for a direct comparison.

Thanks for the help.
 

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Thanks for the replies. I could probably check the Sharp but I'm afraid there are too many variables for me to make an objective decision. Was hoping someone w/ some FP experience could help me out.

I did notice the Sharp has the HD+ but I've yet to determine if that actually makes it better. I have a lot of experience w/ cars and an "upgrade" doesn't always make for a better car if other things are lacking. Both units have received good reviews so I'll keep searching for a direct comparison.

Thanks for the help.
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791

As I said, the chip is a newer generation, it eliminates the dimple, and has far greater CR.

The HD2+ based units are a very significant upgrade from HD2.

In this case it is a serious upgrade, and if you get a chance to see any HD2+ unit, be it the sharp or another, it will be quite obvious to you.

FYI: the CR specs on projector central:

Vidikron: Full On/Off: 1600:1
Sharp: Full On/Off: 5500:1

I've not seen the vidikron measured, it's probably lower than that, the sharp varies depending on the mode, but is a little lower than that. Either way, the difference is not minimal between these two chipsets.
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791

As I said, the chip is a newer generation, it eliminates the dimple, and has far greater CR.

The HD2+ based units are a very significant upgrade from HD2.

In this case it is a serious upgrade, and if you get a chance to see any HD2+ unit, be it the sharp or another, it will be quite obvious to you.

FYI: the CR specs on projector central:

Vidikron: Full On/Off: 1600:1
Sharp: Full On/Off: 5500:1

I've not seen the vidikron measured, it's probably lower than that, the sharp varies depending on the mode, but is a little lower than that. Either way, the difference is not minimal between these two chipsets.
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
Oh, and just to make sure you know, the vidikron is the same as the runco and the BenQ. You'll find much more info on the benq and maybe the runco out there for comparison instead of hunting for the vidikron info. but it's no contest...
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
Oh, and just to make sure you know, the vidikron is the same as the runco and the BenQ. You'll find much more info on the benq and maybe the runco out there for comparison instead of hunting for the vidikron info. but it's no contest...
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
And, as I just realized, the runco and the BenQ made the move to HD2+, and it's quite probably the vidikron, being identical, is also now a HD2+.

I always forget that....

In which case it's worth looking into to make sure.
 

ChrisWiggles

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2002
Messages
4,791
And, as I just realized, the runco and the BenQ made the move to HD2+, and it's quite probably the vidikron, being identical, is also now a HD2+.

I always forget that....

In which case it's worth looking into to make sure.
 

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Excellent info Chris, much appreciated. I have been looking to see if the Vidikron actually is the HD+ chip but have not found verification. Maybe someone on here knows. I will check out the Runco & BenQ. I did read in a number of reviews that the Vidikron CR #s are reliable/honest whereas some other FP manufacturer's fudge the numbers up a good bit. Not sure about validity of Sharp's #s but I'll definitely look into what you've suggested. Thanks.
 

Taylor Little

Auditioning
Joined
Jul 26, 1998
Messages
7
Excellent info Chris, much appreciated. I have been looking to see if the Vidikron actually is the HD+ chip but have not found verification. Maybe someone on here knows. I will check out the Runco & BenQ. I did read in a number of reviews that the Vidikron CR #s are reliable/honest whereas some other FP manufacturer's fudge the numbers up a good bit. Not sure about validity of Sharp's #s but I'll definitely look into what you've suggested. Thanks.
 

Max Leung

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
4,611
Chris, you mean to say that the Vidikron Vision 40 is the same as the Benq 8700? Benq later quietly upgraded the 8700 to the HD2+ chip (Benq 8700+).

I really like the Sharp, but it is a bit over double the price of the Benq 8700+. :frowning:

(The sharp has an iris, lens offset adjustment, quiet fans, better color wheel color accuracy , etc. just to be fair).
 

Max Leung

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2000
Messages
4,611
Chris, you mean to say that the Vidikron Vision 40 is the same as the Benq 8700? Benq later quietly upgraded the 8700 to the HD2+ chip (Benq 8700+).

I really like the Sharp, but it is a bit over double the price of the Benq 8700+. :frowning:

(The sharp has an iris, lens offset adjustment, quiet fans, better color wheel color accuracy , etc. just to be fair).
 

StephenL

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 21, 2000
Messages
341
Sound & Vision Magazine review: BenQ PE8700, Sim2 Domino 30, and the Sharp XV-Z12000
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...&page_number=1

Re: BenQ PE8700
"Confusingly, earlier versions of the projector do not have the new chip, and BenQ didn’t assign the updated 8700 a new model number. (According to the company, HD2+ models will have an identifying sticker on their packaging.) As I discovered, the new chip has a big impact on performance, so be sure you’re getting the latest version of this projector."
 

StephenL

Second Unit
Joined
Nov 21, 2000
Messages
341
Sound & Vision Magazine review: BenQ PE8700, Sim2 Domino 30, and the Sharp XV-Z12000
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...&page_number=1

Re: BenQ PE8700
"Confusingly, earlier versions of the projector do not have the new chip, and BenQ didn’t assign the updated 8700 a new model number. (According to the company, HD2+ models will have an identifying sticker on their packaging.) As I discovered, the new chip has a big impact on performance, so be sure you’re getting the latest version of this projector."
 

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