Sanyo PLV-Z4000 - Competitors
How does the Sanyo PLV-Z4000 compare to other 1080p home theater projectors on the market?
9/2/2010 - Art Feierman
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This section compares the Sanyo PLV-Z4000 home theater projector to the competition. Here you will find our quick impressions of the Sanyo projector as it stacks up to other popular projectors we have reviewed.
PLV-Z4000 vs. LG CF181D
So, here we have the Z4000 which is pretty much been around for almost years as the Z3000, but produces much better color than its predecessor, going up against the LG CF181D, which is pretty much a new projector. (If there were older projectors in the LG series, I don't think they've made it to the US.)
The LG, if nothing else, is a whole lot bigger projector, and brighter too. The Z4000 is pretty small, about as small as good home theater projectors get (that aren't single chip DLP's - as some of those are a bit smaller still). The Sanyo has a very slight placement advantage by virtue of a touch more zoom lens range - 2:1 vs. 1.8:1. The LG and Sanyo can be similarly close, but the Sanyo can sit a couple feet further back (for a 100" screen) if need be. Both have lots of vertical lens shift, but the LG doesn't offer any horiztonal shift. (Using horizontal limits the amount of vertical, and vice versa.)
When it comes to brightness, the LG, when comparing "best" modes, smokes the Sanyo. It's got about 3x Pure Cinema (not that we're concerned with that), but it's still far brighter than Creative Cinema on the Sanyo. I don't consider Sanyo's Brilliant Cinema to be a serious "best" mode compared to the LG.
When it comes to how bright you can go, the Sanyo is a bit below average, while the LG is one of the brightest around, anywhere near the price.
When it comes to the picture, I like the LG's big, wide open, kind of "looks right". The Sanyo is perhaps a bit more critical, the LG the more forgiving of the two. Both, however, have great looking skin tones.
Where the Sanyo takes over is on those dark scenes. The Sanyo dynamic iris, first of all, is one of the smoother ones. Well, they've been working this setup for a while. The LG's iris also is pretty good. The Sanyo, however does deliver the blacker blacks. While the Sanyo is toward the low end of what I consider "ultra high contrast", the LG, couldn't make the cut. While we're talking image, I'll also give the Sanyo the slight advantage in image sharpness.
Between these two you have some key trade-offs, the LG being a very bright projector in "best" movie mode, compared to just average, and the Sanyo a tad sharper, and delivering better black levels, will "shine" on dark scenes. The Sanyo CFI works with 1080 60 signals for motion smoothing, the LG's foolishly does not. That's when you want it most (HDTV sports). If you are a large screen person, obviously you are leaning toward LG of these two, but for an average to small screen, the Sanyo will have a good following. And for the cautious, Sanyo offers the longer warranty - three years vs. two.
The raw power advantage really works fo the LG CF181D making it a no contest on larger screens, but on small to medium screens, and decent lighting control, the Sanyo is prepared to do a better job by virtue of sharpness, and better blacks.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 vs. Mitsubishi HC3800, HC6800, HC7000
The Sanyo is available online, only the lowest cost of the three Mitsubishi projectors - the HC3800 is available online. The other two, the HC6800 and HC7000 are local dealer only, and significantly more expensive.
The Sanyo easily wins the black level wars against the HC3800 and even the HC6800, (which I ran very quickly side by side with the Sanyo, before shipping it back), while the HC7000 will best the Sanyo Z4000 as it did the Z3000.
The HC3800's strength, is being far brighter. In fact its brightest mode with Brilliant Color on, is brighter than anything the Sanyo can do in any mode. Like the LG, brightness is a dominant feature of the HC3800. The HC3800 is also every bit as sharp as the PLV-Z4000.
Of course, the HC3800 is a single chip DLP projector with limited placement flexibility and the Sanyo is about as flexible as they come. The HC3800 is fairly noisy, certainly compared to the Sanyo PLV-Z4000 projector.
That makes the Mitsubishi HC3800 a better choice for movie viewers (or anyone) that want a larger screen, but aren't perfectionists when it comes to black levels. For those with small to medium screens and into having their dark scenes look better, (more dynamic, richer), the Sanyo PLV-Z4000 can deliver on that.
The Sanyo may have a sharper than typical image, but the Mitsubishi's are even better still. Sharpness, however is close enough to be a non-issue for most.
The HC6800 is theoretically more expensive, and available from local dealers only. The PLV-Z4000 will probably show up in some Big Box house - you know - Best Buy, Costco, WalMart, Fryes, but mostly will sell online, for less than the Mitsubishi. The HC7000 is even more money, but perhaps the closest competitor, in that it is the most similar.
That's right, both the PLV-Z4000 and the HC7000 are below average in brightness in both modes, both are particularly sharp for LCD home theater projectors, and both are ultra-high contrast projectors with impressive black level performance, though the HC7000 is better at it. Think of the HC7000 as almost the "step up" projector to the Z4000, better, similar, and more money that is pretty much justified by the difference in performance.
Image above: From Casino Royale, Mitsubishi HC7000 (left), Sanyo Z3000 (right) I haven't seen a HC7000 in quite a while, so no Z4000 comparison.
One last thought - Sanyo is the winner against all three Mitsubishi's if you like creative frame interpolation (CFI) to smooth out the action. It's the only one that has true CFI and can take source material to 96hz or 120hz.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z700
This is easy. You get better black levels, up to 120 fps output, and creative frame interpolation from the top of the line PLV-Z4000, just like you did with the Z3000.
Both projectors are similar in brightness.
Bottom line: Get a better overall image with the Z4000, and less motion blur, but overall, these two projectors are very similar, including brightness. If you are image performance oriented, the Sanyo PLV-Z4000 will be worth the extra money. But, if you can live without CFI, and not as good black level performance, the Z700 will serve (and save) you nicely for significantly less.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 vs. BenQ W6000
I'm going to keep this one short. Consider what I just said about the Z4000 compared to the Mitsubishi HC3800. Then consider that the W6000 is sort of like an HC3800 but: Sharper, Brighter, Blacker Blacks, Has CFI, and has lens shift and more placement flexibility.
Uh-oh, those "extras" pretty much covered all the advantages the Z4000 had over the Mitsubishi, so what's it got compared to the BenQ W6000?
Not too much, I'm afraid. The Sanyo is a whole lot quieter than the W6000, and after that, I'm almost scratching my head. Well, not quite. the W6000 calibrates nicely, but I'll give the Sanyo the overall edge in terms of color accuracy and skin tones. That said, the W6000 is no slouch, but, for example, both Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones exhibit better skin tones on the Z4000, in Men In Black. I don't find the production qualities of the disc to be anything to write home about, and in this case, the W6000 always looks a little off, while the Z4000 seems a little less so...
There are a whole lot of Sanyo projector enthusiasts out there, as Sanyo's been a leader for years. This latest iteration fits nicely, into why many owners tend to be loyal, but then, those with earlier Z's including the: 700, 3000, 2000, Z5, Z4, Z3, Z2, Z1, all have one thing in common: None of the Sanyos have ever been overly bright models. Sanyo has always focused on the largest segment of the home market - 80" to 110". Yes, you can go a lot larger with a serious high gain screen, but there are trade-offs to consider.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8100 UB and 8500UB
This is pretty easy to tackle both Epson's at once. After all, the core differences are just two fold: The 8500UB has better black levels, and also offers Creative Frame Interpolation.
The Sanyo fits nicely between the two Epsons in terms of black level performance, but defintely closer to the Epson 8500UB, which still has the best black level performance I've seen under $4,000.
They are extremely similar in placement flexibility, and all lens functions are manual with both. The Epsons will out muscle the Sanyo in "best" modes by a fair amount, but not huge. When comparing "brightest" modes, the Epsons will again have the advantage - in fact, a dramatic one between their two Dynamic modes. That said, I like the Sanyo's color balance better than the Epson's in "brightest modes". That said, Epson's Living Room mode will still be a good bit brighter than the Sanyo's Dynamic, and look better.
Let's keep it simple. The Sanyo costs a few hundred less than the 8500UB, can't quite match the blacks, and can't work with quite as large a screen, but is sharper, has a longer warranty, and a few other advantages.
The Epson Home Cinema 8100 is far less money than the Z4000, as it is now getting down near $1000. It can't match the Sanyo's dark scene abilities, or sharpness, but, like the 8500UB, is brighter. The 8100 lacks CFI.
Sanyo PLV-Z4000 vs. Panasonic PT-AE4000
Panasonic and Sanyo have been going head to head for years. That's interesting in light of the fact that over in Japan, Masushita (Panasonic) purchased Sanyo about a year ago. Panasonic hasn't indicated if they will replace the PT-AE4000 this fall, we'll have to wait and see. Last year, Panasonic brought us the PT-AE4000 which was a step of from the older PT-AE3000 I had originally compared the Z3000 to.
Both now have MAP prices of $1995. Likely the Sanyo might street for a little less, however. The dealers have never had much wiggle room with the Panasonic projector.
When it comes to placement flexibility these two are about a tie, both sporting 2:1 zoom lenses (the Panasonic's zoom and focus are motorized), and lots of manual lens shift.
Relating to the picture aspect ratio, however, the Panasonic is alone out there, with their automatic setup to "emulate" using an anamorphic lens. This is attractive to those wanting a cinemascope (wider) screen than the usual HDTV shaped 16:9 screen. You could actually do the same thing manually with the Sanyo, if you wanted to, but, if mounted, that probably won't be convenient.
Picture quality wise, I favor the Sanyo slightly in terms of a slightly more dynamic looking image. Their array of dynamic features is still almost overwhelming, so if you like to play... But then the Panasonic has its own magic to play with, in the form of their waveform monitor (and dynamic features). The Panasonic has better CMS, but ultimately they both calibrate nicely.
From a brightness standpoint, it's really hard to find home theater projectors less bright than the PLV-Z4000 in its Pure Cinema mode. But, in Creative Cinema, which we recommend, brightness is close to average, but still a bit below the Panasonic. The Panasonic again has a slight advantage in brightness in its brightest mode.
Black levels should be roughly comparable, with the Panasonic having the slight advantage (going to the Epson 8500UB, for example, from the Panasonic is a large jump in performance compared to the difference between the Sanyo and Panasonic).
Despite the slightly less lumens, the Sanyo image typically has more punch, with or without comparable dynamic features engaged. I've always found the Panasonic a little lackluster - lacking in "Pop and Wow". It's a tough call, but if I was putting an 80 or 92" screen in my bedroom for example, I'd personally probably pick the Sanyo (because of the more dynamic feel, without being over the top), though I realize more would favor the Panasonic overall.
NEXT: Sanyo PLV-Z4000 warranty