Home Theater Projector Review: Sanyo PLV-Z2000 LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons-3

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Art Feierman

Sanyo vs. Mitsubishi HC4900 and BenQ W9000

The Mitsubishi HC4900 is LCD, and the BenQ is DLP. Both, however have sub-par black level performance. Both are sharp, but no sharper than the Sanyo.

And both have more lumens than the PLV-Z2000. The HC4900 also does well on shadow details, but is limited due to the worse black levels. the W9000 suffers the same problem.

Both of these projectors are slightly more money, and both are much brighter than the Sanyo. So, once again, the Sanyo from a picture quality standpoint has the advantage - if you can live with the less bright image or smaller screen size.

More comments on the PLV-Z2000 Home Theater Projector

The above competitive section covers about all of the under $3000 1080p projectors, I've reviewed so far. We still have a new Panasonic and Epson to do, before year end.

I might as well say this, and then to move on to Pros and Cons:

If the Sanyo PLV-Z2000 were 30-40% brighter, and if considering its lowest in class pricing, the PLV-Z2000 might well be the hands-down, best projector value on the market, in the 1080p resolution class.

Since it is significantly less bright than many others, it will have to win customers because of its virtuoso picture quality. There is no question of its value, only a question of what percent of the 1080p buying public will choose it, and what percent will pass over it because of brightness.

Sanyo PLV-Z2000 projector, Pros, Cons, andTypical Capabilities

Sanyo PLV-Z2000 Projector: Pros

Least expensive 1080p projector
Extremely natural and film-like
Very good at revealing shadow details
Good out of the box performance, with only minor adjustments needed (Pure Cinema mode) for excellent color accuracy
Vertical and Horizontal lens shift with exceptional range for placement flexibility
2:1 zoom lens for great placement flexibility
Supports HDMI 1.3, with Deep Color, and supports 1080p/24 content
Good remote control
Great warranty

Seven user savable memory settings
Multiple movie modes, multiple modes for TV, HDTV, and Sports
Two HDMI inputs
Best on projector screen sizes of 100" diagonal or less
Overall good color management
Good, not exceptional, array of inputs
Very quiet projector
Styling - it's a white box, but with rounded corners, and a door that closes, when the projector is off, it looks very clean
Excellent Price/Performance and Value