Projector Reviews Images

Sanyo PLV-80 Widescreen Projector - Overview

Posted on May 9, 2006 by Art Feierman

Specs Preview

Sanyo PLV-70 Specs
Price 8995
Technology 3LCD
Native Resolution 1366x768
Brightness (Manufacturer Claim) 2200
Contrast 1,000:1
Zoom Lens Ratio Powered; 1:1.3 Zoom
Lens Shift Yes
Lamp Life Sanyo never publishes lamp life
Weight 17.3 lbs
Warranty 3 years

Background: The predecessor to the PLV-80, the PLV-70, I think may have the record for the longest life as a current projector, of any to hit the market. It has been around since the 2nd half of 2002. (Most projectors are "current" for about a year, and two years is a long life.) Technically, Sanyo hasn't even discontinued the PLV-70 yet. When the PLV-70 hit, is wasn't billed for home theater use, but as a rare widescreen business projector with (for its day) an impressive 2200 lumens. The PLV-70, though, really caught on in those early days as one of the few widescreen projectors available, and naturally found its way into thousands of homes, for home theater.

Click to enlarge. SO close

Today's dedicated home theater projectors are virtually all widescreen, and also are designed to maximize contrast and black levels, at the expensive of brightness. Not so the PLV-80. It's a hybrid projector that certainly has a huge following already in the business world as one of the very few widescreen projectors (without spending over $10,000) that offers more than 1500 lumens. With its 3000 lumens, the Sanyo PLV80 has the "horsepoewer" to perform "brilliantly" in boardrooms and conference rooms. The PLV80, in terms of commercial applications, is already widely used in movie theaters to run movie trailers and commercials before movies start.

Click Image to Enlarge

And as a widescreen projector, with a great many bells and whistles, it also has a place in many homes. We will discuss the applications in detail, in other sections. At this time I just want to say that the PLV-80 is not a projector for the home theater enthusiast looking for the ultimate in picture quality, primarily for movie watching. Instead it will meet the needs of a great many people looking for a much brighter (than typical home theater projectors) solution, that will function well with a fair amount of room lighting. Traditional home theater projectors are designed to work in fully darkened rooms and do not like significant ambient light. The PLV80, by comparison will probably appeal to those who are big on watching sports, HDTV, and other content with lights on. I'd say that the PLV-80 makes a great Home Entertainment projector, rather than home "theater" which implies a darkened room.

Click to enlarge. SO close

Physical Tour

The Sanyo PLV-80 comes in a very dark gray case, with center mounted, almost fully recessed (power) zoom lens. There is also an infrared sensor on the front. There are two drop down and screw adjustable front feet, with the drop down releases located right above the feet, on the sides. There are a number of optional Sanyo lenses available for those installations where the standard, provided zoom lens will not work.

Moving to the the top of the PLV80 is an extensive number of buttons and lights on the control panel. You can also see the two small speakers at the top left and right corners.

Relating to the lens, there are three separate buttons toward the left side (looking from the rear) of the control panel area, for power focus, power zoom and power vertical lens shift. Press any of these and the appropriate text and graphic appear on the screen. To adjust any of these features, the Sanyo's arrow keys come into play.

Click Image to Enlarge

Latest Reviews

February 25, 2024

Introducing the Hisense C1: A cube-shaped 4K UHD lifestyle projector with an RGB triple laser light source and integrated JBL ...

February 19, 2024

The BenQ X3100i is a 4LED, 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160p) 0.65" DLP short-throw gaming projector that offers a BenQ-rated ...

January 20, 2024

The BenQ V5000i is a $3,499 smart ultra-short throw 4K projector with RGB triple laser source. Ideal for vibrant, bright ...

January 2, 2024

The BenQ HT3560 is a 4K UHD projector offering vibrant colors and advanced features for $1,599. It offers a manufacturer-rated ...

© 2024 Projector Reviews

crossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram