Sanyo PLV-Z3000 Projector: Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities

Posted on December 7, 2008 by Art Feierman

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Sanyo PLV-Z3000 Projector: Pros

Good color accuracy post calibration in best mode (minor yellow/green push)
Rich, dynamic image in brightest mode, with extremely good picture quality, for a brightest mode
Excellent shadow detail performance
Black level performance better than most projectors but not quite as good as the other ultra high contrast projectors
Images really pop on bright scenes, and mixed scenes with a good amount of bright areas
Two HDMI 1.3 inputs, full support for 24 fps, Deep Color, etc.
Creative frame interpolation for smooth fast motion, with 96/120fps frame rate
Support for an anamorphic lens
Very sharp image
Plenty of user savable settings
Excellent remote control
Excellent placement flexibility with 2:1 zoom and lens shift
Audible noise is extremely quiet in low power, and quieter than average in full power mode
Very good menus
Lowest cost, ultra high contrast 1080p projector
Excellent price/performance

More difficult to calibrate than most, and lacks separate color gain and offset for grayscale calibration
Slight yellow/green push, noticeable on skin tones, may be correctable with adjustments in the Color Management section
Black levels not as good as the competing ultra high contrast projectors from Panasonic, Epson, Mitsubishi, or the (even more expensive) LCoS projectors from JVC and Sony
Could be brighter in "best" modes (below average brightness) Pure and Creative Cinema. In most situations not bright enough for larger screens (over 110 inch diagonal).
Our review unit had more pixel mis-alignment than we find normal. However, this is not unusual when working with a pre-production sample
Image tends to look a bit flat on dark scenes in Pure Cinema modes
Documentation is very weak in terms of explaining the effects of the many dynamic features