Sharp XV-Z3000 Projector Review - Image Quality-6

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Art Feierman

Sharp XV-Z3000 Sharpness

This is another area where the XV-Z3000 excels. Although generally this is not a great difference between the overall sharpness of one 720p resolution projector to another, there definitely are differences.

I happen to be a big fan of sharpness (natural, not enhanced sharpness using sharpness and edge sharpness controls found on most home theater projectors). This is, in part, because I like to sit fairly close to a large screen. (I normally sit between 1/3 and 1/2 way back in a movie theater.

Up until now, of the reviews of the current 720p projectors a few have been exceptionally sharp. Perhaps the sharpest, is the BenQ PE-8720 (which I own), a significantly more expensive projector than the XV-Z3000. Another very sharp projector is Sanyo's PLV-Z5, an LCD projector costing significantly less than the XV-Z3000, but also being less bright, and having more visible pixel structure, which in turn, is a detriment when sitting close.

The XV-Z3000 comes extremely close to the BenQ in overall sharpness, and shares it's more limited pixel visibility, thanks to being a DLP projector. Let's look at some images:

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Since the Sharp is one of the sharpest (no pun intended) of the 720p projectors, here's the same necklace from the BenQ W10000, a 1080p resolution projector, whose sharpness is typical for the 1080p models (and a projector selling for more than twice the Sharp's price):

So, while the Sharp can't match a true 1080p projector with 1080 content, as you can see, it does project about as sharp an image as one could hope for, from a 720p projector.

Let's do it again, this time with an image I have only recently started using, from Space Cowboys (HD-DVD). You may find this one easier for comparisons but I haven't used it with very many projectors yet.