Sanyo Z2 Vs. Sony HS-20

Basically, it has come down to these two projectors, but there are no direct comparisons...and i want to know if it is worthwhile to spend the extra $1200 (USD) for the Sony. The source will be interlaced, we have an older Toshiba DVD player. The room is fairly large, and we are planning a 106" diagonal screen (high contrast white). The thing i really like about the Sanyo is the lens shift, since the ceilings in our house are fairly tall, and the screen is going to be in a recessed area nearer the floor, it is essentially impossible to mount the projector at the centerline of the screen. I am definetly leaning most heavily towards the Sanyo, but i want some more opinions on the Sony vs the Sanyo. Thanks for all help in advance! btw, this will be used almost exclusivly for the foreseeable future for DVDs, we do not have an HDTV feed, and i doubt that we'll get one anytime soon.

[docfeelgood]

I had the Z2 and replaced it with an HS20.

In my opinion the money was well spent as I wasn't happy with the picture of the Z2. Lens shift was good though

The Z2 is a 'budget' PJ whereas the HS20 is a midrange PJ.

This shows in the price, performance, build quality and function.

Unfortunately with PJ's in my experience you usually get what you pay for.

I am sure you will be happy with the Z2.... however there is no doubt that the HS20 is by far the superior piece of kit (in my opinion)

You can get the HS20 for under 2K (GBP) now.... bargain.

regards

Doc.

were you not happy with the DVD performance of the Z2, or are you refering to HDTV? What about the Z2 did you not like?

[docfeelgood]

Vertical banding mostly.

Also poor performance with PAL DVD's (noisy picture).

Don't get me wrong though... for the price it was very good. You may not notice or be able to eliminate the faults I noticed.

It is also the quietest PJ I have heard (or not heard).
The lens shift really works well and it is quite a cute design.
It also has good menus and connections.

It's all about what you are happy with.

For me personally... I noticed these picture problems all of the time and I began to look for them as soon as a movie started. It ruined the experience. You should be able to relax... crack open a beer and just enjoy

I don't notice any problems with the HS20 picture... it's just a pleasure.

It's a shame you can't demo them.

For what's it's worth... if you came to me for advice and you had the money I would say go for the Sony. You know the picture is going to be the best you can get from an LCD at the moment (without spending silly money), it is very well built, has HDMI and DVI, is fairly quiet and has good features.

regards

Doc

[docfeelgood]

Sorry fella... forgot to mention. My Z2 was plugged into a HK30 DVD player through component