[dancingmatt]

Hello all

Right I'm going to do it, I'm going to buy a PJ today! I want it 50% for PAL DVDs from a PC, and 50% for PC games, and I also want it for a tiny% on Freeview from a set-top box... namely the FA Cup this Saturday! and also Eurovision...

Here are my specific choices, and I'd like opinions on what would you would choose to do. This is NOT a "which is better" thread, I don't really think one model will suit me more than another of the list below. But I do want to get it tomorrow so I've got it for Saturday, and I originally didn't want to spend more than £800. So bearing in mind the quality of the PJs, the time to get it and the prices I've found how would you spend my money:

- buying an ex-demo "excellent condition" Sanyo Z2 for £799 from a well-known high street retailer, with 38 hours on the lamp, but not knowing whether the lamp properly cooled down inbetween uses;

- buying a Sanyo Z3 for £965

- collecting an Hitachi TX100 for £960

- buying a Panasonic AE700E for £999

The only option in my original budget is the Z2, I've read loads of very good reviews of it (and all the others) so I know I'd be happy with it. What concerns me is the 38 hours on the lamp and not knowing how they got there...? I've read another thread about how not properly letting the PJ cool down can seriously shorten the bulb life by perhaps 50%?!

Should I go with the ex-demo? or buy one of the others - please tell me what you think but please also bear in mind that going over £800 is a real pain...!

Today is the day! I hope...

DM

[phillfyspoon]

i have a ae700 and am thrilled put the effort in cables and connections and u will be rewarded greatly. I havea panasonic plasma below it and it isnt far off but alot bigger.

[belgrade]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

- buying a Sanyo Z3 for £965

- collecting an Hitachi TX100 for £960

- buying a Panasonic AE700E for £999

DM

Have you seen these pj's at these prices somewhere, or are these prices before VAT?........or are all of these pj's ex-demo?

I've never seen the z3 or AE700 so cheap before.

[dancingmatt]

Seen them all today, and all including VAT. Not ex-demo, bar the Z2.

Now what do I pick?!!?

Help

DM

[PJTX100]

I think even a new Z2 would be steep at £800 compared to the other prices...

You won't go wrong with any of them.

As they are so close in price I personally would go for the one with the best warranty.

..PJ

PS any reason you say "collecting" a TX & "buying" the others?

[dancingmatt]

I'm amazed the Z2 isn't cheaper in places that still have it - I've even seen it priced dearer than a Z3 (although they may have just stopped updating that webpage I suppose)

Collecting the TX - I can get to the shop and save the delivery. The others are with delivery - oh no, hang on, the Z3 is £10 ish more to be delivered. To be honest though, I can't see a delivery being here on time... so the TX is most appealing for that reason. But the 1 year warranty sucks... although with a Barclaycard I can get an additional year's warranty...

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

although with a Barclaycard I can get an additional year's warranty...

Tried that, but they don't cover PJ's....

Anyway that scheme was coming to an end wasn't it...? It's probably been replaced with a customer service "of equal or better value" like 5% off pet grooming services or something equally obscure.

Sounds like I'm putting you off the TX! I'm not! Top machine!

...PJ

[dancingmatt]

They did get rid of the scheme, and for £5.99 you can get it back plus "more"...

I read that here: http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/Product.../everyday.html

But it doesn't cover PJs? Are you sure?

Personally I think it's a major let down that they got rid of the "refund you if it goes down in price" bit... could really have used that!

[UrbanT]

I'd opt for the Z3 because:

a) the Z2 is overpiced, 2nd hand, and not in the league of the others
b) as the cost is virtually the same, I would buy the Z3 over the TX as it has a dust removal system. Trust me, this is chuffing annoying when you get dust blobs
c) Z3 over the Panny on cost

Just my thoughts

[HAILOS]

Any of them will do a great job for you.
I've not seen the others, but I have a TX100, and I can say it gives a fantastic picture, and PJ virgins get totally blown away, not expecting the quality.
But I'd have to agree with UrbanT regarding the dust removal, great feature.
Also, I believe warrenty is better with Sanyo...
By the way, where did you see the Z3 at that price ??

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

They did get rid of the scheme, and for £5.99 you can get it back plus "more"...

I read that here: http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/Product.../everyday.html

But it doesn't cover PJs? Are you sure?

I think you'll find that a PJ won't be one of the "over 50 types of appliances"...

I rang them and when it got to the point of describing what the product was they couldn't find anything remotely like a PJ in their drop-down list. Unfortunatley there's no "other" category...!

Hmm... Z3 for warranty and dust, TX for cup final... sounds a no brainer to me!

...PJ

[dancingmatt]

So despite all the really good "I'm very happy" reports I've read from people, here and elsewhere, this dust issue with the TX100 is quite a major thing then? Now I've looked into that... damn...

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

So despite all the really good "I'm very happy" reports I've read from people, here and elsewhere, this dust issue with the TX100 is quite a major thing then? Now I've looked into that... damn...

The TX is no more or less prone to dust than any other machine. The only difference is the Z3 has an implement which gives you a fighting chance of blowing it out (without having to remove the case or resort to other wierd and wonderful procedures with vacuum cleaners, compressed air etc).

Dust comes with the territory, it's not a decision point, and the odds are it won't be an issue...PJ

[Geesus]

Received my Z3 from Pixmania yesterday for £958 delivered - while the picture is utterly stunning, I wish I had paid £100 more to get it from a UK supplier, as my warranty appears next to useless, certainly in this country (UK) anyway...

It also came without a UK plug, so I had to put a normal spec plug on the cable, and upon booting up found it had a dead pixel, but as I have diced up the original cable I cannot send it back under the 7 days cooling period

In fairness you can't even notice it during viewing, and it has no other problems that I have read about on here (in particular colour uniformity) so I think I'll keep it anyway

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Geesus

In fairness you can't even notice it during viewing, and it has no other problems that I have read about on here (in particular colour uniformity) so I think I'll keep it anyway

That sucks about the dead pixel, hope it doesn't spoil the viewing experience.

For all LCD PJ's, colour uniformity, VB, noisey fans, dust blobs, uneven focus, pixel alignment, dead pixels etc. You'll read all these shortcomings and more in healthy supplies on forums like this because people often come here to query / discuss issues. (DLP has it's own particular set of foibles).

I certainly wouldn't highlight colour uniformity in particular as a potential issue, yes it happens but it's relatively rare. VB seems to be the most common shortcoming. And it can appear spontaneously at any time, or it may never appear.

Main thing is don't spend your life worrying, make a decision, and go for it!...PJ

[dancingmatt]

Originally Posted by Geesus

Received my Z3 from Pixmania yesterday for £958 delivered - while the picture is utterly stunning, I wish I had paid £100 more to get it from a UK supplier, as my warranty appears next to useless, certainly in this country (UK) anyway...

It also came without a UK plug, so I had to put a normal spec plug on the cable, and upon booting up found it had a dead pixel, but as I have diced up the original cable I cannot send it back under the 7 days cooling period

Blimey you took that well!

So what's with the warranty appearing to be useless? Pixmania is one of the retailers I had in mind. You're saying they've shipped you a foreign unit?

[UrbanT]

PJ, I do agree with most of what you write. However, I do think dust, and its removal, is an issue. certainly to the majority of owners.

The problem with the TX (unlike the Z2/Z3), is that the lid is impossible to remove. Therefore the methods to remove dust from the TX are cumbersome, time consuming,and not guaranteed to succeed. And you absolutely do not want to send the unit back to Hitachi for dust blobs.

Therefore the Z3, and its unique dust removal system, would be to many users (especially those who have owned PJ's previously and suffered, and a big bonus.

[Geesus]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

Blimey you took that well!

So what's with the warranty appearing to be useless? Pixmania is one of the retailers I had in mind. You're saying they've shipped you a foreign unit?

Yup it's a european model - easily identified as the UK models, I believe, come with a non-removable power-cable...and obviously a UK spec plug helps :D

I wouldnt say the warranty is useless, but as it is a warranty with Sanyo Europe, it would mean sending it back to France (maybe Germany) to get any problems sorted.

As I mentioned, the dead pixel is not hampering my viewing and enjoyment of what is a staggering picture (and thats only via 575 Pio component so far!)

In fact I'm not even sure it *is* a dead pixel, as it looks more like a dust-blob to me...the PJ came with what I would deem a 'normal' dust blob already installed, which was easily cleaned via the 'air holes' (a simply genius idea by the way) - the fact that the 'dead' pixel looks more blobyy than...erm..pixellated, gives me hope that it might be some errant dust, but the fact that it comes into focus when bringing the main picture into focus (unlike dust blobs in my limited experience) doesn't fill me with optimism.

I also see vertical banding, though I am projecting onto a wall, so it may be indentations or what have you, but again it doesn't really bother me - I'm easily pleased I guess :D

[dancingmatt]

Originally Posted by UrbanT

The problem with the TX (unlike the Z2/Z3), is that the lid is impossible to remove. Therefore the methods to remove dust from the TX are cumbersome, time consuming,and not guaranteed to succeed. And you absolutely do not want to send the unit back to Hitachi for dust blobs.

Therefore the Z3, and its unique dust removal system, would be to many users (especially those who have owned PJ's previously and suffered, and a big bonus.

Argh. Despite being "in stock" the TX100 (sounds like a big killer robot ) won't be in "the shop" until Tuesday. Interestingly though, whilst I've discovered I can't get anything delivered for the weekend, the shop have been offered me to borrow an AE700 (or at least buy it and be able to bring it back), but only if I demo'd it for 3 or 4 hours. Not very long then - but then I wouldn't want to buy one with 0.00001 hours on the lamp either.

Anyhow, ignoring the Z2, do I buy:

- Z3 for £965 from Europe with odd overseas warranty, but better for cleaning dust

- TX100 for £960 but get stuck with dust problems, 1 year warranty and rubbish Hitachi warranty support

- AE700 for £999 right now, 1 year warranty too

BTW what is the projected lamp life on an AE700? Panasonic's website is rubbish, can't find any important stats or download the manual...

Just when I thought I'd cracked it

[Geesus]

Further examination of the mystery green blob and the thing is begining to fascinate me.

There is a pixel of green, so you would think a dead-cert non-living pixel, but there is a small greeny kinda 'leakage' above it, which is not a uniform shape at all...almost as if the dead pixel died and leaked into the above pixel

It's hard to describe, but even when watching totally black screens like the Pio's bott-up screen, I cannot see it *at all* until I stick my nose up to the screen, so it's all good.

[dancingmatt]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

- AE700 for £999 right now, 1 year warranty too

BTW what is the projected lamp life on an AE700? Panasonic's website is rubbish, can't find any important stats or download the manual...

Just when I thought I'd cracked it

Hold on.. according to http://www.projectorcentral.com/Pana...ulator-pro.htm

the AE700 can't focus shorter than 2.4m from the screen? That's a dealbreaker, got a narrow room and need a good throw length...

[SSB]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

Hold on.. according to http://www.projectorcentral.com/Pana...ulator-pro.htm

the AE700 can't focus shorter than 2.4m from the screen? That's a dealbreaker, got a narrow room and need a good throw length...

Eh? At 2.4m, the screen will measure barely a metre diagonally. Surely you're looking for something on the grander scale.

You need to put in the throw distance, or the diagonal measurements of the screen and see either where the PJ will need to be, or how big the screen / projection area will need to be.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by UrbanT

PJ, I do agree with most of what you write. However, I do think dust, and its removal, is an issue. certainly to the majority of owners.

Sanyo are to be congratulated for adding the dust removal feature, and for the extended warranty. When it was 3 or 4 hundred quid dearer than the TX, the TX had a clear advantage. Now the price differential has disappeared there's nothing between 'em. IIRC you switched from a Z3 for a TX, so you must have thought there was something in it?

I still believe dust is not by any means inevitable, in fact it affects only the minority. Like rainbows it's easy for someone to pick up the idea that as soon as they switch the thing on these things will manifest themselves which clearly isn't the case.

...PJ

[UrbanT]

I switched from the TX to the Z3, nuff said

[dancingmatt]

Originally Posted by SSB

Eh? At 2.4m, the screen will measure barely a metre diagonally. Surely you're looking for something on the grander scale.

You need to put in the throw distance, or the diagonal measurements of the screen and see either where the PJ will need to be, or how big the screen / projection area will need to be.

Yeah, I am looking for something bigger, about 70" from about 2.2m throw distance. That's my point - I hadn't realised that the AE700 wasn't able to do that.

You can't even drag the throw distance slider to less than 2.4m, which led me to believe that that's the minimum focus distance - and from the few specs I've been able to find (wish I could d/l the manual!) 2.4m is indeed min focus. Not v good for me.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by UrbanT

I switched from the TX to the Z3, nuff said

Ah, I remember you said you had the Z2 / Z3 / TX and HS50 in 10 months. I thought you were quoting them in sequence. I did wonder why you went to a less expensive machine!

It is noticable how the TX has "kept its value" so to speak, it's dropped 40 quid since I bought it last autumn, the 700 / Z3 / 4805 etc have tumbled since then. It must be due a price drop!

...PJ

[UrbanT]

As the machines all have similar performance and features, its probably not surprising that pricing has fallen into line with each other

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

Yeah, I am looking for something bigger, about 70" from about 2.2m throw distance. That's my point - I hadn't realised that the AE700 wasn't able to do that.

You can't even drag the throw distance slider to less than 2.4m, which led me to believe that that's the minimum focus distance - and from the few specs I've been able to find (wish I could d/l the manual!) 2.4m is indeed min focus. Not v good for me.

I'd be surprised if this was an issue with the 700, I'm sure someone would have mentioned it before.

However 2.2m distance is not a lot of throw to play with, hence the ability to produce a decent size image is something you need to double-check!

The TX can throw a max 80" diag from 2.2m - best to back the max zoom off a little though so work on 76" or so.

...PJ

[dancingmatt]

Morning

Originally Posted by Geesus

Yup it's a european model - easily identified as the UK models, I believe, come with a non-removable power-cable...and obviously a UK spec plug helps :D

I wouldnt say the warranty is useless, but as it is a warranty with Sanyo Europe, it would mean sending it back to France (maybe Germany) to get any problems sorted.

Been sleeping on all this (argh) and Geesus - do you have any more information on this warranty? It really concerns me - but is it a problem? Or just normal practice?

Although delivering a PJ to you without the correct lead for your geography still strikes me as a pretty poor bit of service, regardless of the warranty...

Please let me know

Cheers
DM "still without a PJ"

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by dancingmatt

Morning Been sleeping on all this (argh) and Geesus - do you have any more information on this warranty? It really concerns me - but is it a problem? Or just normal practice?

Although delivering a PJ to you without the correct lead for your geography still strikes me as a pretty poor bit of service, regardless of the warranty...

Please let me know

Cheers
DM "still without a PJ"

If I were buying a Z3 I'd definitely buy it from a UK dealer because of the extended warranty. There's more chance of you potentially using it, hence it's worth the bit extra.

I bought my Samsung 745 from Pixmania and had to change the plug, which is not so bad for something which costs £100, but £1000 is another matter!...PJ