Optoma H72

[Zag]

There's not much out there yet about the H72 but check out this link for a few details and pics.

http://www.hembiobrevet.se/?p=109

Be very interested to see how this compares with the HC3000 & Z4.

[inzaman]

It will be interesting to see how it compares to the HC3000 as the HC3000 is the one i was very interested in but with no lens shift and an offset that does not suit my set up it is a no go.

[stallpot]

I have seen the Z4 side by side with the HC3000.

Now the Z4 isnt a bad projector but its not as good as the HC3000.

Both can produce very sharp beautifully coloured images, but the Z4 cant produce black, in fact its quite a way from black, only a mid grey.

The HC3000 produces a black which is only marginally above the absolute black possible in the room. And there is absolutely no sign of screen door, which there is with the Z4.

Maybe the new sony will do better, but for now I will opt for a DLP over LCD.
The contrasts claimed by LCD are truly missleading. The 4000:1 on the Hc3000 is a lot more impressive than the 7000:1 claimed by the Z4.

Some one some where is having a laugh

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by stallpot

And there is absolutely no sign of screen door, which there is with the Z4.

The new D5 panels have effectively "closed" the screen door unless you want to view from ridiculously short distances. You will see more screen door on a standard def DLP...PJ

[theritz]

stallpot,

Hi and welcome to the forums.....

I have seen the Z4 side by side with the HC3000.

... any further details ? Interested to hear where you saw them side by side and what the demo conditions were - were the projectors calibrated, what was the room like, were they using the same source and material, what was it etc. Gives people a chance to make some value judgement about the opinion you've formed.

I doubt that anyone would question the general proposition that DLP has the ability to produce better absolute blacks than LCD, but that proposition doesn't tell the whole story, and making judgements about projectors solely on the manufacturer's quoted CR alone isn't wise. I sincerely doubt that anyone could tell the contrast ratio from looking at the image a projector produces.


I wouldn't be the greatest fan of projectorcentral reviews, but Evan Powell's conclusion of a Z4 vs. H79 shootout quoted here

This shootout indicates that we have reached a fundamental turning point in the industry. For the first time in our experience, an inexpensive LCD projector can be placed along side a well-regarded high performance DarkChip3 DLP projector, evaluated purely for its image quality, and not come off second best. With some types of video material the Z4 will actually surpass the H79 in overall image quality.

Thus, Sanyo has made an extraordinary statement with the PLV-Z4, which is that LCD can no longer be viewed as a second class video technology that must compete by undercutting the price of its DLP competition. Rather, LCD has the demonstrated potential to outperform DLP head to head, regardless of price considerations. The implications of this are far-reaching, and will have an impact on industry price structure, traditional distribution channels, and the direction of new product development. In our view, the PLV-Z4 is destined to become one of the most influential product releases we have ever seen.

When you consider the fact that the H79 costs well over twice the price of the Z4, that conclusion has a lot of impact.


S.

[stallpot]

The two (z4 and HC300) PJs were set up one beneath the other, in semi bat cave conditions, 110" greyhawk screen, both pj fed from the same source. I was actually dressed in black but I hadnt planned it that way I am not that much of a freak

We literaly blanked one image out to watch the other. Both pjs were adjusted as we went, but it soon became evident that the Z4 was equal in sharpness and colour to the HC3000.

What I had noticed from viewing other LCDs such as the Z3 was that the base blacks were quite poor when compared to 4805 or the h30/h31.

Comparing starfields in attack of the clones it is very evident that the Z4 can only make a grey not a black

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by stallpot

Comparing starfields in attack of the clones it is very evident that the Z4 can only make a grey not a black

You see, if you have the pic dim enough any PJ can make a black. The whole point is having a machine capable of making decent black when at reasonable brightness levels. This is what CR is. I saw the 4805 and H30A side by side with the Z4 etc and they are no better capable at getting blacks than the Z4 was. Just to switch it round to a positive, they were all very capable at getting more than satisfactory blacks. But of course that's my opinion.

[stallpot]

While comparing blacks on the Z4 and Hc300, we adjusted the contrast and set both irises to the minimum but with little effect on the absolute black from the HC3000.

The iris on the HC3000 was set closed during the majority of the demo. When set opened it still wasnt as light as the black level on the Z4 with its irises closed.

I havent seen the Z4 side by side with the 4805/h30/h31 but have seen them separatly and I would say that the black level is slightly better on the DLP's. Would need to see them side by side to tell for sure.