Pana AE900, Sanyo Z4 or Hitachi TX200

B

ben_m

Guest
I have a budget of around £800. I am looking for a 720p LCD projector (I don't get on with DLP). I have narrowed it down to these three models:
Pana AE900, Sanyo Z4 or Hitachi TX200

I know I should really see these demo'ed, but I don't think these older models will be on show anywhere near me (Oxford).

All seem to be similarly well-respected in the reviews I've read. I will be using it in a light-controlled room, on a small screen (matt white wall) 70" or so (diagonally). I like the lens shifts of these models.

I understand that the Hitachi and the Sanyo have 10-bit processing- I presume the Panasonic has 8-bit? Has anyone noticed any negative image quality due to this?

I am using a computer as a video source, and will be using a HDMI input (via DVI). My computer's digital terrestrial TV tuner software's de-interlacing is not good enough- are these three all equal in there de-interlacing? It would be great if the projector was good at this.

I will be watching DVDs, TV via digital tuner in computer, playing computer games very occasionally, and running slide shows of my digital photos.

So far, I think I will go with the Hitachi because I can get it with a no dead pixel guarantee and the bulbs seem to be cheaper (around £150, compared to the £250-300 for the other two- am I right?)- any reason why I show go for either of these other two (or anything else in this price range?).

Any advice would be appreciated!

Ben
 
So far, I think I will go with the Hitachi because I can get it with a no dead pixel guarantee and the bulbs seem to be cheaper (around £150, compared to the £250-300 for the other two- am I right?)- any reason why I show go for either of these other two (or anything else in this price range?).

Your right on the lamp prices (the Hitachi wins by a mile on this) but have a look round for free spare lamp deals on the Sanyo Z4 and as they have now brought out the Z5 you should be able to find some good deals.

Cheers,
 
You will be happy with any of these.
The Panny has a special picture processing which softens the image.
The Hitachis is a decent projector without any specialities.
The Z4 has the best contrast and the sharpest picture (I own a Z4 so this might be a bit biased ;) ) and gives 3 years warranty (except the bulb of course)
 
Ben, :hiya:

Have a look at where you are going to position the projector and the picture size you want. I'm not sure about the Sanyo and Hitachi, but the Panasonic has a wider than average zoom, so is quite flexible about placement. The projector central website can help you out with this (there's a link on the FAQ page I think).

I demo'd them all, and you won't be disappointed with either of those three. One other plus for me was the Panasonic has a Scart connection, which suited my bits of kit (component for my DVD, scart for the cable box), but I see this is probably of no interest to you.

HTH,
MarkP
 
If you demo the PJTX200 make sure it's set up at least half decently !!

' Out of the box' the Hitachi is not great at all. However, even making some very quick changes to the initial settings makes a huge difference to image quality.

I spent 45 mins adjusting the settings on mine and the difference between my 'custom' settings and the initial settings is like night and day.

If you search PJTX200 on here you'll find a thread that gives a good starting point for custom settings.

I'm running mine with a Graywolf II screen which means 'dimmed lights' viewing is still easily achieveable. My only critisicm of this screen is that it does seem to soften the image slightly.

can't comment on the others but my experience with the Hitachi is that it's an excellent machine with great blacks for an LCD. I'm sure you wouldn't be dissapointed.

Happy shopping !!
 
Thanks for all you responses!

I thought I had decided on the hitachi, so I ordered it from discounttv, but I was a day too late- they had sold their last one!

After more pondering, I decided to go for a Z4 with bulb voucher, as I don't think I'll need more that 4000 hours (i.e. 2 bulb lives) for the life of the projector- in other words, I'll upgrade before spending £280 on a new bulb from Sanyo. I've ordered it from Ivojo, and I can't wait to try it out.

It is interesting that the reviews don't all agree as to which out of the hitachi and sanyo is sharpest with most contrast- most people say the Sanyo has the edge, then Home Cinema Review rates the sharpness of the Hitachi at 5 stars, against the Sanyo's 3....

The Sanyo's other advantages, other than the bulb, were the lens shift and 2x zoom, and the fact that a reviewer noted that at the extremes of lens shift the Sanyo stayed sharp, while the Hitachi softened slightly at one edge.
 

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