Big Picture Big Sound

Regular readers will know we're big fans of Sanyo's 3-LCD front projectors. Film guru and video maven Joe Lozito uses a Sanyo projector for his own personal home theater and he awarded the most recent PLV-Z5 model with our coveted 4-star overall rating.

And now at the CEDIA conference in Denver, Sanyo is one-upping themselves by announcing their first Full HD 1080p projector for consumers, the PLV-Z2000. Its specs are impressive (15,000:1 contrast, new 3D color management processing to exploit HDMI 1.3's DeepColor feature, massive lens shift range), but perhaps more impressive is the list price - a measly $2995.99.

It was not so long ago (also at CEDIA) that Sony made big news announcing the first 1080p projector to break the $10,000 barrier, and here we are just two short years later with a projector with comparable specs coming in at a third of that price. Thank the High Def gods for the power of competition. And you can bet that we'll be getting one of these in as soon as humanly possible to see if it lives up to its promise.

[editor's note: review is now live: PLV-Z2000 review]

CEDIA EXPO -- DENVER, CO - Sept. 5, 2007 -- SANYO, one of the world's largest manufacturers of projectors introduces the PLV-Z2000 1080p LCD projector during CEDIA EXPO this week in Denver, CO. The PLV-Z2000 features a new 3D color management system with a high contrast ratio of 15,000:1, along with an advanced lens shifting function and the industry's quietest fan system. The PLV-Z2000 will be available in the U.S. in October 2007 with a MSRP of $2,995.99.

Offering a full 1920 x 1080 high definition resolution, the PLV-Z2000 delivers rich, deep and accurate colors due to SANYO's exclusive Topaz Real HD technology, a 3D color management system that addresses changes in color phase and color level to obtain perfect color reproduction. The PLV- Z2000's color management system provides 1110 times more color combinations than SANYO's 720p PLV-Z5, a total of approximately 216 billion possible color combinations. This new color management system was designed to optimize the potential of Deep Color via the projectors two HDMI 1.3 inputs.

Rated at 1200 lumens, the PLV-Z2000 is capable of an incredible 15,000:1 contrast ratio for superlative black levels, even in ambient light. Plus a newly developed, high efficiency lens that maximizes image details for exceptional optical performance.

The PLV-Z2000 uses a Durable Inorganic Optical System (DIOS), which includes the projector's LCD panels and polarizing film. This highly advanced optical engine increases the overall reliability and performance of the PLV-Z2000 many times over traditional 3LCD projectors.

The PLV-Z2000 is outfitted with the industry's most advanced lens shifting function. When coupled with the projector's short throw capability and 2x zoom, the PLV-Z2000 can create a large screen image in any size room and from virtually any location. The lens shifting function allows wide-range shifting up or down to three screen sizes and left to right to two screen sizes. The throw design of the PLV-Z2000, is capable of projecting a 100-inch diagonal image from 10 to 20 feet away, which makes it extremely suitable for small to mid-size home theaters.

A 1200 lumen projector generates a tremendous amount of heat and requires a high quality fan to protect it. At this level of brightness, the fan is 'on' most of the time and the noise can be extremely loud and disruptive, especially in smaller home theaters where the projector and the audience are in the same vicinity. To promote greater enjoyment of the film and to reduce noise levels during quiet passages of a film, the PLV-Z2000 is equipped with the industry's quietest fan, a large aperture, low noise Sirocco cooling fan that never rises above 19dB in the economy mode.

"The PLV-Z2000 offers home theater users a high performance, cost-effective solution for 1080p projection, "says Mark Holt, the Vice President and General Manager for SANYO's Presentation Technologies Division. "The flexibility of installation due to our unique lens shifting system and the short-throw distance makes the PLV-Z2000 an excellent choice for home theater viewing. HDMI 1.3 and Full 1080p HD makes it a wise investment in the best in home theater for year's to come."

PLV-Z2000 Specifications

• Contrast Ratio: 15,000:1
• Brightness: 1200 lumens
• Video Inputs: HDMI 1.3 x 2, Component x 2, D-sub 15pin, Composite(RCA), S-Video
• Control Ports: Mini DIN 8-pin (RS232)
• Dimensions: 15.75 (W) x 5.75 (H) x 13.62 (D) inches (400 x 146 x 346 mm)
• Weight: 16 lbs. (7.3 kg)

The PLV-Z2000 will be available in October '07 and can be seen with SANYO's other fine products in booth 589 at the Colorado Convention Center during CEDIA EXPO '07 starting September 5. The PLV-Z2000 will sell for a U.S. MSRP of $2,995.99 and will be available in October 2007.

About SANYO
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. is a multi-billion-dollar global leader in providing solutions for the environment, energy and for lifestyle applications based on its Brand Vision 'Think GAIA'. SANYO Fisher Company (a division of SANYO North America Corporation, a subsidiary of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.), based in Chatsworth, California, markets mobile phones, digital projectors, digital still cameras, digital media camcorders, home appliances, security video equipment, audio systems, portable and mobile electronics and HD televisions. For more information on SANYO's complete line of projectors please call 888-495-3452 or visit www.sanyoLCD.com.