Sanyo HD Projector PLV-Z700 Review
Today I am going to review the Sanyo HD Projector PLV-Z700. This an HD LCD projector, with an lamp brightness of 1200 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of up to 10,000:1. This is also an HD projector 1080p, meaning that the there are 1080 lines of resolution and the image is sequentially updated (progressive scan) which means the image is more stable and higher quality than non 1080p HD projectors.
The marketing material describes the projector as an entry level projector, but at a price of approximately £1,000 plus this seems quite high to be considered entry level.
First up, the looks. Well, whatever the quality of the projector, it is not supported by the look of this machine. Essentially it comes in a pale silver case in the shape of a small box with a lense on the front. To say that it looks a bit dated is an understatement. If I were to spend a morning with my young son building a pretend HD projector out of a cereal box, a toilet roll holder and some silver paint I would probably come up with something in close approximation to the look of the Sanyo HD Projector PLV-Z700. Sorry but the design is dated and clunky looking and for what is a pretty decent HD projector. Still, if the projector is placed in a relatively discrete location in your home cinema set-up then the looks really don’t matter. If however you are going to place this projector centre stage then don’t expect your mates to be overwhelmed by your new projector, more likely you will get a bit of stick.
Ok, now that the looks are out of the way we can move on the projector itself. First of all, it weighs in at about 11kg which is pretty heavy for a projector, and means that when you set it up you need to make sure it is stable and probably out of reach, as if it were knocked over then it could cause some nasty injury. Nevertheless, once in position, and turned on, you are sure to be impressed by the quality of the image. The sharpness is impressive and the quality of the picture first class.
The lamp has a high lumens rating and is therefore able to project a quality image over a reasonable distance, certainly over 5m which makes the projector great for using in a large room. One of the problems of setting up your own home cinema is that larger rooms tend to be better as they have more room for seating and better quality acoustics, but they do present their own problems and picture quality from a projector a long way from the HD projector screen is one such issue. The Sanyo HD Projector PLV-Z700 essentially solves this problem. This is backed up by the quality of the zoom on the lense which allows a sharp image to be created at each of the varying distances you choose.
All in all, if you can overcome your shock at the clunky design, this is a first rate HD projector that you would do well to consider as a purchase for your home cinema set-up. All you need with your Sanyo HD Projector PLV-Z700 is a decent quality 5.1 sound system and a good quality HD projector screen and you will be all set. I commend this projector to you.