Although probably overkill for most sailboats, if you're interested in
getting a state-of-the-art, 720p HD quality projector at a reasonable
price (around $2,000 or less), you might want to look at the new
Panasonic PT-AX100 and the Sanyo PLV-Z5. Both are LCD projectors, so
they have no rotating color wheel. Check out the reviews on
www.projectorcentral.com (see excerpts below). I have last year's Sanyo
(the PLV-Z4), and the picture, projected on a 92-inch screen, is
spectacular. (No, it's not installed in my Mac 26M.)
Jim
Panasonic PT-AX100 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z5
Evan Powell, October 13, 2006
ProjectorCentral.com
"This year the head-to-head rivalry is between the Panasonic PT-AX100U
and the Sanyo PLV-Z5, both of which are native 1280x720 resolution LCD
home theater projectors selling for under $2,000. I have no idea who
will win the World Series, but when it comes to home theater projectors,
we have no shortage of prognostications."
"The big advantage of the Panasonic PT-AX100U over the Sanyo PLV-Z5 is
its much higher lumen output potential. You can bump it up to 1400 ANSI
lumens or more for a bright image in moderate ambient light for a
SuperBowl party. You can set it to Vivid Cinema and get over 800 ANSI
lumens, which is enough to successfully fill a very large screen, say
150" diagonal or more, in a dark viewing space. In ambient light, the
contrast advantage of the Z5 over the AX100U becomes irrelevant. If you
are planning to do a lot of viewing in ambient light, the AX100U is
clearly the stronger choice."
"On the other hand, if your objective is to obtain maximum image quality
in a dark theater environment, the Sanyo PLV-Z5 is the stronger
alternative. If we did not need the lumen power of the AX100U, we would
definitely choose the PLV-Z5 due to its higher contrast, lower digital
noise level, and sharper image. Additional attractions are its lower
price and three year warranty coverage—the AX100U comes standard with a
one year warranty."
"Either way, these are two outstanding home theater projectors that
represent the best of a long line of widescreen LCD products from
Panasonic and Sanyo. Both of them are impressive in their own rights and
we enthusiastically recommend either one depending upon your anticipated
viewing needs."
Capt. Rob wrote:
Gilligan wrote:
What do you think of this one:
https://usm.channelonline.com/lcdexp...?id=M002959426
Thanks!
I haven't seen it in action, but Optoma is a leader in the lower end
market along with In Focus. Just keep in mind that these projectors are
fragile. I've got 230 hours on mine so far with no problems, but out of
5 people with the same unit (that I know personally) two had color
wheel failures. Maybe it was a problem that's been worked out. I plan
to upgrade mine in about 6 months or so.
RB
35s5
NY