Chatsworth, Calif. – Sanyo has launched a new home-theater-targeted LCD projector which it says produces a 10,000:1 contrast ratio.
The projector, model PLV-Z5, $1,695 minimum advertised price, features an unusual “twin-iris system,” that integrates a lens aperture and lamp aperture to deliver what the company calls “true-to-life images with outstanding gradation in a variety of viewing environments.”
Native resolution is listed at 1,280-by-720p, and unit brightness is said to be 1,100 ANSI lumens.
Sanyo’s newly developed TopazReal Technology combines the brightness level of the lamp output and newly designed LCD panels to achieve a sharp picture in scenes with a wide range of brightness levels.
The technology is also said to produce “crisp, bright high-contrast images, even in well-lit environments.”
Inputs include two HDMI and two sets of HD component video, in addition to composite and S-video standard definition inputs. PCs can be attached to the projector via a D-sub 15 input.
Other features in the unit include 3D-color management that allows the viewer to adjust and save the hue, gamma curve, and level of any color and fine-tuning the image settings enables compensation for specific conditions in every viewing environment, the company said.
With a brightness of 1,100 ANSI lumens, the PLV-Z5 can project images on a 100W-inch screen from a mere distance of 9.8 feet (up to 20 feet) to provide a big image for widescreen HD, Sanyo said.
The unit adds 12-bit digital video processing of RGB color. This projector will sense a darker scene coming and automatically turn the image brightness down (through the twin iris and lamp react functions). Then, when the scene brightness up, so does the on-screen image, automatically and seamlessly. This process adds teeth to the dynamic contrast ratio to reproduce deeper, truer images.
Another new feature in the unit maintains dust control. The lens is protected from dust by a motor-operated sliding shutter that can be opened or closed automatically by remote control, the company said.
The PLV-Z5 offers users a three-year warranty. In addition, Sanyo is offering an after-purchase $200, mail-in rebate running between Oct. 20, 2006 and Jan. 31, 2007.
