Sanyo PLV-Z5

Color temperature (User Mode, Low 2 Color Temperature before/User Mode, Custom Color Temperature after calibration):
20 IRE: 6,369 / 6,800 K
30 IRE: 6,190 / 6,471 K
40 IRE: 6,257 / 6,421 K
50 IRE: 6,456 / 6,429 K
60 IRE: 6,468 / 6,515 K
70 IRE: 6,513 / 6,521 K
80 IRE: 6,521 / 6,516 K
90 IRE: 6,532 / 6,581 K
100 IRE: 6,909 / 6,864 K

Brightness (Eco Lamp mode, 100-IRE window before/after calibration): 13.6 / 14.2 ftL

Primary Color Point Accuracy vs. SMPTE HD Standard

With the Sanyo's User picture-adjustment mode and Low 2 Color Temperature preset selected, its grayscale tracked within ±320 degrees kelvin of the 6,500-K standard from 20 to 100 IRE, which is average performance. Adjustments to the red, green, and blue Gain and Offset settings in the projector's Advanced picture menu corrected for a slight green deficiency and improved grayscale tracking to within ±81 K from 30 to 90 IRE. Color-decoder tests showed fairly large +10% red and blue and +5% green errors via the HDMI inputs and ±5% error via the component-video inputs. The projector's red, green, and blue primary color points also displayed a degree of oversaturation as compared to the SMPTE HD specification. Fortunately, the Sanyo's advanced Color Management controls helped correct for these issues somewhat.

Overscan — the amount of picture area cut off at the edges of the display area — measured 0% for 720p signals with the Overscan option set to Off (a variable overscan adjustment lets you boost that amount up to 8%). The projector displayed 720p test patterns with full resolution via the HDMI and component-video connections. Screen uniformity was very good, with no sign of color tinting on gray full-field test patterns. The Sanyo failed the video- and film-mode deinterlacing tests on a high-def Silicon Optix HQV test disc, indicating problems with downconversion of 1080i signals to the projector's native 720p resolution. Standard-def HQV DVD tests were a mixed bag: The Sanyo's Film Progressive mode delivered proper 2:3 pulldown compensation for film-based DVD images, but the projector failed most of the other deinterlacing tests, and upconverted 480i signals generally looked soft.

At around 14 foot-lamberts, the projector's post-calibration brightness was more than adequate for dark-room viewing on an 87-inch wide, 100-inch diagonal screen. Switching from Eco to Normal lamp mode yielded even better brightness but at the cost of a significant boost in fan noise. Best-case full-on/full-off contrast that I measured was 1,241:1 with the Auto 2 Lamp Iris mode selected and the Lens Iris set to a midpoint (-22). Though far from the best I've seen, this is good performance for a budget LCD projector.