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After spending a very enjoyable week with Sanyo's PLV-60, it's become clear to me that Sanyo is working hard to kill two birds with one stone. Well, three if you count Sony.
While the PLV-60 is being touted as a home theater projector, it's equally at ease in the boardroom with a graphics display optimized for computer output and features that are best used for business presentations as opposed to everyday home theater use. Many of these business features, like keystone correction, lens shift and digital zoom, make for a very easy home theater installation as well. Lens shifting and keystone correction, for example, are two features that once your projector is permanently installed, you'll never have cause to use again. I doubt many home theater users will access the digital zoom function once the novelty wears off, because it's 
really not very useful for watching movies. But on the road, these features will be used extensively. All of these "convenience" items, including quick-adjust height extensions on the front, are clearly designed to get this unit set up and calibrated for optimum display in the shortest time possible.
Ever since the revolutionary development of the Sony VPL-W400Q (hands down, the absolute finest value in home theater big screen entertainment a few years ago), consumers have been searching for the next logical evolution for this machine. Sony made great strides in this regard, but the VPL-VW10HT for some, made too many departures from what made the W400Q such an endearing performer. Gone was the delta pixel array and fly-eye lens configuration that eliminated any trace of pixel structure from 6' - 8' back. Gone also was the noisy fan (a huge plus), which was moved up front and replaced with a quieter two-speed unit. Gone too was the deliciously long throw lens that enabled the W400Q to project across an entire room without overshooting your screen parameters. The 10HT was a radical new design, not merely an upgrade.
Sony also was plagued by production delays and quality control with the VW10HT-- the latter being the same Achilles heel of the W400Q. Owners of the 10HT are a resourceful bunch, however, and have managed to overcome many of the 10HT's shortcomings. While Sony no doubt hopes to fine tune their own successor to the popular home theater projector with their forthcoming 11HT, Sanyo has just sneaked in the back door with a projector destined to garner a lot of positive attention and in my opinion, provides a significantly superior home theater experience than the 10HT.
Sanyo's introduction of the PLV-60 marks the introduction of the first competitor to Sony that offers true 16:9 LCD panels -- an attribute highly desirable for DVD enthusiasts.
Most LCD projectors were (and still are) designed for the business presentation market, including the aforementioned Sony W400Q. But the original 16:9 panel projector was intended to provide superior video as opposed to computer data output. With an output of 400 ANSI lumens (on a good day) and graphics display that didn't work very well with computers, the W400Q was a dud in the presentation market, but caught on like wildfire when it was discovered by a few early adopters (myself being among the first) to perform exceptionally well with the just-emerging DVD market in early 1997.
Until now, Sony was the only game in town for 16:9 LCD projectors -- and in a sense, they still are as they are manufacturing the very panels employed in this new Sanyo unit. The 11HT, more of a revision of the 10HT than a radical new design, is probably intended to address the embarrassing fact that with the PLV-60, Sanyo has (so far, at least) managed to put Sony's technology to better use than Sony has...
Boasting a contrast ratio of 700:1 and featuring a bright 250 watt bulb which generates what appears to be an honest 1300 ANSI lumens, the PLV-60 simply outclasses the 10HT with a brighter, more colorful image and a markedly improvement in perceived black level, thanks largely to the fantastic film-like contrast. The reason I use the term "perceived" black level is because like any LCD projector, there's still a certain amount of light that bleeds through the pixels, which basks the white screen surface in dark gray light. The brighter the bulb, the lighter this shade of gray is apt to be. This remains the only real weakness of using modern LCD projectors in the home theater environment. This objection is often overcome or at least mitigated satisfactorily by the incredible ease of use and bright, colorful images that can be rendered. In the case of the PLV-60, with better than three times the contrast ratio of the 10HT, the perception of black level during all but the very darkest scenes is a substantial improvement.
There is a very good reason why Stewart Filmscreen Corp. developed the Grayhawk screen material for LCD projectors and that it's selling like hotcakes: It's designed to take the LCD light spill and darken it better than a white screen can, thereby increasing the perceived contrast levels even further.
To give you an idea of the throw distance, the following table represents minimum and maximum zoom ranges (in inches) at specific distances between your diagonally measured 16:9 screen and the projector.
Zoom Range Distance 31"-40" at 4.43' (1.35m)
77" to 100" at 11.5' (3.5m)
154" to 200" at 22.9' (7.0m)
231" to 300" at 34.1' (10.4m) 308" to 400" at 45.9' (14.0m)
For my testing, I used the same 119" 1.1 matte white screen that I've used to review other projectors to keep the comparisons consistent and meaningful. That being said, as soon as I have the opportunity (and a couple of strong friends available), I'll be installing our new Stewart Grayhawk screen, which I expect to create a marvelous viewing experience from an already impressive one with the PLV-60. The projector was placed the maximum available distance from my screen at 17' 6" with the zoom set to minimum in order to prevent light spillage outside of the screen borders. The closest it could be to the screen using maximum zoom is roughly 13' 5" +-2" Long throw and wide angle lenses are available as pricey options -- and swapping the lens assembly doesn't look to be quite as consumer friendly as it is with the Sony VW10HT.
If Sanyo really wants to quickly gain market share with this projector, they should offer the PLV-60 with no lens, and allow the purchaser to choose which lens best fits their home theater environment. Why? Because the PLV-60 will be more than an entry level machine for many enthusiasts who have already built their home theaters around pre-existing equipment.
The upgrade market demands more flexibility than the entry level market in terms of hardware positioning flexibility. Citing my own installation for example, my W400Q fits neatly behind the back wall of my home theater, projecting across the room to the screen on the opposite wall. This is my preferred setup -- and I already have the cutout in my wall. All I need is a projector that fits in the same space (more or less) and can match the throw distance of the W400Q lens. The Sony 10HT couldn't do this with it's forward-firing fan and short throw distance. Neither can the stock PLV-60. While the rear-firing exhaust fan is more like the W400Q I currently own, the throw distance is about 5' too short. With all due respect to the artists who design these sexy projector cases, I don't want to see them. I only want to see the images they produce.
Setup of the PLV-60 is incredibly simple for even a home theater novice. Thanks to the 10 degree motorized lens shift and electronic keystone correction, very few installations will require the projector to be inverted, but reversing and flipping 
the image from the menu is a simple process in case your installation needs require it. Ceiling mounts are available through your A/V dealer if you should require one. The menu also contains a handy setting for using this projector as a rear projection unit.
The internal fan is among the quietest I've heard and the speed is variable, based upon the cooling demands of the projector. An internal thermostat adjusts the fan speed depending on the internal heat inside the case. In theory, this is a fine idea, however I did find the audible change in pitch from the fan output a bit distracting once or twice during very quiet moments. In fairness, I should add that when this took place, the projector was within a couple of inches of the wall in the rear of my room, closer than the whopping three feet of space the manual suggests, which probably meant that the fan had to work harder to dispel the warm exhaust air than it should have to under most conditions. I find that 3 feet of clearance is a bit ridiculous and suspect a typo in the manual. Five or six inches should be fine.
So just how loud is the fan? Very similar to the VW10HT, but perhaps a bit quieter -- impressive considering the 1300 ANSI lumen output, nearly double that of the 10HT when it's in "cinema black" mode. I'd place the general fan noise somewhere between the low and high fan speed on the 10HT. Never heard the fan on a VW10HT? Got one of those dual 9" electric fans that sit in your window in your home or apartment? The projector emits about half the noise output of the lowest speed setting. In any case, I don't find the noise from the fan objectionable at all and would not consider a "hush box" to be a necessary accessory. In general, I can't hear the fan at all while watching movies and when I can, do not find it to be a significant distraction.
The PLV-60 sports three air intakes, each with its own filter that needs to be removed and cleaned periodically. Removing the cover takes a bit of patience and coordination. You'll need both hands to pull back the four tabs that hold the filter cover in place.
Only time will tell whether this is an improvement over Sony's dust-plagued design in which tiny particles make their into the optical path in "normal" operating environments. Sanyo cautions that this projector should not be operated in dusty or smoky conditions, so I have the feeling that a certain measure of care will still be necessary. No smoking in the theater, please. 
The wireless (but optionally wired) remote takes a bit of getting used to and unfortunately, it isn't backlit. The buttons are small and close together. For example, it's easy to accidentally hit "digital zoom" instead of motorized zoom, which can be a little disconcerting because the functions are very different. Digital zoom is an electronic zoom that allows you to pan any to any area of the screen and magnify it up to 16 times. Expect the resulting image to be somewhat blocky when magnifying with digital zoom. While I can think of no reason a home theater enthusiast would require this feature, it's a great tool for presentation purposes. The 
remote features two code settings, so that in the rare event you've got two PLV-60's sitting side by side, each can be independently controlled via wireless remote. Again, this is more for the presentation market than geared for the home theater crowd.
Another gimmicky feature that I've actually enjoyed playing with more than I would have thought is the "freeze" button, which does exactly what it sounds like and grabs a frame off the image you're watching and displays it until you press the freeze button (or any other button) on the remote. The image is crystal clear and every bit as clean as using the pause button. Unlike pause however, the program continues to play normally with the audio continuing on as if nothing has happened while the frozen image remains plastered on the display. There's also an electronic blanking circuit activated by the "no show" button, which blacks out the image on the screen. Again, more of a presentation feature, but perhaps nice to use when those annoying copyright notices come on when you're starting a DVD. You wouldn't want all those paying customers to know that it's illegal for you to use the DVD that way while they're waiting for the show to begin, would you?
As can be expected, the surrounding border of each pixel is visible at close range, creating a "screen door" effect more or less identical to the Sony VW10HT (since they are the same LCD panels). However, this artifact is rendered all but moot at normal viewing distances relative to your screen size, when taking advantage of the full 1366 x 768 resolution (3,147,264 total pixels divided over three LCD panels). Additionally, the higher the resolution you are watching, the less likely that you are to notice anything objectionable. Part of my testing included watching the re-mastered DVD of THE SHINING and the resulting image looked so incredible I felt like I could almost walk into the picture. Pixel structure? What pixel structure?
The Sanyo PLV-60 employs a multi-scan system to automatically conform to almost any computer output very quickly. Additionally, manual controls in computer mode help you sync the projector with any peculiar computer that might pose a problem for the processing. A handy one-touch auto PC adjustment from either the projector or the remote automatically adjusts the incoming video signals to provide the optimum output without any complicated, manual fussing, though the option to tweak to your heart's content is readily available.
One of the areas that I pay close attention to when reviewing projectors is the uniformity of brightness and color across the entire screen. A really easy way to detect unwanted shifts is to observe grayscale only. The PLV-60 unit that I am using (out of the box and not specially calibrated by the factory or anyone else in anticipation of this review) boasts the finest uniformity of any LCD, DLP or D-ILA projector that I have seen to date. It's rock-solid from one side of the screen to the next.
I set the contrast, brightness, sharpness and white balance with the Avia disc which rendered significant improvement over the already excellent factory settings. It should be noted that there are two distinct display modes, each with their own unique set of controls. Computer and video. Common controls to both include selection of up to three inputs, each offering a choice of Video, S-video, Y/C; Y,Pb/Cb,Pr/Cr; and RGB. The projector automatically tunes to most different types of computers (including Mac) based on VGA, SVGA, XGA or SXGA. The PC system can also be selected manually.
In computer mode, manual PC adjustment includes parameters for fine sync to eliminate flicker (0-255); total dots in one horizontal period to match your PC number; horizontal picture position; vertical picture position; total horizontal lines to match PC output and clamping. There's also an option to set the display area from several pre-set parameters (640 x 480, 720 x 400, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768, 1152 x 864 and 1280 x 1024 or you can set the display area manually. Additional controls in this menu include horizontal and vertical scale adjustments, a true setting to provide 1:1 pixel mapping across the 1366 x 768 display field and the ability to store or erase these settings in five different memory banks.
The reason why I determined that the Quadscan Pro is unnecessary is twofold. The PLV-60 provides a great image connected directly to the image source and doesn't really benefit that much by the processing afforded from the Quadscan. The Quadscan's internal scaler and processing, while excellent, does not contain a 1366 x 768 mode, meaning that in order to fit the image to the screen, both the internal scaler of the PLV-60 and the Quadscan must be employed. No thanks. Image level adjustments in computer mode include contrast (white level), brightness (black level) and individual white balance adjustments for red, green and blue. There's also a gamma control that provides limited practical use, but it's still nice to have. A decent progressive scan DVD player is the "E" ticket ride for this rig.
Switching to video mode eliminates all the computer adjustment options, naturally, but several other options open up for picture adjustment, including color signal selections that are set to auto; PAL, SECAM; NTSC; NTSC4.43, PAL-M or PAL-N. Component video input can be automatically selected or set to 1080i-60, 1080i-50, 1035i, 720p, 575p, 480p, 575i and 480i. The PLV-60 works seamlessly with the RCA DTC-100 HDTV tuner, which sure makes life a lot easier. The projector also automatically converts interlaced signals to progressive scan signals. Picture image adjustments are altered slightly from computer mode as well, with the elimination of true mode, digital zoom and the addition of several other controls, including color saturation, tint, sharpness, a noise reduction circuit and a switch to provide progressive scan mode. Most adjustments range in increments from 0-63, with the exception of sharpness, which is wisely limited to 31 (no doubt to help the inexperienced avoid over-sharpening artifacts) and Gamma which ranges from 0-15. I found the middle setting for the gamma (neutral) to be the most pleasing in most instances, whether in computer or video mode.
In computer mode, the picture adjustment menu includes normal (4:3), full (16:9 enhanced), true (1:1 pixel mapping) and digital zoom. In video mode, these controls are transformed to Full (16:9 enhanced), zoom (to fill the 16:9 panels by cropping a 4:3 source image), normal (4:3) and wide zoom.
Two features the Sony VW10HT has which the PLV-60 doesn't: Subtitle mode (which squashes the subtitles at the bottom of the screen) and a 12v trigger jack. I'm not so sure that either one of these items will be missed as neither were particularly well designed to begin with.
The general settings menu includes language selection, keystone correction (which is also available directly on the remote), a toggle between blue and black for the default "no signal" screen display, a display toggle to disable the onscreen display of menu commands other than "on screen menu" and the "Power off?" message. Turning the projector off requires two clicks of the off button. The first generates the query, the second turns off the bulb. The fans time out a few minutes later.
Upon power up, a Sanyo logo appears (which can also be thoughtfully toggled off by the user under the aforementioned menu). At the top of the screen a :30 countdown timer begins as the lamp brightness slowly ramps up. After :30, it's show time.
There is also a power management setting that will cause the projector to time out and shut down automatically after five minutes of receiving no input signal. The projector also starts up in this mode when any button on the remote is pressed with signal present.
The PLV-60 is rated at 800 horizontal TV lines and can project an image from 31" to a whopping 400". That's a 33-foot screen, folks. The three inputs are as follows:
1: HDB 15 pin Type terminal (RGB)
2: BNC Type jacks (Video/Y, C/Pb(CB), Pr(CR))/(G, B, R, H, V)
3: RCA Type jacks (Video/Y, Pb(CB), Pr(Cr))
There is also an S-Video input and three sets of RCA audio in jacks (R and L(mono)) and an HDB 9-pin serial port terminal. The 250 watt bulb (part number 6102854824) is realistically rated from 1,000 to 2,000 hours. Expect your mileage to fall somewhere in between those figures. At the time of this review publication, we still don't have word from Sanyo as to the type of bulb, but based on what we're hearing, it's probably a UHP. Retail is $580 but expect street pricing of closer to $440. That's still a chunk. A lamp replacement counter (which sets some sort of an internal countdown clock to remind you when to change your bulb after 1,000 hours) must be reset when changing bulbs, though no onscreen display of operating hours is available. Great for owners reselling their projectors somewhere down the road, but not so great for buyers who will have no way to check actual hours of use on the bulb or machine, unless they're smart like you and access the hidden service menu by pressing the "up" arrow twice and holding it for about 20 seconds. To exit the service mode, press the power button once only (pressing twice will turn off the projector lamp and start the cool-down phase, which is timed at three minutes from shut-down).
Weighing in at just over 20 lbs, the PLV-60 features a solid feeling carrying handle that folds neatly under the input jacks and has a removable dust cover for the lens (no surprise there). I've been asked whether or not the Cygnus lens depixelizers will fit within the lens shroud and I do not have the definitive answer. I suspect it might interfere with the motorized lens shift travel, but I could be wrong. My feeling is this: If a projector requires a Cygnus lens attachment to perform adequately, it's time to start shopping for a different projector. I'm opposed to rewarding manufacturers of current LCD product for sloppy engineering that requires the use of a device geared towards LCD technology circa 1994. In my opinion, the PLV-60 does not warrant the use of such a device. At typical seating distances, the pixel structure, even to the trained eye, is rarely visible at all.
While Faroudja processing and enhancements from scalers that can match the native resolution of the PLV-60 can only be sweet icing on the cake, you can take my word that this projector performs very nicely all by itself -- with adequate source material, obviously. Don't expect miracles from your VHS collection. But connected to a progressive scan DVD player or even a good component output standard interlaced DVD player, I feel confident that most consumers would be delighted with the image attributes afforded 
by this projector. For the tweakers, the service menu is there just waiting for you. I didn't alter any of the settings, but it appears that doing so is only possible via the remote control. If my experience with the PLV-60 is any indication, you'll have no need to ever visit the service menu except to see how many hours you've put on your bulb.
I viewed a variety of DVD movies using the Quadscan Pro scaler; straight component input from my Sony DVP-7000 (I know, a dinosaur) and component input via the progressive scan Toshiba DVD player. The Quadscan yielded wonderful results, but as I learned later in the week during testing, a progressive scan DVD player proved every bit as formidable. I watched the entire 4:3 version of the digitally re-mastered THE SHINING, the 1.85:1 COURAGE UNDER FIRE and a few other titles this way and was nearly awe-struck at how well this projector performed.
Disconnecting the Quadscan and removing it from the video chain all together, I played THE SHINING again, connected directly to my Sony DVP-7000 to see how much of a difference removing the scaler made. I did notice some aliasing of rounded or slanted edges at first. Then I backed off the sharpness control on the projector (which is only available in video mode), calibrated the rest of the video controls with Avia and came away with the conclusion that yes, the Quadscan Pro did make the image quality a little nicer, but not the kind of startling difference that outboard scalers make to other projectors like the JVC G-11 and G-15 D-ILA units. With those machines, a scaler of some sort is really a necessity. With the PLV-60, I would have to say that a scaler like the Quadscan would not be the optimum choice since it doesn't have a setting to match the output of the full native resolution of this projector, creating a case of diminished returns. To reiterate, the difference in image quality is there, but not to the tune of $1,800 to purchase the Quadscan. Buy a progressive scan DVD player to go with this projector instead. Trust me on this one.
I followed up THE SHINING (4:3) with a screening of PANIC (Artisan Entertainment, 1.85:1) and could not detect any real instances of aliasing at all. Just a good, bright, colorful, detailed and enjoyable picture, not as crisp as THE SHINING, but good enough for me to think "wow." Calibrating the video controls made the difference. Sometimes it's easy to forget with projectors that the settings for component versus computer versus composite video are all separate and must be adjusted accordingly.
The photo at the right was taken a little before one PM. As you can see by the light on the front of the projector itself, there is plenty of ambient light in the room leaking through the vertical slats of the wood blinds which cover nearly the entire West facing wall. This picture is an accurate depiction of the amount of light that was in the room. Not bright, but certainly not dark, either.
I wanted to take a couple of screenshots (that by definition, cannot do the image justice since my digital camera is only capable of a resolution of 640 x 480. Additionally these images are all highly compressed for faster loading. My intention is only to show you what the general on-screen menu looks like.
...and to demonstrate how bright and solid the image appears in a room with abundant ambient light. Look carefully enough, and you'll see that I did not take care to realign the projector after moving it to take some photos of it (I didn't refocus either, for that matter). There is a thin band of gray above the image, which is actually the top portion of my screen. Notice also how the brightness of the image caused the iris in my camera to automatically close a bit, giving the illusion that it's much darker in the surrounding area of the screen.
The final phase of my testing yielded the most satisfying images of all. I connected a new Toshiba dual-disc SD-6200 progressive scan DVD player to the PLV-60 and took another look at THE SHINING, while I tweaked the settings on the SD-6200 in both the interlaced and progressive modes. The resulting picture was fantastic. Bright, vivid colors, sharp detail and absolutely no motion artifacts or other problems that I could see. The new DVD player took some getting used to, but I managed to figure it out without having to crack open the manual, thank goodness. I think I just purchased my next DVD player. After seeing progressive scan video, I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon at last.
The real thrill came late into the evening when I watched part of the soon-to-be re-released THE FUGITIVE. During this time, I entered the projector menu and changed the system from 480i to 480p. Even though the Toshiba was already set to progressive output -- and the differences were discernible before -- syncing the projector and DVD player this way yielded stunningly good results. I had also loaded the old Clint Eastwood flick, KELLY'S HEROES into the second disc slot on the Toshiba and in a word, I was flabbergasted. I was expecting an average transfer, but was greeted with clarity and detail along with an extremely clean print ala NORTH BY NORTHWEST, which truly made the DVP-60 shine. I had to really strain to find discernable pixel structure while watching this film. At a seating distance of 14' from my 119" screen, I just couldn't see any. Wow.
Want to see how bright the projected image of the PLV-60 is when compared side by side with a 20" television? The photo shows the PLV-60 with neutral brightness settings. The picture that follows it had the brightness and contrast increased about 1/3 of the maximum available. This is something I could never, would never do with my beloved Sony W400Q.
This has got to be hands down, the finest performing LCD projector I've seen to date -- no exaggerations here, folks. To my eyes, the PLV-60 outperforms some very pricey single chip DLP projectors costing thousands more, which either don't have the brightness or suffer from visible pixel structure (and both 4:3). The PLV-60 comes closer to D-ILA performance than any projector I've seen for under about $14,000, making it a solid value at the list price, and an even more attractive consideration at the street price. The only other projector that I've experienced in its class could be the new DLP unit from Yamaha -- but that one doesn't have true 16:9 panels, making this Sanyo projector the one to beat.
The only improvements that I can think of for this projector for home theater use would be the addition of two, independent and fully functioning 12 volt trigger outputs accessible via remote control, a larger, backlit remote (Marantz & Phillips, here we come!), the option of selecting the best lens to match your installation requirements, and an easier to access bulb timer (though you can see it by entering the service mode, I finally discovered). Other than that, the PLV-60 has a rich assortment of bells and whistles for you to enjoy. This very capable LCD projector would seem to have just about everything that a home theater owner could hope for. Pair it with a Stewart Grayhawk screen and I believe you could charge admission. Hey, that "no show" button might come in handy after all!
Overall, I'm very impressed with the internal doubler and scaler employed by the PLV-60 -- especially after seeing progressive scan programming. I'm envious of those who can experience HDTV with this projector as I have no doubt whatsoever it is a solid performer in this area as well. I do own an RCA DTC-100 and the connections and operation of these two machines together is seamless and hassle free.
If I learned anything in my week with the PLV-60, it's that you really do need to take some time to calibrate the projector properly. Doing so makes all the difference in the world in performance. Keep in mind when employing the 1:1 pixel mapping in "true" mode, the best results will only be achieved when your source material can output the full 1366 x 768 native resolution that the PLV-60 is capable of generating. But if it can, watch out!
The Sanyo PLV-60 is backed by a 3-year parts and labor warranty that includes 4 day turnaround. Sanyo will arrange to have the projector overnight shipped to their service center, then overnight it back to you within 48 hours of receiving it -- Sanyo pays for the shipping in both directions. Very nice. After my week with the PLV-60, it's going to be tough to let it go. This is a machine I would like to keep for my DVD software reviews.
Sayonara, Sony.
For more questions and further objective discussion about the Sanyo PLV-60, enter our Sanyo LCD projector forum here at TheBIGPictureDVD.com.