The Miller Channel
Sharp XV-Z10000
1-Chip DLP projector
$11,000 List
By Kevin Miller
(as appeared in Home Theater Magazine)
In late 2001 1-chip DLP projector technology reached a new plateau in picture performance with the introduction of the 1280 x 720 pixel resolution DMD (Digital Micro Mirror Device) chip. The latest version of that chip, the HD-2 chip, brings that performance to yet another milestone in DLP projector performance. The new 12-degree of the mirrors on the chip helps projectors with the HD-2 chip deliver better black level performance, and a substantially higher contrast ratio than the first generation chip set. Equipped with the new HD-2 chip, Sharp's new XV-Z10000 1-chip DLP projector, is an awesome performer, and one of the most affordable of the new generation 1280 x 720 pixel resolution DLP projectors employing the new HD-2 chip design.
The XV-Z10000's overall design is exactly the same as its predecessor the XV-Z9000. The silvery gray plated top, and a more muted light gray finish on the body of the projector lend it a slightly sportier look. The Z10000 is compact and sleek measuring 18 11/16 inches wide x 7 inches high x 19 ½ inches deep with the rear jack panel cover, and weighs a reasonable 20.7 lbs. The remote control is very well laid out and intuitive to use, and has most of the commonly used functions backlit, which is really useful when setting up in the dark. It also allows direct access to all five video inputs, as well as the color temperature, Keystone, and Resize functions. Many of the remote's commands are duplicated on the back panel under a flip down door just above the jack pack. It is a model as far as ease of use is concerned, and one of my all-time favorite remotes.
The connectivity suite on the Z10000 is comprehensive, and should be adequate for even the most sophisticated home theater systems. The unit has one composite video input, one S-Video input, two sets of component/RGBHV inputs, a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) input for use with both Set-top boxes (HDTV satellite and terrestrial HDTV receivers) and computers, a 12-volt DC output for triggering a drop down screen, a wired remote control jack, and an RS-232 port for control applications. The component inputs double as RGBHV inputs, and use all RCA connectors as opposed to the professional BNC type connectors used on most front projectors. I used Input one for the DVD component connection, and Input two for my HDTV component hookup.
As with most front projectors, the Z10000 is strictly a monitor with no TV tuner, and no speakers. As such, it offers few if any consumer convenience features. However, the Z10000 has a slew of picture enhancing features, and is extremely flexible in terms of setup. The Zoom lens is a 1:35 to 1 ratio, which is a fairly long throw. I projected a 60-inch wide picture on my 72-inch wide Stewart Filmscreen StudioTek 130 screen from a distance of about 9.5 feet. The lamp in the Z10000 is a 270-watt SHP bulb, slightly larger than the Z9000's 250-watt UHP lamp, and has the same rated light output of 800 ANSI lumens.
Aspect ratios include Side Bar (4:3), Smart Stretch for blowing up 4:3 material to fill a 16:9 screen by stretching the sides of the picture while keeping the middle of the picture proportionally correct, Cinema Zoom for wide screen non-anamorphic sources, and Stretch for anamorphic DVD and HDTV sources. In addition to the obligatory Zoom and Focus features for sizing and focusing the image a Vertical Lens adjust feature allows you to move the image up and down for added flexibility in the placement of the projector. A digital Keystone feature adds further versatility in terms of image manipulation, but I recommend minimum use of this feature for the best picture performance.
A sliding bar Color Temperature control in the user menu ranges from 5500 to 11500 Kelvin, which changes the overall color palette from a reddish warm hue to a bluish cool tone. The 6500 setting was actually in the ballpark of the NTSC broadcast standard color temperature of D6500, albeit not perfect. There are a total of six Gamma settings with two Custom settings. I used Custom 1 for the DVD calibration, and Custom 2 for the HDTV calibration, and achieved a near perfect grayscale for both sources. Color Selected is another option in the user menu with Standard, and Custom 1, 2, and 3 settings. If you choose a Custom setting you can then go into the C.M.S. (Color Management System) and change the Target, Lightness, Chroma and Hue settings. I left my review sample in the Standard setting as I found the primary colors of Red, Green, and Blue to be quite good, and the color decoding to be excellent, negating the need for changing these parameters.
The Progressive Mode function offers three different settings for the Z10000's internal video processing: 2D, 3D, and Film. Using the opening sequence of "Star Trek: Insurrection" in an A/B loop I tested all three of these modes. The 2D setting lacks the all-important 2:3 pull-down circuitry necessary for the elimination of motion artifacts and jaggies from film based material like DVD movies. The 3D and Film modes both have good 2:3 pull-down detection. I found the Film setting to be ever so slightly less noisy, and therefore used it for the DVD portion of the evaluation.
There are a total of six picture memories allowing you to optimize all your video sources separately. Gamma settings for Red, Green and Blue are accessible in the user menu, as are RGB gain and offset controls for grayscale calibration. A word of caution: manipulating these settings can drastically impact the overall color palette of the picture, and should only be used by a qualified/trained professional technician with the proper test equipment. As with its predecessor, the Z10000 also has a separate Service Menu with gray scale controls.
Under Fine Sync there are horizontal and vertical position controls, as well as, Clock and Phase settings. In the options menu there is a DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) feature, which I ultimately found helped clear up some video noise that was polluting the picture. An Economy Mode function offers a Power Save option that runs the lamp at a lower light output, but I found this to significantly reduce the contrast ratio taking the "Snap" out of the picture.
I put the Z10000 through its paces and performed a full ISF style calibration of the unit. Using a High APL (Average Picture Level) PLUGE pattern from the AVIA test DVD, I observed "White Crush" or clipping at Contrast settings above +3. Clipping is a loss of detail in whites, which of course is not desirable. At +3 contrast according to measurements taken by both my Sencore CP5000, and a Milori CF-6000 spectraradiometer, I estimated the light output at a whopping 30 to 40 footlamberts. Looking at SMPTE color bars with a Red and Green filter revealed little or no "Red Push" in the color decoder, and an improved primary color of green. After setting the color and hue with a blue filter with the SMPTE color bars I was pleasantly surprised to find no need to reduce the color level, indicating excellent color decoding.
The factory preset color temperature comes set at 8500 Kelvin. Measuring the 8500 setting with my Sencore CP5000 color analyzer I found it quite close at 8400 Kelvin at 30 IRE and 8500 at 80 IRE. Sliding the color temperature bar to 6500, the results were close in color temperature, but the x and y coordinates were off enough to warrant tweaking of the gray scale. Pre-calibration numbers were as follows: 30 IRE= 6700 and minus Red, and 80 IRE measured 6400 also minus Red. 20 IRE was distinctly plus green at 6200 Kelvin. After calibration in the Custom 1 Gamma setting I achieved a near perfect grayscale with 30 IRE dialing in at 6500, and 80 IRE at 6450 with both x and y coordinates within .002 of the reference .313 and .329, which solved the plus green issue at the very bottom of the gray scale. It is important to understand that the values of the x and y coordinates are far more important than the actual Kelvin numbers. For example, you can be very close to 6500 Kelvin, and still be visibly plus or minus green.
White Field Uniformity was superb with little or no color shift on a full white field. The scaling as mentioned above is excellent in both the 3D and Film modes, but does have some visible low-level noise. The contrast ratio is definitely better than last year's Z9000 with substantially more snap to the picture, presumably because of the new 12-degree tilt of the mirrors of the new HD-2 chip set, which creates a larger separation between the mirrors that get lit up and the ones that don't. However, I have to say the published spec of 2600:1 is certainly an exaggerated number.
Sitting back and watching some of my new reference DVD transfers after a thorough calibration of the Z10000 was an eye-popping experience. Chapter 31 of "Charlotte Gray" looked absolutely great. Super rich color saturation coupled with natural and accurate looking skin tones are both direct result of accurate color decoding, and a good (D6500) grayscale. There was some visible noise in the picture, which prompted me to adjust the Sharpness control. Taking the Sharpness down from 0 through its range to -30 only softened the picture without reducing the noise level. I then reduced the contrast level from +3 to -8, and reset black level, and the noise level dropped significantly. Chapters 4 and 5 of "Monster's, Inc." now looked smooth and clean by comparison.
HDTV from my Dish Network HD feed looked mostly spectacular. Bright scenes in particular on the demo channel sparkled with real snap, an indication of the Z10000's excellent contrast ratio. Conversely very dark scenes in movies on the HBO and Showtime HD channels exhibited a fair amount of low-level noise. This was evident in some of the darker scenes of "Shallow Hal" on the HBO HD channel.
The black level performance is definitely a step up from its predecessor. While still not quite up to CRT performance in this regard I have to say it is acceptable, and superior to what I've seen from DLP's biggest fixed pixel rival front projection technology, DILA or LCOS. The color of red on the Z10000 is impressive. It is far superior to most CRT reds, which depending upon the phosphors used often lean toward the orange side. True red is something that is hard to find on a consumer grade display device, and is a key factor in obtaining a truly cinematic home theater experience. The green on the Z10000 also appears to be more accurate (Read: less neon or limey) than on that of last year's Z9000.
The Sharp XV-Z10000U 1-chip DLP projector is definitely superior in performance to its predecessor the XV-Z9000U. Black level performance, contrast ratio, and color fidelity have all been significantly improved. While still not quite as good as a CRT based front projector, the Z10000 is so close to the performance level of a good 7-inch CRT projector that I wonder why anyone would bother with a 7-inch CRT. Of course, an 8-inch or a 9-inch CRT front projection system will go well beyond the performance capabilities of the Z10000, but they also cost three to four times what the Z10000 sells for. In my opinion this is the best bang for the buck in high-end front projection on the market today.
1-Chip DLP Projector
4/5/03
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