Sanyo PLC-XF10NZ User Reviews

We purchased ours without the stock zoom lens, preferring to use a Buhl fixed-focal length lens. Lens installation, while not difficult, was hampered by the lack of necessary metric hardware which was not supplied with either the lens or projector. We produce a 12-foot wide image at a distance of about 65 feet, and it is clear and bright enough to be plainly legible even with lights on and windows unshaded. The image quality is excellent, producing well saturated colors, even in highlights. We control the projector with both the wired remote control and a program I wrote for our PC, which communicates via the projector's RS232 port. The latter provides feedback on what the projector is actually doing, as we have installed it away from the operator's position. Sanyo could improve their documentation on the use of this port; I ended up relying heavily on documentation found on the internet for the similar Eiki model.

Any Problems: After about three operating hours, the lamp exploded, making a big racket and leaving a mess of broken quartz to clean up. The first optical surface in front of the lamp was also damaged. Sanyo took back the projector and cleaned it but did not replace the damaged surface, stating that it would not affect projector performance. While objectively this appears to be true, the experience did not inspire confidence in the unit or in Sanyo's support. Since this was essentially a brand new unit, I would have hoped for them to return it to that condition. The unit has operated without incident since, although I admit that I still cringe every time I turn the power on. As an aside, we purchased a spare lamp assembly with the projector -- and it was defective out of the box: the bulb was never cemented properly to the reflector and would not stay in the focal point, resulting in a very dim image. Because of timing issues, Sanyo would not replace the lamp (they base warranty on the purchase date, not the date put into service -- and we finally got around to trying the lamp just after it went beyond the warranty period). The net result was that before we put the projector into regular service, we had lost two lamps. Much as it pains me, I no longer keep a spare lamp on hand, as we cannot afford to risk $400 per lamp this way.