The Sharp XV-Z3000 DLP projector is part of Sharp’s High Definition Home Theatre Projector series and has a native resolution of 1280 x 768 (WXGA) provided by a DarkChip 2 DLP chip by Texas Instruments.

The XV-Z3000’s brightness level of 1200 ANSI lumens is the highest in Sharp’s high definition home theatre projector range and more than suitable for its intended home theatre application. At 1200 lumens a moderate amount of ambient light is tolerable while still projecting a suitably bright projected image. The 6,500:1 contrast ratio is excellent.

Texas Instruments DarkChip 2 DMD Microdisplay Chipset

The Sharp XV-Z3000 projector is based on microdisplay technology having a single Texas Instruments DarkChip 2 DLP chip. The chip has millions of tiny mirrors that switch on and off some 15,000 times per second to create the video output required. This sort of speed is required for delivering sharp pictures for sport and other fast movement video.

One of the features obtained with using the DarkChip 2 DMD is BrilliantColor which is a Texas Instruments trademarked technology for delivering improved brightness and a wider range of colors. Traditionally, most display devices render images using a combination of the three primary colors red, green and blue. The full gamut of colors visible to the human eye cannot be reproduced using this approach, with the color space subset covered not including vivid colors such as yellow and cyan commonly seen in nature. By processing up to six color channels BrilliantColor allows vendors, such as Sharp, to create multi-primary color systems by adding colors such as yellow, cyan and magenta colors for color rendering. As well as increasing the color space which can be rendered with the added color filters the system also utilizes the light source more efficiently with a 50% increase of 50% brightness. In the case of the XV-Z3000, Sharp are using a 6-segment color wheel capable of x5 speed. The higher speed and large number of segments greatly reduces the possibility of viewers noticing any rainbow effects associated with single chip/color wheel DLP projection systems.

Another benefit of BrilliantColor technology derives from its use of floating point arithmetic for more accurate rendering calculations. According to Texas Instruments, this results in less noise and more accurate colors at the display with over 200 trillion color shades being possible.

Dual-Iris Mechanism with Three Modes

The Sharp XV-Z3000 has a Dual-Iris Mechanism for their optical engines. One iris is for projecting images and the other for adjusting illuminating conditions. Also, the remote control can be used to select from the Quick set modes (via remote control) high-contrast, middle, and high-brightness are available adjust for screen conditions for watching movies, sports, or other video feeds.

Sealed Optics

Sharp seal the optical mechanism for their DLP projectors to prevent dust, dirt and smoke from entering core parts of the optics.

Projector Setup Flexibility

The Z3000 has little to offer in the way of set-up flexibility and the details of how you would position the projector should be considered carefully before purchase.

• The small throw offset angle of the Z3000 could provide some setup difficulties with ceiling mount height.
• There is no lens shift for keystone correction
• The lens has some zoom (1.15:1 ratio) however, it is fairly limited giving little flexibility in distance of the projector from the screen.

Connections

The Z3000 has a single HDMI input which is better than some in Sharps other high definition projector series which do not have one at all. Twin HDMI inputs are now fairly much an essential with the proliferation of 1080p high definition signals available. Neither swapping cables or a switching box are attractive options.

There is also only a single DVI input

Video Scaling

The Z3000 uses Sharp’s proprietary TrueVision Image Processing, which up-converts standard resolution signals to the native resolution of the projector (1280 x 720).

Lamp Life

Lamp life is quoted as up to 3,000 hours.

Warranty

The XV-Z3000 comes with a one year warranty on parts and labor. One year seems to becoming common for projector warranties however, some still come with two years.

Comparison

Other projectors in the Sharp high definition home theatre range include the XV-Z20000, XV-Z12000, XV-Z10000 and the DT-500.

The XV-Z20000 is a higher specification, and more recent, projector with the major differences from the XV-3000 being:

• higher resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080)
• higher 12000:1 contrast ratio
• lower brightness of 1000 ANSI lumens
• twin HDMI inputs
• has lens shift
• greater zoom range

The more prominent differences between the XV-Z12000 specifications and the XV-Z3000 are:

• resolution of 720p (1280 x 720)
• slightly higher contrast ratio of 7000:1
• lower brightness of 1000 ANSI lumens
• no HDMI input
• has lens shift
• greater zoom range

The XV-Z10000’s major specification differences to the XV-Z3000 are:

• 720p (1280 x 720) resolution
• slightly lower 6500:1 contrast ratio
• lower brightness of 1000 ANSI lumens
• no HDMI input
• has lens shift
• greater zoom range

The DT-500’s major specification differences to the XV-Z3000 are:

• lower 4000:1 contrast ratio

Further Reading

Sharp AQuos LC-46D62U and LC-52D62U LCD Televisions Review

Sharp XG-C330X and XG-C430X LCD Projectors Review

Projection Screen Selection

Extending Projector Lamp Life

Replacement Projector Lamps and Bulbs Guide

User Reviews and Price Comparisons

SharpVision XV-Z3000 – DLP projector – 1200 ANSI lumens – WXGA (1280 x 768) – widescreen – High Definition 720p

Projector-Gear Projector Ceiling Mount fits SHARP XV-Z3000 Projectors

Specifications