PC Review: Panasonic AE3000

http://www.projectorcentral.com/panasonic_ae3000_projector_review.htm

Seems to be the king of the hill for affordable 1080p projectors...for now. :)

Mmmm, yes! This one could be just what I am looking for, instead of the Mitsu HC7000. I like the lens memory capability!

Thanks!

Improved contrast makes it really nice but some of the other advancements I don't really understand so I will have to read more.

Chris

The key for me is the latitude this projector gives with regards to increasing brightness while not having any significant loss in contrast. Comes in very handy for my living room since it has ambient light.

Not sure what there's not to understand about the features. Many of them carry over from the AE2000.

I think I'm ready to upgrade from my 2003 Sony. It had quite a run but this one seems to have everything I need for the near future. Love the lens memory. Interesting to see how quickly others will adopt this feature. Since I project directly on a wall with no masking, the ability to zoom to 1:2.35 and 16:9 is very attractive.

The key for me is the latitude this projector gives with regards to increasing brightness while not having any significant loss in contrast. Comes in very handy for my living room since it has ambient light.

Not sure what there's not to understand about the features. Many of them carry over from the AE2000.

I think I'm ready to upgrade from my 2003 Sony. It had quite a run but this one seems to have everything I need for the near future. Love the lens memory. Interesting to see how quickly others will adopt this feature. Since I project directly on a wall with no masking, the ability to zoom to 1:2.35 and 16:9 is very attractive.

Good. What is this? SRT?

Frame Creation for rendering a smoother image, a rapid frame delivery option for gaming

Chris

A very nice projector indeed. I just ordered one.

A very nice projector indeed. I just ordered one.

Where did you order it from? Approx cost? (if you don't mind)

Where did you order it from? Approx cost? (if you don't mind)

Here is one source - http://www.projectorpoint.com/product/50976

Here is one source - http://www.projectorpoint.com/product/50976

Thanks! I wil wait a bit on this one until I see more reviews. I will be watching to see how it does.

That review makes it sound like this projector is the second coming.

Can any of you video buffs comment on if this is true or not?

I imagine there are still some shortcomings of lcd versus dlp? Doesn't DLP have much better contrast? How much different is this in real world conditions.

What are the disadvantages of DLP since it has better contrast?

I 'm a newbie to front projectors, so please excuse the simple questions.

How far or near can the projector be to make a 100in screen size? Is 100in the limit in screen size to the ~$2500 - 3500 price range projectors or do you just have to move the projector farther back to make the screen bigger yet? I imagine that you loose brightness and obviously quality as you make the screen bigger. Is there a point where this becomes dramatic?

DLPs have traditionally had better CR specs, but LCDs have made great improvements over the past couple years that the gap is small enough whereby the brightness that LCDs provide now become more important for those of us who have ambient light. You still have DLPs with better CRs, but it's just no longer that big of a gap unless you shop for DLPs over $10k.

The biggest disadvantage to single-chip DLPs is the use of the color wheel, which for some, causes the rainbow effect syndrome where your eyes can actually detect color separation. This usually gets solved by increasing the speed of the color wheel, but for some reason budget DLPs are still using 4x speed while the more expensive models have as high as 8x speed. This will eventually be eliminated entirely when LED light systems become common.

As for screen size, versus lens throw...each projector on Projector Central's website has an image size/throw calculator. Here's the link to the AE3000's:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE3000-projection-calculator-pro.htm

My big concern on this model comes from what I read on the reveiw comments about needing to mount the PJ colse to the center of the screen to be able to take full advantage of the 16:9/2:35 capabilities without having to manually adjust the lens shift.
It seems as though the 3000 does not have a motorized lens shift. The Mitsu HC7000 does have a mororized lens shift. My HC5000 has this feature also, which I like a lot. I hae a tall ceiling in my HT room. The HC5000 is mounted on a pole type ceiling mount with about a 18" drop. I could go lower because the PJ sits over the seating and would never be a "head knocker".... hmmmm

Definitely worth looking into dropping the ceiling mount if you can afford it.

DAMN I GOTTA GET ME ONE OF THESE!!!! LOL! :eyecrazy :banana:

[QUOTE=Loves2Watch;720383]Here is one source - \

You don't have to answer if you don't want, but I'm wondering if you got this yet and if you paid the web price on this? I'm actually a dealer and I can't even get a cost from our supplier on these yet.