Just in case Panasonic's
PT-AX200U isn't really your style, the firm is apparently hoping to grab some of your hard earned cash anyway with the PT-AE2000U. This HT-centric LCD
projector rocks a stunning 1,920 x 1,080 native resolution, puts out 1,500 lumens of brightness, and features a 16,000:1 contrast ratio for good measure. Sporting a subtle, black design, the projector also includes Panny's Detail Clarity Processor to sharpen up those edges, Pure Color Filter Pro, and Smooth Screen technology to "reduce the black lines between pixels." Furthermore, pro users will likely love the Split Adjust mode -- which "allows users to split the screen into two halves, one to make picture adjustments and one to see those adjustments as a baseline reference" -- and the trio of
HDMI ports should keep you satisfied for the time being. No word on pricing just yet, but watch for this one to hit dealers in October.
posted Sep 6th 2007 10:33AM
I have and love the AE900U and I am going to get this next. I can honestly say that a black room and good projector is the best video you can get period. There is a lot of other factors like screens and material on the walls, but still if you can dedicate a room to this beast you won't be disappointed. Blows away my Sony 50" LCD and my Samsung 40" LCD. Now with good 1080p projectors at a lower price than the larger LCDs it is a no brainer.
Panasonic has a way of mucking with the video output that makes it unsuitable for some uses. Think of an audio player's equalizer function that adds effects (concert hall, etc), sometimes they conflict with the original audio engineer's ideas, and the result is horrible. There is just no way an algorithm can second guess every visual circumtsance.
In particular, Panasonic's "optimizations" can degrade computer output, since they are optimized for the (hopefully retro by now) idea of using a projector solely for video.
Sanyo's projector have the same flaw, but not as critical, for example the auto iris can be more trouble than its worth, as well as making lots of noise cranking the iris as scenes change and probably reducing product life. Fortunately you can turn it off. Pure signal please!
Panasonic's projectors are always in the top ratings. They must be doing something right. Just one example is below. These guys review everything and it is very non-judgemental. Check it out. Also, remember these are home theater projectors. They are not created for PCs or it would be DVI instead of HDMI, and it would be 1600x1200 res.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/home-theater-multimedia-projectors.htm
My point was these projectors can be suboptimal for computers, because of Panasonic's over-tweaking, which can also cause problems with "movies." While their primary purpose may be for movies, many people currently and in the future will use them with home theatre PCs, for movies and emerging interactive media. Models are starting to emerge that acknowledge higher quality, non "data," computer uses, but presumably people on Engadget will be ahead of the curve.
Projectorcentral is the best projector review site - which doesn't mean much, especially considering how subjective and slanted projector reviews can be ("in a side by side comparison, X looked better while watching X.") I wrote them about their lack of concern for HTPC uses, and they were clearly willing to drag their heels and ignore the HTPC crowd for now.
I went to a store intending to buy the PT-AE900u, but ended up buying the Sanyo Z5 because for computer use it had a clearer display. The cause was their "Smooth Screen" effect, which as far as I know is an intentional physical altering of the display. "Smooth Screen" may be useful for pure movie watching, but you could just defocus the projector slightly. (And I'm not just talking about this one effect).
Try this (if you haven't noticed it already). Turn on a 3d effect (concert hall, etc) on an amp while listening to a song that already has a lot of echo in it. It sounds like crap. There is a similar effect when Panasonic's (or any other product) "enhancement" runs across a condition it wasn't designed for. Many of these "enhancements" are really rigged gimmicks for the showroom. Big surprise.
I was hoping to see Panasonic's "Light Harmonizer II" system from the lower-end AX200 make it to this model. The concept of automatically compensating for ambient light is a very good one, and it sounds like this time around the implementation will be useful. Why not include it? Perhaps Panasonic still doesn't see their 1080p unit as fit for the living room.
I'm a very satisfied Panny L300U owner. I'll be making the jump from 540p to 1080p this winter. It will be interesting to see how this model stacks up against the new 1080p offerings from Mitsu, Epson, Optoma and Sony. This looks like the year of the 1080p front projector.
I knew this was going to happen soon after I got the AE-1000U with the $1000 rebate, but an excellent 1080p projector for under $3000 is something I didn't want to pass up.