With the retail price of the Z3000 in Japan being dramatically higher than the Epson TW4000 and AE3000, I've pretty much narrowed down my projector choices to those two. (I need the 40%+ horizontal shift)

The Epson is still listed on their Japanese website as 2nd half (end) of November, and the AE3000 still has virtually no information available in Japan.

I've seen mention in the states that the AE3000 "front projector coming in October", and I'm wondering if there are any dates set in the US or Europe set for either of these projectors yet. Anyone know anything more specific than "October" or "Fall of 2008"?

Edit: It looks like Amazon.co.jp and at least one small e-tailer are listing the TW4000's release date as 11/28. Another small e-tailer has listed 11/30, but that sounds more like a safe bet than actual date, since Epson has announced the end of November.

With the retail price of the Z3000 in Japan being dramatically higher than the Epson TW4000 and AE3000, I've pretty much narrowed down my projector choices to those two.

You and everyone else. :)

I figure you should take a look at an AE2000 and decide if you like Panasonic's "smooth screen" or not. If you want something sharper, get the Epson, if you don't mind the smoothscreen, grab the Panny a few months earlier.


From what I hear, Panny Smoothscreen reduces screen door effect....but makes the PJ appear more 720p than 1080p.

I figure you should take a look at an AE2000 and decide if you like Panasonic's "smooth screen" or not. If you want something sharper, get the Epson, if you don't mind the smoothscreen, grab the Panny a few months earlier.


From what I hear, Panny Smoothscreen reduces screen door effect....but makes the PJ appear more 720p than 1080p.I've seen the AE2000 on display, and it looked fantastic up close. The problem is that all the projectors I've seen on in Yodobashi Camera's projector room have zero convergence problems. They're obviously hand picked as a display models. I'm not sure how the average AE2000/3000 or Epson 2000/4000 would look up close or from a normal viewing distance.

The other problem is that the were being fed broadcast quality 1080p, not a high bit rate BR/HD DVD feed...so the difference between projectors was not as pronounced as it would have been.

That said, both the AE2000 and TW2000 had fantastic images and would be a fantastic leap over my Z3. The Panasonic has the bells and whistles, while the Epson may have the better picture. Game mode and lens memory are both great, but I'm probably leaning towards the Epson because they're more likely to give me a good deal. (The Panasonic web page is still touting the AE2000 in Japan, and their price are at a huge markup compared to other markets, while the Epson prices tend to be much more in line with the rest of the world.)

I'll need to know real prices and release dates to make a decision, and since I plan to buy at the store, I'd like to see these models up and running...but man, November seems forever away.

I'll update when/if I get any new info about Japan's prices and/or availability. If anyone has more info about the US/Europe, please share.

(And then when I finally buy my projector, I'll disappear from here before new models are announced so I can enjoy my projector in blissful ignorance.;))

You and everyone else. :)

From what I hear, Panny Smoothscreen reduces screen door effect....but makes the PJ appear more 720p than 1080p.

If that is the case, then it makes my 720 AE700 just plain out of focus ;) I suppose if all you watch is movies, and you don't pay attention to titles or credits - then not a big deal. If you watch sports or gaming, the softness of words, scores, graphics, etc., then it's a deal breaker for me.

I'm waiting to hear/see the 3000 as well (for the 2.35 feature) but am leaning towards the Epson due to my hatred of the "soft" look of my 700.

Peteer01:
I went to Yodobashi camera and though I was going there to chat with them about the availability of the new Sonys (HW10 and VW70) i was amazed by a projector that was standing out... and it was the Panasonic AE2000
However as you said... it's probably handpicked. No idea if Panasonic's quality is very variable or not
Similarly to you I ll get either the Epson or the Panasonic (I was really considering the Sonys... however they are clearly not as bright as my wished )I do not havea dedicated rom). If we go for the same we may try to get a discount by purchasing together :)
Or maybe I'll just order the cheapest on kakaku (Worried about quality & warranty problems though)

Peteer01:
I went to Yodobashi camera and though I was going there to chat with them about the availability of the new Sonys (HW10 and VW70) i was amazed by a projector that was standing out... and it was the Panasonic AE2000
However as you said... it's probably handpicked. No idea if Panasonic's quality is very variable or not
Similarly to you I ll get either the Epson or the Panasonic (I was really considering the Sonys... however they are clearly not as bright as my wished )I do not havea dedicated rom). If we go for the same we may try to get a discount by purchasing together :)
Or maybe I'll just order the cheapest on kakaku (Worried about quality & warranty problems though)Moa, cool idea on going down there together. I'm not sure about getting a discount, but one reason I prefer Yodobashi to Bic Camera and others is that they will price match other retailers (not web sites) and unless it's an exceptionally large difference, they'll still give you full points. If we both ask for the same price match, we're probably more likely to get them to agree and to give full points.

As for Kakaku, I figure the hassle of paying a small percentage more and going down to a major store in person is far outweighed by the benefit of being able to return it in person for a straight up exchange with no hassle if need be. (I did this with my Sanyo Z3, which went wonky in the first few weeks, and my D80 which had too many hot pixels out of the box.)

One other reason I want to buy from Yodobashi is that for 5% points, they have a five year extended warranty that I need to look into. (What happens when a polarizer goes bad in 3-4 years and they don't sell TW4000/AE3000s any more? Do they make me send it off to Epson/Panasonic and go without a projector for weeks, or is there some other way they deal with it? If you know any details about the warranty, I'd really like to know, as it's probably a very good idea to get an extended warranty with my current projector's polarizer having died after three years.

If you're interested, drop me a PM. I'd be happy to talk about this more.

Agreed, I use Kakaku mostly for things on which I dont care about the warranty (Processors for instance...)
I have no idea for Yodobashi's warranty. I guess they send it for repair (I never kept an electronic device that long !!!)
Yodobashi's sales people are also usually much more aware of tech specs and usually know what they are talking about compared to some otehr big shops (Small shops are different, usually people are passionate, however you run a big risk on your warranty since those shops sometimes disappear)
I dont knw if you know avac. They are really good as well. Especially they often have cheap second hand gear with some warranty
Once the AE3000 is out, let s have a look together
I was also looking for the BlackDiamond from Screen Innovations... but I guess we'll never see that one in Japan (Would be a nice match with a very bright projector like the panasonic though)

Well, the Epsons (3000 & 4000) hit both Yodobashi Camera and Bic Camera's web pages, and have the same price and release dates as Epson's web shop. (End of Oct. for the 3000, end of Nov. for the 4000) No new info there.

What's odd is that between the two chains, JVC (Victor), Sanyo, Sony, Epson and Mitsubishi's new projectors are already accounted for. Panasonic's Japanese web page is still very actively promoting the AE2000, with no mention of the AE3000 there, at either of the above stores, and not even Kakaku.com has anything on the AE3000.

Is Panasonic releasing the AE3000 in Japan?

I'm going to CEATEC on Tuesday, and hoping to find out more...until then, I'm wondering if anyone here knows anything.

It looks like Amazon.co.jp and at least one small e-tailer are listing the TW4000's release date as 11/28. Another small e-tailer has listed 11/30, but that sounds more like a safe bet than actual date, since Epson has announced the end of November.

Edit: I can't find any info about the AE3000 in Japan, even when I spoke with Panasonic employees at CEATEC this week. I made a specific thread about the AE3000 possibly not going on sale in Japan here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14783857#post14783857

AE3000 confirmed in Japan for same price as JVC's HC350, with November 1st release date. More info in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14797333#post14797333) (and earlier posts in the thread as well.)

Moa, with Panasonic's continued trend of overcharging Japan, I'm leaning towards the TW4000, assuming the performance is there. Are you still only interested in the AE3000?

http://shop.epson.jp/goods/searchUseModel/gotoGoodsListAction.do?selectedClassCd1=&selectedModelId=SE-Projector&selectedOptionId=H56616330&searchUseKbn=1

While the TW4000 only has "End of November", for the release date, the Epson store website has both the TW4000 replacement lamp and air filter going on sale on 11/20/08. Possible release date? We'll know in a week.

11/28 :(

AE3000 confirmed in Japan for same price as JVC's HC350, with November 1st release date. More info in this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14797333#post14797333) (and earlier posts in the thread as well.)


Along with the higher pricing of Sony HW10 in the U.S., the above makes the AE3000 look like an especially good deal in the U.S.!

Go ahead and call me impetuous...I went ahead and paid for my TW4000 today, and it's arriving in the A.M. on Friday. I don't think it's possible for anyone without connections to get one any earlier than that. Looking forward to testing it out. :)

Go ahead and call me impetuous...I went ahead and paid for my TW4000 today, and it's arriving in the A.M. on Friday. I don't think it's possible for anyone without connections to get one any earlier than that. Looking forward to testing it out. :)

Great..so now you can change your signature line...;)

I'm looking forword to your reviews of this projector as I'm undecided so far which way to go between AE3000 and Epson 6500/7500
and my Basement Home Theater is almost ready now.

Go ahead and call me impetuous...I went ahead and paid for my TW4000 today, and it's arriving in the A.M. on Friday. I don't think it's possible for anyone without connections to get one any earlier than that. Looking forward to testing it out. :)

Please provide a mini review on the day u get it if you don't mind.

So, how was the TW4000?

See Peteer;s thread on the TW4000.