Interesting, so why did'nt Panasonic build their Blu Ray players to output 1080p thru the component as well as the HDMI, if their projectors will accept 1080p thru the component input. Component cables and plugs seem to be a lot more rugged and durable than HDMI.
Incidentally, the lowest price 12 foot HDMI cable I can find is about $45.00.

It has to do with anti-piracy as I understand it. More or less forcing the adoption of the HDMI spec even though it has it's faults. Basically the player will not output the 1080 unless it has a handshake which confirms the signal is being sent to a display device only and not some recording device which would copy and steal the content.

This is how anti piracy efforts infiltrate your living room and dictate how you use your legally purchased media. Furthermore some more advanced applications of hdmi will fail handshake and refuse YOU the use of your legally purchased media In an effort to thwart the .0001% of people who pirate movies. (gets off soap box)


Monoprice has some reasonable cables I use them for everything.

Incidentally, the lowest price 12 foot HDMI cable I can find is about $45.00.

Look at Monoprice.com:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024004&p_id=4968&seq=1&format=2

I have used three of their 45 foot cables with my AE-4000 without any problems.

Well my only other placement option is around 22' which I assume is NOT a good idea? Or maybe it is fine?? At that distance I assume I can go larger with my image but assume that I will be losing some picture quality as well from such a distance?

What you really lose is brightness. (What you have is the equivalent of a camera zooming in. The lens 'loses' f-stops as it zooms.) The picture, as a result, will lose some of its punch. Double check to see exactly what image size you can achieve at that distance...

What you really lose is brightness. (What you have is the equivalent of a camera zooming in. The lens 'loses' f-stops as it zooms.) ...

Not true for camera lenses. When you zoom a zoom camera lens the relative aperture (f-stop number) remains constant, otherwise the picture on the film would progressively dim as you zoom in. The f number on all camera lenses, including zoom camera lenses, is set with an adjustable iris , which is totally independent of the focal length setting of the zoom lens.
Projector lenses are quite different.

Would you buy a car from a person who knew how to roll back the odometer? ;) I'm not trying to imply anything about the dealer making you the offer, but in a sense, there is no way to know the true age of the bulb since a clever person could (possibly) remove a bulb and swap in any other without tripping the sensor which normally detects each swap.

This is not a category of goods I'd feel comfortable about buying used, personally. Sure the majority of used pjs sold are on the up and up, you can trust the lamp timer's reading, and there are no issues with intermittent bulb flickering, intermittent pixels, dust blobs, fan bearing squeal, clogged air filters, LCD mis-convergence only when heated, that flapping sound of the auto iris during strobe lighting scenes shot in discos.....

Hi m.zillch
With the Panasonic, you can see the real hours and number of counter resets if you know how to enter in the service menu:
Using the remote, press: power, right, up, down, up, down and enter.
There is a sub-menu that shows the REAL hours, the number of resets and test some components showing an OK (a red OK is that there was a problem = not good). This counter can't be reseted.
Expat444
If you want this PJ, I suggest you to use this menu and see the "real thing". And yes, -250$ is not tempting.

Not true for camera lenses. When you zoom a zoom camera lens the relative aperture (f-stop number) remains constant, otherwise the picture on the film would progressively dim as you zoom in. The f number on all camera lenses, including zoom camera lenses, is set with an adjustable iris , which is totally independent of the focal length setting of the zoom lens.
Projector lenses are quite different.

All consummer video camera I used in my life would produce a slightly darker picture when zoomed-in. Of course, you won't see this if the camera is set on auto-exposure, which I seldom do.

Hi m.zillch
With the Panasonic, you can see the real hours and number of counter resets if you know how to enter in the service menu...

From my understanding, there are no timer electronics in the lamp assembly itself; it is just a dumb lightbulb. The unit "knows" the age of the bulb only because there are micro switches on the pj itself which sense that the lamp assembly has been removed and then replaced.

An unscrupulous dealer could place a small piece of tape over these micro switches (when the unit was brand new and never fired up), and the service menu would then no longer report the true age of the current bulb in use since any swaps would only be recorded in the unit's memory when the dealer wanted them to be recorded (he removes the tape).

I never meant to imply there was an easy way to gimmick the unit's overall odometer, what I meant is that there are ways to falsify the number of hours on the currently installed bulb. Sorry if I was not clear on that.

[I actually thought of an even easier method, but I'd rather not publish it here in an open forum, because if in the wrong hands it could facilitate the bad guys.]

Well I don't want to speak for frank, but I believe he was referring to the 16:9 image when using preset zooming to do both 2.35:1 and 16:9. If you are only going to use 16:9 then you can always use the horizontal manual shift to center the image. But, if your projector is not centered on the screen then you can't get both 2.35:1 and 16:9 images centered without changing the manual shift. If you center 2.35:1 then as you zoom out the image will move to one side. There is no way around that except to center the projector lens horizontally.


Okay. That makes sense. Too bad the H-shift isn't something the projector can adjust by itself.

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys could help suggest a set up for this projector in my basement. I was planning on buying the HSU Enthusiast 2 speaker package but with the more powerful VTF-3 mk4 sub (http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/enthusiast2.html)

Below is a diagram of my basement. Some notes: The casement windows and external door obvious pass through the external wall I wrapped around everything. I can close off one of the vents permanently if necessary. Ceiling is about 8ft, except for bump down. I can run wires through the bump-down and behind walls and in the storage space. I can also eliminate the bottom door to the storage area if necessary. I had originally thought of building a cozy little theater in the big storage area, but the thought if doing it right was daunting. Maybe I'll move into that space one day.

This will not be a dedicated theater space, but more of a theater/play room.

Please give me suggestions for screen, projector, seating and speaker placement. Thanks in advance people!

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd454/viche1/basementfix.jpg

What you really lose is brightness. (What you have is the equivalent of a camera zooming in. The lens 'loses' f-stops as it zooms.) The picture, as a result, will lose some of its punch. Double check to see exactly what image size you can achieve at that distance...

If at 13' throw my maximum width for a 2.35 screen is 115" what is the diagonal image size?

I think but not sure that 22' is probably a but far

If at 13' throw my maximum width for a 2.35 screen is 115" what is the diagonal image size?

I think but not sure that 22' is probably a but far

If my math is correct, I get 125".

I have the same question... Do any of the monoprice mount work well?
I'll want the projector to be the closest possible to a suspended ceiling, so anything a tad more than the 3 inches of the drop ceiling would be good.

How about this one?

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082803&p_id=5466&seq=1&format=2

Supports 44 lbs.
Removeable extention arm with variable height adjustment 120mm (4.7") and 430mm to 650mm (16.9" to 25.6"). I could use 4.7 inches and be very close to the ceiling.

I have the mount you linked and am NOT happy with it. Others here have and like it but in my opinion it is not very stable. The weight of this unit can cause it to sag a bit.

Too bad. I don't really want to spend a fortune on a mount. I'll likely buy it and go DIY if it doesn't work out: The projector could screwed down on a piece of painted Russian birch plywood which would be attached by four lag bolts to another piece of plywood firmly attached to the joists... Easy project.

If my math is correct, I get 125".

Right.

http://www.draperinc.com/ProjectionScreens/CustomSizeCalculator.asp

Please give me suggestions for screen, projector, seating and speaker placement. Thanks in advance people!

A room within a room... interesting.

The almost-12-foot wall is far away from windows so would be the obvious place to put a screen. Might have to be AT to accommodate speakers.

Not true for camera lenses. When you zoom a zoom camera lens the relative aperture (f-stop number) remains constant, otherwise the picture on the film would progressively dim as you zoom in. The f number on all camera lenses, including zoom camera lenses, is set with an adjustable iris , which is totally independent of the focal length setting of the zoom lens.
Projector lenses are quite different.

Suggest you look at this ad for a telephoto lens from Canon.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/169267-GREY/Canon_6473A003AA_75_300mm_f_4_0_5_6_III_Autofocus.html

Notice that it says f4.0-5.6. That means that the maximum aperture opening of the lens decreases from f4.0 to f 5.6 as the lens is zoomed from 75mm to 300mm. Most people never notice this as most automatic cameras adjust BOTH aperture and shutter speed to provide approximately equal exposure levels as the lens is zoomed. Those of us who have used (or continue to use) cameras in the manual mode of operation are well aware of this decrease in f-stops with zoom lens. Most of the time if there is adequate light the lens will be stopped down to a lens opening short of the maximum as it provides pictures with greater depth of field.

The AE-4000, because it needs to put as much light as possible on the screen, will always be wide open when the majority of the image is white. Thus, it will be at maximum f-stop that the lens can produce. This maximum f-stop will decreased as the lens is zoomed is to produce a smaller image resulting in a slightly dimmer image. Increasing the projector distance from a fixed size screen will reduce the brightness of the image because as the lens zooms, it moves to a larger f-stop. The effect is actually more pronounced when you move the projector location back because you have less light falling on the same size area.

I agree. Projectors are really complex optical and electronic assemblies, there is so much that can (and does) go wrong with them. Personally, I would not take the risk to save $250.00.

I have never come across anyone who has posted about an issue with loss of image quality using the mechanical lens shift. However, most people try to mount the AE-4000 relatively close to the ideal position--- particularly on the horizontal plane. (That is, the centerline of the lens as close to the vertical centerline of the screen.)

Basically, when you are setting up the AE-4000 on a 2,.35:1 setup using constant image height, you begin by projecting a 16:9 image onto the screen. You adjust the zoom, focus and mechanically vertical shift the image to fill the screen and center the image vertically. Store that setting in a lens memory position.

Now project a 2.35:1 image onto the screen. Zoom, focus and use the mechanical horizontal shift to fit the screen horizontally. Now use the electronic V-AREA POSITION to properly position the image vertically. Store those settings in another lens memory position.

NOW, I must point out the if the center of the lens is not on the vertical centerline of the screen, the 16:9 image WILL NOT (and can not) be centered on the screen!!! If the lens is not between the top and bottom of the screen, you will not be able to move the 2.35:1 image enough to fill the screen. These limitations are controlled by the laws of physics and optics.
So forgive me for asking (yet again I'm sure) but every time I read this thread or the manual I end up more confused.
How far above the top edge of the screen (mounted on the centerline) can the projector be for the lens memory be used to automatically project the 16:9 and 2.35:1 images in the correct (saved) locations on the same screen?

So forgive me for asking (yet again I'm sure) but every time I read this thread or the manual I end up more confused.
How far above the top edge of the screen (mounted on the centerline) can the projector be for the lens memory be used to automatically project the 16:9 and 2.35:1 images in the correct (saved) locations on the same screen?

As I recall, it is not stated in the manual. However, back in the early days of AE-3000, it became common knowledge (perhaps, through some bitter experiences) that the center of the lens must be between the top of the screen and the bottom of the screen to use the zoom feature and have auto zoomed images end up on the 'scoped' screen.

Since most people ceiling mount these projectors, we are usually concerned with the center of the lens and the top of the screen. If you observe that limit, it will work with no problems. Above the top of the screen and you will have to kludge a solution together that will not be optimal.

If you are using the AE-4000 to project a single size image (No zooming), you can position the projector a considerable distance above the screen and that is the information that is in the manuals.

Notice that it says f4.0-5.6. That means that the maximum aperture opening of the lens decreases from f4.0 to f 5.6 as the lens is zoomed from 75mm to 300mm.

The size of the aperture doesn't change. What changes is the focal length. With a longer focal length you get less light as the angle of view is decreased. The f-stop is the ratio of focal length to aperture diameter. A change in either will affect the f-stop.

As I recall, it is not stated in the manual. However, back in the early days of AE-3000, it became common knowledge (perhaps, through some bitter experiences) that the center of the lens must be between the top of the screen and the bottom of the screen to use the zoom feature and have auto zoomed images end up on the 'scoped' screen.

Since most people ceiling mount these projectors, we are usually concerned with the center of the lens and the top of the screen. If you observe that limit, it will work with no problems. Above the top of the screen and you will have to kludge a solution together that will not be optimal.

If you are using the AE-4000 to project a single size image (No zooming), you can position the projector a considerable distance above the screen and that is the information that is in the manuals.

Thanks, this is exactly what I need to know as it effects the sizes of my screen and curtain walls, one quick follow up, does it matter which way up the projector is, i.e. can it be upright on a shelf at as long as the lens is below the top edge of the screen or does it have to be inverted on a projector mount if it's going to be at the top edge of the screen?

A room within a room... interesting.

The almost-12-foot wall is far away from windows so would be the obvious place to put a screen. Might have to be AT to accommodate speakers.

:) The outer "room" is the cinderblock foundation wall...except for the right side which is a firewall between garage and basement.

Not sure why they put so much space between drywall and cinderblock on the bottom wall.

The only problem I have with the bottom left almost 12' wall is that the bump down there extends to just about the middle of the room. I can paint the ceiling black there, but wouldn't that irregular, midroom drop down of the ceiling be distracting and unattractive looking with a screen right below it? I've thought about extending the bump down so that it stretches across the entire ceiling in front of the screen...

The only problem I have with the bottom left almost 12' wall is that the bump down there extends to just about the middle of the room. I can paint the ceiling black there, but wouldn't that irregular, midroom drop down of the ceiling be distracting and unattractive looking with a screen right below it? I've thought about extending the bump down so that it stretches across the entire ceiling in front of the screen...

Once the room is dark I doubt it will show much. Post a picture maybe?

I haven't bought my AE4000 yet. Part of me is wondering about buying two year-old technology, but I suppose it's cheaper than it was two years ago.

Is there any other similarly priced projector that has auto lens memory? Seems like the killer feature to me.

Why are you afraid of two year old technology? Seems to me there's much more risk in being an early adopter.

And, no, as far as I know there is not another auto zoom/focus pj at or below the AE4000 price.

Cory

Thanks, this is exactly what I need to know as it effects the sizes of my screen and curtain walls, one quick follow up, does it matter which way up the projector is, i.e. can it be upright on a shelf at as long as the lens is below the top edge of the screen or does it have to be inverted on a projector mount if it's going to be at the top edge of the screen?

To the best of my knowledge, the orientation of the projector does not make any difference. When the image is zoomed, the image centered on the screen by electronically shifting the image on the LCD panels. Since the image is centered on the LCD panels prior to the electronic shift, there is the same amount of room to shift it either up or down on the LCD panels.

I have not read any posts from anyone who has used shelf mounting commenting that there is any difference in the zooming function. The only thing, you have to watch for, is to provide for adequate ventilation for cooling purposes. The manual has the clearances that they recommend.

The size of the aperture doesn't change. What changes is the focal length. With a longer focal length you get less light as the angle of view is decreased. The f-stop is the ratio of focal length to aperture diameter. A change in either will affect the f-stop.
This is getting confusing. I have no doubt that electronic cameras can play all sorts of tricks to maintain constant image brightness on the film or CCD.
But I have in my posession a Som Berthiot 10mm -30mm zoom lens for my totally manual Bolex 8mm film camera. The lens has separate manual controls for zooming and for setting the aperture from f1.9 to f16. I can see the iris and it does not change its size as the lens zooms, and being a film camera, any change in exposure of the film during zooming would be totally unnacceptable.

Once the room is dark I doubt it will show much. Post a picture maybe?

Maybe if I paint the ceiling matt black? :p It's white now. :(

I haven't bought my AE4000 yet. Part of me is wondering about buying two year-old technology, but I suppose it's cheaper than it was two years ago.

Is there any other similarly priced projector that has auto lens memory? Seems like the killer feature to me.

I bought mine back in February and I am super happy with mine. Yes it's 2 years old, but it's also been one of the best selling best reviewed projectors on the market for the last years. The AE7000 is the only one besides the 4K that has lens memory for the time being. I've always been a DLP person but I really enjoy the 4K despite its age and my adopting late into the game. You won't be disappointed.

This is getting confusing. I have no doubt that electronic cameras can play all sorts of tricks to maintain constant image brightness on the film or CCD.
But I have in my posession a Som Berthiot 10mm -30mm zoom lens for my totally manual Bolex 8mm film camera. The lens has separate manual controls for zooming and for setting the aperture from f1.9 to f16. I can see the iris and it does not change its size as the lens zooms, and being a film camera, any change in exposure of the film during zooming would be totally unnacceptable.

This line of discussion has rapidly gone off-topic. The subject is quite complex and I would suggest that reading the section on zoom lenses in the following article on Wikipedia will either enlighten you or totally confuse you. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographic_lens

To the best of my knowledge, the orientation of the projector does not make any difference. When the image is zoomed, the image centered on the screen by electronically shifting the image on the LCD panels. Since the image is centered on the LCD panels prior to the electronic shift, there is the same amount of room to shift it either up or down on the LCD panels.

I have not read any posts from anyone who has used shelf mounting commenting that there is any difference in the zooming function. The only thing, you have to watch for, is to provide for adequate ventilation for cooling purposes. The manual has the clearances that they recommend.

Great that's just what I needed to know.
I'm still trying to balance the esthetics of mounting it in the wall with the associated cooling and construction issues v's hanging it from the bottom of the wall.

. The only thing, you have to watch for, is to provide for adequate ventilation for cooling purposes. The manual has the clearances that they recommend.

The manual states to not place anything within 50cm of the intake and exhaust cooling air ports. I can believe that this clearance is required for the exhaust port, but a 50cm (20ins) clearance for the input ports , which are on the back of the projector, makes shelf mounting pretty impractical. Given the low flow rate of the cooling fan I find it hard to believe that anything more than 2 or 3 inches clearance on the input port ( projector -to-wall) clearance would be required, as long as the projector is mounted on an open shelf where it can suck in cool air, and not an enclosed one.
With respect to projector cooling, shelf mounting is better than ceiling mounting, which is the hottest location in the room, and where the hot air can stagnate around the projector if it is close to the ceiling.

I haven't bought my AE4000 yet. Part of me is wondering about buying two year-old technology, but I suppose it's cheaper than it was two years ago.

Is there any other similarly priced projector that has auto lens memory? Seems like the killer feature to me.

Why are you afraid of two year old technology? Seems to me there's much more risk in being an early adopter.

And, no, as far as I know there is not another auto zoom/focus pj at or below the AE4000 price.

Cory

I guess two-year old technology may in some case be inferior to similarly priced new tech. Depends. It could be better built because it was a more expensive model too.


I bought mine back in February and I am super happy with mine. Yes it's 2 years old, but it's also been one of the best selling best reviewed projectors on the market for the last years. The AE7000 is the only one besides the 4K that has lens memory for the time being. I've always been a DLP person but I really enjoy the 4K despite its age and my adopting late into the game. You won't be disappointed.

Thanks. Glad to hear it!

Is there any place that sells refurbished AE4000's?

The manual states to not place anything within 50cm of the intake and exhaust cooling air ports. I can believe that this clearance is required for the exhaust port, but a 50cm (20ins) clearance for the input ports , which are on the back of the projector, makes shelf mounting pretty impractical. Given the low flow rate of the cooling fan I find it hard to believe that anything more than 2 or 3 inches clearance on the input port ( projector -to-wall) clearance would be required, as long as the projector is mounted on an open shelf where it can suck in cool air, and not an enclosed one.
With respect to projector cooling, shelf mounting is better than ceiling mounting, which is the hottest location in the room, and where the hot air can stagnate around the projector if it is close to the ceiling.

What about in a cubical nook in a wall? As long as the projector is flush with the front of the nook and there is a foot or so above the projector within the cubicle, wouldn't that be enough?

I guess two-year old technology may in some case be inferior to similarly priced new tech. Depends. It could be better built because it was a more expensive model too.

Thanks. Glad to hear it!

3D has destroyed the normal cycle. We're screwed until either the manufacturers realize that 3D is lame and start making projectors without it, or 3D becomes cheap enough that it doesn't affect projector price significantly. Until then we have a huge defect in what use to be a nicely curving slope of performance to cost.

Waht about in a cubical nook in a wall. As long as the projector is flush with the front of the nook and there is a foot or so above the projector withint he cubicle, wouldn't that be enough?


There has been considerable discussion in the past about the 50cm recommendation. I believe that what Panasonic is doing is covering their butt. They do not want any warranty claims from people who have cooked the projector!

The problem is that the fan in AE-4000 is a very weak one with the design intent to reduce the fan noise to the lowest possible level. To adequate cool the projector it needs a unrestricted source of the coolest possible air at the rear and unrestricted exhaust area at the front. There must be no possibility that the hot exhaust air becomes a part of the intake air.

If you want to shelf mount it, you are going to have to 'engineer' your shelf to ensure that you have an unrestricted cool air flow path for the intake port, an unrestricted path for the exhaust air and virtual elimination of the possibility that the hot exhausted air can reach the intake port. There is no one simple solution will fit any possible combinations of the different physical arrangements that people may want unless you go with the ridiculous Panasonic clearances.

I live in Canada and here at a local store they sell it for 1800$ brand new. Right now, i have a hd20 and was woundering if for that price, i should move up and get nicer images but is it worth it? I mean will it be night & day between the hd20?

I live in Canada and here at a local store they sell it for 1800$ brand new. Right now, i have a hd20 and was woundering if for that price, i should move up and get nicer images but is it worth it? I mean will it be night & day between the hd20?

I don't know, but that's an excellent price.

There has been considerable discussion in the past about the 50cm recommendation. I believe that what Panasonic is doing is covering their butt. They do not want any warranty claims from people who have cooked the projector!

The problem is that the fan in AE-4000 is a very weak one with the design intent to reduce the fan noise to the lowest possible level. To adequate cool the projector it needs a unrestricted source of the coolest possible air at the rear and unrestricted exhaust area at the front. There must be no possibility that the hot exhaust air becomes a part of the intake air.

If you want to shelf mount it, you are going to have to 'engineer' your shelf to ensure that you have an unrestricted cool air flow path for the intake port, an unrestricted path for the exhaust air and virtual elimination of the possibility that the hot exhausted air can reach the intake port. There is no one simple solution will fit any possible combinations of the different physical arrangements that people may want unless you go with the ridiculous Panasonic clearances.
This is all excellent advice. But the weaker (lower flow rate) that a fan has, the LESS of a gap you need to the wall on the inlet side of the fan. If you put your hand close to the inlet vents on the AE7000 you can barely feel the air flow, so a couple of inches gap to the wall should not restrict the air flow rate in any way. Now what you say about the hot outlet air mixing with the cool inlet air really hits the nail on the head, since under those conditions the projectors internal temperatures never really stabilizes but progressively increases with run time. This is one reason why mounting close to a ceiling is really really bad - for any projector, not just the AE4000. The coolest, and therefore most beneficial situation for the projector is on a totally open shelf, or hanging from a LONG ceiling post, where the hot outlet air can naturally convect out of the way up to a ceiling many feet above.

What is the bolt pattern or spacing for choosing a mount for this projector? (Looking at monoprice mounts)

What is the bolt pattern or spacing for choosing a mount for this projector? (Looking at monoprice mounts)

My personal suggestion....spend a few extra $$ to get a better mount. I have one of the monoprice mounts and it is not the most stable thing out there. And if you have a room above with kids then forget about it. I just ordered a Peerless PRG-UNV to replace the monoprice one. Just my opinion and wanted to share.

Chief makes a rock solid mount! Im very happy with it:D

My personal suggestion....spend a few extra $$ to get a better mount. I have one of the monoprice mounts and it is not the most stable thing out there. And if you have a room above with kids then forget about it. I just ordered a Peerless PRG-UNV to replace the monoprice one. Just my opinion and wanted to share.

What is the bolt pattern or spacing for choosing a mount for this projector? (Looking at monoprice mounts)

Look at the first post in this thread. There is a link to the manuals in it. When you get to Panasonic's pages, Look about three inches down and click on the link called "CAD Data". Go to that page and you will find a PDF file containing the engineering drawings.

Hey I'm probably just being overly nervous since its my first projector, but there is definatley a smell coming from my projector. Its not like an electrical fire smell, however I'm not sure if I should be concerned. I tend to have a much better sense of smell then most people. Any thoughts?

^ Have you ever turned on an electric stove (grille) and although to your best knowledge the elements (the surface) is completly empty, it starts to smoke for a brief moment? The same thing is happening to the lamp or surrounding elements in your pj. Internal dust or manufacturing debris is burning.

They should burn off completely within a few uses, I'd think. Nothing to worry about but if the smell annoys you just ventilate the room or use some air spray.

Ok thats fine. I just remember seeing a notice in the "Cautions" section that said to watch out for smoke or "irregular smells" so I was being overly cautious. I'd hate to be one of those guys that ruined his projector on the first day of owning it because he was being an idiot.

Please help me, I was assailed by doubts,
it is a normal convergence
http://fotkidepo.ru/?id=album:36797
or need a repair?
(there are photos before service cleaning - jul 2 and after -dec 1)
sorry for language

My personal suggestion....spend a few extra $$ to get a better mount. I have one of the monoprice mounts and it is not the most stable thing out there. And if you have a room above with kids then forget about it. I just ordered a Peerless PRG-UNV to replace the monoprice one. Just my opinion and wanted to share.

Looks nice! Thanks for the recommendation! Still around 4150 after shipping to Canada, but looks nice and sturdy.

Looks nice! Thanks for the recommendation! Still around 4150 after shipping to Canada, but looks nice and sturdy.

Well if you apply for the Amazon Visa there is an instant $40 off coupon that brings the price down to a much more comfortable level ;)

With a throw distance of 13' lens to screen wall I was told my maximum screen width could only be 115" wide. If this is the case (and I assume they were correct)will I have a problem going with a custom 115" wide x 60" tall screen? These measurements are "viewable" area of course.

Hello all,

Just got an AE-4000U, it's great. Need to get a good mount, something that will let me drop it several different heights (our mounting situation will probably change a few times over the next few months). The projector is in our unfinished basement; the ceiling is open/unfinished.

Right now, (in the basement) I could mount it directly to the first floor subfloor; I'd need to drop it about 17 inches. As an alternative, I could attach some 2x4s between the overhead floor joists and attach the mount to those; I'd need to drop the projector about 7 inches from those 2x4s.

In the future, when the basement is finished, I'll probably need to drop the projector only about two or three inches.

Do you have any recommendations for a mount that would let me do all that?

Thanks!

Hello all,

Just got an AE-4000U, it's great. Need to get a good mount, something that will let me drop it several different heights (our mounting situation will probably change a few times over the next few months). The projector is in our unfinished basement; the ceiling is open/unfinished.

Right now, (in the basement) I could mount it directly to the first floor subfloor; I'd need to drop it about 17 inches. As an alternative, I could attach some 2x4s between the overhead floor joists and attach the mount to those; I'd need to drop the projector about 7 inches from those 2x4s.

In the future, when the basement is finished, I'll probably need to drop the projector only about two or three inches.

Do you have any recommendations for a mount that would let me do all that?

Thanks!

Easy...

http://www.chiefmfg.com/Series/RPA

With a throw distance of 13' lens to screen wall I was told my maximum screen width could only be 115" wide. If this is the case (and I assume they were correct)will I have a problem going with a custom 115" wide x 60" tall screen? These measurements are "viewable" area of course.

You can find this information in a couple of places.
Panasonic's website: http://panasonic.net/avc/projector/products/ae4000/positions.html
Projector Central's Projector Calculator Pro: http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic-PT-AE4000U-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Using your unusual 1.92 aspect ratio, Projector Central's calculator does show a maximum width of 115" (130" diagonal) with a 13' throw distance. It looks like you could do it, but with no margin for error. The short throw distance is better for brightness.

Hello all,

Just got an AE-4000U, it's great. Need to get a good mount, something that will let me drop it several different heights (our mounting situation will probably change a few times over the next few months). The projector is in our unfinished basement; the ceiling is open/unfinished.

Right now, (in the basement) I could mount it directly to the first floor subfloor; I'd need to drop it about 17 inches. As an alternative, I could attach some 2x4s between the overhead floor joists and attach the mount to those; I'd need to drop the projector about 7 inches from those 2x4s.

In the future, when the basement is finished, I'll probably need to drop the projector only about two or three inches.

Do you have any recommendations for a mount that would let me do all that?

Thanks!

I have the mount posted by SFNSXguy. Chief uses that universal mount, and then a special plate that attaches to the specific PJ. The mount is threaded to accept a 1 1/2" NPT pipe. I bought my pipe from Home Depot... they will cut it to length, and costs about $7 for linear foot. HD also will thread the pipe. You'll have to sand it, prime it, and spray it with textured Rust Oleum Black paint, and the texture will match the texture of the Chief mount.

Pipe is cheap enough that you can buy a few different lengths over a period of time. My finished pipe looks like an OEM product.

-T

I just picked up a used AE4k, and am looking for recommended pic settings. Currently, with all default settings, the colors seem a bit off, and blacks are more grey. I am using a panoview graywolf 2 92" screen. The gameroom where this is mounted is not light controlled ... there is a bit of diffuse light coming through from one place or the other.
Any suggestions? I'm coming from a optoma HD20 that i had to sell because of lack of lens shift and placement was becoming a big headache.

This is all excellent advice. But the weaker (lower flow rate) that a fan has, the LESS of a gap you need to the wall on the inlet side of the fan. If you put your hand close to the inlet vents on the AE7000 you can barely feel the air flow, so a couple of inches gap to the wall should not restrict the air flow rate in any way. Now what you say about the hot outlet air mixing with the cool inlet air really hits the nail on the head, since under those conditions the projectors internal temperatures never really stabilizes but progressively increases with run time. This is one reason why mounting close to a ceiling is really really bad - for any projector, not just the AE4000. The coolest, and therefore most beneficial situation for the projector is on a totally open shelf, or hanging from a LONG ceiling post, where the hot outlet air can naturally convect out of the way up to a ceiling many feet above.

Panasonic actually makes a cable cover that fits over the back of the projector to hide the cable connections from view (when ceiling mounted). This cable cover is only about ~5-6" deep. I would assume the Panasonic engineers would not have designed this if air flow restriction was an issue. This is a Panasonic accessory not an aftermarket add-on from another manufacturer. With all that being said, I still wouldn't mount it as close as the photo below (from Panasonic's website). You can make out the cable cover on the back in the photo.

http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo111/pcoughran/pannycablecover.jpg

I just picked up a used AE4k, and am looking for recommended pic settings. Currently, with all default settings, the colors seem a bit off, and blacks are more grey. I am using a panoview graywolf 2 92" screen. The gameroom where this is mounted is not light controlled ... there is a bit of diffuse light coming through from one place or the other.
Any suggestions? I'm coming from a optoma HD20 that i had to sell because of lack of lens shift and placement was becoming a big headache.

Every projector is going to be different, but in general the Normal mode seems to be bright and oversaturated. For my AE3000 I have found that Cinema3 gets me closest to the correct color balance, but it is a bit dimmer than Normal. For adjusting brightness and contrast I would recommend you get a calibration disc and use a greyscale ramp test pattern. I have used Digital Video Essentials and the AVS Forum calibration disc. I prefer the AVS disc because its patterns are easier to use, but DVE came with red, green, and blue filters.

The 4000 has a waveform monitor that you can use to help with the brightness and contrast settings. It even has an "autoadjust" mode but I found that I got better results tweaking it by hand. Or you can use other test patterns to adjust brightness and contrast directly. Then for color balance (hue and saturation) you use a blue filter with one of the color test patterns. I found that using Cinema3 and the right greyscale settings I had to make very few adjustments to hue and saturation. Color1 is supposed to be REC709, but I got better results with Cinema3.

Anything beyond that would require a colorimeter and specialized software.

With all that being said, I still wouldn't mount it as close as the photo below (from Panasonic's website).


Not just for airflow, but your cinemascope screen would have to be up against the ceiling to use the zoom method for multiple aspect ratios.

Panasonic actually makes a cable cover that fits over the back of the projector to hide the cable connections from view (when ceiling mounted). This cable cover is only about ~5-6" deep. I would assume the Panasonic engineers would not have designed this if air flow restriction was an issue. This is a Panasonic accessory not an aftermarket add-on from another manufacturer. With all that being said, I still wouldn't mount it as close as the photo below (from Panasonic's website). You can make out the cable cover on the back in the photo.

http://i367.photobucket.com/albums/oo111/pcoughran/pannycablecover.jpg

I'm thinking it's not as much about reduction of airspeed which the cable manager might induce, but the source of the intake air. If the cable manager is on the back of the projector, it is still drawing in air from behind the projector. I'm thinking that if you place the projector in a bookshelf with the same 5" - 6" rear clearance, the issue is that the intake air is being pulled from the front of the projector. The volume of cool air behind the projector is less, so in order to fill the vacuum caused by the intake, air will be pulled from the next closest source which is the front of the bookcase/projector...where the hot air is exiting the projector.

Hey guys - I'm trying to mount the AE4000U with the monoprice mount but having troubles. I was wondernig if someone could look at the pic below and let me know if I got this right? It's not cenetered, the mount only came with 3 extendable arms, so cince one is short I'm trying to line that one up first somewhere and still be able to extend to the other 3 slots. I placed the arms out best I could, is this correct? I can't really find any instructions on this and I'm a little concerned because it's not centered:

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/3918/pjmount.jpg


Thoughts? Thx

Ive had the cable cover on mine since the 3000 and no issues:D

I'm thinking it's not as much about reduction of airspeed which the cable manager might induce, but the source of the intake air. If the cable manager is on the back of the projector, it is still drawing in air from behind the projector. I'm thinking that if you place the projector in a bookshelf with the same 5" - 6" rear clearance, the issue is that the intake air is being pulled from the front of the projector. The volume of cool air behind the projector is less, so in order to fill the vacuum caused by the intake, air will be pulled from the next closest source which is the front of the bookcase/projector...where the hot air is exiting the projector.

Hey guys - I'm trying to mount the AE4000U with the monoprice mount but having troubles. I was wondernig if someone could look at the pic below and let me know if I got this right? It's not cenetered, the mount only came with 3 extendable arms, so cince one is short I'm trying to line that one up first somewhere and still be able to extend to the other 3 slots. I placed the arms out best I could, is this correct? I can't really find any instructions on this and I'm a little concerned because it's not centered:Thoughts? Thx

Mine didn't come with any instructions either, but it was pretty easy to figure it out. I can't remember if I was able to get it centered or not. I can look at it tonight and see. I didn't use any of the extensions on mine so I can't help you there.

EDIT:
I looked at mine last night and I was indeed able to get the 4-legged bracket centered on the projector.

Hey guys - I'm trying to mount the AE4000U with the monoprice mount but having troubles. I was wondernig if someone could look at the pic below and let me know if I got this right? It's not cenetered, the mount only came with 3 extendable arms, so cince one is short I'm trying to line that one up first somewhere and still be able to extend to the other 3 slots. I placed the arms out best I could, is this correct? I can't really find any instructions on this and I'm a little concerned because it's not centered:

Thoughts? Thx

It appears that your upper right leg is in the safety cable mounting hole. You should have a leg in the gold hole at the back center of the PJ. The mount should ideally be centered or the projector will want to list, although one might be able to overcome that with enough tightening. It also makes centering on the screen more complicated. However, the mount can be centered. I seem to remember that I needed to swap two of the leg extensions. Here is a photo of what mine looked like after I removed it (might have shifted some), but my mount was obviously 90 degrees to yours.

Dang - thanks guys. I did do it how I posted it, and I basically mounted it an inch off center to make up for it. However, it does want to lean a little to the unsupported side a bit. I can get it level but it would be easier if I redid it how you have had klarson.

Thanks a lot guys, I might end up redoing it and horizontally shift it. I don't think my 16x9 image would look too off center being off an inch.

I haven't bought my AE4000 yet. Part of me is wondering about buying two year-old technology, but I suppose it's cheaper than it was two years ago.


I think this projector holds up well. I paid $1999 for mine 2 years ago. The price today is still around the same at most places. Although you can get it from projectorpeople for only $1750 with rebates.

I don't think my 16x9 image would look too off center being off an inch.

Probably not. My projector is mounted as close to the screen as allowed and as near to the top edge as allowed, so I didn't have much of a fudge factor to work with. It took quite awhile to get the 2.35:1 and 16:9 lens shift settings made because my mounting was at the extremes. I didn't realize for months that with H-POSITION/V-POSITION and H-AREA POSITION/V-AREA POSITION that you actually lose pixels.

I think this projector holds up well. I paid $1999 for mine 2 years ago. The price today is still around the same at most places. Although you can get it from projectorpeople for only $1750 with rebates.

Yes I agree. I just recently got mine from Projector People for that price, including a 1 year extended warranty. I am very impressed with this projector, it puts out a stunning 1080p picture on my 110 ins 2.35 screen, and where else can you get lens memory at this price? I almost went for the AR-100 but the AE4000 seems to offer a lot more at just a slightly higher price.

To resurrect an old post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18784687#post18784687) in this thread:
For critical focus I recommend not using the built in test pattern but instead an alternate one. I like SMPTE 133 with its one pixel wide and two pixel wide alternating white/black stripes.


How do you use another source to focus since the projector's built-in pattern is in the way when attempting to focus?

BTW, the test pattern is Title 13, Chapter 2 of DVE and System Evaluation Patterns, Chapter 2 of DVE HD.

So I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong, or I just am misunderstanding, but I'm having some aspect ratio problems. Before I bought my screen I thought it would be a good idea to get my projector in my home and test it out by projecting different size images and seeing how it looked in my room, as well as test it with various light levels.

I thought I had figured out what size would work well, but then I measured the image that was being projected up on my wall and it doesn't make any sense. When I play a movie that is 2.35 format I'm getting an image of approx. 53" tall x 124" wide. This makes sense and is what I would expect after entering that ratio and width into the calculator pro at projectorcentral.com. The issue is when I try watching shows that are 16.9 format (I don't have cable so I've been using old movies like Toy Story 1 and Alias TV Series on DVD) the image on my wall doesn't match up. The width of my projected image is 124" which according to projectorcentral.com 's calculator tells me I should have a 70 inch tall image. I also varified these measurements should be what I'm getting based on a Carada 142" screen dimension http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PROJECTION-SCREEN-H142C

Anyway the image I get when watching these movies is 64" tall X 124" wide. Using this in the calculator that would lead me to believe I'm projecting a 2 to 1 aspect ratio even though I'm watching 16X9 content. Does anyone know why this is happening and if I'm doing something wrong?

The other issue I have is Alias is a 1.8 image and Toy Story is a 1.77 so when I change disks though the image is roughly the same size the image shifts slightly so it wouldn't line up with where the screen would be mounted. Do I have to create individual memory saves for each aspect ratio I come accross?

Oh just an FYI the projector is laying on a card table for now with the projector raised up in the front using the adjustable feet. My final setup will be a ceiling mount using a Cheif RPAU. I heard I need to have the lense of the projector within the vertical frame of the screen and centered horizontally before any lense shifting? If that is right does it need to be within the frame of the screen for both the 2.35 and the 16x9 image? I'm guessing just 16x9 because otherwise I wouldn't think it would be possible with a ceiling mount. Anyway Thank you for any help sorry about the long post.

How do you use another source to focus since the projector's built-in pattern is in the way when attempting to focus?When you invoke the internal focus screen, you will notice the on screen icon of the four way controller shows the center button is labeled "PATTERN CHANGE" (They use all capital letters; I'm not yelling at you ;)). Tap it repeatedly and you'll see one of the three options is to focus on the incoming source image.

[The link in the other post doesn't seem to be working, but here is the center of the SMPTE 133 image I took standing right next to the screen with my point and shoot camera in macro mode].
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3072/3031551002_486005c67a_z.jpg
The smaller lines are individual pixel width alternating with unlit lines. Note, with precise focusing you can even faintly see the sub element panel(s) which make up each white pixel "point"; the red LCD is the easiest to pick out. Also note the stellar "fill factor", thanks to Smooth Screen, which completely eliminates any discernible black area between individual pixels, both horizontally and vertically, which causes the dreaded SDE if viewed closely on all other brands. I love my Panny :)!

the Epson in a light controlled theater though. http://www.ew-network.com/1.jpg
http://www.ew-network.com/2.jpg
http://www.quandulps.info/ht.jpg
http://www.quandulps.info/01.jpg

Oh just an FYI the projector is laying on a card table for now with the projector raised up in the front using the adjustable feet. My final setup will be a ceiling mount using a Cheif RPAU. I heard I need to have the lense of the projector within the vertical frame of the screen and centered horizontally before any lense shifting? If that is right does it need to be within the frame of the screen for both the 2.35 and the 16x9 image? I'm guessing just 16x9 because otherwise I wouldn't think it would be possible with a ceiling mount. Anyway Thank you for any help sorry about the long post.

I am commenting first on the question quoted above. The center of the lens must be inside of the screen. This is a physical requirement enforced by the laws of optics and physics. It doesn't matter what the screen ratio is or what the ratio of the program content is.

You are questioning about zoom settings. I use only three: one for 2.35:1, a second for 1.85:1, and the third for 16:9. For any other material, there are either small black bars (top and bottom) or a bit overspill on the mask. On my setup, I can NOT see the small black bars when they are present. The black velvet mask does the same for the small overspills.

I think you are getting confused by all of your measurements. What you need to do is to pick what you think is the screen size you want. Use masking tape and mark the screen on the wall. (Be sure to position it so the lens is within this screen area even if the screen is not at the height you want in the final setup .) Now setup the three lens settings using appropriate material and save them.

Position your seats as they would be in your final setup and watch some material in all of the aspect ratios you are interested in. If everything is satisfactory, go with it. Otherwise, pick a new screen size.

I am commenting first on the question quoted above. The center of the lens must be inside of the screen. This is a physical requirement enforced by the laws of optics and physics. It doesn't matter what the screen ratio is or what the ratio of the program content is.

You are questioning about zoom settings. I use only three: one for 2.35:1, a second for 1.78:1, and the third for 16:9. For any other material, there are either small black bars (top and bottom) or a bit overspill on the mask. On my setup, I can NOT see the small black bars when they are present. The black velvet mask does the same for the small overspills.

I think you are getting confused by all of your measurements. What you need to do is to pick what you think is the screen size you want. Use masking tape and mark the screen on the wall. (Be sure to position it so the lens is within this screen area even if the screen is not at the height you want in the final setup .) Now setup the three lens settings using appropriate material and save them.

Isn't 16:9 the same as 1.78:1 ? ;)

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3072/3031551002_486005c67a_z.jpg
The smaller lines are individual pixel width alternating with unlit lines. Note, with precise focusing you can even faintly see the subpixel elements which make each white pixel; the red is the easiest to pick out.

There are no subpixels in a 3-LCD display, there are only single-coloured pixels overlaid on each other, making white when they're all in a row. What you're seeing in that photo is poor convergence. Those lines should be pure white or grey, with no colors visible at all. Some purple fringing will come from the lens, but that's normal. Certainly don't brag about that you see red, that's a defect :)

I am commenting first on the question quoted above. The center of the lens must be inside of the screen. This is a physical requirement enforced by the laws of optics and physics. It doesn't matter what the screen ratio is or what the ratio of the program content is.

You are questioning about zoom settings. I use only three: one for 2.35:1, a second for 1.78:1, and the third for 16:9. For any other material, there are either small black bars (top and bottom) or a bit overspill on the mask. On my setup, I can NOT see the small black bars when they are present. The black velvet mask does the same for the small overspills.

I think you are getting confused by all of your measurements. What you need to do is to pick what you think is the screen size you want. Use masking tape and mark the screen on the wall. (Be sure to position it so the lens is within this screen area even if the screen is not at the height you want in the final setup .) Now setup the three lens settings using appropriate material and save them.

Position your seats as they would be in your final setup and watch some material in all of the aspect ratios you are interested in. If everything is satisfactory, go with it. Otherwise, pick a new screen size.

I wanted to get a 142" Carada shown here http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PROJECTION-SCREEN-H142P
so I measured out the screen and placed painters tape on the wall so I could see how big the screen would be and whether it would look right in the space I have. When I put in Toy Story 1 a 16x9 movie the image did not fill the entire screen height wise, but filled it fully width wise. That is why I made this post because it appears to me that even though I'm projecting on a space that would be a 16x9 screen my image is not 16x9 even though the content I'm using is. Does that make better sense?

Isn't 16:9 the same as 1.78:1 ? ;)

16/9 = 1.77777777 etc., so "Yes".

There are no subpixels in a 3-LCD display, there are only single-coloured pixels overlaid on each other, making white when they're all in a row.
Very good point. My bad. I have edited my post to reflect what is seen is the individual LCD panel element (red) which makes up each white pixel "point", not a "subpixel". Check.

What you're seeing in that photo is poor convergence.

I personally disagree with that assessment of it being "poor", though. What I am seeing, and is shown in the photo, is such spectacularly [I]good convergence, AFAIC, such that neither vertically nor horizontally, even when examined so closely that individual pixel "points" are discernible, do the white lines show any degree of red, green, or blue fringing, at all . They are just white lines. The "poor" misconvergence, as you deem it, might be [I]just barely discernible if I had a test pattern with diagonal, instead of horizontal and vertical lines, I suppose [considering the individual white pixel "point" seems slightly red in its upper left], but for a straight out of the box projector with smooth screen and no user adjustable panel alignment facilities, I've never seen better. If you have pictures of a superior convergence, under said conditions, I'd be more than happy to examine it.

Considering the individual white lines are indeed just white lines, and not "clearly fringed with red, green or blue on one edge, at least when examined at extremely close distances using a torturous test pattern of alternating, single pixel width, white and black lines", I'm quite happy with my "poor" convergence.:D

Some purple fringing will come from the lens, but that's normal.The CA might also be partly from the lens on my cheap point and shoot camera. It balks at extremely high contrast situations like this.

Zergman, have the projector ON but with no source feeding it, so it displays a blue screen. That is the total area the projector can project and it is 16:9. Adjust this blue screen to your projection screen.

Then, have your source playing 16:9 content and compare what area the actual picture have. If it's not the same area as the blue screen, then some setting in your player and/or projector is not as it should.

Second, using the projector front feet means the projector is slightly tilted up. You won't be able to have any of the zoom memory functions to work in a satisfactory way if the projector is not near 100% level.

Zergman, have the projector ON but with no source feeding it, so it displays a blue screen. That is the total area the projector can project and it is 16:9. Adjust this blue screen to your projection screen.

Then, have your source playing 16:9 content and compare what area the actual picture have. If it's not the same as the blue screen, then some setting in your player and/or projector is not as it should.

Second, using the projector front feet means the projector is slightly tilted up. You won't be able to have any of the zoom memory functions to work in a satisfactory way if the projector is not near 100% level.

Ok thanks. I'll try leveling the feet out and clearing out the settings I have to see if that fixes my problem.

Isn't 16:9 the same as 1.78:1 ? ;)

Thanks, corrected original post to make 1.78:1 to 1.85:1

I wanted to get a 142" Carada shown here http://www.carada.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=PROJECTION-SCREEN-H142P
so I measured out the screen and placed painters tape on the wall so I could see how big the screen would be and whether it would look right in the space I have. When I put in Toy Story 1 a 16x9 movie the image did not fill the entire screen height wise, but filled it fully width wise. That is why I made this post because it appears to me that even though I'm projecting on a space that would be a 16x9 screen my image is not 16x9 even though the content I'm using is. Does that make better sense?

Your problem is that according to IMDb (the movie data site), Toy Story 1 has a 1.85:1 ratio! You will always have a either (1) small black bars at the top and bottom if the width is set exact or (2) over spill on width if the height is set exactly. You will have to chose which condition you want with a 16:9 screen!

Now, what you have to realize is that most of us who purchased the AE4000 did so that we could use a screen with a ratio of approximately of 2.35:1. With this setup, the height of the image is always constant and the width of the image varies depending on the aspect ratio. Most of your issues disappear when you use constant height image mode.

That are a few people who have have used other screen ratios for various reason. I am not prepared or informed enough to discuss the reasons for their choices..

I suppose [considering the individual white pixel "point" seems slightly red in its upper left], but for a straight out of the box projector with smooth screen and no user adjustable panel alignment facilities, I've never seen better. If you have pictures of a superior convergence, under said conditions, I'd be more than happy to examine it.

Oh, I never said I could show you better! :) I had one Epson (out of 16) that had very good convergence - perfect, actually - but it still had lots of CA from the lens. I couldn't prove it with a picture, though! I'm using a Sony LCoS now that supports 10 steps per pixel adjustment - for someone as OCD as me, it doesn't get any better. Still has CA from the lens, but that never bothers me. Now that I've had that luxury, I couldn't ever go back to the LCD panel alignment lottery - I have really, really bad luck. The one you showed is better than 95% of what's out there. Of course, single-chip DLP still rules... I wish I never saw one!

Your problem is that according to IMDb (the movie data site), Toy Story 1 has a 1.85:1 ratio! You will always have a either (1) small black bars at the top and bottom if the width is set exact or (2) over spill on width if the height is set exactly. You will have to chose which condition you want with a 16:9 screen!

Now, what you have to realize is that most of us who purchased the AE4000 did so that we could use a screen with a ratio of approximately of 2.35:1. With this setup, the height of the image is always constant and the width of the image varies depending on the aspect ratio. Most of your issues disappear when you use constant height image mode.

That are a few people who have have used other screen ratios for various reason. I am not prepared or informed enough to discuss the reasons for their choices..

That is really strange because the back of the box on my Toy Story 1 copy says 1.77 aspect ratio. I also tried throwing in Alias Season 1 since I don't have cable right now to use for testing and it looks the same size as Toy Story 1. According to the back of the Alias box it is 1.8 aspect ratio and it also doesn't fill up the 16x9 screen that I have outlined on my wall with painters tape.

I'm going to try what Deromax suggested and clear out all my settings and lower the adjustable feet on my projector and give it a try. I can't imagine both the Toy Story and Alias boxes are wrong, but I guess it could happen.

If you measure the image these 2 shows are putting up on my wall and enter those measurements into a projection calculator it appears that what I'm viewing is a 2.0 aspect ratio even though I'm using 1.8 material.

That is really strange because the back of the box on my Toy Story 1 copy says 1.77 aspect ratio. I also tried throwing in Alias Season 1 since I don't have cable right now to use for testing and it looks the same size as Toy Story 1. According to the back of the Alias box it is 1.8 aspect ratio and it also doesn't fill up the 16x9 screen that I have outlined on my wall with painters tape.

I'm going to try what Deromax suggested and clear out all my settings and lower the adjustable feet on my projector and give it a try. I can't imagine both the Toy Story and Alias boxes are wrong, but I guess it could happen.

If you measure the image these 2 shows are putting up on my wall and enter those measurements into a projection calculator it appears that what I'm viewing is a 2.0 aspect ratio even though I'm using 1.8 material.

make shure you don't have any electronic masking set AND no electronic lense shift (Think they call is vertical area/horizontal area). Either could mess up a 16:9 image size.

That is really strange because the back of the box on my Toy Story 1 copy says 1.77 aspect ratio. I also tried throwing in Alias Season 1 since I don't have cable right now to use for testing and it looks the same size as Toy Story 1. According to the back of the Alias box it is 1.8 aspect ratio and it also doesn't fill up the 16x9 screen that I have outlined on my wall with painters tape.

I'm going to try what Deromax suggested and clear out all my settings and lower the adjustable feet on my projector and give it a try. I can't imagine both the Toy Story and Alias boxes are wrong, but I guess it could happen.

If you measure the image these 2 shows are putting up on my wall and enter those measurements into a projection calculator it appears that what I'm viewing is a 2.0 aspect ratio even though I'm using 1.8 material.

I wouldn't accept anything anything on the box as being absolutely accurate. The ratio you get by measuring the picture on the screen will be accurate for the content on that disk. (And then only of you are using HDMI as your source!)

To double check that you haven't messed up with electronic shifts or electronic masking , measure the startup screen (The one that is up when you don't have a disk in it) of your DVD or Blu-ray player. They will be 16:9.

I wouldn't accept anything anything on the box as being absolutely accurate. The ratio you get by measuring the picture on the screen will be accurate for the content on that disk. (And then only of you are using HDMI as your source!)

To double check that you haven't messed up with electronic shifts or electronic masking , measure the startup screen (The one that is up when you don't have a disk in it) of your DVD or Blu-ray player. They will be 16:9.

Well I checked my settings and didn't see any h or v position shifting but i think I did use the manual lense shift nobs on the top of the projector the first time I used it so maybe I have to undo what I did there? The blu-ray load screen that comes up when I don't have a disk in is the same size as when I play these movies. And yes I am using HDMI cable.

Well I checked my settings and didn't see any h or v position shifting but i think I did use the manual lense shift nobs on the top of the projector the first time I used it so maybe I have to undo what I did there? The blu-ray load screen that comes up when I don't have a disk in is the same size as when I play these movies. And yes I am using HDMI cable.

The use of the manual horizontal and vertical shift knobs is not a problem. Moving the ENTIRE image around is the function.

You should down load the Functional Manual from Panasonic's website. (Link in first post of this thread.) On page 18, you will find reference to two areas in the menu system which have electronic horizontal and vertical adjustments in them. NEVER use the ones called "H-POSITION" and "V-POSITION" adjustment under the "POSITION" Menu Heading. (I have no idea what they were intended for!) You will find the "H-AREA POSITION" and the "V-AREA POSITION" under the "LENS CONTROL" Menu Heading. These adjustments are stored in the "Lens Memory". The only one to use is the "V_AREA POSITION". What it does is move the image up and down on the LCD PANEL. When the image is moved, you lose pixels from the picture in the direction that you shift. The "V-AREA POSITION" control is use to center the image on the screen when the aspect ratio of the image is greater than 1.78:1. (The pixels you 'lose' are part of the black bar.) (If you have played with the zoom function, you should have observed that the center of the image moves up and down on the screen UNLESS the center on the lens is located at the center of the screen. This allows you to recenter the picture after zooming the lens to fill the screen.)

The use of the manual horizontal and vertical shift knobs is not a problem. Moving the ENTIRE image around is the function.

You should down load the Functional Manual from Panasonic's website. (Link in first post of this thread.) On page 18, you will find reference to two areas in the menu system which have electronic horizontal and vertical adjustments in them. NEVER use the ones called "H-POSITION" and "V-POSITION" adjustment under the "POSITION" Menu Heading. (I have no idea what they were intended for!) You will find the "H-AREA POSITION" and the "V-AREA POSITION" under the "LENS CONTROL" Menu Heading. These adjustments are stored in the "Lens Memory". The only one to use is the "V_AREA POSITION". What it does is move the image up and down on the LCD PANEL. When the image is moved, you lose pixels from the picture in the direction that you shift. The "V-AREA POSITION" control is use to center the image on the screen when the aspect ratio of the image is greater than 1.78:1. (The pixels you 'lose' are part of the black bar.) (If you have played with the zoom function, you should have observed that the center of the image moves up and down on the screen UNLESS the center on the lens is located at the center of the screen. This allows you to recenter the picture after zooming the lens to fill the screen.)

Ok well I'll check it all when I get home. Thanks for the help.

Hello,

I'm making my first post after a long time reading all of the great advice on AVS because of a very strange problem I've noticed recently: the picture on my AE3000U seems to be quickly shifting focus on background details for no apparent reason when playing Blu-ray. I have used two different BR players (one Panasonic, the other PS3), and the same thing happens with both players. The best way I can describe the shifting is that the fine detail in the image flashes rather quickly between clear and blurry. It's not particularly noticeable on large objects in focus up close, but details in the backgrounds of scenes are flickering. The signal is being fed from my player through a Pioneer SC-37 to the AE3000U. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm not sure how long it's been going on, but it's really bothering me now. I just swapped in the SC-37 after several years of using an older Pioneer Elite model--could it be the receiver? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

Hello,

I'm making my first post after a long time reading all of the great advice on AVS because of a very strange problem I've noticed recently: the picture on my AE3000U...
Did you search for the 3000 thread? This is for the 4000.

Yes, but the action on that thread seems rather dead so I wasn't sure that folks were still reading it. As the projectors are very similar, I thought I would try posting here first in case someone had an idea.

Hello,

I'm making my first post after a long time reading all of the great advice on AVS because of a very strange problem I've noticed recently: the picture on my AE3000U seems to be quickly shifting focus on background details for no apparent reason when playing Blu-ray. I have used two different BR players (one Panasonic, the other PS3), and the same thing happens with both players. The best way I can describe the shifting is that the fine detail in the image flashes rather quickly between clear and blurry. It's not particularly noticeable on large objects in focus up close, but details in the backgrounds of scenes are flickering. The signal is being fed from my player through a Pioneer SC-37 to the AE3000U. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm not sure how long it's been going on, but it's really bothering me now. I just swapped in the SC-37 after several years of using an older Pioneer Elite model--could it be the receiver? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

Remove the SC-37 from the signal path. That way, you will eliminate one variable. You might consider switching the lamp from the current mode to the other mode-- Normal to Eco or vice versa. Beyond that, you are probably looking at a trip to shop.

Try to find an exact scene you can replicate and play over and over again to determine if the problem is sporadic and random when it occurs, or is tripped by a certain set of circumstances and is scene specific. Hopefully try to find a section you can replay over and over again to see the same problem repeatedly that you suspect is a very common movie some of us other readers might have, that way you can say, "Go to X minutes and Y seconds into chapter one of Z movie and look at the thing in the upper left. Do you see it blurring in and out of focus at the rate of roughly twice per second?" This way others here can attempt to see if they have the same issue.

My first inclination is that the frame interpolation circuit is acting oddly, BTW. and I would try different modes, but who knows.

Well I'm not sure what did it, but my problem is fixed. I went through and made sure everything was set to default then measured my image and it came out to the size it should have been. I then used the manual lense shift instead of the v-area and my image stayed the correct size. I now have a 134" Carada Bright White screen on the way :)

Has there been any word about when this PJ will be discontinued?

Has there been any word about when this PJ will be discontinued?


I don't think there's a true substitute for it yet, is there?

As has been posted in this thread before, the PT-AE4000U retains its last menu position. I would like to automate some functions, specifically selecting a FRAME CREATION mode, but have been stymied by this "feature", since the menus are never in a known starting position (aside from power on). Even with RS-232 serial control, I haven't figured out a way to do this. Does anyone know of a command/setting, either IR or RS-232, that will get the projector's menus into a known state? Crestron can do this, right? Does it have to keep track of the last position? Thanks.

As has been posted in this thread before, the PT-AE4000U retains its last menu position. I would like to automate some functions, specifically selecting a FRAME CREATION mode, but have been stymied by this "feature", since the menus are never in a known starting position (aside from power on). Even with RS-232 serial control, I haven't figured out a way to do this. Does anyone know of a command/setting, either IR or RS-232, that will get the projector's menus into a known state? Crestron can do this, right? Does it have to keep track of the last position? Thanks.

If you are truly only interested in setting the FRAME CREATION to an known starting position, you can use the FUNCTION BUTTON. (See pg 38 of the Functional Instruction Manual.)

By the way, the Harmony remotes will remember some last states of the AE4000. I know that it will remember the input selected. (That is how it can switch to the proper input depending on the input need for the activity selected--- Watch TV, Watch movie, etc.)

If you are truly only interested in setting the FRAME CREATION to an known starting position, you can use the FUNCTION BUTTON. (See pg 38 of the Functional Instruction Manual.)


But setting the FUNCTION button to FRAME CREATION would still result in it defaulting to the last/current FRAME CREATION setting wouldn't it? I'll try it the next time my projector is on.

EDIT: Well, FRAME CREATION using the FUNCTION button does still default to the last setting, but now that I've played around with it, I see that it is no different than other picture settings, like Brightness. It's a different problem than the MENUs defaulting to the last position. It is a good tip from frank1940 for changing FRAME CREATION quickly. I also now realize that FRAME CREATION is saved in the PICTURE MEMORY, so that would be a way to get FRAME CREATION into a known state.

Hello I just got 4000 & was wondering when calibrating the picture what mode do you start with,color 1-2-3 cinema 1-2-3 or normal.Ive had a few Pany projectors & just calibrated with my eyes,will a std dvd caibrating disk work.thanks

Hello I just got 4000 & was wondering when calibrating the picture what mode do you start with,color 1-2-3 cinema 1-2-3 or normal.Ive had a few Pany projectors & just calibrated with my eyes,will a std dvd caibrating disk work.thanks

I responded to a similar question about a page back in this thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=21331666&postcount=7804

Thanks

It seems that cinema 1 or 3 with a little boost on brightness does best at least on my screen (120in 1.1 screen gain)Elite brand screen.

I use Cinema 1, with regular lamp power, Contrast at +10, minor Color and Hue adjustments, detail +4, for Blu-ray movies.

For HD sat TV, I use Normal, with mostly stock settings.

This reminds me I should recalibrate, since I must be approaching 1000 hours on the lamp!

Color1 is suppose to be closest to a calibrated setting

Color1 is suppose to be closest to a calibrated setting

That is my opinion too.

That's my conclusion too.
Thanks everyone, I can't wait to have another expensive day and order it! :)

So I'm getting very close to pulling the trigger and buying a Panasonic AE4000, the question I have for you current owners is if you were in my shoes, would you buy new or go for an ex-demo/loan unit that has ~200 hours on the bulb but is ~$250 cheaper (but still qualifies for the Panasonic 2 year warranty offer)?
The risk I can think of is that it's probably been shipped a lot but other than the lens being jolted/moved Im not sure if this is a good deal or not.

I ended up buying this loaner unit for myself for christmas (and housewarming for the newly constructed light-controlled theater): the lamp had ~200 hours (just broken in!) and the exterior was pristine and shipped with all original packaging and case candy. saved me about $250-about a 15% discount- and still qualifies for rebate and 2-year warranty. the seller is reputable and stands behind their sales (not an ebay deal). anyway, i couldn't be more pleased. it's quietly projecting 166" diagonal (2.4:1) from about 17' throw and everyone who has viewed it agrees that watching movies in my theater is better than going out to the movies.

fwiw, in the past 8 years i've only bought refurb computers from dell and apple (they're also fully warranted) and i've never been let down. bought a scratch and dent LG fridge from Best Buy and saved $500... even the spouse agreed that it was a helluva deal.

some people find it risky, but I weigh the cost of return shipping, reputation of the seller and potential hassles and find that the rewards are far greater than the risks. anyway, thanks for passing on this deal!

Just hit 2000 hours on my original lamp on one of these guys, and the projector shut itself off. It started with the reminders to replace lamp I think at 1500.

But, seems to work, and seems to come back on now.

I've got a spare, but is there any reason to not just keep using the old one until it truly stops working? Is there a danger of damage to the projector?

Nope just keep goin til it blows. I just had to switch to normal bulb mode from Eco and im at 3600 hours. Image was getting a little dim. Hopefully I can squeeze out another 6 months or more from it.

Nope just keep goin til it blows. I just had to switch to normal bulb mode from Eco and im at 3600 hours.

Wow; 3600, impressive!

Thanks. Definitely update us if your bulb dies in a shower of flame and sparks. =)

Wow; 3600, impressive!

Thanks. Definitely update us if your bulb dies in a shower of flame and sparks. =)

Will do! :D

Oh and just to add: it's lighting up a 136" 2.35 Carada BW screen. I'm very happy with how long it's lasted.

I've got a spare, but is there any reason to not just keep using the old one until it truly stops working?
The new bulb is going to be very significantly brighter than the old bulb (my old bulb had faded to just 40% of the brightness of the new bulb at 2200 hours). Putting a new bulb in is like getting a brand new projector. Once you do it you'll wonder why you ever put it off. For $300 it's the cheapest, most effective upgrade you can do to your HT.

I probably won't even wait for 2,000 hours for the next replacement bulb.

Mike

I've got a spare, but is there any reason to not just keep using the old one until it truly stops working? Is there a danger of damage to the projector?
Yes, there is a risk. When this kind of bulb (HID?) pops it can can explode into shards of glass and dust. There is a secondary protective glass barrier to hopefully protect your delicate and dust sensitive LCD panels, however it is not foolproof.

Just hit 2000 hours on my original lamp on one of these guys, and the projector shut itself off. It started with the reminders to replace lamp I think at 1500.

But, seems to work, and seems to come back on now.

I've got a spare, but is there any reason to not just keep using the old one until it truly stops working? Is there a danger of damage to the projector?

There's one big reason: the new lamp has a 90 days warranty. So use it now (at least while it's covered) and keep the old one as spare.

Well, we just sat down to watch tonight and it worked for a bit, then turned off.

Is this a "feature" at 2000 hours? Seems weird that it hit 2000 exactly, then this started happening.

It does come back after a power cycle, but worrisome; digging out the spare.

Edit: It looks like it is a feature, I realized while replacing it... you have to reset the runtime by holding down OK while on the 2000 hours runtime. You have to do this as part of replacing the bulb (no auto-detection of replacement).

So, ah well, I have a spare with 2000 hours on it. Packers lost already, so no worries during NFL playoffs. =)

So i have a new sony bluray player connected to an onkyo 808 receiver, which is connected to my ae4000. In between the movie intro stuff, like trailers, fbi logo, etc, the screen goes blue because it loses sinal temporarily (apparenly during chapter switches). Is this normal, or can i do anything about it? It is very annoying to keep seeing the blue screen searching for input.

Thanks!

So i have a new sony bluray player connected to an onkyo 808 receiver, which is connected to my ae4000. In between the movie intro stuff, like trailers, fbi logo, etc, the screen goes blue because it loses sinal temporarily (apparenly during chapter switches). Is this normal, or can i do anything about it? It is very annoying to keep seeing the blue screen searching for input.

Thanks!

It is switching refresh rates. You can set the background to be black and not display input on screen.


Alex

The videos, logos and warnings that are displayed before the actual movie can be either 24p or 60i on the disc. When the player is switching from one to the other, the projector lose the sync for a second and will flash the blue screen.

You can blame all this on some shody Blu-ray authoring by the studios and unfortunately it is the norm. :mad:

Thanks! I didnt realize the pani had those menu options, but it fixed the problem - no more blue and no more input search showing.

My ups power supply got fried in a thunderstorm & was wondering what all of you use as a power back-up if the power goes off while using your projector.I had my Pany 4000 hooked-up to a ups unit that i mounted on ceiling but it was big & ugly,do they make a small one that just plugs in to the ac outlet.I just wanted enough battery power (2-4 mins) to power down the projector if power goes off.thanks

Can the auto-size switching be turned off?

Can the auto-size switching be turned off?

Yes. It's on the "lens control" menu and is called "auto switching". It works by loading a specified lens memory when the appropriate sized material (16:9 or 2.35:1) is detected.

My ups power supply got fried in a thunderstorm & was wondering what all of you use as a power back-up if the power goes off while using your projector.I had my Pany 4000 hooked-up to a ups unit that i mounted on ceiling but it was big & ugly,do they make a small one that just plugs in to the ac outlet.I just wanted enough battery power (2-4 mins) to power down the projector if power goes off.thanks

I have a Cyber Power that's a little smaller than a cigar box. Works great.

Forgive me in advance for asking a stupid question.

Other then the digital zoom....the zoom that is on the side of the 4000 itself; if I require a bigger picture I need to move the projector back....correct? I am trying to make my 2:35 wider. 16x9 is fantastic...just need width on the 2:35

I currently have the Panny PT-AX200u and recently go the Replace Lamp notice at 1800 hours. I am not sure if I should just buy a bulb replacement or if I should consider selling it and upgrading to the PT-AE4000.

Is this unit shown to be a great upgrade to the 200u?

NOTE: I have NO DESIRE AT ALL to go 3d, so the AE7000 is out.

I have a Cyber Power that's a little smaller than a cigar box. Works great.

Thanks,I checked them out at there website very reasonable prices what model do you have for your pany?

Forgive me in advance for asking a stupid question.

Other then the digital zoom....the zoom that is on the side of the 4000 itself; if I require a bigger picture I need to move the projector back....correct? I am trying to make my 2:35 wider. 16x9 is fantastic...just need width on the 2:35

The zoom is optical (powered) 2X. And yes, if you need a bigger picture, you must move the PJ back.

I currently have the Panny PT-AX200u and recently go the Replace Lamp notice at 1800 hours. I am not sure if I should just buy a bulb replacement or if I should consider selling it and upgrading to the PT-AE4000.

Is this unit shown to be a great upgrade to the 200u?

NOTE: I have NO DESIRE AT ALL to go 3d, so the AE7000 is out.

I loved my 4000! 3D is the only reason I went for a 7000. I think it would make a great upgrade and with rebates or used, you can usually score one several hundred dollars below its original street price. I would highly recommend it.

I currently have the Panny PT-AX200u and recently go the Replace Lamp notice at 1800 hours. I am not sure if I should just buy a bulb replacement or if I should consider selling it and upgrading to the PT-AE4000.

Is this unit shown to be a great upgrade to the 200u?

NOTE: I have NO DESIRE AT ALL to go 3d, so the AE7000 is out.

You can keep using your PJ if the lamp is bright enough. You have to reset the hours counter (see the manual) to erase the reminder and continue using the PJ after you get 2000 hs.
I've buyed the AE4000 for the same reasons: cost and no 3d wanted. I didn't see the AX200 but i'm sure that the AE4000 it's way better.

The zoom is optical (powered) 2X. And yes, if you need a bigger picture, you must move the PJ back.

Thanks

Other then the digital zoom....the zoom that is on the side of the 4000 itself; if I require a bigger picture I need to move the projector back....correct?

Another trick is to fold the light path on itself by way of a mirror. As an example, you could ceiling mount the projector aiming it backwards from the screen, bounce the image off a rear wall mounted mirror , to then shoot forward onto the front screen. This folding of the light path is quite standard in large telescopes, including the Hubble space telescope, to minimize their length.

I'm going to preemptively defend my remarks, which I'm confident will be attacked and dismissively put down by others, with two statements:

A) No, it doesn't have to necessarily be a "first surface" mirror (they cost a lot more), although that would be more ideal.

and

B) Yes, I've actually done it, using a high quality bathroom mirror I bought at Home Depot for under $50. [Although this was four projectors ago that I used it. I've never used it on my 4000.]


If people don't believe me that it can generate a perfectly acceptable image, fine, whatever.

Another trick is to fold the light path on itself by way of a mirror. As an example, you could ceiling mount the projector aiming it backwards from the screen, bounce the image off a rear wall mounted mirror , to then shoot forward onto the front screen. This folding of the light path is quite standard in large telescopes, including the Hubble space telescope, to minimize their length.

I'm going to preemptively defend my remarks, which I'm confident will be attacked and dismissively put down by others, with two statements:

A) No, it doesn't have to necessarily be a "first surface" mirror (they cost a lot more), although that would be more ideal.

and

B) Yes, I've actually done it, using a high quality bathroom mirror I bought at Home Depot for under $50. [Although this was four projectors ago that I used it. I've never used it on my 4000.]

If people don't believe me that it can generate a perfectly acceptable image, fine, whatever.

I believe you but that's only because I'm completely ignorant on the subject. ;)

From a standpoint of pure physics, I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

Cory

I loved my 4000! 3D is the only reason I went for a 7000. I think it would make a great upgrade and with rebates or used, you can usually score one several hundred dollars below its original street price. I would highly recommend it.

Hey can you give us a real world comparison of your 4000 vs your 7000, accounting for new vs old bulb?

Thanks!

I'm going to preemptively defend my remarks, which I'm confident will be attacked and dismissively put down by others, with two statements:

If people don't believe me that it can generate a perfectly acceptable image, fine, whatever.

You are wrong, stupid, AND ugly. :p

But seriuosly, does the 4000 have the "via a mirror" option? I have a temporary projector I received for free (a Dell 2400MP DLP projector) and it has that as one of the option in the same area where it asks if the projector is upside down or rightside up.

But seriuosly, does the 4000 have the "via a mirror" option?
I'd be shocked (SHOCKED!) if it didn't. Mirror projection and rear projection are common applications that should always be accommodated.

All four projectors I have owned, including the 4000, have the option to flip the image L to R (and also if need be, top to bottom), so no matter how many reflections the image may be passed through, it can always be corrected.

Hey can you give us a real world comparison of your 4000 vs your 7000, accounting for new vs old bulb?


That last part regarding "new vs old bulb" is a really big "inconvenient truth" in our hobby when attempting to compare two units and extremely difficult to account for, even by pros, other than by guessing! Bulb age has not a subtle, but rather a drastic impact on pj image, arguably bigger than, or at least comparable to, the distinction between two similar projectors from the same company, a year apart in production.

People are already making a huge assumption that their visual memory of one projector's image is indelibly burned in, and that they have perfect recall of it , when they then evaluate another one in comparison, even if just minutes later in the day, let alone on another date. I'm not really sure if "photographic memory" even exists, but it would seem we are constantly asked to accept that it does when reading not just this forum but also the "professional" A/V press. An example: "This multi-channel amp sounded lifeless and dull compared to the one I had hooked up the week before."

Sorry, but this is delusional if you ask me. Memory for subtle distinctions of both sight and sound are completely clouded over in a matter of seconds. You can only safely make them with rapid fire, nearly instantaneous A vs. B comparisons. The notion that reviewers can listen to (or look at) one product and then compare it to another from a previous date is foolish, IMHO. Memory doesn't work that way for any of us humans, yet we are asked to accept this sketchy premise over and over again as we read other reviewers' evaluations, in almost all of the A/V magazines!


What people are actually comparing is their emotional response that got recorded during their previous exposure, not "What exact shade of blue-green will I remember this image as having", etc. Add to this their unintentional and often subconscious expectation bias of "I know this brand makes a good product so I'm going to like this!" and you can pretty much throw out the window almost all reviews of these things, as far as I'm concerned.

Convenient? Heck no! The truth? Unfortunately, yes.:(

If comparing before and after by memory is so impossible, why not just get a meter and measure it?

I think this is the point of calibration?

The zoom is optical (powered) 2X. And yes, if you need a bigger picture, you must move the PJ back.

Just got done taking down the mount and I ended up moving it back almost 2 feet...so I was off a tad :)
What a pain pulling HDMI through a finished area with duct in the way. I would rather have a nail pounded in my head. I have a 30ft homerun but the last 2 feet which is all I needed...ugh.
The lens memory part oddly I picked up right away and wow...awesome. Watching Star Wars as I type this. I do have some painting to do....to add to my screen width for 2.35 which I am doing in the morning, my screen is painted on my front wall...dedicated room. Right now I am at roughly 133" wide for 2.35, roughly 15'8 throw. I am coming from a panny 900 with 2000 hrs on it so to me...this IS a light cannon.

Thanks,I checked them out at there website very reasonable prices what model do you have for your pany?

All I good find on it was the following: CPVPU201

Don't have a Panny. Check under my screen name. ;)

Thanks Shark

All four projectors I have owned, including the 4000, have the option to flip the image L to R (and also if need be, top to bottom), so no matter how many reflections the image may be passed through, it can always be corrected.

Just something to think about. No amount of reflections will ever flip an image upside down. :) You'd have to have the projector upside down to flip the image. And no matter the number of reflections, there's only one correction that might be needed...L to R.

That last part regarding "new vs old bulb" is a really big "inconvenient truth" in our hobby when attempting to compare two units and extremely difficult to account for, even by pros, other than by guessing! Bulb age has not a subtle, but rather a drastic impact on pj image, arguably bigger than, or at least comparable to, the distinction between two similar projectors from the same company, a year apart in production.

People are already making a huge assumption that their visual memory of one projector's image is indelibly burned in, and that they have perfect recall of it , when they then evaluate another one in comparison, even if just minutes later in the day, let alone on another date. I'm not really sure if "photographic memory" even exists, but it would seem we are constantly asked to accept that it does when reading not just this forum but also the "professional" A/V press. An example: "This multi-channel amp sounded lifeless and dull compared to the one I had hooked up the week before."

Sorry, but this is delusional if you ask me. Memory for subtle distinctions of both sight and sound are completely clouded over in a matter of seconds. You can only safely make them with rapid fire, nearly instantaneous A vs. B comparisons. The notion that reviewers can listen to (or look at) one product and then compare it to another from a previous date is foolish, IMHO. Memory doesn't work that way for any of us humans, yet we are asked to accept this sketchy premise over and over again as we read other reviewers' evaluations, in almost all of the A/V magazines!


What people are actually comparing is their emotional response that got recorded during their previous exposure, not "What exact shade of blue-green will I remember this image as having", etc. Add to this their unintentional and often subconscious expectation bias of "I know this brand makes a good product so I'm going to like this!" and you can pretty much throw out the window almost all reviews of these things, as far as I'm concerned.

Convenient? Heck no! The truth? Unfortunately, yes.:(

Excellent explanation! And I agree mostly.

But...if you extend that logic, then we should all be happy with our old projectors and never upgrade. There has to be some absolute by which we are comparing, like our real world vision. We can't accurately measure how close a projected image comes to real life, but you mentioned something key; our emotional response. Sure that is tainted by expectations, advertising, and a million other things, but can you tell us your subjective opinion of your reaction to both projectors when you first got them, like what you remember disappointing or exciting you?

For example, I own an old boombox that I used to think sounded decent, but a little boomy and compressed. I switched to a mini-stereo system by a better brand, and noticed right away that the stereo sounded less boomy, fuller, crisper, and I noticed sounds that I hadn't before on the same songs. I think even if the boom box had degraded over time, I would have noticed at least some of these things from my memory of the first days of owning the boombox. Right from the start I had a pretty clear opinion of where the boombox was lacking, and I can remember my impressions from those days.

Maybe it's just too difficult to remember your reaction to the strengths and weaknesses of the 4000 from those first few weeks, or the 4000 and 7000 are just too close to compare even subjectively with any amount of time between viewings? If so, maybe I should just stick with the 4000 and wait for a revolutionary upgrade. I hate 3D. ;)

Just something to think about. No amount of reflections will ever flip an image upside down. :) You'd have to have the projector upside down to flip the image. And no matter the number of reflections, there's only one correction that might be needed...L to R.

Not true. Here's just one example: Mounting the pj on a rear of the room shelf, roughly at the viewers' head height (or even lower, close to the floor), aiming the light path sharply upwards (shooting well over their heads, which would otherwise be obstructions if aiming at the screen directly) at a ceiling mounted mirror above them, and then reflecting downward to the screen in front of them. This would require flipping the image top to bottom.

[In fact, if I'm thinking this through correctly, the only time you don't need a top to bottom inversion when shooting forward and reflecting off a single mirror, is when the mirror is kept on the exact same horizontal plane as the conventional (non-reflected) lightpath. Mounting the mirror either above or below that conventional lightpath plane and you'll need top to bottom inversion done through the pj's software.]

Just got done taking down the mount and I ended up moving it back almost 2 feet...so I was off a tad :)
What a pain pulling HDMI through a finished area with duct in the way. I would rather have a nail pounded in my head. I have a 30ft homerun but the last 2 feet which is all I needed...ugh.
The lens memory part oddly I picked up right away and wow...awesome. Watching Star Wars as I type this. I do have some painting to do....to add to my screen width for 2.35 which I am doing in the morning, my screen is painted on my front wall...dedicated room. Right now I am at roughly 133" wide for 2.35, roughly 15'8 throw. I am coming from a panny 900 with 2000 hrs on it so to me...this IS a light cannon.

At least you could move your PJ mount, I've realized that the curtain wall I installed to mount the projector is limiting my image width to 132" and there's no way to move that wall....... :(

Just something to think about. No amount of reflections will ever flip an image upside down.

Well......not with flat mirrors anyway. :)

Not true. Here's just one example: Mounting the pj on a rear of the room shelf, roughly at the viewers' head height (or even lower, close to the floor), aiming the light path sharply upwards (shooting well over their heads, which would otherwise be obstructions if aiming at the screen directly) at a ceiling mounted mirror above them, and then reflecting downward to the screen in front of them. This would require flipping the image top to bottom (as well as L to R).

[In fact, if I'm thinking this through correctly, the only time you don't need a top to bottom inversion when shooting forward and reflecting off a single mirror, is when the mirror is kept on the exact same horizontal plane as the conventional (non-reflected) lightpath. Mounting the mirror either above or below that conventional lightpath plane and you'll need top to bottom inversion done through the pj's software.]

My mistake. I was assuming the projector was level and located behind the viewer (edit: and facing the screen). In that scenario, the image will always be upright......I think. :)

Yeah, I was also assuming we were using flat mirrors. I made a lot of assumptions. :o

Just got my $250.00 rebate back from Panasonic. At the current pricing from PP , and the $250.00 rebate and extended warranty thrown in, the AE4000 is currently one heck of a buy. I doubt there is anything that comes close in this price range.

let's see if we are indeed thinking this through correctly:

put a screen on one wall, a mirror on the opposite wall, and manually hold a projector cradled in your arms as you point it at the mirror on the back wall so you see an image on the screen.

now, using your arms, while remaining pointed at the mirror, move the projector all around. hold it high. hold it low. move to the left. move to the right.

at what point does the image on the screen suddenly flip its orientation?

it doesn't.

let's see if we are indeed thinking this through correctly:

put a screen on one wall, a mirror on the opposite wall, and manually hold a projector cradled in your arms as you point it at the mirror on the back wall so you see an image on the screen.

now, using your arms, while remaining pointed at the mirror, move the projector all around. hold it high. hold it low. move to the left. move to the right.

at what point does the image on the screen suddenly flip its orientation?

it doesn't.

If you use more than one mirror you can get the image to flip. I believe if you raise or lower the projector and only use one mirror, you are going to have keystone issues. But, if for example you used 4 mirrors, all at 45 degree angles, the image would flip vertically. Draw it on a piece of paper with a top and bottom line representing the top and bottom of the projected image. Make sure the lines always stay completely vertical or horizontal and use 4 mirrors.

at what point does the image on the screen suddenly flip its orientation?

Answer: When you aim the projector up to a ceiling mounted mirror above the the screen surface and then reflect the image back downward to the screen (or floor).
http://jmloptical.com/images/mirror%20figure%20e1.jpg

[image source, not that it matters] (http://jmloptical.com/pages/mirrors.aspx)

Here's an easy test. Go grab a hand mirror and hold it at 45 degrees, right in front of your projector just a few inches from its lens, reflecting the image down to the floor [or if your pj is table mounted instead of ceiling, aim it towards the ceiling instead, it doesn't matter]. Notice the reflected image on the floor [ceiling] is upside down? You need to fix that in the menu setup.

Here's an easy test. Go grab a hand mirror and hold it at 45 degrees, right in front of your projector just a few inches from its lens, reflecting the image down to the floor [or if your pj is table mounted instead of ceiling, aim it towards the ceiling instead, it doesn't matter]. Notice the reflected image on the floor [ceiling] is upside down? You need to fix that in the menu setup.

Doesn't that setup cause keystone issues though? The screen is not perpendicular to the light path. If so, I don't see that as a valid scenario. There are others.

A fixed projection, without the benefits of any "manual H/V shift control knobs", must be projected (if using reflection) at exactly 45 degrees reflected angles, in order to have no keystoning at all. An example of this would be to mount the projector flat against the back wall, down low at the floor, shooting straight up toward the ceiling at a 45 degree mirror which then reflects the image, in top to bottom inverted form, forward to the front of the room where one has a screen.

The Panasonic 4000 however is not fixed so you are not limited to the 45 degree angle constraint. Thanks to manual projected angle "vertical shift" offset control beyond the edge of the screen (providing one isn't using the "auto zoom/CIH thingy", those people must stay within the confines of the screen height and width for it to work right)] yet not get any keystoning at all.

Note: the manual advises not to physically tilt the projector more than 30 degrees up or down from a level surface, I presume because the cooling mechanism may be put under too much strain, so 90 degree mounting as I described is not advised by Panny.

A fixed projection, without the benefits of any "manual H/V shift control knobs", must be projected (if using reflection) at exactly 45 degrees reflected angles, in order to have no keystoning at all. An example of this would be to mount the projector flat against the back wall, down low at the floor, shooting straight up toward the ceiling at a 45 degree mirror which then reflects the image, in top to bottom inverted form, forward to the front of the room where one has a screen.

The Panasonic 4000 however is not fixed so you are not limited to the 45 degree angle constraint. Thanks to manual projected angle "vertical shift" offset control beyond the edge of the screen (providing one isn't using the "auto zoom/CIH thingy", those people must stay within the confines of the screen height and width for it to work right)] yet not get any keystoning at all.

Note: the manual advises not to physically tilt the projector more than 30 degrees up or down from a level surface, I presume because the cooling mechanism may be put under too much strain, so 90 degree mounting as I described is not advised by Panny.

Yes vertically mounting the projector would result in a flip, but as you pointed out, that's not advisable. I don't think the lens shift would help you avoid needing 45 degree reflections, though. It shifts the image up, but keeps the light path level.

Guys, this is a serious price drop which will spark competitors in rethinking their pricing on some of the new models that came out.

Could we see prices dropping on other units by year end?

This will be very interesting to see what happens.

I dont own a PJ, but now I have these three on my list:

1) Sony VPL - HW 15
2) Mitsubishi HC3800
3) Panasonic AE4000

I hope to see all three of these in the future.

Dave

How much does it cost now. Thanks

Yes vertically mounting the projector would result in a flip, but as you pointed out, that's not advisable.

"Not advisable", so says the Panasonic manual, not me. They also say the issue is it "may" shorten its life. This generic disclaimer has been cut and paste from manual to manual for many years, despite several internal thermal sensors, constantly on the look out for trouble and which can regulate cooling fan speed, if need be. The manual also says one should dismount their projector and send it in to an authorized Panasonic service center for an internal cleaning, once every year, regardless of exhibiting any symptoms! I wonder how many people actually do that?

I don't think the lens shift would help you avoid needing 45 degree reflections, though.

So you believe their "vertical lens shift" feature really works, i.e. it allows one to get a completely rectangular image, without any keystoning, even when projecting from a completely oblique angle, such as the top projector shown in the image below (borrowed from a review of a pj (http://www.cepro.com/article/hands_on_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/) with a comparable vertical lens shift design, for illustration purposes, only):
http://www.cepro.com/images/uploads/anthem_lens_shift.jpg

however you believe this clever feature which allows one to project at such odd angles can't successfully be used simultaneously in conjunction with a mirror bounced projection, unless the mirror used is at exactly 45 degrees to the light path axis?:confused: O.K., whatever. I'm done trying to explain.

"Not advisable", so says the Panasonic manual, not me. They also say the issue is it "may" shorten its life. This generic disclaimer has been cut and paste from manual to manual for many years, despite several internal thermal sensors, constantly on the look out for trouble and which can regulate cooling fan speed, if need be. The manual also says one should dismount their projector and send it in to an authorized Panasonic service center for an internal cleaning, once every year, regardless of exhibiting any symptoms! I wonder how many people actually do that?



So you believe their "vertical lens shift" feature really works, i.e. it allows one to get a completely rectangular image, without any keystoning, even when projecting from a completely oblique angle, such as the top projector shown in the image below (borrowed from a review of a pj (http://www.cepro.com/article/hands_on_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/) with a comparable vertical lens shift design, for illustration purposes, only):
http://www.cepro.com/images/uploads/anthem_lens_shift.jpg

however you believe this clever feature which allows one to project at such odd angles can't successfully be used simultaneously in conjunction with a mirror bounced projection, unless the mirror used is at exactly 45 degrees to the light path axis?:confused: O.K., whatever. I'm done trying to explain.

No I wouldn't mount it vertically, and let's put it this way, I'll provide an image of a relatively perfect rectangle image projected using lens shift and no keystone adjustment, and you provide a relatively perfect rectangle image projected onto a screen in the middle of a wall from a projector using lens shift and a mirror at an angle way off of 45 degrees without using keystone adjustments. Deal? ;)

What model of projector do you have?

What model of projector do you have?

None. I can find or make a request for a perfect rectangular image from a lens shifted projected on just about any model that support that feature. Which would you like?

Which projector do you have? Does it have lense shift?

How do you get the memory load button on the remote to work? I have saved two lens memory positions on the projector, yet pressing the memory load button on the remote does nothing. What am I missing here?

"Memory Load" on the remote is for loading saved settings from the Picture Menu (color management, contrast, brightness, gamma, etc).

I see I found the answer on page 253. Anyone know of an easy way to get to the lens saved lens memory feature. (I.e. with a Harmony remote that can't do sequences (I.e. 900).

None. I can find or make a request for a perfect rectangular image from a lens shifted projected on just about any model that support that feature.

:confused: Although I'll have to make some guesses as to the actual meaning of your (grammatically questionable) challenge, the pertinent thing is you don't own a projector with this lens shift feature and therefore don't have the ability to see, firsthand, how it allows one to project a perfectly rectangular image, without any need for keystone correction, even from an oblique angle, with or without a reflective bounce off a properly placed mirror in the light path.

I don't think the lens shift would help you avoid needing 45 degree reflections, though.

I'll provide an image of a relatively perfect rectangle image projected using lens shift and no keystone adjustment, and you provide a relatively perfect rectangle image projected onto a screen in the middle of a wall from a projector using lens shift and a mirror at an angle way off of 45 degrees without using keystone adjustments. Deal? ;)[emphasis mine]

Deal.

...and I win:) :
http://www.da-lite.com/education/images/octfig3.gif

Note, this happens to be a rear projection set up to a translucent screen, however it could be viewed from the mirror side by simply reversing the image, left to right, in the menu set up of the pj. One could also use a much smaller mirror by pushing it farther away from the screen, as long as all the angles and overall path lengths are preserved. The reflection of the "principal ray" (the center axis of the light path, as illustrated) is not at 45 degrees!

Also, you never stated that the pj must be kept relatively level to the horizon, however if you get to add that, after the fact, I get to introduce a secondary mirror:

http://www.da-lite.com/education/images/octfig4.gif

Images source (http://www.da-lite.com/education/angles_of_view.php?action=details&issueid=16).
[Da-lite (http://www.da-lite.com/) has been in business for over 100 years, i.e. they are experts in these matters.]

Which projector do you have? Does it have lense shift?
I have the 4000; it has lens shift. I don't use a mirror currently.

edit to add: Some of the post(s) I have quoted seem to have been edited/deleted since I composed this response, however I stand behind everything I have posted as being accurate at the time I composed the post.

I see I found the answer on page 253. Anyone know of an easy way to get to the lens saved lens memory feature. (I.e. with a Harmony remote that can't do sequences (I.e. 900).

Unfortunately, a Harmony remote can not do it directly. However, direct loading of any of the lens memory locations can be done using the RS-232 control signals. You use a converter box which will take an IR signal from the Harmony remote and send the proper RS-232 signal to your AE-4000. See this thread for more information:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1206105&highlight=rs232

(You can also turn the AE-4000 off using an RS232 signal triggered by a single button push on your remote which saves jumping through hoops to do the same directly with the Harmony remote.)

I will eventually get a universal remote of some type but for the time being I'd like to be able to program the Panny on one of the AV1 or AV2 or TV settings on the DirecTV remote just to be able to turn the Panny on and off - I realize I probably won't get any of the other panasonic menu functions programmed with it. I have it successfully programmed for my A/V receiver to do volume now just need to be able to turn on/off projector to get down to 2 remotes from 4 - DirecTV and PS3. Would like to put up the Panny and Onkyo remotes for usual viewing.
I tried all the Panasonic codes in the DirecTV remote setup menu and none seemed to be able to turn on/off or have any effect on the Panny at all. When it prompted me for which input (AV1 AV2 or TV) I chose TV as I thought this would most closely represent the projector as far as IR commands go.
Has anyone done this? I have a RC64RBX I believe which is the RF remote that is backlit as well. I think it does IR commands as well.
Any help would be appreciated.

Unfortunately, a Harmony remote can not do it directly. However, direct loading of any of the lens memory locations can be done using the RS-232 control signals. You use a converter box which will take an IR signal from the Harmony remote and send the proper RS-232 signal to your AE-4000. See this thread for more information:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1206105&highlight=rs232

(You can also turn the AE-4000 off using an RS232 signal triggered by a single button push on your remote which saves jumping through hoops to do the same directly with the Harmony remote.)

Thanks for the info. Not sure if I want to go that route, yet. The power issue is easy to work around. In essence, I tell the Harmony that my projector takes two commands to turn on and off (Power toggle twice). It works as expected when you power it off, and powering it on isn't an issue since the projector isn't ready to accept the 2nd power toggle right after being turned on.

Should anyone care, there are secret (Panasonic unpublished) "hex" codes for discrete on and off here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15494759#post15494759)[not "toggle" commands] The "Off" code must be sent twice, with at least a small time delay of a fraction of a second between transmissions, however the single transmission of it will not accidentally turn the pj on (if it is currently off).

:confused: Although I'll have to make some guesses as to the actual meaning of your (grammatically questionable) challenge, the pertinent thing is you don't own a projector with this lens shift feature and therefore don't have the ability to see, firsthand, how it allows one to project a perfectly rectangular image, without any need for keystone correction, even from an oblique angle, with or without a reflective bounce off a properly placed mirror in the light path.



[emphasis mine]

Deal.

...and I win:) :
http://www.da-lite.com/education/images/octfig3.gif

Note, this happens to be a rear projection set up to a translucent screen, however it could be viewed from the mirror side by simply reversing the image, left to right, in the menu set up of the pj. One could also use a much smaller mirror by pushing it farther away from the screen, as long as all the angles and overall path lengths are preserved. The reflection of the "principal ray" (the center axis of the light path, as illustrated) is not at 45 degrees!

Also, you never stated that the pj must be kept relatively level to the horizon, however if you get to add that, after the fact, I get to introduce a secondary mirror:

http://www.da-lite.com/education/images/octfig4.gif

Images source (http://www.da-lite.com/education/angles_of_view.php?action=details&issueid=16).
[Da-lite (http://www.da-lite.com/) has been in business for over 100 years, i.e. they are experts in these matters.]


I have the 4000; it has lens shift. I don't use a mirror currently.

edit to add: Some of the post(s) I have quoted seem to have been edited/deleted since I composed this response, however I stand behind everything I have posted as being accurate at the time I composed the post.

A: We were talking vertical lens shift. I thought you would have followed that thread despite my grammar. Note I said "and a mirror".

So you believe their "vertical lens shift" feature really works, i.e. it allows one to get a completely rectangular image, without any keystoning, even when projecting from a completely oblique angle, such as the top projector shown in the image below (borrowed from a review of a pj (http://www.cepro.com/article/hands_on_anthem_ltx_300v_projector/) with a comparable vertical lens shift design, for illustration purposes, only):
http://www.cepro.com/images/uploads/anthem_lens_shift.jpg


B: I want a photo. Go get a mirror.

PS. I never edited a post to change meaning and never deleted anything (to clarify, I never deleted a post.)

Afternoon all, has anyone ever ordered a replacement lamp from http://www.amatteroffax.com? They have replacements for $102.02. A little hard to believe. Fast response would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

^The manufacturer of that lamp is "Premier", not Panasonic.
The color temperature, brightness, longevity, and customer service backing it are probably all iffy, at best. Don't do it. Only buy genuine Panasonic if these things matter to you. They run $300 to $350 and the correct, real model number is ET-LAE4000 [although there's nothing stopping other copycats from using that designation, so beware] . It will come in a heavily padded box, clearly marked with the Panasonic trademark logo, and comes with a replacement air filter [the whole thing that slides out, not just another foam filter].

B&H Photo Video or any of the pj vendors listed across the top of this forum page will all be good sources.

^The manufacturer of that lamp is "Premier", not Panasonic.
The color temperature, brightness, longevity, and customer service backing it are probably all iffy, at best. Don't do it. Only buy genuine Panasonic if these things matter to you. They run $300 to $350 and the correct, real model number is ET-LAE4000 [although there's nothing stopping other copycats from using that designation, so beware] . It will come in a heavily padded box, clearly marked with the Panasonic trade mark logo, and comes with a replacement air filter [the whole thing that slides out, not just another foam filter].

B&H Photo Video or any of the pj vendors listed across the top of this forum page will all be good sources.

Thank you sir for the reply!!!!!

Quick question. Not near a manual and hope you guys can help...

I am trying to do CIH. Are there any limitations to how far down you can be from top of screen?

Thanks for your help,
Cory

Quick question. Not near a manual and hope you guys can help...

I am trying to do CIH. Are there any limitations to how far down you can be from top of screen?


If you want to zoom between settings for 16:9 and 2.35:1 without manual adjustment then the lens can't be any lower than the bottom of the screen.

If you want to zoom between settings for 16:9 and 2.35:1 without manual adjustment then the lens can't be any lower than the bottom of the screen.

Thanks.

If you want to zoom between settings for 16:9 and 2.35:1 without manual adjustment then the lens can't be any lower than the bottom of the screen.

If you want to use the full masking system, then it needs to be close to the mid-point. Mine (ceiling mounted) is 4 inches below the top of the screen and I can't do a full bottom mask.

If you want to use the full masking system, then it needs to be close to the mid-point. Mine (ceiling mounted) is 4 inches below the top of the screen and I can't do a full bottom mask.

Can you explain the difference/describe examples between using and not using "the full masking system?"

Thanks

Can you explain the difference/describe examples between using and not using "the full masking system?"

Thanks

I second that :confused:

A little confused as well but I assume he's talking about the difference between CIH and CIW.

Cory

If you want to use the full masking system, then it needs to be close to the mid-point. Mine (ceiling mounted) is 4 inches below the top of the screen and I can't do a full bottom mask.

I'll take a guess here:

I think sivartk is talking about the use of electronic mastking to block out the black bars above or below the scope image.

When your projector lens is off the center, you need to use vertical shift to move up or down the image for it to fit on the scope screen. As a result you probably don't get to use the electronic masking to fully block the bar on one side without cropping the image, and on the other side, you run out of range to fully block the bar.

I'll take a guess here:

I think sivartk is talking about the use of electronic mastking to block out the black bars above or below the scope image.

When your projector lens is off the center, you need to use vertical shift to move up or down the image for it to fit on the scope screen. As a result you probably don't get to use the electronic masking to fully block the bar on one side without cropping the image, and on the other side, you run out of range to fully block the bar.

Exactly, my masking on the bottom won't go up far enough to block the entire image (while zoomed viewing 2.35:1 material). In essence I need to raise the image digitally which can only be accomplished (to stay on the screen) by lowering the projector physically. Since this is only really noticeable with one movie (The Dark Knight) and my setup is working good, I'm not going to mess with it. The dark walls make is so you don't see the "black bars" on the bottom part that I can't mask.

Exactly, my masking on the bottom won't go up far enough to block the entire image (while zoomed viewing 2.35:1 material). In essence I need to raise the image digitally which can only be accomplished (to stay on the screen) by lowering the projector physically. Since this is only really noticeable with one movie (The Dark Knight) and my setup is working good, I'm not going to mess with it. The dark walls make is so you don't see the "black bars" on the bottom part that I can't mask.

CIH, my man. Need to go CIH...

CIH, my man. Need to go CIH...

That's what I'm doing...just using the zoom. If you want to send me a nice scope lens, feel free, I'll PM you my address :D Until then I can't justify spending more on a lens than just about rest of the equipment (including furniture) in my small room.

Exactly, my masking on the bottom won't go up far enough to block the entire image (while zoomed viewing 2.35:1 material). In essence I need to raise the image digitally which can only be accomplished (to stay on the screen) by lowering the projector physically. Since this is only really noticeable with one movie (The Dark Knight) and my setup is working good, I'm not going to mess with it. The dark walls make is so you don't see the "black bars" on the bottom part that I can't mask.

You do realize the the "electronic masking" doesn't actually block the light path anyway. All it does it project the darkest color possible, which is the same as the black bars that are coded into the video. So even though you are trying to use the masking it still projects the image below the screen.

That's what I'm doing...just using the zoom. If you want to send me a nice scope lens, feel free, I'll PM you my address :D Until then I can't justify spending more on a lens than just about rest of the equipment (including furniture) in my small room.

Agree on the cost of a lens. Not worth it IMO. But I still don't understand what you are saying. If it is Constant Image Height, why would bottom masking not cover for 2.35? You shouldn't need any more or different masking with 2.35 than with 1.78, correct? Your post makes it sound like there is a difference in your setup.

Thanks,
Cory

Agree on the cost of a lens. Not worth it IMO. But I still don't understand what you are saying. If it is Constant Image Height, why would bottom masking not cover for 2.35? You shouldn't need any more or different masking with 2.35 than with 1.78, correct? Your post makes it sound like there is a difference in your setup.

Thanks,
Cory

Without the lens you "zoom" the 2.35 image to fill the 2.35 screen. The image size is still 1.78 however, now the black bars "spill" outside of the screen. (above and below). The projector has a "masking system" that covers the black bars. Our projector does like "Type B" on the image below. The left being 1.78 images and the right being a zoomed 2.35 image. Due to my setup, the lower mask doesn't reach all the way to the bottom of the screen.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/2258/ae4000anamorphic.jpg

The projector blocks the light and the image is not projected on the wall in the masked area.

You are covering an electronic black bar with an electronic black bar, why?

You are covering an electronic black bar with an electronic black bar, why?

It isn't an electronic black bar as on a black image, you can see the difference between the black bar on the source disc and the "masking" that is created by the projector. There is no noticable light through the masking. I think the projector turns off some pixels in the masked area so no (or very very little) light is output.

I can see this by pausing a movie, holding up a white sheet of paper and moving the masking settings, you can see the black bars of the source move as the masking is adjusted.

Without the lens you "zoom" the 2.35 image to fill the 2.35 screen. The image size is still 1.78 however, now the black bars "spill" outside of the screen. (above and below). The projector has a "masking system" that covers the black bars. Our projector does like "Type B" on the image below. The left being 1.78 images and the right being a zoomed 2.35 image. Due to my setup, the lower mask doesn't reach all the way to the bottom of the screen.

The projector blocks the light and the image is not projected on the wall in the masked area.

I understand what you're saying but I still don't understand why you're having a (teeny tiny) problem.

For what it's worth, I aligned my projector very near the top if the screen. When I watch 1.78, I have physical, framed velvet masks on each side of a 2.35 wide screen. Then when I zoom to 2.35, the image remains at the top and I remove the masks.

It's very simple for me. Without knowing all of your constraints, it would seem to me that if your screen is actually at 2.35, then when you watch 2.35 content (zoomed) it should be EXACTLY the right size. Then I would think all that would be necessary would be to add a lens shift to compensate for the location of the perfectly sized image.

Btw, hope you don't think I'm trying to belittle you or argue or whatever. I'm actually trying to learn because I've only had my pj hooked up a short time. :)

Thanks,
Cory

So...with income tax return time having arrived, and having just received my overpayment back from the government, anyone know of a great place to buy one of these projectors? I looked at Projector People, but it is still slightly out of my price range by just a few hundred dollars...I will have it eventually, but I do not want to miss out on the rebate. Anywhere else to look?

I understand what you're saying but I still don't understand why you're having a (teeny tiny) problem.

For what it's worth, I aligned my projector very near the top if the screen. When I watch 1.78, I have physical, framed velvet masks on each side of a 2.35 wide screen. Then when I zoom to 2.35, the image remains at the top and I remove the masks.

It's very simple for me. Without knowing all of your constraints, it would seem to me that if your screen is actually at 2.35, then when you watch 2.35 content (zoomed) it should be EXACTLY the right size. Then I would think all that would be necessary would be to add a lens shift to compensate for the location of the perfectly sized image.

Btw, hope you don't think I'm trying to belittle you or argue or whatever. I'm actually trying to learn because I've only had my pj hooked up a short time. :)

Thanks,
Cory

I think part of my problem (although it only is an issue for one movie) is that I'm using the shortest throw distance for my 125" 2.35:1 screen. The calculator calls for 13' and I'm at about 13' 3". I can align the picture on the screen just fine using the digital shift down (after setting the proper height for 16:9), however the lower mask when set to it's maximum amount won't come all the way up to the bottom of the image. The top mask is just the opposite, I barely have to use any mask. So, I think it is my screen size and throw distance that cause me to move the picture way up (digitally) to hit my screen at it's current height. Hey, but I'm limited in the space in my room and can't move the projector any further back. For one movie, I can live with it :)

Note: ceiling mounted setup.

So...with income tax return time having arrived, and having just received my overpayment back from the government, anyone know of a great place to buy one of these projectors? I looked at Projector People, but it is still slightly out of my price range by just a few hundred dollars...I will have it eventually, but I do not want to miss out on the rebate. Anywhere else to look?

I just bought mine about 3 weeks ago and projector people was the best price I could find. Get assigned a sales rep, make him an offer and see if you can negotiate. I negotiated about $70 off of my new screen that way :)

I think part of my problem (although it only is an issue for one movie) is that I'm using the shortest throw distance for my 125" 2.35:1 screen. The calculator calls for 13' and I'm at about 13' 3". I can align the picture on the screen just fine using the digital shift down (after setting the proper height for 16:9), however the lower mask when set to it's maximum amount won't come all the way up to the bottom of the image. The top mask is just the opposite, I barely have to use any mask. So, I think it is my screen size and throw distance that cause me to move the picture way up (digitally) to hit my screen at it's current height. Hey, but I'm limited in the space in my room and can't move the projector any further back. For one movie, I can live with it :)

Note: ceiling mounted setup.

This is why many of the old hands use a wide black velvet mask around the outside of the screen. A GOOD black velvet will soak 95% of the maximum light output from the AE4000.

In fact, if I have the projector zoomed out to 2.35:1 and play a 1.85:1 movie, it will often be several minutes before I realize it!

This is not an actual shutter. There is no such thing as turning off pixels in the context of an LCD system. The shutter's black should not be any darker than the bars on the disc, providing your projector's brightness is setup right.

But more power to you if it works well in your case!

It isn't an electronic black bar as on a black image, you can see the difference between the black bar on the source disc and the "masking" that is created by the projector. There is no noticable light through the masking. I think the projector turns off some pixels in the masked area so no (or very very little) light is output.


This is not an LED projector. It is an LCD projector. You can't just "turn off some pixels". It doesn't work that way.


I can see this by pausing a movie, holding up a white sheet of paper and moving the masking settings, you can see the black bars of the source move as the masking is adjusted.

All that means is either your BD/DVD player doesn't output the lowest possible level for black or your source material (the disc itself) didn't use the blackest possible black when adding the letterbox. Edit: or you don't have the projector calibrated correctly.

This is not an LED projector. It is an LCD projector. You can't just "turn off some pixels". It doesn't work that way.



All that means is either your BD/DVD player doesn't output the lowest possible level for black or your source material (the disc itself) didn't use the blackest possible black when adding the letterbox. Edit: or you don't have the projector calibrated correctly.

If you do a bit of research, you will find out that the digital value of the 'black level' on a Bluray disk is not zero (0) but 16 (and the 'white level' is actually 235 and not 255). The electronic masking of the AE4000 sets the masked area to a true zero level and thus it will look visibly darker than 'black' bars at the top and bottom of a normal 2.35:1 Bluray disk. (These offsets were deliberately done to prevent some serious image issues when when the digital signal was converted to an analog signal for use in CRT technology.)

Further research will reveal that level 16 is irrelevant, since your projector considers this value as absolute black and displays it accordingly : the darker it can. If it was not the case, you'd have washed-out blacks instead of real blacks.

Only badly mastered discs or projector adjusted wrong will reveal a difference between the black bars and the electronic masking.

As for elevating the black level of the video signal (called the Setup or Pedestal and at a level of 7.5 IRE in north america), this exists only in an analog video signal/device. A DVD/BD player analog output will add the correct pedestal itself, it's not on the disc.

And it's not in the HDMI signal either.

If you do a bit of research, you will find out that the digital value of the 'black level' on a Bluray disk is not zero (0) but 16 (and the 'white level' is actually 235 and not 255). The electronic masking of the AE4000 sets the masked area to a true zero level and thus it will look visibly darker than 'black' bars at the top and bottom of a normal 2.35:1 Bluray disk. (These offsets were deliberately done to prevent some serious image issues when when the digital signal was converted to an analog signal for use in CRT technology.)

If you do a bit of research you will find out that on a properly calibrated display 16 will be indistinguishable from 0, or nearly so. Blacker-than-black should look the same as black. Thus the digital masking of the 4000 should look the same as the letterboxes, unless the letterboxes aren't 16 (which is true on some discs) or your brightness is set too high.

I did initially think that letterboxes would be blacker-than-black, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

If you do a bit of research you will find out that on a properly calibrated display 16 will be indistinguishable from 0, or nearly so. Blacker-than-black should look the same as black. Thus the digital masking of the 4000 should look the same as the letterboxes, unless the letterboxes aren't 16 (which is true on some discs) or your brightness is set too high.

I did initially think that letterboxes would be blacker-than-black, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

True up to an extent. Many of the calibrating disks actually have a 'Black than Black' bar to attempt to set the black level (via the "brightness" control). However, I have found that it very difficult to get it accurately set. The next problem is that there is the dynamic Iris (default is 'on') on the AE4000. That device will 'pump' the black levels up on scenes with high brightness levels. All of these affect what is happening in those black bars that are on the top and bottom of 2.35:1 material. You can gain a bit of black by using the Masking Area since it will use a digital zero on the area of the panel (rather than a 16) where it is adjusted to cover.

As I said in a previous post, the best way to hide those (almost) Black bars is to use a wide black velvet mask. (Many people have used Fidelio Velvet as it soaks up light like a Black Hole!) My mask is 5.5 inches wide and any spillage beyond that point hits a black curtain. While the black certain will reflect a bit of light, it is far enough removed from the interest point that it is totally unnoticeable.

True up to an extent. Many of the calibrating disks actually have a 'Black than Black' bar to attempt to set the black level (via the "brightness" control). However, I have found that it very difficult to get it accurately set. The next problem is that there is the dynamic Iris (default is 'on') on the AE4000. That device will 'pump' the black levels up on scenes with high brightness levels. All of these affect what is happening in those black bars that are on the top and bottom of 2.35:1 material. You can gain a bit of black by using the Masking Area since it will use a digital zero on the area of the panel (rather than a 16) where it is adjusted to cover.

As I said in a previous post, the best way to hide those (almost) Black bars is to use a wide black velvet mask. (Many people have used Fidelio Velvet as it soaks up light like a Black Hole!) My mask is 5.5 inches wide and any spillage beyond that point hits a black curtain. While the black certain will reflect a bit of light, it is far enough removed from the interest point that it is totally unnoticeable.

My entire false wall is Jo-Ann stretch velvet. My two side masking panels (14" w) are of the same material. Its like a big black hole with a big white AT screen of beauty floating in space. ;)

Cory

My entire false wall is Jo-Ann stretch velvet. My two side masking panels (14" w) are of the same material. Its like a big black hole with a big white AT screen of beauty floating in space. ;)

Cory

Thanks for the velvet idea. I have curtains top and side, so some velvet below the screen (~10ft x 3.5ft) seems rather affordable.

True up to an extent. Many of the calibrating disks actually have a 'Black than Black' bar to attempt to set the black level (via the "brightness" control). However, I have found that it very difficult to get it accurately set. The next problem is that there is the dynamic Iris (default is 'on') on the AE4000.


I've never had a problem adjusting black level with this projector and getting below black to disappear. But I have it in a dedicated room where I can totally control the light. I guess I get spoiled by that. That might not work so well in less friendly settings.

As for the dynamic iris: that was the first thing I changed. It stays off in my theater.


As I said in a previous post, the best way to hide those (almost) Black bars is to use a wide black velvet mask.

Agreed!

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster. Please be gentle. :) (and sorry for the long post)

I've had one of these projectors for over a month and I'm having an issue with it that I have not seen anyone mention on this forum. I did my best search, but there's no way I have time to read this entire thread so if I missed a discussion on this topic please point me to it.

When saving a zoom/focus setting in one of the 6 memory positions, my unit does not save the image in the exact zoom and focus I intended to save. It always seems to save as a slightly smaller image that is slightly out of focus. And it seems to do this at random, so if I attempt to save a zoom position 3 or 4 times, one of those times it will be close enough to what I wanted so I will keep it. I've also noticed that if I "load" one of my zoom settings and then save that setting in another memory slot, the two memory positions will not match even though they SHOULD be perfect clones of each other. Which makes no sense to me.

I ended up doing a lot of testing because I was attempting to do a CIH setup and set it up with as little overscan as possible in each position, and every time I thought I had it perfect, the next time I loaded a zoom memory the image would shift enough that it was not filling the whole screen and it was driving me crazy. My solution to this issue has been to set it up with a lot of overscan so that even if my image shifts a little, I won't notice it because the image will still be filling the whole screen into the black velvet borders. But this does not fix the focus issue, so sometimes I will manually focus the unit before watching a movie because the zoom memory did not end up in the exact sweet spot.

Anyway, I'm wondering if this is an issue on all of these units or if mine is defective. You guys are somewhat anal retentive so if you all have this issue I'm really surprised nobody has brought it up. The store I bought it from is having trouble talking to Panasonic because their rep was let go recently. And I've tried emailing Panasonic myself but they have not answered. I'd really appreciate any advice you guys can give me.

Thanks!

I remember seeing a disclaimer about the memory not being exact in one of the manuals. Mine does something similar for one of my settings.

Does everyone have this problem? If I am goign to have to manually adjust the projector each use, then what is the purpose of the memory?

1) You may indeed have a defective projector, but most probably...

2) This is an entry level projector. There is certainly more plastic than precision machined steel in the optical mechanism of the Panny, so the memory settings may not be 100% precise!

3) Be sure to have the projector powered at least 30 minutes before setting and saving anything, as the passage from cold to warm will cause the opticals to drift. After a pre-heat period, it should have stabilized. Same thing when you later want to watch a movie : pre-heat 30 minutes before any viewing.

4) I suggest setting the focus by looking at the white lettering instead of the green lines over blue background, as it will be easier. The jagged diagonals like in the N or Z are great to assess the focus.

5) Overscan is a sad fact of life with front projection. You may have noticed it at the commercial theater, sometime to a considerable level. 1/2 inches of overscan should be about just right in a home theater and will conceal slight variations in the opticals and slight keystone or misalignment.

The memory zoom is a convenience feature and most people will find it satisfactory as is. For the demanding videophiles - I include myself - a manual focus recheck is needed at each viewing.

Does everyone have this problem? If I am goign to have to manually adjust the projector each use, then what is the purpose of the memory?

I have never had a problem with lens memory. It always returns to the same settings that I saved, or at least close enough that I can't tell the difference.

I have never had a problem with lens memory. It always returns to the same settings that I saved, or at least close enough that I can't tell the difference.

That is good to know, thank you.

I have never had any problems either, or heard of any mass problems. Haven't tuched mine in over 1-1/2 years and still hits perfect every time. Your unit may have a problem.

But as said make sure you let it warm up for 30 minutes before making settings. Even though it shuold make that big of a difference, focus mainly.

1)

4) I suggest setting the focus by looking at the white lettering instead of the green lines over blue background, as it will be easier. The jagged diagonals like in the N or Z are great to assess the focus.


Nice tip.

Critical focus also shouldn't be done from the seated position. It should be done by getting up out of your chair and walking right up to the screen looking at it from a distance of just a foot or so, so you can make out the individual pixels, even though "smooth screen" does an excellent job of making their transitional boundaries smoothly blend into one another, yet not make the overall image blurry.

The 30 minutes of warm up is important, yes, also be advised that perfect focus for the center is not necessarily perfect focus for the corners, depending on your throw (zoom setting). I try to get a good balance between the two, heavily biased towards making the center as good as possible.

Quick, short taps on the remote buttons, rather than holding them down, does a great job of making fine, tiny steps of critical focus easy to accomplish.

My lens memory is spot on every time. No need to refocus or rezoom for any of my stored aspect ratios. And the focus or zoom does not drift at all with run time.

Hello, long time lurker, first time poster. Please be gentle. :) (and sorry for the long post)

I've had one of these projectors for over a month and I'm having an issue with it that I have not seen anyone mention on this forum. I did my best search, but there's no way I have time to read this entire thread so if I missed a discussion on this topic please point me to it.

When saving a zoom/focus setting in one of the 6 memory positions, my unit does not save the image in the exact zoom and focus I intended to save. It always seems to save as a slightly smaller image that is slightly out of focus. And it seems to do this at random, so if I attempt to save a zoom position 3 or 4 times, one of those times it will be close enough to what I wanted so I will keep it. I've also noticed that if I "load" one of my zoom settings and then save that setting in another memory slot, the two memory positions will not match even though they SHOULD be perfect clones of each other. Which makes no sense to me.

I ended up doing a lot of testing because I was attempting to do a CIH setup and set it up with as little overscan as possible in each position, and every time I thought I had it perfect, the next time I loaded a zoom memory the image would shift enough that it was not filling the whole screen and it was driving me crazy. My solution to this issue has been to set it up with a lot of overscan so that even if my image shifts a little, I won't notice it because the image will still be filling the whole screen into the black velvet borders. But this does not fix the focus issue, so sometimes I will manually focus the unit before watching a movie because the zoom memory did not end up in the exact sweet spot.

Anyway, I'm wondering if this is an issue on all of these units or if mine is defective. You guys are somewhat anal retentive so if you all have this issue I'm really surprised nobody has brought it up. The store I bought it from is having trouble talking to Panasonic because their rep was let go recently. And I've tried emailing Panasonic myself but they have not answered. I'd really appreciate any advice you guys can give me.

Thanks!

I had a problem with the projector NOT holding focus when changing lens memories about a month after I got it back in December of 2009. I went through the process of waiting 30 minutes to allow for warm up, and focusing and zooming about two feet from the screen. I also attempted to center the focus in the center of the range where I thought the picture was most accurately focused. (By the way, you should be moving in on the exactly zoom and focus setting by 'bumping' the buttons to change the setting in individual steps of the stepping motor.) Nothing worked... the picture would not hold focus when the lens memory 'positions' were changed.

I finally called Panasonic customer service. After about three or four transfers (the AE4000 was not their responsibility) and after finally having the call dropped, I decided to look a bit more carefully at the website for warranty service. I quickly found that they have a number of authorized service centers around the country. I picked the one nearest to me (Cleveland, OH) and called them. They told me they would be happy to service the AE4000 and provided me with all the information to ship it in. I did so on my dime. I received it back in less than two weeks and it has worked perfectly ever since! (The return repair bill stated that they had tightened the lens assembly.)

On mine, when I go 16:9, about 1 out of every 10 times, I see a 1/16" black strip at the bottom of my screen. Focus on "missing" the setting by this minor amount isn't affected. If your focus is way off and the memory is way off, that does sound defective.

I set mine once a year and a half ago, and haven't had to touch it since. And I use mine a lot (probably over 3,000 hours now). When watching TV it shifts between 16x9 and scope almost every second commerical (it seems), so it gets excercied a lot. But it's still perfect every time.

I suspect the disclaimer is there just in case.

Mike

I've been running my 4000 for a year and have not had any problem with the memory. I have it set on automatic for shifting between 16:9 and Cinescope and it snaps to both without any focus or frame size problems.

I quickly found that they have a number of authorized service centers around the country. I picked the one nearest to me (Cleveland, OH) and called them. They told me they would be happy to service the AE4000 and provided me with all the information to ship it in. I did so on my dime. I received it back in less than two weeks and it has worked perfectly ever since! (The return repair bill stated that they had tightened the lens assembly.)

I just realized that some might not realize what I meant by "on my dime". The out-of-pocket cost to me was only the shipping to the service center. The repair and return shipment costs were paid under the warranty.

What I meant to imply was that if you think you have a problem with a new projector, don't be afraid to contact Panasonic (or one of their service centers) and get it fixed. Panasonic has built expected warranty repair costs into the price of the AE4000!

Could you tell if they fixed it in Ohio or sent it to the Heartland Services facility in MO?

Could you tell if they fixed it in Ohio or sent it to the Heartland Services facility in MO?

The turn-around time was very short and the package did come back from the company in Cleveland. I can remember being surprised at how quick I got it back. The work order had the name of the company in Cleveland. As I recall, the work performed section of the work order was handwritten. From all of these facts, I concluded that the work was done by the service company in Cleveland.

could someone direct me to the recommended settings for this PJ/initial setup? thanks in advance!

could someone direct me to the recommended settings for this PJ/initial setup? thanks in advance!

Cinema 1. It is very close, I only had to adjust it slightly. Of course any settings off of the internet won't be perfect because everyone has different viewing conditions and eyes :)

I would turn off auto-iris, too.

Cinema 1 is way too dim for me on my 110 ins scope screen. I use normal picture mode with eco lamp setting and all picture controls at the default settings.

Cinema 1 is way too dim for me on my 110 ins scope screen. I use normal picture mode with eco lamp setting and all picture controls at the default settings.

Like I said it all depends on viewing conditions. I use a slightly tweaked Cinema 1 on eco mode on my 125" scope screen and it is plenty bright...but my room is 100% light controlled with dark walls and ceilings.

Cinema 1 is way too dim for me on my 110 ins scope screen. I use normal picture mode with eco lamp setting and all picture controls at the default settings.

How old is your bulb and what is your gain? I'm on a 134" 16x9 and my Cinema 1 looks fine in Eco mode.

I run a slightly modded Cinema 1 for Blu-ray movie but I prefer Normal for TV.

How old is your bulb and what is your gain? I'm on a 134" 16x9 and my Cinema 1 looks fine in Eco mode.

Brand new AE4000 projector. 120 hrs on the bulb. 110 ins wide matt white ( 1.0 gain)screen. Using it in eco mode. But my zoom is almost at max telephoto (longest throw) position as I have the projector at the back wall of the room.

Brand new AE4000 projector. 120 hrs on the bulb. 110 ins wide matt white ( 1.0 gain)screen. Using it in eco mode. But my zoom is almost at max telephoto (longest throw) position as I have the projector at the back wall of the room.

As I recall, the AE4000 losses a lot of light when at max telephoto. Moving the projector closer to the minimum zoom position will gain you a lot of brightness on the same size screen. That is another factor in why people have different opinions on what the optimum setup is as far as lamp setting and picture mode. You have to use what will work and what you like in your environment... and everyone's environment and tastes are just going to be different!

Brand new AE4000 projector. 120 hrs on the bulb. 110 ins wide matt white ( 1.0 gain)screen. Using it in eco mode. But my zoom is almost at max telephoto (longest throw) position as I have the projector at the back wall of the room.

If you are back to around 22 feet from the screen you're probably only getting 6 or 7 fL of illumination in eco mode which of course is going to seem dim because it is...and will only get worse as the bulb ages.

As I recall, the AE4000 losses a lot of light when at max telephoto. Moving the projector closer to the minimum zoom position will gain you a lot of brightness on the same size screen. That is another factor in why people have different opinions on what the optimum setup is as far as lamp setting and picture mode. You have to use what will work and what you like in your environment... and everyone's environment and tastes are just going to be different!

I am sure that is true. I know I could probably double my screen brightness by moving my projector up close to the screen, but this also has its disadvantages. Contrast level would decrease, uniformity of focus would probably not be as good, zooming to 2.35CIH would probably be more difficult or even impossible, fan noise would be right over the audience, and the room would not look as good with the projector hanging in view from the ceiling..
It is all a compromise, and as you so correctly say, everyone has to do what works best for them, and there really are no hard and fast rules in home theater projection. One of the things that makes reading of other peoples HT experiences , and set-ups on this forum so interesting.

I just ordered my projector! :) I will be joining the Panasonic PT-AE4000U club in a few days. Now I just have to get the theater finished.

A great choice! There are certainly brighter projectors out there, but you will be hard pressed to find one that gives a better picture in a dark HT room than the AE4000, and there is certainly nothing in the price range that is even close to the features offered by the AE4000. The Panasonic $250.00 rebate + extended warranty ends next month, but you have to wonder how many units are still left, and has Panasonic stopped making them?

Most places I looked no longer have them in stock. Projector People is one of the few. They showed free shipping on all orders above $750, but they did not remove the shipping charge from my order when I pressed purchase. I just emailed them (they are not in until Monday, of course) about it. I also realized my mount was not in my cart when I ordered...so I asked them to add the Chief Manufacturing RPAU Universal Projector Ceiling Mount, Black to my order. I will have a pipe cut at Home Depot to the proper length when I receive the projector and mount. :)

From their site:

"Free ground shipping applies to all projectors priced over $799 on orders shipping within the continental U.S. Screens, demo projectors and special order items do not qualify for free shipping."


Mounts and such have shipping charges I take it.

From their site:

"Free ground shipping applies to all projectors priced over $799 on orders shipping within the continental U.S. Screens, demo projectors and special order items do not qualify for free shipping."


Mounts and such have shipping charges I take it.

I ordered mine about a month ago (along with a scope screen). I got assigned a sales rep and with a simple email I ended up getting the projector for the price on the site and the screen $70 less than on the site, plus they knocked off an additional $5 shipping. Yes, you are correct that only projectors qualify for free shipping. In my case the screen was drop shipped from the vendor, so that is probably why they don't offer free shipping on everything.

From their site:

"Free ground shipping applies to all projectors priced over $799 on orders shipping within the continental U.S. Screens, demo projectors and special order items do not qualify for free shipping."


Mounts and such have shipping charges I take it.

My order also was missing the mount. Something screwy must have happened while I was ordering. I probably should have just waited until Monday to order, my entire cart vanished when I typed in my zip code and clicked update. I had to readd the items (this is probably when I forgot to readd the mount) and then the zip code was there as well as the projector. Besides, if they are charging $15 to ship the mount, I don't want it from them. :)


I am sure the email will take care of things, though. They have a great reputation here. I also listed OTHER as my referring person and listed this forum. :)

I had a problem with the projector NOT holding focus when changing lens memories about a month after I got it back in December of 2009. I went through the process of waiting 30 minutes to allow for warm up, and focusing and zooming about two feet from the screen. I also attempted to center the focus in the center of the range where I thought the picture was most accurately focused. (By the way, you should be moving in on the exactly zoom and focus setting by 'bumping' the buttons to change the setting in individual steps of the stepping motor.) Nothing worked... the picture would not hold focus when the lens memory 'positions' were changed.

I finally called Panasonic customer service. After about three or four transfers (the AE4000 was not their responsibility) and after finally having the call dropped, I decided to look a bit more carefully at the website for warranty service. I quickly found that they have a number of authorized service centers around the country. I picked the one nearest to me (Cleveland, OH) and called them. They told me they would be happy to service the AE4000 and provided me with all the information to ship it in. I did so on my dime. I received it back in less than two weeks and it has worked perfectly ever since! (The return repair bill stated that they had tightened the lens assembly.)
Thanks for the advice! Thanks to the others that replied as well.

I have been allowing the projector to warm up for 30 minutes before adjusting focus and viewing. I haven't noticed any issues with zoom since adding overscan. The focus is usually very close to ideal and you can't tell from the couch that it's slightly off if the lens memory does not go back to the exact focus. I think I will keep using it for a while and see if I notice it getting worse. But I am still wondering if my lens assembly needs tightening.

By the way, I never heard back from Panasonic so I assume their reputation for having poor customer service is probably correct......

I have been allowing the projector to warm up for 30 minutes before adjusting focus and viewing. I haven't noticed any issues with zoom since adding overscan. The focus is usually very close to ideal and you can't tell from the couch that it's slightly off if the lens memory does not go back to the exact focus. I think I will keep using it for a while and see if I notice it getting worse. But I am still wondering if my lens assembly needs tightening.



Most of us wait thirty minutes before setting zoom and focus adjustments for storing in the memory positions. However, in my own case, I have found that a warm up period of a couple of minutes is adequate for actual viewing. (Most of that is to allow the lamp to reach its full light output.) As you observed, the small changes that occur in focus as the projector warms up are virtually impossible to see at normal viewing distances IF the projector has been properly focused when it is warm.

Just an update. I spoke to my sales rep this morning. He removed the shipping, added the mount to the order, and said he would also ship the mount for free. Very nice guy to work with. I can highly recommend Projector People at this point.

Just got one of these - many people have praised its out of the box settings. colour-wise I could see where they are coming from: simply stunning. But the grayscale on my unit was way out. I've had to up the contrast about 20 or so and lower the brightness a similar amount on normal, cinema 1 and colour 1. Is this atypical? (the OTB black screen was grey!)

Just got one of these - many people have praised its out of the box settings. colour-wise I could see where they are coming from: simply stunning. But the grayscale on my unit was way out. I've had to up the contrast about 20 or so and lower the brightness a similar amount on normal, cinema 1 and colour 1. Is this atypical? (the OTB black screen was grey!)

You need to get a Setup (or test) disk to set both Brightness and Contrast. You really can't do it by eyeball. By the way, Contrast controls the maximum white level and Brightness sets the black level. (As I recall, there used to be a primitive display setup utility on DVD's with THX certification. Not sure if they included that on THX certified Blu-ray's.)

Another item is that grayscale is actually the balancing red/blue/green so that the color of a 'white' screen is maintained from minimum brightness level (very dark gray to black) to maximum brightness and the color temperature is 6500K. That is a very, very difficult adjustment to make without professional calibration equipment.

I have had mine for a year now. 400 Hours put on it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this projector!!!!

dgkp, I myself prefere the Contrast at +10. I have set this using the waveform monitor and there is no white clip on the test signal waveform at +10.

On the other hand, I find that my Brightness is just right at 0. You may double check in your BD/DVD player menu for some "Lighter/Darker black" setting and try the other position.

. I love love love this projector!!!!

+1

You need to get a Setup (or test) disk to set both Brightness and Contrast. You really can't do it by eyeball. By the way, Contrast controls the maximum white level and Brightness sets the black level. (As I recall, there used to be a primitive display setup utility on DVD's with THX certification. Not sure if they included that on THX certified Blu-ray's.)

Another item is that grayscale is actually the balancing red/blue/green so that the color of a 'white' screen is maintained from minimum brightness level (very dark gray to black) to maximum brightness and the color temperature is 6500K. That is a very, very difficult adjustment to make without professional calibration equipment.
This is calibrated using good old GetGray and the HD AVS disc. On both if I use the OTB settings then the calibration is clearly way, way off on contrast and brightness. To get my 1% or 2% whites or blacks just visible with no clipping I'm in the +20s for Contrast and the -20s for Brightness. I'm not complaining, once set up its fine. I'm just reporting a very different experience from some others.

I received my projector!

:) I am now happy. I will have to figure out the dimensions and tape off my area, then save projector zoom settings. Then paint.

How do I send in both forms with one UPC? The rebate and the extended warranty? I want both!

I just sent a request to the Projector People, asking them how to handle it.


EDIT: The rebates say they cannot be combined with any other offer except for each other. I called the Rebate Center phone number on the rebate (which happens to be the same on both) and asked how to send them in, since both rebates need the original UPC. The woman who answered was both very nice and helpful...oh, and she is a native English speaker somewhere in the US. She said Panasonic has given them the OK to use a photocopy of the original UPC for the $250 rebate and the 2 year warranty, since they know it will be needed on one of them. She said to send them in two different envelopes as they go to two different departments at the center (one is not authorized to handle money, making it a cheaper center to staff).

You have to send in a form for the $250.00 rebate and a form for the warranty extension separately to two different Panasonic adresses. You will have to cut the UPC code off the box and send with one claim, and use the UPC label attached to the box for the other claim. PP can send you the claim forms if necessary, or you can download them as pdf files.
I got my $250.00 rebate last week, it took about 10 weeks.
What a deal, this projector is a steal at the current rebate price.

i just got this projector. Projector people said i got the last one. For the price it was an awesome deal

You have to send in a form for the $250.00 rebate and a form for the warranty extension separately to two different Panasonic adresses. You will have to cut the UPC code off the box and send with one claim, and use the UPC label attached to the box for the other claim. PP can send you the claim forms if necessary, or you can download them as pdf files.
I got my $250.00 rebate last week, it took about 10 weeks.
What a deal, this projector is a steal at the current rebate price.

My box only came with one UPC on it. It is a sticker stuck to the side of the box. It also came with a second sticker which only has the product number and the serial number on it (and also a very tiny third sticker with product and serial number on it - I stuck that in my manual).

Only one UPC found, though.

i just got this projector. Projector people said i got the last one. For the price it was an awesome deal

And it appears you did! The 4000 no longer appears on their site for sale.

My box only came with one UPC on it. It is a sticker stuck to the side of the box. It also came with a second sticker which only has the product number and the serial number on it (and also a very tiny third sticker with product and serial number on it - I stuck that in my manual).

Only one UPC found, though.

Mine was the same way. I sent the original UPC with the $250 rebate and photocopy with the warranty extension with a note on the photocopy mentioning I sent the original with the $250 rebate. If they screw up one, I would want it to be the warranty (I've had good luck with all my Panasonic products, including the "boom box" from the 1980's which is still working out in the garage :) )

I called them as well and was told originals with the rebate, copies with the warranty fwiw.

...I got my $250.00 rebate last week, it took about 10 weeks.

That's good to know. The form claims 6-8 weeks, and I set a reminder at 8 weeks. Maybe I'll hold out a couple more before following up.

And it appears you did! The 4000 no longer appears on their site for sale.

Does that mean that the AE4000 is no longer being made? If so, I do not think that Panasonic have really a replacement for it. The AR100, by all accounts is a media room projector and is too bright and has poor contrast for a dark HT room projector. The AE5000 is 3D and about $1000.00 more expensive than the original MSRP for the AE4000, so as I see it Panasonic really has nothing in their catalog to replace the AE4000.

Does that mean that the AE4000 is no longer being made? If so, I do not think that Panasonic have really a replacement for it. The AR100, by all accounts is a media room projector and is too bright and has poor contrast for a dark HT room projector. The AE5000 is 3D and about $1000.00 more expensive than the original MSRP for the AE4000, so as I see it Panasonic really has nothing in their catalog to replace the AE4000.

Yes, the AE4000 is discontinued. There is no AE5000, Panasonic skipped a couple model numbers. The AE7000 is the current top of the line model with 3D, and yeah, the MSRP is $2,999. The AR1000 is a decent home theater projector, but it is more a replacement for the AX200, which was only 720p (the AR100 is 1080p). The AR100 has 2800 lumens and 50,000:1 contrast, which is decent. There's probably a few places with some stock of the AE4000 is you scour the web hard enough. Actually, I just did a Goggle shopping search and Amazon has some from 3rd party sellers starting at $2320.

I've had mine for 2 years last December and love it, it's a keeper. I have 2 projectors. I started with a AX200 to see how I'd like projection HT, and loved it so I bought the AE4000. Rather than sell the AX200 for half of what I paid for I kept it and used it for TV sports & DVD and reserved the 4k for only Blu-ray, to keep the hours down. It worked, I have only 1260 hours after 26 months. But I recently saw the deal for the Epson 8100 1080p pj closeout at $749, marked at "refurb" but comes with 2 yr. warranty on pj & bulb, so I upgraded to that and eBayed the AX200 for $450, so the upgrade only cost me $300. The AX4000 will be around my house for a long time. The PQ is outstanding, and I love the auto load memory - I prefer 2.35:1 movies lowered down to the bottom of my 16:9 screen so there's just one wide bar at the top and the movie is more at eye level, and the 4k does this automatically for me.