I believe the reason Panasonic, Sanyo and others do not allow a DIY firmware upgrade is that one could do great damage if it not done right.

Keep calling Panasonic with specific problems. Ask them when the fixes will be finished and how they will be done.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

Risk is inherent for any device with DIY firmware. That comes with the territory - even with computers - so I don't think that makes things any different - you can always damage your device. It is always up to the user to determine the risk of their incompetence :-) and they assume the risk.

Liowik, I would agree I flash the bios in computers all the time and I am
aware of the risks. The worst thing that can happen in a computer is runing the mother board which is a lot less expensive than a projector.

I wish that Panasonic would provide the DIY firmware. It would be a lot
easier for those who have the experience. IN-Focus does have DIY
firmware updates. Does anyone know how firmware is updated on
the AE700 and what the firmware number is?

The worst that can happen is you can fry your cpu and all your other components and even theoretically start a house fire. I doubt it would be that bad with the projector. :-)

I have since day 1 used a htpc with ffdshow processing. Just resizing to 1280 by 720 with some lanczos tap 4 and colorspace conversion generally. Today i decided to see how it looked with ffdshow out of the loop sending the native PAL dvd resolution. I was stunned how much softer with less detail it had. It was very obvious and definitely inferior. This is still with a digital chain the whole way.

Just some thoughts:)

A summary of my experience with the AE700 so far. I have used it with HD content 90% and DVDs 10%.

HD is via VGA from a htpc, and DVDs via component from a progressive scan player. Projector is ceiling mounted. I sit at 1.7X. Previosuly I had the AE100 and AE300.

- DVDs look better than on the AE300. The contrast is better (expected), and greater details (unexpected).

- HD offers a further level of improvement. IMO this is the only way to go.

- The dust filter is much improved on the AE700. It feels more solid, and there are 2 levels of trapping. Reminds me of a hepa filter.

- For those that ceiling mount, the lens shift is a big step backwards. I have to use almost maximum vertical shift. I like the lens shift feature, but not the fact that the center of it is dead ahead.

- The bottom of the picture is slightly curved. Probably because of the lens shift?

- An area of improvement is a less sticky lens shift. I would like to use 2 screens, one for 1.85 and one for 2.35. I have abandoned the idea because the lens shift lever is too unpredictable. Better yet, I would like to have lens shift / zoom / focus via the remote.

- I would prefer a wider angle zoom (larger picture from the same distance) than the telescopic zoom, but of course that's just because of my room.

- The fan when ceiling mounted is noiser than the AE300, but it does not bother me. I use the low lamp mode.

- The vertical banding is much less of an issue with HD than DVDs. The flicker adjustment really does make a difference (it did not for me on the AE300). And turning it off also makes a difference.

- Despite the AE700 improvements, I still prefer the look of DLP projectors. The image is "smoother", and the contrast is better. When I upgrade (probably in about 12 months), I will probably go DLP unless there are significant improvement in the LCD front. I am not affected by the rainbows.

- The length of a VGA cable makes a difference. I compared a 50' and a 35' (both high quality), I can see the difference. My friend also saw a difference. Softer looking.

- I decided to not bother with HDMI/dvi because of all of the problems reported here. A hobby is suppose to lower my stress.

- I had the Da-Lite Video Spectra 1.5, and did not like it. It was like looking through a window mesh, which I originally blamed the projector. It also shimmered. I ended up with the matte-white, much better.

Overall, I am happy that I upgraded. But they need to fix that lens shift so the center position is either the top or the bottom of the screen, not in the middle. I can't imagine too many people would have the projector height at the center of a screen.

The lens fix adjustment does need a fix. It should be either the top or bottom of the screen as ABCD suggested. When owners call Panasonic please add this to the list of requests. I don't know if a firmware update
could fix this problem but it is worth a try Be very specific with your list
of problems.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

i'm fairly certain a firmware update would be unable to adjust the location of the center placement of the lens. this change would be part of a new hardware design.

haha yes no firmware will fix your issues with the lens shift. in a few 4:3 panel projectors it has been possible to shift where the 16:9 area is taken from. Obviously with a native 16:9 projector this isnt possible.

the zero offset is just the design they have chosen to implement. it isnt a bad design overall. you get a lot of flexability with placement.

Some of you guys are amazing optimists! Fix the sticky lens rotation? No amount of blowing a flash PROM will fix that.

Ever tried to get anything out of the Japanese software-wize? From past experience over the past two decades of working with Japanese equipment I know they don't listen to a few guys organizing a phone-in. I'd say your chances were ZERO. It's just not the way they do things.

Local engineers will say they're passing the complaints and requests up the chain just to get rid of you (and to make themselves sound important). They may even actually send an email. But it will come back, "No Action At This Time. It's not the [Panasonic/Sony/Mitsubishi/NEC/Toshiba/Sharp/Sanyo] Way".

You're blowin' in the breeze my friends.

These projectors were designed by Living National Treasures and they don't make mistakes. Too much face to lose.

Oh yes, they'll fix the problems, sure enough... in the next model... maybe.

Re: sticky lens shift.

I find that if I do the lens shift right after the projector comes on, it moves fairly easily. After its warmed up a bit is when its sticky.

Jeez, Aussie Bob, from reading your posts with regards to trying to get Panny to fix some problems that members here have noted, I might accidentally jump to the conclusion that you're a Panny tech who's too lazy to want to fix any problem that might be reported about the PJ and thus wants to discourage everyone from letting his boss know about it or something. :)

As far as Japanese companies and firmware updates go, even though Denon had some rave reviews for their 3910 DVD player, owners had noted some problems, called in about it and so far Denon has released at least 1 firmware update for the 3910 and at least 2 for the 2910 to address issues that owners complained about and these firmware updates for the DVD players can be performed by the owner simply by sticking in the new firmware CD in the player.

Maybe different things blow in the breeze Down Under?

djbluemax1

Don't know your past experience with home theater electronics, but in my experience, I'd have to agree with Aussie Bob. He hit the nail on the head.(does that make me a lazy tech too? lol)

You can still call Panny and complain. But knowing the likelihood that anything will be done is only being a realist.

It is true that Panasonic will probably not fix all of the problems reported including the Sticky lens shift. They may be able to fix some with a firmware update. Some of these posts remind me of people who complain about an election but do not vote. If you are not part of the solution you
might be part of the problem. It takes only two minutes to make a call.
Why not take a chance. We will have a much better case if we call and they do nothing. In the Past I owned a Sanyo Z2 and because of calls there were several firmware updates. Panasonic has issued firmware updates to many DVD players. Keep calling the number below and let's see
if Panasonic does the right thing. Be sure to be specific.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

I don't know about Panasonic, but my experience with Sony in the past is that they denied, denied, and denied in the face of such a campaign of complaints, and then after a year partially admitted (in a face-saving way that appeared almost dishonest), but ultimately did nothing.

Call and lets see if what Panasonic does about the reported problems.

We can only hope they will act in the right way.

800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

are all these problems enough of a reason for me to go with a z3? Is everyone still happy with there purchase. I need to order something so I have it intime for Bowl games in Jan

on the phone Panny they say there are seeing it on the 720 and 1080i with the HDMI; they said to try 480p as a work around for now and expect a call or email later

mello

Originally posted by REL77
are all these problems enough of a reason for me to go with a z3? Is everyone still happy with there purchase. I need to order something so I have it intime for Bowl games in Jan

First off there is no perfect PJ and the Z3 is farther from it than the panni; just the zooming alone makes the panni better, not to mention color saturation, pixel gaps(0-none-nada).....try that with the Z3????

**** I Really hate to do this but here's a little Insider info on what Panasonic is doing regarding the "Hundreds of Complaints" they are receiving; for reasons I cannot reveal I know for a fact that a group of Japanese Engineers where flown into NYC 2 weeks ago to meet with US products mngr Walter Rajcvyk who is heading the consumer struggle to get these issues resolved; thoughout the major markets such as California the regional tech support has been meeting with those engineers too... ****

And all this info is veryfiable.... So have patience and do not loose face you all should know that we are playing with tomorrow's major market technology!!!... Panasonic wants to put more PJ's in american homes than any other company ever b4....so what kind of reputation would they like to have??? exactly!

Exactly, don't shoot them in the foot before thay even get started....

On a lighter note........ here is my "Personal Review" of the LG-LST3510A that is LG's upscaling DVD player/HDTV tuner combo that retails for $399.99; I got it on Saturday because I've been wanting to get an Off air HDTV tuner; since in the L.A. area we have a couple of hdtv stations one being KCET and PBS 24hdtv channels....but anyways I have seen the full potential of the panni.... (mind you I am using a cheap High Contrast Dalite Model B screen) the hdtv pq is amazing just astonishing!!! now for the dvd player part...well it's definetly not my D2...and to top it off it only upscales to 1080i not 720p...the veredict: I'ts going back to the store; however I will now get a Tuner and have found myself day dreaming of what HDDVD or BlueRay will look like on the panni...

In conclusion, by just watching dvd's one cannot judge this PJ...it is indeed HD that makes this PJ incredible.... in all honesty this was my first time watching HD on it and the Redskins never looked better..... hahahaha at least they looked good...sorry skin's fans.

Thanks for the information about what Panasonic is doing about the problems. It seems that they really want to get it right. It may take a little time to resolve the issues but it will be worth it. In regards to the Z3 it also has HDCP issues. We should not forget that the AE700 is a great
machine with a few problems. I would recommend it to everyone.

We just want to make it better, that is why we are making the calls to
Panasonic. If they don't know about the problems how can they solve
them. Be specific when you call.


800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

I just spoke to Tech Support at Panasonic again. They are really interested
in the problems that we are having and they do expect to resolve most of
them. Be sure to call and be very specific. Give your email address and
phone number. All problems are being sent to the Japanese Engineers who
are working on the issues. They asked us to be patient for a few weeks
and will let us know what is being done.



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

Whenever you complain, if you want to maximize the likelyhood that something will be done, you mention how you are possibly returning your projector.

I made the call and was greeted by a courteous tech rep who said they are familiar with the HDMI sync/flash/snow problem and the 720p/1080i cropping problem. he took down my info and said they are working on both issues. He said the issues are inter-related...

Can the AE700 take a 1080p input? I think the answer is no but figured I double check, as I was wondering if using it with a iScan HD+ that can output 1080p would be of any use.

John

The AE can take the input but it downscale to 720P. I don't think it would be worth it using the IScan HD with the projector. The internal scaler is
pretty good and the cost of the IScan would not produce that much better
image.

Unless I'm doing something wrong, when I output 720/1080 from the HD+ to the AE700, the picture is getting stretched to fit full screen. (by the way, I prefer watching 4:3 in 4:3) So even though, it can be done, the picture distortion offsets the higher resolution.

On the otherhand, when you scale 480i to 480p with the HD+, you do see an improvement in picture quality. The HD+ does change the gamma in the signal which I don't like. I think DVDO is working on a gamma feature to the HD+.

I'll try to get some pictures up in the next few days to show what I'm talking about. Still have a couple of Christmas parties left to attend. :)

Originally posted by REL77
are all these problems enough of a reason for me to go with a z3? Is everyone still happy with there purchase. I need to order something so I have it intime for Bowl games in Jan

I have had DVI connection with STB and also now use a HDMI via DVD. I've seen the flashes on both. Haven't seen it much on DVD.

It's not an issue from my perspective. I wouldn't send the unit back even if you invited me to do so.

:)

Originally posted by ForzaMilan
**** I Really hate to do this but here's a little Insider info on what Panasonic is doing regarding the "Hundreds of Complaints" they are receiving; for reasons I cannot reveal I know for a fact that a group of Japanese Engineers where flown into NYC 2 weeks ago to meet with US products mngr Walter Rajcvyk who is heading the consumer struggle to get these issues resolved; thoughout the major markets such as California the regional tech support has been meeting with those engineers too... ****

And all this info is veryfiable.... So have patience and do not loose face you all should know that we are playing with tomorrow's major market technology!!!... Panasonic wants to put more PJ's in american homes than any other company ever b4....so what kind of reputation would they like to have??? exactly!

I AGREE... WELL SAID :)

wow - there's no way anyone would read this entire thread, so therefore in regards to the lens shift issue - is there a recommended way to set up the ceiling bracket? mine is going to be pretty close to the ceiling and i'm assuming i'm going to have to use the lens shift to allign the image on the screen.

room dimension are 5.5m x 3.75m with ceiling heigh of 2.7m (approx - not 100% on this) i will projecting a 100" image 16:9

i haven't seen many places that talk about the projector height from ceiling in relation to the screen.

Originally posted by REL77
are all these problems enough of a reason for me to go with a z3? Is everyone still happy with there purchase. I need to order something so I have it intime for Bowl games in Jan

The ONLY problem I have with this player is the very little VB I have left. It's on the left side and you only really notice it if you look to that side and focus on it...and even then it has to be on a lighter scene with solid colors that allows you to see it. I'm still trying to tweak this last VB away. Other than that, very very very happy. I really don't care if there a little cropping...as long as the rest of the picture is good. I dealt with 5% overscan on my old RPTV, so I can certainly deal with this. Although, I can see how it would be annoying if you use your PC with it.

Also, IMO an upscaling player is a MUST with this projector. Got a Sony 975 to replace my 725 and HDMI looks much *and I mean MUCH* better over HDMI than it does over component. I was regretting my purchase until I made this switch. Colors are more vivid and there is much more detail.

Originally posted by JimP
Unless I'm doing something wrong, when I output 720/1080 from the HD+ to the AE700, the picture is getting stretched to fit full screen. (by the way, I prefer watching 4:3 in 4:3) So even though, it can be done, the picture distortion offsets the higher resolution.

On the otherhand, when you scale 480i to 480p with the HD+, you do see an improvement in picture quality. The HD+ does change the gamma in the signal which I don't like. I think DVDO is working on a gamma feature to the HD+.

I'll try to get some pictures up in the next few days to show what I'm talking about. Still have a couple of Christmas parties left to attend. :)

You're not doing anything wrong. The Panny seems to think that anything input at greater than 480 must be 16:9.

And although someone else said something about the Panny's scaler being great, although it's decent, it's not the best thing out there. The Denon 2910's scaler AND deinterlacer are both better than the Panny's. When I first got the PJ, I did extensive A/Bing between 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i. Outputting 480 gives a much softer picture with more noise and less detail than I get from doing the scaling with the Denon and outputting 720p or 1080i. For some reason, even though 720p is the native res of the PJ, after A/Bing for about 1/2 hour, I found that 1080i had an incrementally more detailed picture and I watched most material with that, but finally ended up going with 720p because the Denon does a better job at deinterlacing and avoiding motion artifacts like combing and jaggies.

The LST3510A will upconvert to 1080i and 720p. You have to select it from the front panel of the player (2 buttons used). Read your manual. I have the 3510A and AE700 combo and it works fine. If your 3510A does not upconvert to 720p, get another one.


Originally posted by ForzaMilan
.and to top it off it only upscales to 1080i not 720p...the veredict: I'ts going back to the store; however I will now get a Tuner and have found myself day dreaming of what HDDVD or BlueRay will look like on the panni...

In conclusion, by just watching dvd's one cannot judge this PJ...it is indeed HD that makes this PJ incredible.... in all honesty this was my first time watching HD on it and the Redskins never looked better..... hahahaha at least they looked good...sorry skin's fans.

Hate to do this...But can anyone recap these 190 pages of threads!!! Is it still the best projector in its class to go with, or does the Sanyo Z3 offer more/comparable (but cheaper) ? I think its down to those 2 that im thinking of going with....

Originally posted by holyc0w
Although, I can see how it would be annoying if you use your PC with it.

Also, IMO an upscaling player is a MUST with this projector. Got a Sony 975 to replace my 725 and HDMI looks much *and I mean MUCH* better over HDMI than it does over component. I was regretting my purchase until I made this switch. Colors are more vivid and there is much more detail.

I am going to be using my Comp as my DVD player, and as my HTPC. Is this going to be a problem?

Are you going to output via vga cables (computer monitor cables) ? Just curious, as I am going to do the same thing...

I am going to do DVI to DVI

Originally posted by djbluemax1
You're not doing anything wrong. The Panny seems to think that anything input at greater than 480 must be 16:9.

It isn't just the Panny. My Sony CRT HDTV also forces all 1080i and 720p signals to display in 16:9.

I am using the Samsung 938 which has an EZView button which can rescale the image, and one of them is vertical fit or something which allows me to fit a 4:3 image within the 16:9 window properly.

Picked up my AE700 earlier.. and here's something I wrote in another forum...

First impressions: I couldn't believe how light and tiny the box was... the Z3 box was about the same size but I dunno how heavy it weighed. In comparison, my DILA is a mammoth.. both in size and weight.

I got home and quickly unpacked the box. Ah!! Christmas had come early.

The box was a wee bit scanty for something that costs close to 3 grand!! Just a manual, a plastic looking projector and a remote + batteries. A label indicated the projector was manufactured in November.

The next step was to remove my old projector. To be honest, this was the most difficult step of my installation!! My contractor had helped me install my DILA projector and I think he only installed the swinging doors AFTER he installed the projector, and there was just no way I could slide the projector shelf that the projector was mounted on, out of the enclosure.

Dang..

I figured I could unscrew the "feet" of the projector from the shelf. That was a lot harder than it sounds. Like I said, the DILA weighed like a tonne. And it was tough trying to support AND balance the projector while trying to remove the super long screws...

So I huffed and puffed and sweated about a gallon of perspiration and finally managed to pry the DILA off its perch!

In comparison, the AE700 is a real snap to install. I didn't even need to mount that unit upside down. I just lowered the same shelf I was using and just place the AE700 directly on top. The lens shift could easily accomodate this design.

Next I hooked up the Samsung 938 (yup Mr Black Crush himself), placed on the lower shelf, using the bundled DVI cable coupled with the AVIT Supra? branded DVI-HDMI adaptor.

Hooked up the usual component cables... and then encountered my first snag! I couldn't fit in the VGA connector because it was just too close to the HDMI port and the Supra adaptor was HUGE. I might be better off getting an HDMI-DVI cable directly. Or I might be tempted to get the 948 with direct HDMI connection (which apparently removes the black crush bug too!). But those are much later projects.

Oh well, I never got around to building my HTPC anyway, so the VGA is just a nice to have. But I was kinda hoping I could use my X2VGA transcoder for my XBox.

Then I powered on the the AE700 and... err.. WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!??

The picture was really really washed out. For a while, I thought I got a dud!!! It took me a while to realize this was just the projector powering up for the very first time!! ;) I guess I have never seen this before on any other projector.

Slowly but surely, the lamp kicks in and the projector kicks in and WOW! It hits!! This thing is like a light cannon compared to my old DILA. In fact, it got me thinking that my furniture, my walls, my curtains etc are just too light and they are reflecting the light everywhere :P

Subsequent power ups gave a bright and detailed image within seconds. I guess the delay I noticed is just due to the first time the unit was powered on. I also noticed there were no fancy startup countdown counter like the Z3. Not that it mattered to me though.

At maximum zoom, I was getting about 92 inches WIDTH (not diagonal) from about 102 inches away (which incidentally was also my viewing distance). Even with such proximity, I couldn't really see noticeable pixellation. And the widescreen form factor made my HT feel a lot more like a real theater. Might reduce the width a little to fit between my front left and right speakers so I can lower the image. Right now, the projector is aimed a little too high so the image won't be blocked by my speakers.

I plonked in two DVDs... one was regular NTSC component off my Sony DVP-7700ES (switched by the Yamaha RX-V1500) and the other was the Sammy 938 through DVI/HDMI.

Both looked amazing. I probably want to do a better AB comparison later on but I was more interested to test out the HDMI bits.

The 938 allowed me to switch between 480p, 720p and 1080i. For some reason, the 1080i looked the most pleasant IMHO.

I plonked in a couple of scenes from Hulk and Spiderman (the first one). Hulk was fairly bright and colorful, and looked great.

The dark scenes on Spidey on the hand looked very washed out. To get me started on the tweaks, I switched to Cinema3 lowered the contrast and increased the brightness (typical calibration steps in AVIA/Video Essentials) and the details began to stand out. For such a big screen, the contrast was pretty incredible. It may not have been identical to the 4805 I saw on demo, but considering the size, I gotta admit I was really impressed by the AE700.

Once the projector was properly warmed up, I put in AVIA to do some calibration.

Brightness and contrast adjustments were really really hard to do. I suspect it could be due to the black crush issue of the 938. It felt like I could still make out the black/white bars easily for a wide variety of contrast and brightness settings. I never had this issue when calibrating my CRT TV sets or even my DILA. I dunno if it is due to the auto-iris feature. In the end, I just used the white "color" as the basis for the contrast adjustment.

Again Spidey was used. This time I could really make out the walls in Ch 12(?) and the Goblin fight scenes near the climax. The saturation after calibration seemed a bit high though. Uncle Ben looked like he had a really dark tan (not unlike Indy in the HS50 screenshot threads from AVS). It is a bit too late to do my personal tweaks.

If I had one complaint, it is the really twiddly lens shift. It can never seem to decide if it is too far up or down, left or right. Subtle nudges just can't be done easily. The Z3/2 lens shift feels far more refined. I guess you really need to use the Picture Position function from the menus. And IMHO, the precision of the Z3 lens shift is not reason enough to jusitfy the price differential between the Z3 and the AE700.

Fingers crossed... so far I have not experienced any flashes on HDMI? I also noticed my unit has a SCART input. Maybe it is different from the ones that have plagued the US AVS forums.

I am keeping my projector in standby ;) Have never seen VB before in my DILA so curious to see what the commotion is all about...

The projector arrived about two weeks ago and since then I have spent a fair amount of time trying to become familiar with a FPPJ system. The 700 is connected to an HTPC powered by a 6600GT AGP and MCE2005. Since the card has dual DVI outputs and I did not have the DVI/HDCP cable, I decided to use my VGA cable with a DVI adapter. I know this is not the best scenerio, but I did not think this would be a big impact to PQ. I got to 700/HTPC setup in a way that I felt the picture quality was pretty good for DVD content (no HD source yet).

Last night my new DVI/HDCP cable arrived so I installed it and powered up the 700. The first thing I noticed was how much sharper the image was, especially navigating and viewing the MCE UI. Big improvement. I ran through a few chapters of LOTRTT and felt that the PQ was also greatly improved. Time will tell if those flashes appear, but so far this is a nice improvement.

You know what one of the biggest improvements to PQ anyone can make? Get your eyes checked, seriously. Recently did so, got glasses to correct a slight stigmatism. This made a huge difference in PQ, huge! It is the best $200 I spent to improve PQ.

Originally posted by rhwimmers
Hate to do this...But can anyone recap these 190 pages of threads!!! Is it still the best projector in its class to go with, or does the Sanyo Z3 offer more/comparable (but cheaper) ? I think its down to those 2 that im thinking of going with....

Go with the Panny 700...

Originally posted by rwestley
The lens fix adjustment does need a fix. It should be either the top or bottom of the screen as ABCD suggested. When owners call Panasonic please add this to the list of requests.
Rwestley - The centering of the lens is actually a plus for my configuration. The AE700 is mounted on a bookshelf at the back of the room. The placement is perfect, with no vertical adjustment required to center the lens. Perhaps two different models are needed in the next model - an AE900b for "bookshelf mount," and an AE900c for "ceiling mount."

Thank you for providing the Panasonic technical support number. The Panasonic technician answered promptly and was very helpful. He confirmed, as others have indicated, that the issue with the white flash on HDMI was a known problem that is being worked on. He took my name and phone number, and said that Panasonic would contact me when a fix is available.

I also mentioned that the lens shift adjustment lever is sticky. The Panasonic technician said this was not on his list of known issues, but that he would add it to the list. If others call in, it might be useful to add the sticky lens shift lever to the list of issues reported to Panasonic.

P.S. For those contemplating a purchase - I can report that after more than 200 hours of viewing, the AE700 has exceeded my expectations. I would have no hesitation in making the same choice again. The issues with HDMI are minor (in my installation, at least), and in any event appear to be cropping up in other projectors like the Z3 as well - possibly reflecting growing pains in the implementation of a new protocol. I was gratified to learn that Panasonic is aware of the issue, and is working to address it.

Originally posted by beocop
The LST3510A will upconvert to 1080i and 720p. You have to select it from the front panel of the player (2 buttons used). Read your manual. I have the 3510A and AE700 combo and it works fine. If your 3510A does not upconvert to 720p, get another one.

I can pretty much say that I proof read that manual and cannot find what two buttons you are talking about..... Please enlighten me!!!!!

Thanks Ed!

I was wondering if someone can help me or has experienced/reported this situation with their projector:

Upon pressing the power button on the controller, the projector turns on but the light doesn't output everytime it powers up. I hear the fans kick in, but no light. When I either press the power button again or flip the power switch on the back of the projector the light will go on after 1 or 2 tries.

weird!!

I've had the projector for about a month so far and I think this has been happening within the last 2 weeks.

thanks-
Michael

djMichael,
You are just not waiting long enough for the light to come on. It is not instant turn on like a TV. Please do not turn it on and off repetitively, I am sure it is not good for it.....

Metal halide (MH) lamps do not achieve their full light output immediately after starting. Rather, they require a period of time—1 to 15 minutes—to reach 90% of their full light output. This period is called the warm-up (or run-up) time. After a lamp has been on for a period of time and then extinguished, it cannot be immediately turned back on. Before the lamp can be turned back on, the arc tube must have a chance to cool down or the lamp will not restart. This period of time is called the restrike time. Restrike times for traditional probe-start MH lamps can take 15 minutes or longer, but restrike times for pulse-start MH lamps are generally much shorter (see Figure 4). According to manufacturers’ literature, restrike times for pulse-start MH lamps can be twice as fast or more than for probe-start MH lamps

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpip/lightingAnswers/mwmhl/restrikeTimes.asp

Dave

Page 19 of the manual (Setting the display format).

1. Press Display Format button to select your connection (DVI, RGB, comp. etc). It cycles each time you press the button.
2. Press the Select button to accept your connection.
3. Press the Display Format button to cycle through all the possible output format res. (1080i,720p,480p, etc) This depends on the connection. See page 19 for list.
4. Press select to accept.

Hope this helps. I had the same problem when I first bought the 3510A.


Originally posted by ForzaMilan
I can pretty much say that I proof read that manual and cannot find what two buttons you are talking about..... Please enlighten me!!!!!

Thanks Ed!

Thanks to all who have called Panasonic. We all know that the projector is
great for the price. To all who are considering purchasing it most of us would recommend it over most others. As one can see from this thread
there are a few problems that we have made Panasonic aware of. They
seem to be working on them and we should hear from them soon.

If you still have not called it would not hurt to add your name to the list.

We only want to make the projector even better.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at: Be specific when you talk
to the contact person.



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

Perfect projector?

Area DVD gives the AE700 six stars out of six.

Test of AE697 (http://www.areadvd.de/hardware/Panasonic_PT-AE700.shtml)

I will call it AE700 when the 3 bugs get fixed:D

Originally posted by JimP
Unless I'm doing something wrong, when I output 720/1080 from the HD+ to the AE700, the picture is getting stretched to fit full screen. (by the way, I prefer watching 4:3 in 4:3) So even though, it can be done, the picture distortion offsets the higher resolution.




BINGO

On the Iscan HD+, you can change the input to 4:3 then scale to 720p. That way, you can get the deinterlacing and scaling performed by the iscan without the stretch distortion that the panny will perform.

Originally posted by zxlr8
djMichael,
You are just not waiting long enough for the light to come on. It is not instant turn on like a TV. Please do not turn it on and off repetitively, I am sure it is not good for it.....

thanks for the advice... but I'm not experience the "lack of lamp warm-up". When this happens, I've waited for 5 minutes.... and nothing... then the projector shuts off. This problem is rare, but does happen with my projector. I guess if it happens more frequently I'll send it in.

...just seeing if anyone else had this problem.

thanks-
Michael

djMichael,
Sounds like a unit specific problem. Might want to send it in.

BTW, one thing I forgot to mention when I called Panny was the Standby mode causing VB, or what the cause of that might be. Anyone else ask them about this?

AE700 different quality on units.

Today, believe it or not i received my third AE700.

To make it simple i will tell you whats wrong with each one.

AE700 number 1:
- Lamp flicker in low lamp mode

AE700 number 2:
- Strange fan noise that is constant, even if you change the fan speed.
- Uneven focus over the picture.

AE700 number 3: Worst of all
- Lamp flicker again
- Sooo much VB on the green panel.
- A little more fan noise than number 1, which was very quiet.

I have flicker tweaked all units, but the last one i cant get rid of this solid bars. It is so bad that i started to think this can't be vb, it must be something else? I can't understand that vb could be this bad.

But now i know that vb surely varies from unit to unit.

What now?

A Novice Needs Help!

As a novice to the front projection scene, I am thinking about purchasing a 700U.

I was looking at the Denon 2805 receiver and was hoping to plug everything into that and run just 1 set of cables to the projector.

I am concerned when I read the threads about purchasing equipment to "upscale", "a scaler" or "upconverting" - (these were picked off just the last page of threads I looked at before writing this)

I will use the projector for a combination of satellite HDTV, over-the-air HDTV and some DVD's (and especially waiting for the entire nascar season to be telecast in HD)

I have two friends with a 50" and 60" rear projection TV's and everything seems straightforward - like setting up a TV like I have for years.

Your opinions and ideas will be appreciated!!

Thanks

Originally posted by gilunionhall
A Novice Needs Help!

As a novice to the front projection scene, I am thinking about purchasing a 700U.

I was looking at the Denon 2805 receiver and was hoping to plug everything into that and run just 1 set of cables to the projector.

I am concerned when I read the threads about purchasing equipment to "upscale", "a scaler" or "upconverting" - (these were picked off just the last page of threads I looked at before writing this)

I will use the projector for a combination of satellite HDTV, over-the-air HDTV and some DVD's (and especially waiting for the entire nascar season to be telecast in HD)

I have two friends with a 50" and 60" rear projection TV's and everything seems straightforward - like setting up a TV like I have for years.

Your opinions and ideas will be appreciated!!

Don't worry about it. I have a Denon 3805. I assume the 2805 can switch component so just hook the Panny 700 to the component out on the 2805 and put all the other stuff on the inputs on the 2805. If you have to use s-video , the 2805 should be able to output to the one component set of cables to the Panny.


Thanks

exsodius, that seems troubling. Did you purchase them from different vendors? Purchase times spaced how far apart? My vague understanding when once speaking to a Panasonic tech guy was that the panels get possibly shifted ever so slightly in transit and the flicker fix realigns them back slightly - hence the need for different flicker numbers in the interface between units. If this is truly the case, poorly treated units in transit could make a slight difference - perhaps I should consider Fed Ex Air over UPS ground (at least I know UPS used to throw boxes around.) Just an idea. Also not cool that the trend got worse and worse instead of the opposite.

how do panny 700 owners feel about the brightness of the unit? assuming 400 lumens (thought i saw that figure posted somewhere) a neutral gain screen would only result in about 12 footlamberts on a 106" diagonal screen. that's relatively dim, right?

Originally posted by DV8


But how about all the other equipment that is being talked about (upconverters, scalers, etc)? Is all this needed to get a really great picture?

well i've already ordered my ae700 and i'm getting very nervous reading all this

Originally posted by rhwimmers
Hate to do this...But can anyone recap these 190 pages of threads!!!

Uh, no...you have to suffer and read it all just like the rest of us

:D :D :D :D

Rich

"Perfect projector?"

Obviously not based on how many are experiencing serious bugs like white flashes.

Originally posted by gilunionhall
But how about all the other equipment that is being talked about (upconverters, scalers, etc)? Is all this needed to get a really great picture?


Define 'great'.
You will get a 'great' picture without additional scalers and upconverters. You might be able to tweak a bit more picture using scalers, HTPC, ffdshow, etc. but you are rapidly getting into law of diminishing returns.

This projector, by and large, produces a great picture out of the box. If you have the time, the budget, and the anal nature that most of the people on this forum have, you will be able to squeeze another gram of perfection out of it.

Originally posted by rogo
"Perfect projector?"

Obviously not based on how many are experiencing serious bugs like white flashes.

Fingers crossed but I thankfully have not encountered a single flash over the HDMI input using a Samsung 938 DVD player with Samsung bundled DVI cable and a Supra (aka noname) branded HDMI-DVI adaptor. (altho there is a known black crush issue with the Samsung over DVI.. no blacker than black)

As for VB, maybe it is cos I tweaked the color/picture settings already (started with Cinema 3 and tweaked using AVIA, flicker at the standard 20 setting for all 3 colors, projector in desk mode) but despite leaving the AE700 on standby for a whole day and viewing a 92 inch width image from 102 inches away, the VBs aren't really all that apparent. I have to really REALLY try to look for VB but in order to that, I'd be missing all the action on screen to appreciate the VB.

Today, I am keeping the projector fully powered down, and I'll go check the machine again tonight.

Originally posted by exsodius
AE700 different quality on units.

Today, believe it or not i received my third AE700.

To make it simple i will tell you whats wrong with each one.

AE700 number 1:
- Lamp flicker in low lamp mode

AE700 number 2:
- Strange fan noise that is constant, even if you change the fan speed.
- Uneven focus over the picture.

AE700 number 3: Worst of all
- Lamp flicker again
- Sooo much VB on the green panel.
- A little more fan noise than number 1, which was very quiet.

I have flicker tweaked all units, but the last one i cant get rid of this solid bars. It is so bad that i started to think this can't be vb, it must be something else? I can't understand that vb could be this bad.

But now i know that vb surely varies from unit to unit.

What now?

Very troubling for you. My 700 is working like a charm. But 3 strikes and I'd be out. Guess I'd start looking at the Sony HS-51 if I were you.

Originally posted by broadwayblue
how do panny 700 owners feel about the brightness of the unit? assuming 400 lumens (thought i saw that figure posted somewhere) a neutral gain screen would only result in about 12 footlamberts on a 106" diagonal screen. that's relatively dim, right?

I have a neutral gain 106" screen - and the 700 is plenty bright (light controlled room). Trust me on this. In fact I use low bulb setting.

What's the best DVD player o connect to the Panny via HDMI?

I was thinking of the Pann S97, do any of you have it connect to the AE700? What are your thoughts?

mello

Originally posted by gilunionhall
But how about all the other equipment that is being talked about (upconverters, scalers, etc)? Is all this needed to get a really great picture?

If you are going to compare your AE700 to your friends' RPTVs, the AE700 picture quality will blow them away, especially on HD sources.

If you want to run everything to the PJ through a single cable, use component. You will need a receiver that switches component for your component sources (DVD, HD satellite, HD cable, Xbox, etc.) and that converts composite video and S-Video to component (if you have any such older equipment).

You will want to run your component sources at 480i or 480p depending on your personal preference. Some here run 480i to reduce perceived VB, others run 480p for a subjectively better picture.

In my opinion upconverters/scalers are not necessary to enjoy a great picture (defined as better than what 95% of the general population has ever experienced in a home environment). The AE700 does a decent job on its own of internally upconverting 480i and 480p.

Opinions on upconverting DVD players (those outputting standard-def DVD material at 720p or 1080i over DVI or HDMI) are mixed. From what I have read, the improvement is marginal at best, not apparent at all in many cases, or worse than regular 480i/480p at worst. Going with an upconverting DVD player to the HDMI input on the PJ means you would be sacrificing your single-cable approach in search of - at best - a marginally better picture.

I am leery of trying to use the HDMI input at all because my unit has the HDMI sync-flash-cropping problem that Panasonic is supposedly working on a fix for. You could go to the trouble and expense of buying an upconverting DVD player and expensive HDMI cable, and end up with a picture that isn't noticeably better, or that doesn't even work well enough to be livable. So in my opinion, don't bother.

Personally, I am skipping what I see as short-lived, stop-gap upconverting DVD players in 2005 and waiting for HD-DVD / Blu-Ray in 2006, which will probably include 720p/1080i upconversion for standard-def DVDs anyway. In the meantime, I am crossing my fingers that Panasonic will fix the HDMI bugs.

Originally posted by rhwimmers
... can anyone recap these 190 pages of threads!!! Is it still the best projector in its class to go with, or does the Sanyo Z3 offer more/comparable (but cheaper) ? I think its down to those 2 that im thinking of going with....
The review at Projector Central provides a side-by-side comparison:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/high_contrast_LCD_projectors.htm
"[If there is one projector that sets a new standard for value, it would be the Panasonic AE700. It combines breakthrough performance in contrast and overall picture quality with the flexibility of a very long 2.0x zoom lens, all for a street price of about $2,000.]

AE700 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z3. Of all of the models discussed here, the closest match to the AE700 in overall image quality and characteristics is the Sanyo Z3. ... The Z3 does not have a dynamically reconfiguring iris like the AE700, and in fact the AE700 can produce somewhat deeper blacks and better overall contrast. However the differences between the AE700 and the Z3 in this regard are small compared to other LCD projectors with much lower contrast ratings. These differences are visible in side by side viewing, but they are not dramatically different.

Perhaps the most important differences between the two are the zoom and lens shift ranges. The AE700 has a 2.0x zoom range that lets you set the projector anywhere between 10 and 20 feet to get a 100" diagonal image. Meanwhile the Z3 has only a 1.3x zoom, and it must be placed between about 10 and 13 feet for the same 100" image. This could tip the advantage toward the AE700 for those who have the room to set the unit back and use its long throw distance capability. On the other hand, for those who have space restrictions anyway, the long zoom on the AE700 may be irrelevant."

Originally posted by gilunionhall
A Novice Needs Help!

As a novice to the front projection scene, I am thinking about purchasing a 700U. I will use the projector for a combination of satellite HDTV, over-the-air HDTV and some DVD's I was looking at the Denon 2805 receiver and was hoping to plug everything into that and run just 1 set of cables to the projector.

I am concerned when I read the threads about purchasing equipment to "upscale", "a scaler" or "upconverting" - (these were picked off just the last page of threads I looked at before writing this)

I have two friends with a 50" and 60" rear projection TV's and everything seems straightforward - like setting up a TV like I have for years.

The AE700 is a cross-over projector - straightforward enough for an average consumer to use, but with sufficient capability to also appeal to home theater enthusiasts. As you might expect, the threads about external scalers, etc. are posted by HT enthusiasts who want to obtain every possible increment of picture quality. However, the AE700 is simple to set up and provides a great picture right out of the box.

You should be able to run a single set of component video cables from the Denon receiver to the AE700. Once you use the lens adjustment to set the picture size and focus - which only takes a few moments - the AE700 is, if anything, simpler to use than a rear projection TV.

Ok, it's been a few months. I think I can lift the ban on new 700 posts. Try to keep them contained, but I won't thread-nazi you to death. I'll still leave the tweaks thread stickied.

Geez, just when I'm getting to understand the technical ins and outs of the projectors in general, and the Panny 700 in particular, I read Madpoet's announcement re: "new 700 posts".

I don't have a clue what this means!!! Please explain to a neophyte what is going on here.

Has

It means that for the first couple months of release we tried to limit posting on the 700 to this thread (much like we are doing with the Z3 and HS51 now). We were locking/deleting threads without warning that did not follow this rule. I am no longer doing that.

Originally posted by djbluemax1
djMichael,
Sounds like a unit specific problem. Might want to send it in.

BTW, one thing I forgot to mention when I called Panny was the Standby mode causing VB, or what the cause of that might be. Anyone else ask them about this?

I spoke with a tech at Panasonic's 800 line a couple days ago about the major issues (white flashes, VB, cropping). He said "VB is normal and happens with most LCD projectors." But regarding cropping and the white flashes, he said something interesting... basically, Panasonic believes these two issues (white flash and cropping) are related to each other. Granted, they are related in a sense because both only happen when using the HDMI input, but it sounded like they have identified a single culprit of both of these issues and are actively working on a fix.

Does anyone else use "Dynamic" when watching movies? It makes the image look a lot more like HD movies on this setting.

Originally posted by exsodius
AE700 different quality on units.

Today, believe it or not i received my third AE700.

To make it simple i will tell you whats wrong with each one.

AE700 number 1:
- Lamp flicker in low lamp mode

AE700 number 2:
- Strange fan noise that is constant, even if you change the fan speed.
- Uneven focus over the picture.

AE700 number 3: Worst of all
- Lamp flicker again
- Sooo much VB on the green panel.
- A little more fan noise than number 1, which was very quiet.

I have flicker tweaked all units, but the last one i cant get rid of this solid bars. It is so bad that i started to think this can't be vb, it must be something else? I can't understand that vb could be this bad.

But now i know that vb surely varies from unit to unit.

What now?

Thanks for answers. Yes the standard flicker values are different from projector to projector.

Today i was thinking i can't go on exchanging units. I am sick and tired of it. And it could even get worse. The company i did buy from, have been just so nice to let me exchange units. They even had to order the last one just for me. Because they almost never sell projectors.

When i called them today about number three, the salesman said " Is there something wrong with your eyes? Maybe you should try a Benq 7800? My boss has one, and he is very satisfied" I said naah, i dont think so :)

Therefore i deceided to keep the number one projector, which only had lamp flicker, lowest noise and least VB. I can always put it in high lamp mode and flampflicker will disappear.

I would also add that 2 projectors was made in november 2004, and 1 was was in desember 2004. And the fimware was the same.

So i think i will be happy with it.

exsodius
"Yes the standard flicker values are different from projector to projector"
Seems like my "standard settings" change over time. If they can fix that whole flicker-lose-settings-after-not-turning-off "thing", well, they'd be cooking with butter, baby.

Originally posted by Bob Hassard
Geez, just when I'm getting to understand the technical ins and outs of the projectors in general, and the Panny 700 in particular, I read Madpoet's announcement re: "new 700 posts".

I don't have a clue what this means!!! Please explain to a neophyte what is going on here.

Has

I have to admit... you got me to laugh out loud with this one. We'll call this new problem PB, short for post banning. Once resolved, information flows much more freely and cleanly about the projector. Oddly enough, mods are the typical cause of this problem but they cannot be removed from the situation as they limit so many other issue :D

reaper

Originally posted by holyc0w
Does anyone else use "Dynamic" when watching movies? It makes the image look a lot more like HD movies on this setting.
Possibly trolling - I'll take the bait - yet reply quickly and courteously before someone tries to go off on you for watching movies in the "Dynamic" mode. To specifically answer your question, I do not watch movies in dynamic mode because I do not personally like the effect. As with some folks, I've calibrated my projector to the best of my ability with calibration DVDs and it turns out the dynamic mode's settings are way off from what the director wanted you to see. THere's a couple of DVDs out there to aid in calibration (AVIA makes one of them). Even without that, the "CINEMA" modes (esp. 2 & 3) typically give a more accurate representation of the picture.
THAT BEING SAID, it's your investment! You shelled out the $ for it - if you like the effect Dynamic mode gives your movies, knock your socks off....just won't find too many video purists who do the same thing-
Warren

Originally posted by John Ballentine
I have a neutral gain 106" screen - and the 700 is plenty bright (light controlled room). Trust me on this. In fact I use low bulb setting.

Ditto fo rme - except I have a 1.2 gain 106" 16:9 screen (basement - excellent light control) and it's plenty bright on the low bulb setting. Big step up in brightness from my AE500.
Warren

Yeah, I use DYNAMIC mode, and I don't give a fig about what the director wanted me to see.

This "auteur" worship is pretty boring. Once the program (or any other work of creativity) is out there it's artistic properties are public property and if we get a kick out of watching the movie bright and beautiful then no AVIA disk is going to instruct me otherwise.

Directors get it wrong as well as right: one example the "director's cut" of Alien. Hopeless! Too obvious, yet Ridley Scott said he waited something like thirty years to re-cut it. Luckily the "Director's Cut" DVD package also gives you the choice of watching the cinema release (same running time), which has much better suspense and doesn't hit you over the head with the added cheap special effects and flame-thrower pyromania of the director's cut. I'm sure Scott didn't send back the checks he got from the studio because they cut his favourite scene out of the film. He kept them because he realised that his work was now public property and that the public could do what they wanted with it (which was mostly pay - plenty and often - to see it).

As to "video purity", so many post-production hacks have had their hands on the movie twixt director and viewer, any resemblance to the original pristine screening room print is purely co-incidental.

A "video purist" is someone who likes to make-believe that a 300 kilobyte active picture area file enlarged up to the size of a barn door, and so dim you need to eat a kilogram of carrots beforehand to see it - because AVIA told you to use CINEMA mode - can in any way be an accurate take on the particular production.

One of the things the director wanted you to do is actually see the film, not sit in a gloomy home theatre letting some wonk from a video test pattern company ruin the experience, as a few pathetic - but oh-so-6500k - pixels dribble out of the lens at about 100 lumens effective.

Oh and yes... "video purists" think anyone who is not into the abovementioned kind of self-torture may well be "a troll" trying to "bait" them. They just can't imagine anyone not being like they are, or if they can, they must be some sort of subterranean being who only makes posts on this forum to irritate the exalted perfectionists among us who possess True Knowledge.

If you want perfection, buy a Qualia for $25,000 (sans objectif) and build your home around it. Or splurge on a cinema complex for $25,000,000 and watch celluloid all day, just like the director really intended.

Otherwise, spare us the insinuations, please.

Originally posted by NavinJohnson
I spoke with a tech at Panasonic's 800 line a couple days ago about the major issues (white flashes, VB, cropping). He said "VB is normal and happens with most LCD projectors."



OK -- I'll bite. WHAT other projector has bad VB when you leave it plugged in but on standby overnight, and almost NO VB when you cut its power instead of leaving it in standby? I'm not a projector historian, is this really "normal"???

Seems like a design flaw that Panasonic should be working on. I don't expect a fix for current owners, but I'll bet their next model won't have this problem.

Well I am a troll and I say fill it up with regular. I like normal mode. But that Aussie Bob rant was funny. I have to agree, all this purity posted for cinema 2 and 3, it just looks like watching through a smudged window most of the time to me.

So I'm a normal guy and on occasion dynamic, for sports. But the religious banter does take this over the top. I'm just thrilled that the Panny is such a great value and when you factor in HD, it's completely over the top.

425 hours and counting. What's VB?

Originally posted by holyc0w
Does anyone else use "Dynamic" when watching movies? It makes the image look a lot more like HD movies on this setting.

I been settling with DYNAMIC mode for a while now, especially since I've been watching in some ambient light. Colors definitely need some tweaking and even from movie to movie, I still have to move a few notches in color gamma, or the color tint, or sometimes the Brightness & Contrast level. But consistently I leave the following settings untouched in DYANAMIC:

Color Saturation: -12
Sharpness: -4

Otheriwse, at 155 hrs I still can't find a single color setting or mode that fits all movies well enough for me to stop trying to tweak colors in the midst of watching a movie. When that day arrives that I can find the ONE setting, I suppose it will be time to upgrade the projector?
:p

After 100+ hours, I have been leaving the projector in standby mode overnight. VB has been reduced greatly upon startup. It's still there but ~70% less noticeable. Leave it on another 15 minutes and VB disappears. Maybe the panels need some burn-in period.

Anyone else have the similar experience?

Originally posted by TraderGordo
OK -- I'll bite. WHAT other projector has bad VB when you leave it plugged in but on standby overnight, and almost NO VB when you cut its power instead of leaving it in standby? I'm not a projector historian, is this really "normal"???

Seems like a design flaw that Panasonic should be working on. I don't expect a fix for current owners, but I'll bet their next model won't have this problem.

I recently purchased and installed an AE-700 for my brother-in-law and have been quite impressed with the unit so far. VB was definitely present upon initial viewings, but the "flicker" adjustments made it disappear.
DVD's from a Denon 2910 using the 4:4:4 RGB HDMI out running through a Gefen HDMI switcher look awesome. No sync issues and after several movies, only had a "white flash" on one movie. It happened so fast no one else in the room commented, but I knew what it was;)

The current issue I'm having is with HDTV signals from his cable box- they look like crap! The cable box is a Scientific Altanta HDTV box from Cablevision of Northern New Jersey. It has a DVI output, and I'm using a Key Digital DVI>HMDI adapter that goes to the Gefen Switcher. HMDI cable is a 40 footer "high end HMDI cable" from RAM Electronics. No problems on cable length as DVDs look fantastic.

The signal is making it to the projector, but HDTV looks like standard cable!
The picture output on the cable box is set to "Auto DVI", but a message appears when I first turn on the cable box that says, "Your display is not HDCP compliant". Signal display on the AE-700's menu says "1080i"- don't know if it is just a scaled 1080i signal from the cable box rather than a 1080i HDTV signal.

Is the HDCP input on the projector the culprit hear?
I ran a component cable also to the projector, so I'm going to try a direct feed from the component outputs on the cable box to the projector.

He has also has a Sony HDTV rear projector in another room and the HDTV signal looks great using the components inputs on that set.

Any suggestions on how to make HDTV look like HDTV?!

I really don't want to call cablevision as the tech who came to install the box really didn't have a clue on what's going on. He didn't even know what DVI, HDMI, and HDCP were.

is it the Sci Alt 3250HD? If so, is any one else have this connected? I have this cable box and am now worried about if I should order this cable box or not

Gladiator

Try bypassing the switcher and go direct from the cable box to the receiver.

Usually, if a device isn't HDCP compliant, you don't get a picture. This might be one of those weird situations where the device downscales to 480. It might be something to do with the switcher or the sequence things are turned on.

Originally posted by holyc0w
Does anyone else use "Dynamic" when watching movies? It makes the image look a lot more like HD movies on this setting.

I watch a lot of HD cable (movies, sports, reality TV) at 1080i and DVD movies at 480p. I find that Cinema2 looks good with both sources, so that is what I usually use (low lamp mode).

I calibrated brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness on 480p with DVE and on 1080i with HD test patterns DVR'd from HDNet (broadcast one Tuesday per month 8:00am-8:10am).

Originally posted by beocop
After 100+ hours, I have been leaving the projector in standby mode overnight. VB has been reduced greatly upon startup. It's still there but ~70% less noticeable. Leave it on another 15 minutes and VB disappears. Maybe the panels need some burn-in period.

Anyone else have the similar experience?

Yes ...me. My VB is much less now than when the 700 was new - and I never touch my flicker adjustments. It's gotten better all on it's own (burn in?) and I'm very happy about that. VB now (at near 100 hours) is a non-issue. I almost returned my projector in the beginning because the VB was soooo severe.

I like the sound of that and to certain extent it kind of makes sence.... You guys may have something.... here with the "burn in time" correction for VB, I wonder? IS THERE ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE WITH 200 OR 300+ HOURS ON YOUR UNIT THAT CAN VERIFY THIS HIPOTHESYS???

Originally posted by Gladiator
HMDI cable is a 40 footer "high end HMDI cable" from RAM Electronics. No problems on cable length as DVDs look fantastic.


You haven't convinced me its not the cable, but obviously you should try taking the switch out of the loop first as already suggested. DVDs require a lot less bandwidth than HD, so you can't neccesarily assume its not the cable because DVDs look great. If you do a lot of searching on AVS you will find that very few HDMI cables can deliver lossless high bandwidth signals over long runs. Search for posts from "WM". He only found one non-fiber cable that could do lossless 1080p at 10 meter length, and the longer version by the same company (ultralink) could NOT.

Just a thought.... who knows?

Originally posted by ForzaMilan
I like the sound of that and to certain extent it kind of makes sence.... You guys may have something.... here with the "burn in time" correction for VB, I wonder? IS THERE ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE WITH 200 OR 300+ HOURS ON YOUR UNIT THAT CAN VERIFY THIS HIPOTHESYS???

I have about 200 hours on mine. I can say that run-in/burn-in has not reduced the amount of overall VB after maximum tweaking. what I can say is that after about 100-150 hours, the flicker settings start to stabilize. what I mean by this is that in the initial 100 hours of viewing, I would have to keep tweaking the flicker settings to get the least VB and flicker on the green flicker screen, even though I tried to always turn the PJ mains off. after 100-150 hours, I found that they would more or less stay 'true' to the values they were set to by that time.

That being said, the 'standby VB' is REALLY annoying!!! I was using the PJ last night and after finishing a movie, I was debating staying up to watch another one or shutting down and turning in for the night. I ended up remote powering off thinking I would just go to bed and while waiting for the cool down process, I got online for a bit and ended up being online for about 2 hours afterwhich, I realized that I was still fully awake and decided I'd go ahead and watch the other movie. It was then that I realized I hadn't turned the mains power off on the PJ, but I figured, what the heck, it's only been a couple of hours. Turned the PJ on and whaddya know? VB levels jumped up again. After only 2 hours on standby!!! Well, going by past experience with the damned 'standby VB' thing, I'll have to leave the PJ powered OFF at the mains for a couple of days for the VB levels to drop to minimum again. I've previously tried to see if complete warm-up could relieve the elevated VB levels after standby, but after watching 4-6 hours of material on the PJ, the VB levels were still elevated and I ended up having to cut power to the PJ for 2 fays before they reduced to the pre-standby levels.

On another note regarding tweaking the flicker for minimal VB. A couple of things I've found, is:
a) as with other owners, it seems the green screen is most sensitive to flicker and banding
b) after tweaking all screens for minimal flicker, I've found that 2 screens in service mode help check your settings. when you enter service mode, the first screen is just flat bright white. Hit the up button on the remote to go to the first screen up, if flicker is a little off this white lined screen will flicker. The next screen up has horizontal lines and does not flicker easily but the next one up (3 button presses up from service default) after that which I think shows indivudual pixels and is effective for sharpest focus also has a tendency to flicker when the flicker settings are off. If these screens are showing flicker, and you then toggle between the red, green and blue screens by hitting the left or right buttons, you will see that the green is usually the one flickering. If they flicker, go into flicker mode, tweak and recheck.

Hey guys

With the switching off at the mains

Do you guys also switch the projector off at the back? The I/O switch?

Or just leave it in Standby (red light on) and turn it off at the mains?

Thanks

Originally posted by djbluemax1
I b) after tweaking all screens for minimal flicker, I've found that 2 screens in service mode help check your settings. when you enter service mode, the first screen is just flat bright white. Hit the up button on the remote to go to the first screen up, if flicker is a little off this white lined screen will flicker. The next screen up has horizontal lines and does not flicker easily but the next one up (3 button presses up from service default) after that which I think shows indivudual pixels and is effective for sharpest focus also has a tendency to flicker when the flicker settings are off. If these screens are showing flicker, and you then toggle between the red, green and blue screens by hitting the left or right buttons, you will see that the green is usually the one flickering. If they flicker, go into flicker mode, tweak and recheck.

Great post!

I used the "hit up button twice and change to green" to find out which of the tree AE700 units had the worst vb. And in this green service screen, wow what a difference. The worst one i could not get the banding away at all. So this is a very good way to find out what you are actually seeing "hidden" in the picture when watching.

And for a notice, i am not talking about the flicker adjust service mode!

I am so glad i exchange mine to the one that had least VB.

Maybe others that have seen VB can go into this green screen and report back what they are seeing?

And for those that have not seen VB DON'T DO THIS. Because i am seeing VB everywhere now, on my pc monitor, refridgerator, my car(should have been washed).

Originally posted by djbluemax1
That being said, the 'standby VB' is REALLY annoying!!!

Absolutely, this is the #1 issue with this PJ. I have been totally disciplined about not leaving in standby, and the picture has minimal VB. However, it is starting to get pretty old - having to sit there waiting for the fan to shut down, before getting up and shutting off the mains power before leaving the room.

Originally posted by Aussie Bob
Yeah, I use DYNAMIC mode, and I don't give a fig about what the director wanted me to see. ....<snip>....[/i]
Otherwise, spare us the insinuations, please.

Wow Bob..your shorts all cleaned out now I hope??
Toothache?
Merry Christmas!
Warren

I'm still feeling very fortunate. I have about 80 hours on my projector. I always leave it in standby, and I've yet to see any VB. I've even looked for it and have explained to others what it is and have had them look for it, but so far, nobody's seen it.



Stew

Yeah, it was a bit of a rant. I'm big enough to admit it. But there you go. I don't like auteurism.

Merry Christmas (if you watch Bill O'Reilly) or Happy Holidays (if you happened to get invited to his boss's Christmas party). Either says, "Have a big one!" to all.

Originally posted by HMenke
Absolutely, this is the #1 issue with this PJ. I have been totally disciplined about not leaving in standby, and the picture has minimal VB. However, it is starting to get pretty old - having to sit there waiting for the fan to shut down, before getting up and shutting off the mains power before leaving the room.

Hi-

Quick clarification for those of us that are still shopping...

After watching a movie, are you required to go into "stand-by" mode?
Can you do that with the remote?
Does the fan still run (I assume, yes)?
Can you shut the unit off with the remote? If not, how do you shut the unit off?


My PJ experience is with various models at work. When you ask the unit to shut down (via the remote or soft-switch) it goes into stand-by, cools the bulb, then shuts down. This is the behavior I expect with all PJs. Can I expect this from the AE700? Do you happen to know if it works this way with the Sony HS51 or the other PJs on this forum?

Thanks for the clarification!

Originally posted by Tweakophyte
Hi-

Quick clarification for those of us that are still shopping...

After watching a movie, are you required to go into "stand-by" mode?
Can you do that with the remote?
Does the fan still run (I assume, yes)?
Can you shut the unit off with the remote? If not, how do you shut the unit off?


My PJ experience is with various models at work. When you ask the unit to shut down (via the remote or soft-switch) it goes into stand-by, cools the bulb, then shuts down. This is the behavior I expect with all PJs. Can I expect this from the AE700? Do you happen to know if it works this way with the Sony HS51 or the other PJs on this forum?

Thanks for the clarification!

After watching a movie, you are not "required" go into standby mode. The projector lamp and fan can stay on as long as you need them to be on. If you want to shut it down, you can turn the projector off using the remote or the top-panel button on the PJ. Once turned off via either method, the lamp goes out and the fan still runs to cool it down. Then the fan shuts off automatically when the temp is low enough. At this point you are in "standby mode." There is a red LED on the top panel that is lit to tell you this. No lamp power, no fan, but the projector is ready to accept commands from the top panel or the remote.

At this point, you can reach around to the back of the PJ and turn off a hard switch to kill power to the PJ completely, or you can do the same via a power surge strip, a switched wall outlet, or just unplugging it. In this "power off at the mains" mode, the PJ is completely off and unresponsive to any commands.

This is the status that many owners must leave the PJ in, to ensure no problems with VB upon powering back on. Some owners have reported that they do not need to do this power off at the mains and that VB is minimal or non-existent even when they leave in standby mode for several hours.

As far as I know, the competitive projectors to the AE700 can be left in standby without VB or other problems.

Even though this "VB with standby" issue for me has become a serious annoyance and inconvenience, I would not trade the AE700 in for the Sony HS51 or Sanyo Z3. The main advantages of the AE700 for me are the smooth screen technology coupled to the highly room-flexible 2x zoom lens and lens shifting mechanism that gives an overall winning value package for a home theater high-def projector.

Originally posted by HMenke

Even though this "VB with standby" issue for me has become a serious annoyance and inconvenience, I would not trade the AE700 in for the Sony HS51 or Sanyo Z3. The main advantages of the AE700 for me are the smooth screen technology coupled to the highly room-flexible 2x zoom lens and lens shifting mechanism that gives an overall winning value package for a home theater high-def projector.

I agree 100% !

Just curious if either of you (or anyone) has had/seen a Z3 in production to compare it to? I guess thats why reviews from projectorcentral are vaulable as most of us in the price category can hardly afford 1 projector, let alone 2 for comparisons sake!

To the guys that have the VB problem, do you need to kill power to the unit for an extra long time, or does itjust need to loose power. if it is the lkatter, did anyone try as a power up macro cutting the power for 10 or 30 seconds and then turn the projector on.

Originally posted by AnthonyP
To the guys that have the VB problem, do you need to kill power to the unit for an extra long time, or does itjust need to loose power. if it is the lkatter, did anyone try as a power up macro cutting the power for 10 or 30 seconds and then turn the projector on.

I've been wondering myself -- "how long does it have to be without power to 'reset' the VB problem?". I can tell you that it is definitely NOT 10 or 30 seconds, its much longer. How much longer, I don't know. I have come home from work and realized I accidentally left the power on, I know I'm going to see bad VB when I turn it on but I check anyway, yup, as I expected. At that point, I have cut the power for various intervals, like 5 minutes, but it didn't seem to help. Power cut overnight (8 hours) completely eliminates VB on my unit. So where, between 5 minutes and 8 hours is the "magic" number? I have no idea.

The good news is that VB dissipates after having the projector on for about 30-45 minutes.

I did really like the idea of putting some kind of timer circuit on it linked to the trigger output of the projector so that it automatically cuts power say 10 minutes after you powered it off with the remote control. As far as I know no one has done this yet though.

Have a great Christmas everyone.

One of my favorite quotes about political correctness and Christmas came from Beavis & Butthead back when that show was popular years ago. One of them said, "Christmas is a time when people of ALL nationalities, races, and religions can put aside their differences and come together to celebrate the birth of our lord and savior Jesus Christ." :) [Note that the simpsons also borrowed the same quote for one of their christmas episodes, the line was delivered by Bart.]

Originally posted by Aussie Bob
Yeah, it was a bit of a rant. I'm big enough to admit it. But there you go. I don't like auteurism.

Merry Christmas (if you watch Bill O'Reilly) or Happy Holidays (if you happened to get invited to his boss's Christmas party). Either says, "Have a big one!" to all.

Thanks for that! To help further clarify my post, I for one certainly do not represent myself a videophile - hell, I sold my Sony 1292 9" CRT and got into an AE500 a year ago because I couldn't stand the endless maintenance and tweaking. Rather, I was trying to give the poster a courteous "heads up" that he may catch some flack from some folks and was trying to defend him in stating that he made the purchase and should use his investment however he enjoys it the most - no alternate interpretations need be applied. I'm happy to see that my fellow AVSers have been much more gratious!
Merry Merry-!
Warren

Originally posted by djbluemax1

On another note regarding tweaking the flicker for minimal VB. A couple of things I've found, is:
a) as with other owners, it seems the green screen is most sensitive to flicker and banding
b) after tweaking all screens for minimal flicker, I've found that 2 screens in service mode help check your settings. when you enter service mode, the first screen is just flat bright white. Hit the up button on the remote to go to the first screen up, if flicker is a little off this white lined screen will flicker. The next screen up has horizontal lines and does not flicker easily but the next one up (3 button presses up from service default) after that which I think shows indivudual pixels and is effective for sharpest focus also has a tendency to flicker when the flicker settings are off. If these screens are showing flicker, and you then toggle between the red, green and blue screens by hitting the left or right buttons, you will see that the green is usually the one flickering. If they flicker, go into flicker mode, tweak and recheck.

When I saw the screens in service mode I too was convinced that these would be useful for flicker tweaking. Unfortunately I've had neither the time and especially not the patience to step out of that menu into the flicker one and then return moving back and forth. I commend your diligence.

I found myself wishing that Panasonic had allowed for usage of those screens within the flicker tweak mode. I also wish someone knew how to get into the service mode that those screens are used for - probably requires a hookup with the internal port and software to manipulate it,

ted

Originally posted by AnthonyP
To the guys that have the VB problem, do you need to kill power to the unit for an extra long time, or does itjust need to loose power. if it is the lkatter, did anyone try as a power up macro cutting the power for 10 or 30 seconds and then turn the projector on.

Ditto TraderGordo's comments on this issue.

Some friends of mine came around last night for Xmas Eve "dinner and a show". This was the AE700's debut public performance as far as the Aussie Bob household is concerned. They brought Jaws to watch for the first time on a big screen (they were 2 years old when it was first released and had only seen it on TV). I saw it at the cinema, myself.

A Lavish plate of anti-pasto (with all the trimmings) was provided for "befores" and Aussie Bob's sensational "Lamb Surprise" piece de resistance for "mains" (I've finally perfected it: lightly pan fried soy-sauce-marinated lamb filets in a sour cream and porcine mushroom sauce laced with brandy, red wine, green peppercorns and tomato paste - add tiny roast potatoes and a luscious salad to taste... at least one person licked their plate afterwards, and it wasn't either of the dogs).

Having perfected my gastronomic creation at last to the stage where it tastes the same (delicious) every time I cook it (even if I do say so myself), I then kicked-on to try out the other creation - the new AE700 - on a suspecting audience.

They were blown away. Even having seen the film before, there's something about a 10 foot wide screen reflecting a smooth, bright image with beautiful contrast, rich blacks and subtle highlights (yes, in DYNAMIC mode) that got under their defences. They screamed in the right bits (like when the head floated up to the hole in the boat) and had a rollicking good time seeing this old favourite for the first time close to its ideal viewing aspect. Carrots were not on the menu, as DYNAMIC provided all the photons necessary for comfortable viewing.

So, to complement its technical accomplishments, add "social accomplishments" to the AE700's list of plusses. No VB, no peek-a-boos and a great picture, good friends and a few nervous laughs as the Great White wended its gory way through the citizens of Amity Island.

Me? I fell asleep near the end and (thankfully) missed the animatronic bits (the film's weakest link). If domus nostra had been a real cinema paradiso I'd have missed the reel change and had the villagers storming the bio-box looking for real blood. As it was, a good time was had by all.

It seems to me that peek-a-boos are largely a function of whether the unit is warmed up or not, and have much to do with the flicker settings. On my device, they disappear after about half an hour's viewing, or don't appear at all if I warm it up beforehand. If you adjust flicker to suit a newly powered-up unit, then peek-a-boos may appear later on. It's a trade-off. The factory procedure for setting flicker might be a welcome footnote to these pages. I guess eventually someone will get a hold of the service manual, and then we'll all know.

One more method of taming DYNAMIC that I have been using lately is to attach a resistor between the Y channel and ground (actually a 500 ohm logarithmic pot). Using this pot (set to round about 120-200 Ohms, depending on the input signal's brightness), I can wind back the signal so that the whites are just below the clipping threshold of DYNAMIC, leaving all pixel values pretty-well accounted for on-screen. There seems to be no image quality loss (certainly no fuzziness) or color problems and the video signal is conditioned to its maximum "usable" (by DYNAMIC mode) brightness.

I was surprised that a simple pot would do this as it also reduces sync level, and many devices predict video levels by sync levels. I guess proper back-porch clamping and digitizing of the signal make this unnecessary: the AE700 does not use sync-tip voltage as an indicator for video level. So a simple passive variable resistor can deliver the same adjustability as an active pre-amp (provided all you want to do is attenuate the signal). You have all the advantages of the lumen output of DYNAMIC without the clipping that this mode sometimes produces. The signal is set midway into the no-man's land between where VIDEO mode (the next brightest setting to DYNAMIC) leaves off and DYNAMIC cuts in, resulting in a sort-of "VIDEO-DYNAMIC" inter-mode that the projector can be set to.

The signal that the pot attenuates is my Sony 575 DVD player's "DYNAMIC II" output: where the gamma is upped a little and the peak-to-peak signal level is about 0.85 volts (instead of 0.7). The pot decreases the peak voltage while preserving the enhanced gamma of this mode. A cheat really, but one that delivers a brighter, punchier picture. Most DVD players have a similar setting (probably with a different name)

In summary, the Sony "DYNAMIC II" boosted signal is toned down by the pot which then feeds to the AE700's "DYNAMIC" mode which produces a nice bright punchy picture with all (or what you prefer) of the pixel levels intact and unclipped. Adjustment is by eye (unless you have a waveform monitor, which I do, but have stopped using as my eye is mostly what counts). If you adjust too far, the sync levels will get too low for the AE700 and it will go into "No Signal" mode. No harm in this, but looking at a blank screen isn't my idea of an entertaining evening. Not very scientific-sounding I know, all of this, but it does provide improvements over both DVD player and projector default settings.

Cheap too: $3 for the pot at your local electronics hobby shop and five minutes with a pair of side cutters and a soldering iron to complete the mod to the cable.

Monday night we're having the (mostly 20-something) employees of the local liquor store around for Casablanca, which none of them have seen at all, much less on the Big Screen. The new digitally restored version is simply sensational to watch (a sentimental Aussie Bob and Her Indoors always have tears in their eyes when Victor Lazlo says, "Play La Marseillaise" and Rick nods quiet permission to the band leader). And there'll be no shortage of beer, wine and good cheer, given where they all work. Good move that, Aussie Bob: making friends with the local liquor retailers. All we have to provide is the steaks.

Originally posted by HMenke
.... Then the fan shuts off automatically when the temp is low enough. At this point you are in "standby mode." There is a red LED on the top panel that is lit to tell you this. No lamp power, no fan, but the projector is ready to accept commands from the top panel or the remote.

At this point, you can reach around to the back of the PJ and turn off a hard switch to kill power to the PJ completely, or you can do the same via a power surge strip, a switched wall outlet, or just unplugging it. In this "power off at the mains" mode, the PJ is completely off and unresponsive to any commands.

This is the status that many owners must leave the PJ in, to ensure no problems with VB upon powering back on. Some owners have reported that they do not need to do this power off at the mains and that VB is minimal or non-existent even when they leave in standby mode for several hours.


Excellent clarification. Is the "VB from standby" issue universal? What percent have it? My PJ will be mounted on the ceiling, so using the hard switch would be a PIA. (I also read too much on these boards so I "see" all of the issues ... ;) )

Since sitting closer (1.3-1.5x) to the screen is a desire of mine, I would like the keep the AE700 on the "list". The smooth screen would help that, but VB from being in Standby would hurt that quite a bit... :(

Now I can read the VB from Standby threads a little better. Thanks again!

Fresh out of the box set to natural -1 home made screen using black out cloth and a Panasonic DVD-S97 player through HDMI cable that came with unit, two hours clocked got the white flash on screen twice while watching nemo. Man what a great picture. small room 14 x 10, 75" screen size. I will give tech support a call to add my name to the list for issue at hand via HDMI....

I cannot believe i watched 2 movies without sound..... Dam what a picture.....

I guess I must be having one of the few relatively problem free sets.

So far I have used the following:
XBox HD AV Pack component out (games only)
Sony 7700ES (R2 modded to multiregion) DVD player NTSC component out

Both switched using my Yamaha RX-V1500 amp to the component in of the AE700.

Samsung 938 DVI out (black crush) to Supra DVI-HDMI adaptor to HDMI input of AE700

as well as

Momitsu V880 (original version) DVI out to Supra DVI-HDMI adaptor to HDMI input of AE700

(DVI cable is the one bundled with my Samsung DVD player).

I have adjusted the usual brightness/contrast/color/hue settings using AVIA and generally, I find Cinema3 to be pretty close to the right levels.

So far, I have only noticed a slight VB when I was watching Vertical Limit (snow scenes) but even then, it required me to pay more attention to looking out for the VBs than watching the show.

Most of the time, I keep the unit in standby mode.

No white flashes so far.

I don't use an HTPC - HDMI connection so I can't really verify the cropping issues.

Overall, the color is good, the brightness and contrast is good and I can't really fault anything.. even when I am sitting almost at 1.1x from a 92 inch (width) screen.

Originally posted by Tweakophyte
Excellent clarification. Is the "VB from standby" issue universal? What percent have it? My PJ will be mounted on the ceiling, so using the hard switch would be a PIA. (I also read too much on these boards so I "see" all of the issues ... ;) )

Apparently not universal, but it's hard to say if it is not universal, or if it is universal...but not universally objectionable due to perception/personal sensitivity differences.

If possible, you could wire your ceiling power outlet to a wall switch. TraderGordo did this. He took the further step of using a "lit when on" wall switch, so he would be reminded to flip it off when leaving the room for the night.

FYI, if you mount this PJ "upside down" on the ceiling, the fan is slightly louder because it runs slightly faster in all modes.

Originally posted by HMenke
Apparently [vertical banding] is not universal, but it's hard to say if it is not universal, or if it is universal...but not universally objectionable due to perception/personal sensitivity differences.
Concur ... for example, I have not noticed VB and don't intend to look for it, since I'm extremely satisfied with the image in its current state.

----------------------------------

Bad joke: Man in park rips each page in his book to bits after he finishes reading it. A curious passer-by asks, "Why are you doing that?" The man responds, "To keep the elephants away."

The by-stander says incredulously, "But there aren't any elephants around here." Man replies triumphantly, "See - it works!"

The point ... I turn off the power at the UPS after fan cooldown finishes. It's difficult to tell if VB would if occur if I didn't follow the procedure suggested in this forum. Since the current method works, I've continued to follow it, even thought it may be the equivalent of "keeping the elephants away." <grin>

Hope everyone is having a great holiday.

tlink

Not quite. If you don't turn the power off at the back after cool down, you'll find out soon enough if the elephants show up or not. ;)

Has anyone used X10 to remotely turn off the unit's mains. Better yet, did anyone try home automation with X10 to turn off the projector mains after an appropriate timed interval (timer macro) - would this obviate the need to wait for fan to stop?

Originally posted by JimP
tlink- Not quite. If you don't turn the power off at the back after cool down, you'll find out soon enough if the elephants show up or not. ;)
JimP - Agree. There's a chance that I may have one of the units that doesn't generate VB when left in stand-by ... but I don't want to find out badly enough to leave it in that mode overnight!

Sort of a mundane manifestation of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (i.e., the act of making the measurement disturbs the system, changing its state). Therefore I must be content to not know with certainty whether this unit is susceptible to VB or not - in agreement with H. Menke's original point that "it's hard to say if [vertical banding] is not universal, or if it is universal."

Finally put up the pics of my setup and some screenshots from the AE700 during the day in my gallery.

Pics were taken after leaving the unit on standby overnight...

well i moved everything downstairs to my cinema and now it's a bit harder to hit the switch on the back at night. So I said F it. I've left it in standby overnight now a couple of times. So far, for 2 nights I don't see any VB. Yay!

Originally posted by liowik
Has anyone used X10 to remotely turn off the unit's mains. Better yet, did anyone try home automation with X10 to turn off the projector mains after an appropriate timed interval (timer macro) - would this obviate the need to wait for fan to stop?

I am really interested in this idea. I don't know a lot about X10 hardware though. I inquired at a couple of online dealers to request recommendations regarding what components would be needed to accomplish an adjustable-time power off delay trigged by IR from a remote. Unfortunately the hardware recommendations that were made would not accomplish that task. I inquired the same here on this forum and didn't get anywhere with that either.

Last night I watched the B&W feature "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" and noticed that there was a slightly yellowish tinge in various parts of the image, all over the screen. Then I noticed that the yellowish areas were actually arranged in vertical bands across the screen. It was hard to realize they were bands at first because the yellowish color only appeared in light areas on the image.

As a quick fix, I turned the color all the way down, which surprisingly worked! has anyone else had this situation occur, and if so were you able to fix it without having to turn down the color?

Originally posted by HMenke
Last night I watched the B&W feature "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers" and noticed that there was a slightly yellowish tinge in various parts of the image, all over the screen. Then I noticed that the yellowish areas were actaully arranged in vertical bands across the screen. It was hard to realize they were bands at first because the yellowish color only appeared in light areas on the image.

As a quick fix, I turned the color all the way down, which surprisingly worked! has anyone else had this situation occur, and if so were you able to fix it without having to turn down the color?

I'm a Ray Harryhausen fan too! Just recently watched this movie as well as "Twenty Million Miles To Earth" and "It Came From Beneath The Sea." I didn't notice any yellowish areas. However - I have Memory #3 on the 700 set up specifically for B&W films. I have the color adjusted all the way down and the temp at -1. I think I also turned the "Red Brightness" down to -3 in the advance menu. These settings also help (a little) with the color uniformity issues mentioned in previous posts. Now - when I watch a B&W film I just click on memory #3 and I'm good to go.

Originally posted by John Ballentine
I'm a Ray Harryhausen fan too! Just recently watched this movie as well as "Twenty Million Miles To Earth" and "It Came From Beneath The Sea." I didn't notice any yellowish areas. However - I have Memory #3 on the 700 set up specifically for B&W films. I have the color adjusted all the way down and the temp at -1. I think I also turned the "Red Brightness" down to -3 in the advance menu. These settings also help (a little) with the color uniformity issues mentioned in previous posts. Now - when I watch a B&W film I just click on memory #3 and I'm good to go.

Great idea, John! I have not had a reason to use the memory feature and frankly I forgot all about it. Thanks for the detailed settings info.

I recall that you are using 480i vs. me using 480p. That might be a factor in why the yellowish bands showed up for me and not for you because I also remember that you and I independently calibrated our units almost identically as far as settings go. Which mode did you select as the basis for your B&W setup?

(OT) Ray Harryhausen, you bet! What a class act. I am relatively new to appreciating his work - too young to have seen it in theaters the first time around, but I am a nut for campy '50s sci-fi movies. How about that excellent hour-long documentary on Harryhausen and his work on the "Earth vs...." DVD? Fascinating...I can't believe the level of patience and attention to detail that he had, which only increased throughout his career. Imagine if he were using contemporary computer animation techniques - a lot of today's jarringly bad CG animation could be vastly improved by someone with his talent for painstaking attention to lighting angles, natural motion, sight lines, scale, and frame composition.

X10 is very inexpensive completely wireless control over AC devices (lights, tv, anything that plugs into a wall outlet or connects to current). Add a USB bi-directional controller to your computer and now your computer can control devices too (even with macros and timers) - see HomeSeer software. Look over at www.x10.com to learn more about it all - they also have coupons and sales where you can get a pack of a variety of units for as low as $5 a unit. They also have stand alone units with delays that don't cost much either - something like $25 or so.

I think I would use one with the pj and have a keyboard macro to shut it down after a safe delay. But maybe a safe hard coded delay time is not possible, as if it gets shut off too late it then goes into standby and how long can it be in standby (before you shut it off at mains) before you get the VB prob?
If a safe delay can be determined this would be a very good solution for HTPC use, or with a stand alone X10 timer device.

It only needs maybe two minutes...never timed it exactly (it does vary based on ambient room temp). I would be interested in a hardware-only X10 solution w/o a keyboard/computer. Is that possible?

Originally posted by John Ballentine
...I have Memory #3 on the 700 set up specifically for B&W films. I have the color adjusted all the way down and the temp at -1. I think I also turned the "Red Brightness" down to -3 in the advance menu. These settings also help (a little) with the color uniformity issues mentioned in previous posts. Now - when I watch a B&W film I just click on memory #3 and I'm good to go.

Following your lead, I set out to make a memory setting for B&W sources. I started out in Video Mode (looked like the best B&W image to use as a starting point) and turned down the Color all the way, but then I found a horizontal stripe of brownish tint. Saw the opening credits rolling through it.

I then turned the Tint down all the way and it disappeared. In the Advanced menu, I went -3 on the Red Brightness and +2 on the Blue Brightness. I have heard that B&W film sources are technically supposed to have sort of a sepia tone to them, but personally I don't like that too much. I prefer a crisp black and white that is a pure gray scale w/o any brownish/reddish coloration to it, so these settings were satisfactory in reaching that objective.

Originally posted by aurz
Hey guys

With the switching off at the mains

Do you guys also switch the projector off at the back? The I/O switch?

Or just leave it in Standby (red light on) and turn it off at the mains?

Thanks

I know a simple solution to the "standy produces VB" problem, at least would be easy for Panasonic, would be to remove the DC power to the culprit circuit in standby. To explain, when the projector is in standby as opposed to "unplugged", the only difference is certain DC power remains applied to certain internal components and circuits. These circuits do not all require power, obviously because you can unplug the projector and it works fine when plugged back in.

In Standy, the lamp power supply and fan are obviously off, but the LCD panels and the LCD drive circuit may still have power. Very little circuitry really needs power in standby. Obviously the DC that operates the remote IR circuit still has, and needs, power. Most certainly if they removed DC power from everything except that which is essential to turn the projector back on from the remote, then standby would essentially be the same as "power unplugged" to the culprit circuit, and there would be no need to "disconnect the mains". A schematic of the internal circuits would allow a MOSFET (or a power relay with contacts) to be installed at the proper location to "disconnect" the offending circuit from power when in standby. Just have the "FAN ON SIGNAL" energize this "disconnect relay" so it's contacts apply the DC power to the offending circuit when the projector is "on". This MOSFET or relay could be activated by the internal "power on" signal, as soon as the fan comes on.

(I am assuming the problem isn't in the main switching power supply, or heat related.
Can anyone confirm that the VB problem does not get worse, or return, if the projector is left on for about 24 hours?)


Then you could turn it off for the night with the remote, and the next day it would come back on with minimal VB, same as unplugging it.
Dan

X10: There are fixed timer units (turn lights on at 6pm), but I am not sure about stand alone relative timer (turn light off 2 minutes after I send command). These may exist though - X10 has been around a while. If I come across something I can post back - but you can also do some reading at the x10 products pages and other x10 sites.

Originally posted by rockslide
I know a simple solution to the "standy produces VB" problem, at least would be easy for Panasonic, would be to remove the DC power to the culprit circuit in standby.

That is exactly it!

Originally posted by HMenke
That is exactly it!

And on a related note,
Ray Harryhausen had me when I was
about 12 in 1963 with the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,
and Bernard Herrmann music, wow,
that Cyclops and Fighting Skeleton were REAL.
(not to mention the princess was a babe)
And The 3 Worlds of Gulliver! or Mysterious Island:cool:

Originally posted by rockslide
And on a related note,
Ray Harryhausen had me when I was
about 12 in 1963 with the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad,
and Bernard Herrmann music, wow,
that Cyclops and Fighting Skeleton were REAL.
(not to mention the princess was a babe)
And The 3 Worlds of Gulliver! or Mysterious Island:cool:
I was 11 in the Summer of 1964 when I saw Jason And The Argonauts at the local (San Fernando) drive-in. Been a fan ever since. Love his movies on the 700 w/ 106" screen. Seeing Talos looming ever so large above me brought all those memories back.

Originally posted by HMenke
Great idea, John! I have not had a reason to use the memory feature and frankly I forgot all about it. Thanks for the detailed settings info.

I recall that you are using 480i vs. me using 480p. That might be a factor in why the yellowish bands showed up for me and not for you because I also remember that you and I independently calibrated our units almost identically as far as settings go. Which mode did you select as the basis for your B&W setup?

(OT) Ray Harryhausen, you bet! What a class act. I am relatively new to appreciating his work - too young to have seen it in theaters the first time around, but I am a nut for campy '50s sci-fi movies. How about that excellent hour-long documentary on Harryhausen and his work on the "Earth vs...." DVD? Fascinating...I can't believe the level of patience and attention to detail that he had, which only increased throughout his career. Imagine if he were using contemporary computer animation techniques - a lot of today's jarringly bad CG animation could be vastly improved by someone with his talent for painstaking attention to lighting angles, natural motion, sight lines, scale, and frame composition.

I was using interlaced for a while there with my Sony 9000 as it reduced VB somewhat. Now that my VB is basically non-existent - and since purchasing a Denon 2900 - I'm back to progressive (like I should be). Picture looks great. Watched Return Of The King last night and for 4+ hours image was simply Stunning. At this point I can't image owning any other projector than the 700. Well - it would be nice to own a Qualia - but I was about $28,000. short on my projector budget.
On a side note - I agree 100% with your assesment of Ray Harryhausen. Peter Jackson is also a HUGE fan of Ray - and it shows in his films.

4

5

There is a pretty cool 23 minute video on the Japanese Panasonic site about the development of the AE700. Most of it is in Japanese but there is also some English. You can find it here: http://panasonic.co.jp/ism/ae700/index.html

Had a great holiday weekend. This year Myst IV was under the Christmas tree. We had previously hooked up a spare laptop to the AE700 as a result of Trader Gordo's suggestion for creating an HTPC. It worked great for exploring Myst IV using a wireless keyboard, allowing everyone to participate.

Watched the Lakers-Heat game on the Tivo - it was clearly visible in the "Aussie-Bob" (i.e. dynamic) video mode. Couldn't have asked for a better ending, climaxing in overtime. ... A friend brought over a retro-game console that had appeared in his Chrismas stocking. Connected it to the composite input on the AE700, and discovered that I had lost a step (or two) since I last played Pac-Man and Galaga a couple of decades ago - but the game looked great in the "video" mode.

Played a James Taylor SACD while a slideshow of holiday pictures ran in the background. The large screen shows off four-megapixel pictures to good advantage - even with ambient light in the room, the images were more than bright enough in the "normal" mode. (Kodak discontinued production of slide projectors this year - with good reason. Displacement of film by digital images in the home consumer market is inevitable - in 2004 digital cameras outsold film cameras for the first time.)

By that time it was dark, and watched "Groundhog Day." Bill Murry is the master of the deadpan delivery. A funny movie about redemption, with great accompanying commentaries from the director, etc. ... The day's activities started me thinking about the possibility of a media center. While I don't anticipate playing Pac-Man on a regular basis (esp. after my poor showing), it would be convenient to use the AE700 & associated speakers as the foundation for a media hub.

It looks as though I could put together a media PC (replacing the laptop temporarily pressed into service) for about $400. Is anyone else using the AE700 as a the core of a media center? Thought, ideas, experiences .... ?

Originally posted by dseall
There is a pretty cool 23 minute video on the Japanese Panasonic site about the development of the AE700. Most of it is in Japanese but there is also some English. You can find it here: http://panasonic.co.jp/ism/ae700/index.html

yes indeed, very cool
...now we need to get Mr Akiyama onto this web site since he appears to be the firmware guru we would all like to ask a question or two.

Regarding AE700 plus home theater PC, there's not much that is specific to the AE700, so head over to the HTPC forum and read up. There was also a post earlier in this thread. But I'll give a few suggestions anyway...

Rage3DTweak: Gives you 1280x720p@60 Hz very easily. Then use the auto timing adjustment feature of the AE700 to center it. I don't think Rage3DTweak can do 48 Hz, so the pain and agony of Powerstrip would be necessary for that.

Meedio: Gives you a front end for everything, like you can browse your DVD collection graphically or check the weather forecast. See www.meedio.com . It at least doubled the value of my HTPC. It also doubled the complexity. There is a widescreen skin available. I suggest buying the bundled remote, though I don't have experience with it. (I use a IRMan with a Harmony 659 remote, which is great, but just a bit confusing to integrate with Meedio.) Set up your remote and Meedio so that you can listen to digital music using just the remote, no projector or monitor.

Zoomplayer + ffdshow: For best DVD picture. Personally I just scale to 1280x720p, rather than higher, since my PC is often doing other things while playing a DVD and I don't want it to drop frames. Also, Meedio is a CPU pig even when inactive.

VNC: The one thing I was struggling with was what to do for a monitor. I didn't have a monitor that would take 720p, and I didn't want to turn on the projector just to quickly use the computer for something. Then I realized I could just run VNC (a remote "terminal" program), so that I could view and control the 1280x720p HTPC desktop on my Mac laptop. At this moment, I'm ripping a DVD on the HTPC with the projector off, using the Mac to control the PC.

"TiVO": You need some way to get your TV viewing time-condensed into one chunk of time, so that you are not turning the projector on and off all the time. I do not ever watch live TV. Meedio has some new features for this, and several other programs are available too. You can download some things from the Internet, if there are not copyright issues. You will need a lot of drive space, especially for HDTV. Look into the MyHD card too, for HDTV. Or you could use a real TiVO or HD-TiVO.

Originally posted by HMenke
It only needs maybe two minutes...never timed it exactly (it does vary based on ambient room temp). I would be interested in a hardware-only X10 solution w/o a keyboard/computer. Is that possible?
Yes, this appears to be possible ... just a matter of whether the overhead involved warrants the effort. I discussed this with Kevin in technical support at SmartHome (www.smarthome.com), who suggested a couple of approaches that could work.

1. AE700 12-volt Trigger

The AE700 has a trigger that goes to 12-volts when powered on and returns to 0 volts when placed in the standby mode. Kevin suggested that this output could potentially be used to trigger a 7279 Delay Timer / Relay (about $20). The 7279, in turn, could be used to control a 7278 SPDT Heavy Duty Relay (about $8) to turn off the power. This approach has the advantage of only requiring the AE700 trigger, but could potentially be finicky to set up. Kevin therefore recommended a second approach.

2. Universal Remote Controller

Kevin recommended using a universal remote to set up a macro sent to a 4040 Infrared-to-X10 Converter (about $30). Essentially the universal remote would first send an off signal to the AE700 to place it in stand-by. After a programmed delay -- perhaps five minutes to be safe -- it would then send a command to a 4040 controller, which in turn would turn off an X10 appliance module. ... As a potential bonus for the ambitous, the same controller could also be used for the X10 "Home Theater Drape and Lighting Control" system.

Originally posted by Abdul Jalib
Regarding AE700 plus home theater PC, there's not much that is specific to the AE700, so head over to the HTPC forum and read up. There was also a post earlier in this thread. But I'll give a few suggestions anyway...

Thanks for the suggestions -- this is a great starting point. I'm already using VNC for another application, so it makes sense to use this to control the HTPC as well. ... I'll follow up in the HTPC forum.

Hi all,

I need some help from those who own the L700U and have the owners manual. I can't located mine right now and need to know the part number for the remote control. I have misplaced it and looks like I will need to get another one.

Thanks...Ron

Originally posted by tlink
Yes, this appears to be possible ... just a matter of whether the overhead involved warrants the effort. I discussed this with Kevin in technical support at SmartHome (www.smarthome.com), who suggested a couple of approaches that could work.

1. AE700 12-volt Trigger

The AE700 has a trigger that goes to 12-volts when powered on and returns to 0 volts when placed in the standby mode. Kevin suggested that this output could potentially be used to trigger a 7279 Delay Timer / Relay (about $20). The 7279, in turn, could be used to control a 7278 SPDT Heavy Duty Relay (about $8) to turn off the power. This approach has the advantage of only requiring the AE700 trigger, but could potentially be finicky to set up. Kevin therefore recommended a second approach.

2. Universal Remote Controller

Kevin recommended using a universal remote to set up a macro sent to a 4040 Infrared-to-X10 Converter (about $30). Essentially the universal remote would first send an off signal to the AE700 to place it in stand-by. After a programmed delay -- perhaps five minutes to be safe -- it would then send a command to a 4040 controller, which in turn would turn off an X10 appliance module. ... As a potential bonus for the ambitous, the same controller could also be used for the X10 "Home Theater Drape and Lighting Control" system.

The first approach actually seems more workable to me...I have not seen a universal remote that can have a 5-minute delay in a macro (not to say they don't exist). How about a third approach: Would it be possible to trigger the 7279 delay timer through the 4040 IR-X10 converter?

Nice you guys are finding specific X10 units, but just beware in general I have seen them vary wildly in price - sometime Smarthome is a lot more expensive - just remember to shop around. Although those prices listed sound very reasonable on those particular units.

I'm very interested in this projector but a bit concerned about all of the problems that are being mentioned. Shutting my projector off completely after movie watching is not a problem for me, but wouldn't/couldn't this cause you to lose your memory settings over time? I'm guessing that these are stored in nonvolatile RAM as I don't believe I lose my settings on my current projector (an SVGA NEC LT85) which I store in a drawer when not in use.

The biggest thing that appeals to me about the AE700 is the throw distance. I have a modest 92" diagonal 16:9 screen. With my LT85, I find it a bit of a hassle to move around my TV armoire (which houses the 32" TV we use for regular watching) to get it out of the way of the pull-down screen, cart out the rolling table to put the projector on, pull out the super-long cable, position the center speaker stand and put that out, etc. Then I get the picture centered and focused correctly and we enjoy our movie. Unfortunately, the viewing experience is further diminished because the table needs to be positioned directly in front of the prime viewing loveseat which results in noticeable fan noise and requires warnings to bathroom-goers of "don't trip over the cables."

Permanent mounting to the ceiling was never desirable because our ceilings just aren't very high (average 7' whatever ceilings). But just a couple of feet behind the main viewing area lies a wall, behind which is a closet. On this wall we have a wedding portrait and I envision cutting a hole out of the wall behind that and permanently positioning a long-throw projector inside that closet. Then, I'd just need to reposition the armoire and pull down the portrait for movie watching. Much easier. Fan noise would also be reduced/eliminated and we wouldn't have to worry about cables lying about for others to trip over.

So again, the key for me is that I need a long-throw projector. Even the AE700 isn't *quite* enough of a long-throw, so I may have to pull my screen closer by one stud. Some questions:

1) What sort of issues arise (if any) when using this projector at (or close to) its farthest possible distance from the screen?

2) My current screen is a DaLite High-Power (all the rage back in the NEC LT150's heyday - my LT85 is the younger brother SVGA version of the LT150). Is this screen OK to pair with the AE700? My room is not light controlled and has fairly light (yellow) walls. But even with the added simplicity of the permanent-mount setup, I don't expect to watch much (if any) big-screen stuff during the day. It would be nice, though, to be able to keep a dim light on when entertaining others. Note that I've actually had decent experiences doing that even with my comparitively dim LT85.

Scott

Just wondering if the Ae500 has the same VB problems the 700 does? Because for 550 bucks CHEAPER the only difference is 150 less lumun ouput, and 700:1 less contrast ratio...If its a 100% light controlled room, would you see a 700:1 CR difference???
On top of that, if there are no issues with the VB, might be worth it?

Originally posted by rhwimmers
Just wondering if the Ae500 has the same VB problems the 700 does? Because for 550 bucks CHEAPER the only difference is 150 less lumun ouput, and 700:1 less contrast ratio...If its a 100% light controlled room, would you see a 700:1 CR difference???
On top of that, if there are no issues with the VB, might be worth it? I'm fairly certain that the AE500 does not have nearly as long a throw distance as the AE700, though that may not be important to you.

Scott

Well I think im still a bit confused on the throw... Ive got a 14' room... I still dont know if I will do ceiling mount or rear-wall mount. With a crappy projector from work I used, I had a good 110" screen... So I think this is about what I want, between 100-120"
Looking at all the calculators im not sure what exactly they are trying to point out...Might deserve another thread with a pic of my room...But anyway, thoughts on that?

Originally posted by HMenke
The first approach actually seems more workable to me...I have not seen a universal remote that can have a 5-minute delay in a macro (not to say they don't exist). How about a third approach: Would it be possible to trigger the 7279 delay timer through the 4040 IR-X10 converter?
This is possible, according to Mike in SmartHome technical support, but would require an 1132cu Intelligent Controller (about $70) in place of the 7279 delay timer. The 1132cu has an on-board clock that can be used as a timer.

The 4040 IR-to-X10 converter would talk to the 1132 controller, triggering a countdown. At the end of the countdown the 1132 would send a signal to an X-10 appliance controller, turning off power to the AE700.

Originally posted by srauly
The biggest thing that appeals to me about the AE700 is the throw distance.

Me too. I think this is the projector for me. I've looked at other less expensive long throw projectors (BenQ6100 and InFocus 4805). But the 700 gives me the extra long throw that I need to put the projector behind the couch which is really where I want it. The extra money is worth it to me. I think I would end up spending the extra money on cable anyway if I went with a cheaper projector.

So anyway, I need some reassurance here. A pat on the pack. Anything!

Here is my plan:

-->92 inch screen, seating at approximately 15 feet
-->projector will be behind seating at approximately 18 feet
-->I want to put 700 in this audio stand on top shelf
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productDetail.do?oid=73412&WT.mc_n=27686&WT.mc_t=U
I like the idea of keeping projector inside stand as opposed to on top because it will be protected from my four cats. Obviously door will be open when projector is running. I'm a little worried that the projector will not be high enough if I keep it inside but worse case scenario I will make a platform for stand to raise it up a bit.
-->Looking at Zenith 318 DVD player. No? Yes?
-->Looking at Panny XR50 audio receiver. No? Yes? Eventually want to hook up seperate CD player.
-->Eventually plan on installing OTA HD attenna and receiver

Any thoughts on my plan? Good? Bad? Have I overlooked anything?Looking for input. Haven't spent this much $$$ on anything before. It's a little frightening.
:eek:

HHemke

The computer is use only to program the X10 Controller (using X10 software)
Once you have the devices programed and downloaded, the computer can be disconnected.

Also, auto shut-off is easy, unfortunately the next time you want to turn on the AE700 you'll need two remotes, one to turn on the X10 receptacle (SR227 120V/15A), and the other to turn on the AE700.

Originally posted by rhwimmers
Well I think im still a bit confused on the throw... Ive got a 14' room... I still dont know if I will do ceiling mount or rear-wall mount. With a crappy projector from work I used, I had a good 110" screen... So I think this is about what I want, between 100-120"
Looking at all the calculators im not sure what exactly they are trying to point out...Might deserve another thread with a pic of my room...But anyway, thoughts on that?

I have an AE700 at 14'. Using a 100inch screen. It can go bigger or smaller than that. You will be fine

Originally posted by Rudeross
HHemke - The computer is use only to program the X10 Controller (using X10 software). Once you have the devices programed and downloaded, the computer can be disconnected.

Also, auto shut-off is easy, unfortunately the next time you want to turn on the AE700 you'll need two remotes, one to turn on the X10 receptacle (SR227 120V/15A), and the other to turn on the AE700.
The techs at SmartHome indicated that the reason for inclusion of the 4040 X10-to-IR converter was to make it possible for a single universal A/V remote to control both the AE700 and the X10 receptacle.

pjgirl, that screen size is the same as mine. The top of the rack you linked to may be a bit short, but it all depends on how low you plan on having the screen hang. My understanding is that the AE700 projects on center.

As for your other questions about various equipment, you'll want to post those in the appropriate forums to get meaningful responses.

Scott

I have noticed in the last couple of movies I have watched that the "occurrence rate" of white flashes seems to have increased. While watching "Donnie Darko" last night, I had five flashes during the movie. Also, after watching that I put in a one hour long DVD and had two more. In a 2 1/2 to 3 hour span I had 7 flashes. For the first time, my wife asked me about them. Before, it was happening on average about 2 or 3 times per 2 hour movie. I have approximately 230 hours on the PJ and I certainly hope that the white flashes do not continue to increase. The HDMI connection looks great hooked up to my Panny S97 DVD player and obviously I can't upconvert when using component. The whole HDMI issues have me very frustrated as I also have a dead HDMI port out of my HDTivo satellite receiver. Is anyone else experiencing "increased" white flashes as time goes on?

damn, I hope not.... Wonder if this would be covered under warranty?? Do these only happen with HDMI, or component only?

Originally posted by HTDummy
Hello,

Just got my AE700 hooked up last night. I'm using DVI-HMDI from the cable box to the projector and component from the Zenith 318 to the projector. I have a question. When watching HDTV from the cable box, my picture is perfectly centered. When I switch to the DVD player, my image shifts to the left and no longer is centered on the screen like it should be. Any idea why this is happening?

Thanks in advance!

I don't see an answer to this question. I have the same problem. I have two component sources (a Time Warner Explorer 8000 cable box and a Zenith 318 DVD player) connected to my receiver (Panasonic SA-XR70). I then ran component from the SA-XR70 to the AE700U. The 318 is set to upconvert to 720p. The Explorer 8000 is set to output only 720p and 1080i.

I centered my image on my screen perfectly using the lens shift when viewing material from the DVD player. When I then switch to the cable box and view a 720p source (haven't checked 1080i yet) the image falls off the right side of my screen by about 4 inches (101" diag screen) and on the left side of the screen it's about 1" from the edge. So the image from the cable box is slightly wider and shifted to the right. This amount is larger than I can adjust from the pj's horizontal shift menu option, so I end up having to slightly change the lens shift and zoom.

Any idea why this is happening or what I can do about it?

It appears I'm SOL since I don't see anyway to adjust the output from the DVD player nor the cable box. :-(

Thoughts?

Panasonic is working on the white flash issue. They are aware of it and
there should be a fix available soon. I have the same combination and
I have had no white flash problems. What cable are you using and how
long is it? I would also call Panasonic at the number below and get on the
list to be called when the fix is available.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

Picture shift on DVD with Zenith DVB 318. The problem is not with the AE700 it is with the Zenith DVB 318. I have had this dvd player and have
complained to Zenith many times. They have refused to fix the problem.
It has been documented many times in the DVD player section of this fourm.

I had the same problem with the Sanyo Z2. It is the Zenith that is cropping
the right side of the picture. Call Zenith and complain again. I have asked
them to fix the problem with a firmware upgrade but nothing has been
done about the problem so far. I am now using the Panasonic 97S with
my AE700 and I don't have the problem.

Originally posted by rockytopps
... The HDMI connection looks great hooked up to my Panny S97 DVD player and obviously I can't upconvert when using component. The whole HDMI issues have me very frustrated as I also have a dead HDMI port out of my HDTivo satellite receiver. Is anyone else experiencing "increased" white flashes as time goes on?
Does anybody pay attention to the fact that the PJ can also upconvert? And that used to be one of the raves about this player, its Faroudja processor?

what is upscaling or upconverting?

Originally posted by rwestley
Panasonic is working on the white flash issue. They are aware of it and
there should be a fix available soon. I have the same combination and
I have had no white flash problems. What cable are you using and how
long is it? I would also call Panasonic at the number below and get on the
list to be called when the fix is available.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.

The above number is only good if your a citizen of the USA, there is no technical support number for canadian contacts....

When I called Panasonic service centre they told me that they never heard of this issue and there is no support number that one can actually call! I would have to send them the projector and it would take 10 to 14 business days for a response by them. No thanks...

So if anyone has any pull please kindly ask the "Panasonic Projector Engineers" to conact the canadian version up here. :(

Originally posted by rwestley
Panasonic is working on the white flash issue. They are aware of it and
there should be a fix available soon. I have the same combination and
I have had no white flash problems. What cable are you using and how
long is it? I would also call Panasonic at the number below and get on the
list to be called when the fix is available.

For personalized assistance with this Panasonic Projector product please contact the Panasonic Projector Engineers at:



800-524-1448 then press OPTION 2 on the voice menu.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am using a 40' cable from Bluejeanscables. It is VERY thick and well insulated. Wasn't cheap. BTW, I just called the 800 number and had my name, number and email addy added to the list. Thanks for the number.

Does anybody pay attention to the fact that the PJ can also upconvert? And that used to be one of the raves about this player, its Faroudja processor?

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do not believe that the AE700 will upconvert. If I am wrong, explain to me how to do it.

Originally posted by rockytopps
Correct me if I'm wrong but I do not believe that the AE700 will upconvert. If I am wrong, explain to me how to do it.

I believe people are referring to the fact that the AE700 automatically "upconverts" 480i/p internally to 720p for display on its native 1280x720 panels. I do not have an upconverting DVD player to render an opinion whether you get a better picture by upconverting at the source, or inside the PJ.

Rockytopps, 40' is a very long distance for HDMI/HDCP. I think that your
distance may be part of the problem. Try putting the 97S next to the projector using a short HDMI cable and see if you still have white flashes and or sparkles. I had a problem with a very thick Lindy cable at first. I am now using a very inexpensive cable at about 23 feet with no problems.

Hi, has anyone tried the panny AE700 with the PS2? I am very disappointed. I got rid of my Epson TW100 because the contrast and dark scenes in movies were just not up to scratch and the panasonic is much better in these areas. But I could not believe how bad GTA san Andreas looked on the Panny. On the Epson TW100 it looked brilliant, on the Panny it is dark and just looks terrible. Anyone with any settings for the panny to improve its performance on PS2?

Thanks

XBox help.....

I got an XBox for Christmas. I remember reading some past posts about bad resolutions with their Xbox. I think I may need to buy a switch box as I already have the HDMI (Sony DVD), Component (Dish HD), S-Video (Dish PVR) connections already used. Can any XBox users reccomend the best connections to use?

Originally posted by bigmikeg
XBox help.....

I got an XBox for Christmas. I remember reading some past posts about bad resolutions with their Xbox. I think I may need to buy a switch box as I already have the HDMI (Sony DVD), Component (Dish HD), S-Video (Dish PVR) connections already used. Can any XBox users reccomend the best connections to use?

Get a VGA to component adapter like I ahve :)

Originally posted by Spiky
Does anybody pay attention to the fact that the PJ can also upconvert? And that used to be one of the raves about this player, its Faroudja processor?

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but the AE700 HAS NO FAROUDJA processing, or if it does it is the best kept secret around. Even projectorcentral's review did not mention faroudja on the Panasonic.

My Epson Cinema 500 does have Faroudja deinterlacing/anti-aliasing, and that is one reason, including no power zoom or focus and less lens-shift, that I have not jumped on the Panasonic.

Would like to know if Faroudja exists in the AE700 or not.
Dan:confused:

I assume you were talking about the Projector, and not a DVD player (you said "player". I have seen some Panasonic DVD players with Faroudja).

Also, I have never heard of or seen "white flashes" on the Epson 500, which makes me hesitant with the Panny (and the VB & unplug deal).
Dan

Originally posted by rhwimmers
what is upscaling or upconverting?

Upscaling or upconverting is taking the standard 480p/i
signal of a standard DVD, and converting it UP to a 720p (progressive)
or 1080i (1080 lines interlaced) to get "better" resolution to the
720p native resolution of the projector. The increased resolution
is really questionable since the source is really still 480 lines,
but maybe "enhanced" is a better word.
It may appear clearer with more detail.
Dan

I am enjoying my 700 too.

Learning lots of things (easiest way is *with* a unit!) but my question relates to mounting it on the ceiling...

Currently it sits on my coffee table, and I seem to have to adjust the feet and the lens **** (both horiz and vertically) to get the picture to "fit" the screen depending on my source.

I have DVD, HD TV, PS2 and my PC connected and all seem to position slightly differently on the screen - are people with ceiling mounts simply using the horiz and vert settings in the menu to make it right?

Originally posted by REL77
Get a VGA to component adapter like I ahve :)


How's the PQ? going RGB to Component?

thanks

mello

Sorry guys a bit late but still wish you had a Merry Christmas, I thought I would have had a bit of time Christmas morning before my sister and her family came into town, but did not until yesterday (and did not reach this post until today)

did you try one of your earlier movie? maybe it is a bit like rainbows where what is playing is important in the effect

Originally posted by mell02000
How's the PQ? going RGB to Component?

thanks

mello

still waiting for my FP to come in... Just have the adapter ready, but most people I thought say it works nicely

I hate to bring this up but I saw on another thread about Panny announcing @ CES a "replacement" for the AE700? Someone said AE701 or the AE900???? It's real hush-hush everywhere but would Panny already be considering a replacement because of the white-flash, VB, pixel missing/cropping problems?
I was giving Panny a chance.......I hope they don't do this now.

Can you give us a link to the other thread?

Has anyone figured out why the old RCA DTC-100 receiver with RGB output does not work with this PJ? The picture appears for a split second only. What DirecTv HD set top boxes work with it?

Originally posted by wiredman
I hate to bring this up but I saw on another thread about Panny announcing @ CES a "replacement" for the AE700? Someone said AE701 or the AE900???? It's real hush-hush everywhere but would Panny already be considering a replacement because of the white-flash, VB, pixel missing/cropping problems? I was giving Panny a chance.......I hope they don't do this now.
Any projector in this price range has minor imperfections. Therefore it would be surprising if Panasonic were to introduce new models specifically in response to these issues.

However, realistically, Panasonic will continue to develop new, improved models ... that's the nature of the business. I would like them to continue to do this, so that in a couple of years I'll be able to upgrade to a successor (the AE 3000 ?) that offers double the performance for half the price.

I'm satisified with the AE700, but if I were considering a purchase at this time, I would wait a couple of weeks to see what is introduced at CES.

XBox help...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by REL77
Get a VGA to component adapter like I ahve
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How's the PQ? going RGB to Component?

thanks

mello

**Sorry for my ignorance but I'm not sure what PQ means?

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by mell02000
How's the PQ? going RGB to Component?

thanks

mello
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

still waiting for my FP to come in... Just have the adapter ready, but most people I thought say it works nicely

**I've read you can buy the Xbox S-video adapter or Component adapter. I like REL77's idea of using the VGA cable but will the resolution look better than the standard XBox composite connections? I want to get the cleanest picture possible. Any suggestions? Thx!

bigmikeg

PQ = Picture Quaility

I believe he is talking about connecting to XBOX with Component adapter using the VGA to component adaptor.....

Originally posted by Gator99
PQ = Picture Quaility

I believe he is talking about connecting to XBOX with Component adapter using the VGA to component adaptor.....

Yes I am, which should give me full HD support

XBox help...

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Gator99
PQ = Picture Quaility

I believe he is talking about connecting to XBOX with Component adapter using the VGA to component adaptor.....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Yes I am, which should give me full HD support

*** PERFECT!!!! That's exactly what I'm looking for. Thx for the help!!!!!

Even though I have had the 700 now for about 2 months, it was only the last week or so that I spend a lot of time using it, so below is my wish-list for improvements.

First I want to state that overall I am happy with this projector, so the list below are not complaints, but rather improvements I want to see in the next model.

(1) Memory for zooming, focusing, and lens shift. For me, this is the single biggest improvement. I want to use 2 screens, one for 1.85 and one for 2.35. I want to be able to program in the perfect zoom/focus/shift settings for each of the 2 screens, and easily recall them.

A less desirable solution (but still acceptable) is remote control zooming, focusing, and shifting without memory, but I rather set things up once for each screen and just commit to memory.

(2) Lens barrelling - Originally I had complained about the center position of the lens shift being straight ahead instead of the top of the picture for ceiling mounting. Upon further reflection, the real issue is that the bottom of the picture is not straight when the lens shift is close to maximum vertical shift. This needs to be fixed in the next model. Or release a separate model for ceiling mounting, so the lens shift doesn't have to be used (or only used slightly).

(3) Vertical banding.

(4) Contrast. As good as the 700 is, the current crop of DLPs still have better contrast. Unless there are significant improvements in the LCD arena, my next projector will be DLP.

(5) 1080 panels. It seems a waste to have 1920x1080 content, and have to display it at 1280x720. However, I have never done an actually A/B comparison, so I don't know if it really makes a difference to me.

(6) Of course the hdmi fix. I want to use hdmi but because of the stories posted here, I use vga.

(7) Better fill factor. DLP picture just looks "smoother".

So if the story of a new Panasonic projector at CES is true, then I hope it incorporates the above suggestions, at a slight premium. But the deal breaker is #1. I find that 2.35 movies with grey bands on the top/bottom sigificantly takes from my viewing enjoyment. All other improvements pale by comparison.

ABCD

What you're asking for is easily attainable today in the Sony Qualia projector, which, I believe list for around $30,000.

It may be a while before you see it in a $2,000 projector. ;)

Saw some earlier posts on this, and was hoping to get some more information.

What's the general consensus on if there's a noticeable decline in PQ with lens shifting? Seems some folks say "don't do it, head on is the best", others say it's not noticeable or not worth the worry. Does the AE700 handle it any better or worse than say a Z3?

What's the limitation on horizontal lens shifting an AE700? eg, if I have the projector at 17 feet with a 106" screen, could I put it off to the side? I have a basement room with a small back wall only on the far left side, which would be a great location to put in a shelf if possible (could either mount shelf on wall or build space into wall). The rest of the room continues back, so only other option would be ceiling mount (not opposed to it, but would prefer the shelf if possible). This is underneath a dropped ceiling area for HVAC.

Here's a layout:

Front view (in front of back left side wall):
____________________________
|HVAC| ___________________ |
| | | | |
|----' | | |
| | Screen | |
| | | |
| ```````````````````` |
| |
|___________________________|

Top View:
____________________________
| | |
|HVAC| _________________ |
| | [_________________] |
| | Screen |
| | |
[ etc.. for 20' from front wall to back left side wall]
| | |
| | |
|----| |
| Prj| |
|____| |
| |
| |
...

Would this even be technically feasible with the AE700? If so, would I want to do it PQ-wise?

I don't have a proj or screen yet, so am flexible, but that back wall section is about 20'1" from the front wall, and am thinking of recessing a screen into the ceiling on a joist about 34" from the front wall (built-in entertainment center/shelving in front wall that I plan to use for components, and would like to have access to them when screen is down). Which would make it just over a 17' throw. I have flexibility with where to put the shelf in the wall (vertically), so could put it anywhere there, realizing heads/bodies might get in the way if too low (only 74" high under the HVAC dropdown to begin with), but I also have read there's a trade-off between horizontal and vertical lens shifting. Distance from HVAC dropdown to left wall is 110", so a 119" screen might squeeze in there, but not sure if I want to go that large or not. One other note, the ceiling in this basement area is at 86" (7'2") until about 18'8" from the front wall, where it goes up about 5.5". This is due to a dropped family room floor above it, so a ceiling mount projector would be even lower than normal.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

Not exactly likely. Why the projector on the side? Why not in front of the screen?

Due to unfortunate circumstances, I need to sell my Panny AE700 and a brand new HTPC running it. Anyone interested in the combo, please PM me here. I'll give much more info if I find a truly interested party.

Born2fly,
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=486481
This is the thread......if I did it right. It's in this same forum.
I can't understand why in 2 months the upgrade to a ae702u? unless they don't want to help out the current owners who paid they're checks. They should help out the current owners as much as possible.
We'll see at CES.

They should help us mainly with a firmware update to make the flicker tweak setting stable.
A new model will likely be out in the fall. CES is not when they become available. It's for anouncing things that may or may not come out within a year.

Originally posted by tsteves
Not exactly likely. Why the projector on the side? Why not in front of the screen? Couple of reasons. Aesthetics of the room (projector out of sight more or less). Injury (ceiling is low, I'm tall, imagine I'll be hitting it with my head from time-to-time). And, I think it'd be easier to deal with fan noise.

Like I said, I'm not opposed to a ceiling mount, just preferred the side mount, and was hoping it would be possible. Do you have any technical specs/references for "not exactly likely"?

I am playing PS2's GT4. It can output 1080i (amazing). I heard that AE700 able to convert 1080i to 1080p. How can I activate it?

ABCD,
nice wish list, and to have
presets on the zoom/focus/lens shift
would mean power zoom/power focus/power lens shift.

Even the $5,000 Epson Cinema 500 doesn't have presets,
even though it does power zoom and focus, same as the 200.

I agree I would like to see power functions for under $2k,
and I would predict the first manufacture who would do
it all with memory presets would have a major winner.
It doesn't seem it should really cost that much to do it.
Motors, feedback encoders, and memory are cheap to implement.

I think some of your other requests are more likely.
Dan

Originally posted by yipchunyu
I am playing PS2's GT4. It can output 1080i (amazing). I heard that AE700 able to convert 1080i to 1080p. How can I activate it?

Where did you hear that??

The AE700 is a 720p projector. There wouldn't be any point in converting it a 1080i signal to 1080p unless it does so on the way to scaling it to 720p. I think its more likely that they'll take the 1080i signal (same as 540p) and scale it to 720p.

Originally posted by JimP
Where did you hear that??

The AE700 is a 720p projector. There wouldn't be any point in converting it a 1080i signal to 1080p unless it does so on the way to scaling it to 720p. I think its more likely that they'll take the 1080i signal (same as 540p) and scale it to 720p.

i read it from a av magazine published in Hong Kong

Originally posted by yipchunyu
i read it from a av magazine published in Hong Kong

I think you read incorrectly then, sorry

Originally posted by JimP
ABCD

What you're asking for is easily attainable today in the Sony Qualia projector, which, I believe list for around $30,000.

It may be a while before you see it in a $2,000 projector. ;)

JimP: You just indirectly gave me an idea. For a fraction of that $30,000 I can buy a second AE700. One projector will be used for the 1.85 screen, and the second one for the 2.35 screen, both ceiling-mounted. No worrying about fiddling with the zooming, focusing, or shifting.

Uum ... I am going to look into how feasible this is for my room.

ABCD

You're welcome. (Jim scratches head)

Hmm - if you bought 2 projectors ($4k) and used HTPC spanning desktop on 2 DVI output cards (like Nvidia) - could you get 1280x1440(720x2) native resolution, and you could display at least a paired down 1280x1024 VGA screen?

Originally posted by ABCD
JimP: You just indirectly gave me an idea. For a fraction of that $30,000 I can buy a second AE700. One projector will be used for the 1.85 screen, and the second one for the 2.35 screen, both ceiling-mounted. No worrying about fiddling with the zooming, focusing, or shifting.

ABCD - OK, I'm laughing out loud! Talk about taking matters to a logical but extreme conclusion. <grin> You really don't like switching between the 1.85 and 2.35! ... I agree about the switch between the two formats, BTW. I prefer 2.35 at eye level, which means that I usually shift it downward, and then back up again for 1.85. I've become adept at adjusting the twitchy shift lever, and can usually move it into place with a couple of nudges now.

If I had an extra $2K for HT, I believe I would put it into an enhanced THX sound system, or an integrated lighting system, or ... (Actually, I'm saving my shekels for the Sony black screen, hoping to have enough to afford it by the time it is commercially available.)

Originally posted by liowik
Hmm - if you bought 2 projectors ($4k) and used HTPC spanning desktop on 2 DVI output cards (like Nvidia) - could you get 1280x1440(720x2) native resolution, and you could display at least a paired down 1280x1024 VGA screen?
Liowik - we did this at the office, using two Infocus systems. While appealing in theory, it is virtually impossible to line up and adjust the two images so that they match perfectly. We have a full-time tech, and even with constant tweaking, the images never match 100% in a side-by-side comparison. It works for the office, because we can use one screen for the web and the other for videconferencing, or put up two Word documents side by side for comparison (for example). However, it doesn't appear to be a good solution for HT.

... On the other hand, this type of dual monitor system could probably provide full-time employment for Aussie Bob. I'm envisioning a row of analog potentiometers from the opening of "Back to the Future," or possibly the man behind the curtain in the "Wizard of Oz." ... Happy New Year all!

Thanks for the dual DVI feedback. I would be quite curious to see how well the sony black screen would work with this pj as I have read that possibly Sony tuned the specific possibly narrow color frequency ranges for reflection more in tune with their pj's. Dont know how much tuning would be required to optimize to get to those ranges. BTW, any idea how much those black screens cost, and when they will be available (if not already)? HNY! :-)

Panasonic actually do make a projector that fades one side of the screen so that a dual-projector setup can be accomplished. I threw out the brochure recently, but it's one of their high-end units.

I can remember thinking at the time this sounded a bit desperate. Shades of the original Cinerama technique, which - no matter how hard they tried - always betrayed the edges between panels (How The West Was Won being a notable example). Then they changed to the single-piece-of-film Ultra Panavision-70 and projectors that could beam onto a curved screen. Much better.

I wonder why they don't just make a 2.35:1 panel and be bloody-well done with it.

I struck me that much of the tweaking here (including my own contraptions) comes out of the fact that the AE-700 falls just that little bit short in blackness of blacks and contrast. Hi-gain screens, filters, pots, AVIA disks, even Panasonic's own "Dynamic Iris"... they're all kludges designed to defeat the fact that this PJ - and most others under $20,000 - don't output solid blacks and linear tonality ramps in a fashion bright enough to make the picture in any way watchable... if technical perfection is all you're after.

My guess is that in a couple of years (and a couple of models further on) most of these problems will be solved and the fixes will have been brought out in a unit of comparable price to the current AE-700's. No more pots attenutaing whites or red filters balancing blacks. Goo Systems Inc., faced with an avalanche of lumens and rich contrast in even entry-level projectors, will have filed for Chapter 11. No more "all hands to the pumps" website photos of the crew mucking in and mixing paint in giant vats. Also Stewart, with their silvered Firehawks and the rest of the niche marketers necessary for an industry in its adolescence (but not yet in its maturity) will sink back into the primevil soup from which they and their pricey "perfection" emerged. Plain white screens (or walls, or bedsheets) will be all that's necessary, thank you very much. Whaddyaknow? Cheaper finally did get better.

The High Definition program list will be expanding, many titles will be re-issued in 720 or 1080 form and we'll all be wondering why we bothered with the current souped-up sow's ear of a video signal from the 1950s that we have deluded ourselves into thinking can be made into a visual silk purse. It's common knowledge that the studios are re-mastering in 1080, waiting for der tag.

Backwards technical compatibility will be maintained so that you can update your technology one component at a time. So it won't cost an arm and a leg to get on the bandwagon. Maybe, on the AE-1000 (and it's on a drawing board somewhere) there'll even be a "2004, Back To The Future" mode so that those nostalgic for the past can regress to dim pictures, rough color and having to eat carrots to watch them murkily reflected off of a silver-impregnated screen that cost three times the price of the projector.

Forums like this will be anachronisms, populated only by the diehards, looking for some entertainment and the opportunity to have an argument over the internet with other, equally anonymously usernamed geeks.

Hey! They did it with tubes and vinyl for audio, why not projector technology?

Rather than the AE-700 being the first of the new generation LCD projectors, I think it's the last gasp of the old technology, engineered to a price break, not a brave new horizon. I watched that Japanese documentary on the design of the AE-700 that someone linked to. Even though a lot of it was in Japanese (unsurprisingly), enough of it was in English to convince me that the AE-700 owes more to trying to add bells and whistles to the Past than to introducing the Future. The main theme of the film was the (literally) side-by-side comparison with the AE-500 and instant re-writes of software the young Japanese guy made to satisfy the Hollywood color guru (forgotten his name, sorry) that Panasonic hired to give the new model a little "class" by association.

There'll always be DIYers who think they can improve on the ex-factory item. I've personally made several careers out of doing just that. I am one of the great Fiddle Factor exponents of all time, so I can't claim any measure of absolution from my own predictions of irrelevance above. Most of my mad ideas over the decades have died for lack of oxygen, but enough have worked to have given me a pleasant roof over my head and some savings in the bank. I'm not writing this from any position of imagined superiority or extraordinary wisdom. But one thing I do know is that technology with billions behind it and electronics PhDs all over the place like beer coasters in a bar will always swamp the mad professor in his garage tinkering away trying to re-invent - or improve - somebody else's wheel.

Be patient. Get a good life out of your PJ for the next little while, watch and enjoy a few movies, eat some popcorn and I promise you the Future will come knocking on your door sooner than you think.

Could not have said it better myself......I will be buying the AE-700 in 30 days....Movies now! Tech later.....

quote:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Panasonic actually do make a projector that fades one side of the screen so that a dual-projector setup can be accomplished. I threw out the brochure recently, but it's one of their high-end units.

I can remember thinking at the time this sounded a bit desperate. Shades of the original Cinerama technique, which - no matter how hard they tried - always betrayed the edges between panels (How The West Was Won being a notable example). Then they changed to the single-piece-of-film Ultra Panavision-70 and projectors that could beam onto a curved screen. Much better.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

How the West Was Won, on a Cinerama curved 3-screen with 3 projectors.
What memories, 1960 something?
and yes you could see the fuzzy overlap, but it was great.
Amazing they could perfectly sync the 3 projectors, considering repairs usually cut out a few frames of film.




quote:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by liowik
Hmm - if you bought 2 projectors ($4k) and used HTPC spanning desktop on 2 DVI output cards (like Nvidia) - could you get 1280x1440(720x2) native resolution, and you could display at least a paired down 1280x1024 VGA screen?


I will just wait for the 1920x1080 DLP/LCD panels to fall in price,
and wait, and wait...

Dan

How The West Was Won was made in 1962. That would have made me 9 years old (born August 1953). We had a cinema in Sydney called "The Plaza" which was a purpose-built Cinerama venue.

I can remember (with not too much difficulty) seeing This Is Cinerama, Windjammer, Seven Wonders Of The World, The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm and Cinerama Holiday at The Plaza - plus HTWWW - all in the 3-screen mode. Frankly, even in those tender and impressionable years, I can also remember thinking definitely, "This is great, except for the funny lines down the screen." Truly, I do!

Most Cinerama films up to the mid-sixties were nothing much more than documentaries, or worse, promotional films for the technique. Even the title How The West Was Won is a sort of documentary-sounding handle, even if the film wasn't strictly speaking a documentary. Yet customers poured into The Plaza to see them.

The backers of the medium tried, they really tried to make Cinerama work and I guess HTWWW was the last gasp at making a half-way "proper" film (i.e. one with actors in it rather than roller coasters) with three synchronised cameras and, in the cinemas, three projectors. But Cinerama was far too expensive in film stock and was quite limited in venue. Hence the single strip anamorphic Ultra or non-anamorphic Super Panavision 70.

It's interesting, in a cinephile sort of way, to ponder whether "Cinerama" was a term that related to the shooting of the film (i.e. three synchronised cameras joined at the navel), or its final effect (a big, bright, sharp, curved screen that added an extra half a dimension to the two dimensions already up there). Obviously the Cinerama people thought they could get away with the latter by abandoning the three troublesome camera setup but retaining the screen, all the while while maintaining the name "Cinerama" (and the logo).

Notable one-strip films shot in "Cinerama" (that I saw, as a boy in Sydney) were It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad world (1963), Khartoum (1966), Grand Prix (1966), Battle Of The Bulge (1967) and Ice station Zebra (1968) . Then came 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

I had just made it late to my seat in a light-dimmed Plaza as the overture music was ending and the curtains started opening to reveal the stylised MGM logo (not the usual roaring lion, but a more "modern" looking graphic) and Strauss's now ubiquitous Also Sprach Zarathrustra started pulsing through the 6-channel sound system. I was totally hooked, and remained enthralled for the whole of the rest of the film, glued to my seat (except at Intermission, when I bought an ice cream and a packet of Fantales with the last remnants of pocket money jangling in the pockets of a pair of short, schoolboy pants).

Paradoxically, I have been unable to watch 2001ASO ever since... regularly falling asleep once the trip in the shuttle to the lunar monolith site is over. It really is (to me) an awfully tedious film, which - while setting technical standards and originating cinematic techniques (all without "CGI" or even the "C"!) that are much-quoted cliches today - is as boring as batsh*t in final estimation. If the year 2001 was going to be peopled with such deadpan inhabitants as astronauts Borman and Poole, I didn't want any part of it. But when I first saw it, I was totally knocked-out. It must have been the Big Screen, I guess. You hadda be there, back in 1968, and see it for real.

The only Cinerama film I have any time for nowadays is Battle Of The Bulge, mostly for the wonderful scene where the young tank commanders sing the Horst Wessel song. That segment makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight. A film full of holes - both historical and technical - but great dramatic entertainment. That, and maybe Grand Prix.

Today, The Plaza cinema is a downtown Sydney McDonalds restaurant, opposite a couple of cinema complexes in George St. which are distinguished by their outrageous prices and total lack of parking. If you ever go to that particular McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries, look up above the griddles and the vats of oil, the acne-faced kids (are pimples and pallid complexions de rigeur for all McDonalds' prospectives?) and the slightly greasy floor, and you will see a remnant of the old Plaza: the ornate stucco decorations illuminated by faux-Spanish blue-gelled backlights that somehow or other have survived the demolition of the old film house and made it, incongruously, into the brave new world of McHappy.

What has this to do with the AE-700? I was wondering that myself.

To show that I'm not drifting off-topic may I point out that those whiners in this forum complaining about Vertical Banding ain't seen nuthin until they have seen the positively gargantuan VB that Cinerama pioneered. We're talking Big Time Artefacts, thirty feet high, right there in your face. Cinerama's massive VB problem puts the AE-700's miniature columns into their rightful place and proper perspective as minor annoyances.

And there's one more thing...

There was something about the presentation of Cinerama films as "roadshow" productions that beguiled my youthful imagination. Beguiled it to such an extent as to have me at home, aged 9, printing "tickets" to my original home cinema, setting up cardboard screens and generally doing a pretty convincing job as a theatre manager, while the other kids were outside chucking rocks at each other, pretending to be cowboys and indians. I eventually joined tham, as there was a definite problem with getting hold of a projector. I remember my father gently talking me out of sending in (or even saving up) for the mail-order unit regularly advertised on the back of Superman comics that was guaranteed to play 8mm cartoons conveniently supplied by the promoter as part of the package. Rather than tell me the truth - that the projector was a toy, a useless piece of junk - he asked me whether I would be satisfied with just showing cartoons. What was I going to do for the Main Feature? I hesitated in my proposed purchase just long enough to recover my senses and go outside to chuck rocks at the Indians from the housing estate across the creek, who presented a more immediate threat to home security. I short I became a regular boy, but I never lost the bug for having my very own Home Theatre.

The inspiration of the great roadshow presentations of yesterday has stayed with me till today. All the Cinerama films, all the David Lean films, all the Mike Todd films, Ben Hur, The Fall Of The Roman Empire, Mutiny On The Bounty and El Cid - were imbibed with a roadshow magic - real curtains, overtures, intermissions, dramatically fading house lights, 6-track sound, huge, curved screens... the sheer anticipation (not always fulfilled, sadly) that something great was about to unfold on the screen in front of me - had me hooked, until today I can afford my own big screen and a little light-emitting gizmo designed by that young-looking Japanese guy and his color-expert colleague, hooked up to a set of five speakers, plus subwoofer, that bring it all back... at least (taps forehead) "up here".

My original childhood cinema was a paradiso of the mind. But today, if not quite paradise, it exists in a home that I own and over which I have a modicum of control, modulated by the entirely reasonable domestic demands of Her Indoors, a great woman who, like my mother (the guardian angel that took me to see all those movies, until I was old enough to go on the train to the City on my own), recognizes the fact that little boys need to dream and fantasise, and that when they grow to manhood those dreams and fantasies need only love, patience - and two-thousand U.S. dollars - to be fulfilled.

I just got my AE700 a few days ago. I haven't had time to tweak things properly, so I did a search in the tweak thread, found a user with a high post count's suggestions, and used those. Then adjusted "to taste" (as Aussie Bob says). I'm coming from an NEC LT85 DLP projector. This is the "little brother" SVGA version of the famous (around here) LT150.

I plugged it into my Microsoft Media Center HTPC via VGA the first night at 800x600 and the next at 1280x720. I didn't notice any obvious improvement in PQ. In both cases, my DVDs actually looked a bit "out of focus." There are two parts to this:
1) Images looked softer than I expected them to look. I suppose some might say this is more "film-like." I'm thinking that this may be just how a 480P image looks when upscaled to a higher resolution computer-style display, much like how things look soft when you set a laptop's native XGA (1024x768) display to a lower SVGA (800x600) resolution. I think I prefer the downscaled/sharper image that my SVGA LT85 gave, but I can probably live with this, plus I'm hoping that tweaking things with other DVD decoders/filters might improve this.
2) The big concern, though, is that I think I'm seeing double. When the credits started to roll, it almost looked like I was seeing a second image of the text shifted to the right by several pixels. I'm fairly certain this wasn't ringing from having the sharpness up too high. Does anyone know what I might be seeing here (and how to fix it)? FWIW, displaying the Windows desktop looked sharp as a tack.

I'm actually thinking of experimenting with S-Video and component via a stock Panasonic RP56 DVD player (Progressive) to compare PQ.

Scott

You didn't mention a whole lot of details about how you setup your system. The first thing you should do is make sure the PC is in 1280x720, and then run "auto-setup" (found in the AE700's position menu) which adjusts phase, etc. That will ensure you have a pixel perfect display with VGA. For playing DVDs via HTPC on the AE700, I suggest using FFDShow to scale the image to the projectors native resolution. And I recommend the latest nvidea filters (which work just fine with zoom player).

You might also want to check your panel allignment via the service menu.

These tweaks and more can be found here. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4606637#post4606637)



Originally posted by srauly
I just got my AE700 a few days ago. I haven't had time to tweak things properly, so I did a search in the tweak thread, found a user with a high post count's suggestions, and used those. Then adjusted "to taste" (as Aussie Bob says). I'm coming from an NEC LT85 DLP projector. This is the "little brother" SVGA version of the famous (around here) LT150.

I plugged it into my Microsoft Media Center HTPC via VGA the first night at 800x600 and the next at 1280x720. I didn't notice any obvious improvement in PQ. In both cases, my DVDs actually looked a bit "out of focus." There are two parts to this:
1) Images looked softer than I expected them to look. I suppose some might say this is more "film-like." I'm thinking that this may be just how a 480P image looks when upscaled to a higher resolution computer-style display, much like how things look soft when you set a laptop's native XGA (1024x768) display to a lower SVGA (800x600) resolution. I think I prefer the downscaled/sharper image that my SVGA LT85 gave, but I can probably live with this, plus I'm hoping that tweaking things with other DVD decoders/filters might improve this.
2) The big concern, though, is that I think I'm seeing double. When the credits started to roll, it almost looked like I was seeing a second image of the text shifted to the right by several pixels. I'm fairly certain this wasn't ringing from having the sharpness up too high. Does anyone know what I might be seeing here (and how to fix it)? FWIW, displaying the Windows desktop looked sharp as a tack.

I'm actually thinking of experimenting with S-Video and component via a stock Panasonic RP56 DVD player (Progressive) to compare PQ.

Scott

Originally posted by srauly
2) The big concern, though, is that I think I'm seeing double. When the credits started to roll, it almost looked like I was seeing a second image of the text shifted to the right by several pixels. I'm fairly certain this wasn't ringing from having the sharpness up too high. Does anyone know what I might be seeing here (and how to fix it)? FWIW, displaying the Windows desktop looked sharp as a tack.

I suggest trying some different DVDs - I suspect what you are seeing is excessive edge enhancement (EE). I used to read about it in DVD reviews, but never knew what it looked like until I saw it on the AE700. Try to test a DVD that is known to have little if any EE - sorry I can't think of a candidate at the moment.

TraderGordo:

I've seen a lot of posts from you re:AE700 so wanted to get your thoughts. I'm putting together my first HT and have been considering either AE700 or the HS-51 from Sony.

1. There's a lot of posts regarding the HDMI prob with AE700. Is this is serious enough issue for me to consider the Sony? I need to run a 40+ feet of cable from the AV rack to the projector.

2. Any thoughts on the HS-51?

3. I'm wired at about 13' viewing distance. If I buy the AE700, I'd have to use the zoom to get to 92" diag. Any loss in PQ if I use the zoom?

4. Any VB problems with AE700? Sounds like powering down the projector seems to solve this.

5. If I end up sitting directly beneath the AE700 (celing mounted. 9' ceiling), is there issues with fan noise?

6. Any experience running the AE700 in a room with a little ambient light?

Thanks.

DP

1. You should just use VGA if possible. The HDMI bugs will be more of an issue when HD-DVD or other things come out that use HDMI. Think about whether you'll need HDMI soon for HD cable TV or satellite. It's hard, but possible, to run either VGA or HDMI 40+ feet.

2. The HS-51 has (-) screen door, (-) dimmer picture, (-) no horizontal lens shift, and (-) higher price but (+) almost no vertical banding, (+) better contrast, and (+) better HDMI. It was mainly the HS-51's screen door and lack of horizontal lens shift that swayed me to the AE700.

3. Zoom is okay, but avoid being at near max lens shift.

4. You should expect some VB to still be there even with the power down and flicker reduction tweaks. I have to look for it on a solid gray screen and don't see it in movies.

5. My projector is close to my head (4 feet) and the noise is slightly annoying when it is in high fan mode. Putting it in low lamp mode (and hence low fan mode) makes it nearly inaudible.

6. The AE700 can compete with about 1 candle worth of light in the room - it cannot compete with indirect sunlight. The AE700 does put out a lot of light, make no mistake.

Feel free to respond too TraderGordo...

I think Abdul Jalib said everything I would have said. I haven't seen the HS51, but as I understand it, it has its own set of quirks. I would imagine a person's preference for one over the other varies depending on what's most important to them.

I am aware of HDMI problems with HTPC. I have yet to hear from people who are using HDMI with stand alone cable box or DVD players. I asked this question on the tweaks thread -- what do people using HDMI with stand alone HDMI devices see for "signal mode" in the picture menu when you are sending it 720P? Like I said, using a HTPC, mine shows 750/60P despite sending it the same 1280x720 signal I use flawlessly with VGA (in which case the AE700 reports 720 widescreen). It does not appear to be coming through in the projectors native resolution, so there is cropping. It also looks artifically sharpened - not sure why.

I also sit with the AE700 pretty close to right above me. I can hear the fan, but it's barely noticible, certainly not distracting.

Originally posted by Abdul Jalib
1. You should just use VGA if possible. The HDMI bugs will be more of an issue when HD-DVD or other things come out that use HDMI. Think about whether you'll need HDMI soon for HD cable TV or satellite. It's hard, but possible, to run either VGA or HDMI 40+ feet.



Thanks for the great info.

I'm a novice to HT but trying to tackle it on my own while the basement is getting finished.

So how to you use VGA for playing movies? I am planning to run a VGA cable to the projector in case I ever want to connect a PC but wasn't considering it for movie viewing. I'll be running VGA, component video, s-video and HDMI to the projector from the A/V rack. I was also going to use my AV receiver (prob Denon 2805) for component input/output. Looking to get a HDMI output DVD player to connect directly to the projector. Is there a way to convert HDMI or component video to VGA?

I am using a Momitsu 880 with a bundled DVI cable (from my Samsung DVD938 player) and a DVI->HDMI adaptor.

720p reads as 750/60p as well.

But then, 480p also reads as 525/60p.

NTSC aka 480i reads as 525/60i.

1080i reads as 11x0/60i (cant recall what x is).

So can you tell if there is slight cropping on HDMI with your source like it does with HTPC? It might be hard to tell outside of a setup DVD, as cropping is pretty standard for traditional TVs.

Originally posted by Woof Woof
I am using a Momitsu 880 with a bundled DVI cable (from my Samsung DVD938 player) and a DVI->HDMI adaptor.

720p reads as 750/60p as well.

But then, 480p also reads as 525/60p.

NTSC aka 480i reads as 525/60i.

1080i reads as 11x0/60i (cant recall what x is).

So how to you use VGA for playing movies?
Sorry, I'm a bit HTPC-centric. You can also use component, with nearly the quality of VGA. I use a PC for playing movies and just have my screen set to 1280x720 and use VGA. You could also use a Bravo D1/D2 or other DVI-outputing DVD player, using a DVI to VGA converter if you wish to use VGA instead of DVI/HDMI.

Is there a way to convert HDMI or component video to VGA?
Yes, there are HDMI to DVI, DVI to VGA, and component to VGA converters. Be careful if you wish to get a component to VGA converter, as not all are good or will do what you expect. DVI to VGA is easy and cheap.

TraderGordo, I wonder how the custom resolutions on the Momitsu would
work? I have the same issue as you do.

Originally posted by Abdul Jalib
Yes, there are HDMI to DVI, DVI to VGA, and component to VGA converters. Be careful if you wish to get a component to VGA converter, as not all are good or will do what you expect. DVI to VGA is easy and cheap.

I have read that you do have to be careful for component to VGA conversion because a lot of the devices on the market handle 480p maximum.

Where can you find DVI to VGA converter (not cable adapter) cheap? Everything I have seen is $300-$400 which on my budget isn't really cheap. Cheap to me is < $50.

I plan on using my Infocus VGA-to-Component adapter for my Xbox? Is this going to give me 720P?

TraderGordo, I haven't tried the "auto-setup" function, so I'll give that a shot. I did create a custom 1280x720 resolution setting via the latest NVidia drivers (I have a GeForce MX 440 graphics card). I believe I'm using the Power DVD 5 (?) DVD decoder. I haven't messed with ffdshow yet as I wanted to keep things as simple as possible through the MCE interface. I think that could very well be my main problem. I may try playing a DVD outside of the MCE interface to see how that goes as I seem to recall reading a while back that the MCE interface adds PQ degradation for some reason or another.

Last night I did an A-B comparison with my Panasonic RP56 via S-Video, so the projector was doing the upscaling. Amazingly enough, this looked noticeably better than my super-sophisticated HTPC via VGA. Surely that ain't right. I decided to go ahead and watch a movie that way last night and was much happier, but I'll definitely have to get to the bottom of this.

Scott

Originally posted by TraderGordo
So can you tell if there is slight cropping on HDMI with your source like it does with HTPC? It might be hard to tell outside of a setup DVD, as cropping is pretty standard for traditional TVs.

As far as I can tell no.. the picture is the same whether I use 1080i 720p or 480p on the Momitsu.

My Momitsu also has a AE300 specific WIDE768 mode which I tried, but that seems to create a black border around the picture.

Sorry, if it's DVI-I (or DVI-A) then the VGA converter/connector is cheap. A DVI-D to VGA converter is indeed pricey.

I have looked and looked and can't seem to find any guidance to my question that follows: I plan to buy an AE700 and shoot a 120" 1:78 picture in a dark room. The advice I have received form screen vendors, etc, has been "definitively a brilliant whiite in that size", and "definitively a gray screen in that size". Is 120" too big for this unit to maintain a quality picture, and is there any 'right' answer to the screen color question.
Also, would any of the new DVD players that 'upconvert' be of any value to this projector in delivering a better picture.

Originally posted by rockytopps
I have noticed in the last couple of movies I have watched that the "occurrence rate" of white flashes seems to have increased. I definitely have seen the frequency of white flashes increase.

In the first few weeks I noticed one or two per 3 hour evening. Lately it seems one or two, sometimes three, per hour.

I could swear they are of longer duration now because they are more noticeable -- the decay time seems longer.

It's gone from being a oddity to being pretty dang annoying.

(I use HDMI from my Hughes DirecTV HD receiver)

Is this white flash only with the hdmi or does it happen with VGA...Is there a big difference between VGA and hdmi/or DVI ?

Originally posted by erylant
I have looked and looked and can't seem to find any guidance to my question that follows: I plan to buy an AE700 and shoot a 120" 1:78 picture in a dark room. The advice I have received form screen vendors, etc, has been "definitively a brilliant whiite in that size", and "definitively a gray screen in that size". Is 120" too big for this unit to maintain a quality picture, and is there any 'right' answer to the screen color question.
Also, would any of the new DVD players that 'upconvert' be of any value to this projector in delivering a better picture.
here's my 2 cents worth..

go down to your local fabric store.. look for curtain backing material.. this has a thick, white, relatively reflective and best of all smooth surface - absolutely perfect for a projector screen.. the best thing is, it usually comes in a 2m width at about $9USD per meter.. cut yourself off 3.5 meters of the stuff, and you've got yourself a 3.5 x 2 meter screen (which is dark-ages speak should result in a picture about 155" diagonal- should you be able to throw it) for around $30USD.

i talk in meters coz i don't have my crazy-old-imperial-system decoder wheel at hand..

but seriously, it's a great solution for a LARGE screen without spending more than your projector cost..

!!!!! SOME VERY IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT WHITE FLASHES !!!!!

I have received a response from Panasonic Japan. They have found the solution! Their response:

Symptom: Appear the white flash and like snow noise at once per about 2 hors operation.

Causes: State of HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) will be changed due to the noise on the signal of transmitter (DVD, HDMI and Cable) and software design of AE700 was corresponded decryption transaction and it will be appeared as the snow noise about 60ms.

Countermeasure: Change/use to improved/corrected software version (version 1.05).


I have to send my PT-AE700 to Panasonic Swiss to update the firmware!

:)

Thanks for the information regarding the White Flashes. Does anyone know what other changes have been made in firmware version 1.05?

How do you find out what the firmware version is on the AE700?

Originally posted by TraderGordo
So can you tell if there is slight cropping on HDMI with your source like it does with HTPC? It might be hard to tell outside of a setup DVD, as cropping is pretty standard for traditional TVs.

Kinda hard to say since I am not using an HTPC for comparison

cohelfer: Do you know if this firmware also fixes the HDMI/DVI cropping issue? Hope you'll report back when you have performed this upgrade!

Should the people that have them ordered now wait a couple weeks/months so to get new ones with the newest software?

Also, can a user update the firmware himself or does it require a return?

reaper

This IS good news....and I have a HS51 on the way too...I plan to compare my AE700 side by side with the HS51.

Anyone in the Cincinnati, Ohio area that would like to come help me? :)

So this would fix the HDMI issue (white flashes) wonder if it fixes the lines dropping off the edges while using HDMI as well???
If I order one, how do I know if its got the updated firmware?

I am in that area and would be interested in this shootout, noysboy. Any idea on a date?

reap

Originally posted by noysboy
This IS good news....and I have a HS51 on the way too...I plan to compare my AE700 side by side with the HS51.

Anyone in the Cincinnati, Ohio area that would like to come help me? :)

I am in Northern Kentucky. I have an AE700 too - it would be cool to see a 700 next to a 51.

I can possibly do this sunday afternoon/evening (1/9) or next weekend.

If anyone is interested in either of those dates, please PM me...

I have a dedicated room with (almost) complete light control). No screen though...just a painted wall.

Whats the price difference between the 51 and 700?

depends on where you buy...

MSRP is $2200 vs $3500 (I think)

Street difference is MUCH less...

Street diff is about $650-$800.

reap

Hows fishers doing? Looks like our bank-branch is still with electricity, but we have several here in Muncie with no power! Ice ice everywhere! Glad I didnt put my antenna up 2 days ago!!!

Fishers is doing OK so far. I see ice I top of the trees outside the windows. I think it's going to get nasty soon. I haven't heard of any major problems yet though. I think the ground is still warm enough to prevent too much ice on the roads.

reap

Yeah, anyway!

Is anyone here using their Panny at the extreme zoom (20 ft)? What size is your screen? Do you think it affects PQ at all? I am considering it for a 20ft throw for a 100" screen.

some say longer throws are better as you get less light bounce. i personally wouldnt use any optics at max or min but close to max would be acceptable i would think.

Originally posted by pjgirl
Is anyone here using their Panny at the extreme zoom (20 ft)? What size is your screen? Do you think it affects PQ at all? I am considering it for a 20ft throw for a 100" screen.

I am at 21ft and throw on a 106" screen. The zoom is maxed out, but I don't see any PQ degradation. But I am the kind of person that is more bothered by VB and SDE than slight color shifts.

So color shift is main concern when using any projector at max zoom?

OK, i have asked this before, and havent got it answered yet.... I have the Infocus VGA-to-Component adapter (made popular by the X1), will this work on the VGA port of the AE700 at 480P and 720P. I plan on using that for my Xbox?

Originally posted by REL77
OK, i have asked this before, and havent got it answered yet.... I have the Infocus VGA-to-Component adapter (made popular by the X1), will this work on the VGA port of the AE700 at 480P and 720P. I plan on using that for my Xbox?

The X1 only has a VGA input, no component, so the VGA input is dual-function.

The ae700 will not take Component Y-Pb-Pr into the VGA port, from what I can see in the spec sheet. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

Some projectors, like the AE700, that have true component 3-RCA plug input (Y-pB-pR), will NOT take component into the VGA port, the VGA port is only for computer-PC VGA (red green blue, sync on green).

The computer VGA red-green-blue signal is different than the component Y-pB-pR red-green-blue signal, the projector must be able to distinquish the difference and switch, either automatically or selectable in the menu.
From what I can see in the ae700 specs, the AE700 WILL NOT TAKE COMPONENT VIDEO Y-pB-pR INTO THE VGA PORT.

The ae700 also has Component (3 RCA) input, which will take the XBox component directly without any adapter.

well, i need to connect my HD Cable Box via HDMI, my DVD player via Component, and that leaves the Xbox without a dedicated connection. I assumed the VGA port would accept this adapter. If it doesnt, is there any adapter it will accept, or am I doomed to have to buy a component switched, or switch the inputs every time I want to play xbox? There has to be some work around?

Originally posted by REL77
well, i need to connect my HD Cable Box via HDMI, my DVD player via Component, and that leaves the Xbox without a dedicated connection. I assumed the VGA port would accept this adapter. If it doesnt, is there any adapter it will accept, or am I doomed to have to buy a component switched, or switch the inputs every time I want to play xbox? There has to be some work around?

My buddy has this high-bandwidth component + coax/optical audio + L/R audio switcher:

http://www.audioauthority.com/aacconsumers/1154c.html

It is totally auto-sensing with input hierarchy. Works flawlessly. I have placed an order for one. There are dealer links at the bottom of the page where prices are lower than list. Well worth the money.