I've had my 900 anout 5 weeks. My convergence was pretty good at first, but I was checking it tonight, and it is noticable off from what it was when it was new.
It's off on the red on the menu letters vertically almost equal to the width of the letters themselves. The green is now off almost the same vertically down about half the width of the letters.
My question is...
Has any of you 900 owners sent your pj in for warranty service for a convergence problem, and if so what were the results?
Thanks

just checked my rebate status originally said check payment now 2 weeks later says non payment as serial number already entered. As i purchased a new unit from an authorized dealer one of our sponsors . Have others had similar experiences and how did you have it resolved

just checked my rebate status originally said check payment now 2 weeks later says non payment as serial number already entered. As i purchased a new unit from an authorized dealer one of our sponsors . Have others had similar experiences and how did you have it resolved

Call them

888-795-3383

Well, you can add my name to the list of people who have recieved their rebate checks and BB rental cards. I was total suprised to see it in the mail today. Happy, and suprised.

OK, OK already!!!

The $400 rebate is just to good to pass up!! This is my first PJ and it's time to go for it :) :) I was going to get the epson 550 because of the local dealer but I can get the AE900u PJ, DVD player & screen for the same price as the epson. I just don't see how I can go wrong.

This PJ gets the best & worst reviews. One person likes it alot while others not so much. I can't compare it so I'm sure it will be fantastic for me. My room is on the small side anyways, so the smooth screen will be a plus I think. 100 in screen, here I come !!!!!!!!!! :eek:

John

S Video Cable, Component Cable, Receivers ... OH MY!!!!

...OR...

DVR Cable Box, Receiver, DVD, VCR ... OH MY!!!

I have purchased the Panny 900U, and I've just gotten a Sony Home Theater in a Box with a DVD player built in. I have a 50 foot S cable. I do not have any component cables.

My original idea was to have the DVR and receiver (and hopefully a VCR) in the front of the room (under the screen) and have the projector mounted on the wall about 12-13 feet back from the screen. This set up would require about 35 feet of cables to connect everything (running the cables along the floor then up the side wall and over to the projector).

From doing a search and reading some other posts, it seems that running this much cord reduces quality significantly. I do have the option of putting the electronics against the back wall reducing the run of the wires, but that means that every time we want to change the channel etc we would have to point a remote behind us, which seems very unnatural.


Also, please tell me if this makes sense:

1 DVD hooked to projector / DVD integrated with receiver (using S or component to hook up)

2. DVR Cable Box hooked up to projector (I need to get a component video cable)

3. DVR Cable Box hooked up to receiver

I would also love to hook up a VCR but am afraid my head might explode in trying to figure out all the wires!

This is the cable box I have: single tuner Motorola DCT 6208 digital cable and high-definition receiver with built-in DVR.

So, how long of a cable can I get away with using, and if I buy a 50 foot cable for flexibility, can I splice it to be shorter or would that reduce its quality? Am I better off trying to get a really long DVI cable or are they subject to the same breakdown in quality? Do they even exist that long!

Thanks!!!!

Skier-Girl

Using S-cables for DVD will not allow you to obtain the best possible image from your DVD player. Therefore, you should use component or HDMI where possible. Check Monoprice an AVS sponsor with reasonable prices for their cables.

I just purchased a PT-AE900U, great price and the 2 year warranty.

Good thing I've been reading this forum, I was able to get the 2 year warranty for no extra cost.. Thanks

Now that the projector is on it's way, I better finish building the HT room....

just checked my rebate status originally said check payment now 2 weeks later says non payment as serial number already entered. As i purchased a new unit from an authorized dealer one of our sponsors . Have others had similar experiences and how did you have it resolved

called this am they said disregard web site and my rebate is on the way
i asked if the dates when the blockbuster card expires varys from when it was sent she said they do not know

OK, OK already!!!

The $400 rebate is just to good to pass up!! This is my first PJ and it's time to go for it :) :) I was going to get the epson 550 because of the local dealer but I can get the AE900u PJ, DVD player & screen for the same price as the epson. I just don't see how I can go wrong.

This PJ gets the best & worst reviews. One person likes it alot while others not so much. I can't compare it so I'm sure it will be fantastic for me. My room is on the small side anyways, so the smooth screen will be a plus I think. 100 in screen, here I come !!!!!!!!!! :eek:

John
Actually, the people who like it are mostly too busy enjoying it to be bothered with forums. :)

Actually, the people who like it are mostly too busy enjoying it to be bothered with forums.

I hope so ! Does anyone know of a good DVD player for this PJ(900)? I think an upscaling model is what I want, right?

John

" I think an upscaling model is what I want, right?"

Is the scaling in the Panasonic bad enough that it needs this? Any fixed panel display is just going to upscale a lower resolution source to native rate anyway.

Having a DVI/HDMI connection between the two is best to avoid un-needed D-A/A-Ds in the video chain.

Shawn

" I think an upscaling model is what I want, right?"

Is the scaling in the Panasonic bad enough that it needs this? Any fixed panel display is just going to upscale a lower resolution source to native rate anyway.

Having a DVI/HDMI connection between the two is best to avoid un-needed D-A/A-Ds in the video chain.
Probably should not characterize it as "the Panasonic (being) bad enough" but rather which scaler/deinterlacer does the better job. The Oppo gets a lot of buzz here, as do two models from Denon - I own both - 2910 and 3910. The 3910 is a fabulous unit, but as it's cost approaches what you paid for the Panny, that may be - understandably - more than you've budgeted. The 2910 can be had for ~1/3 the price of the Panny and may make more sense. The Oppo is just plain inexpensive. All three are "upscalers", though they do it at somewhat different quality levels.

Hello everybody:

Ordered AE 900 from Costco (shipped but not delievered yet). I will mount it to the ceiling in the middle of my theatre room. I am thinking about an upconverting DVD with an HDMI output (suggestions please).

How can I hook up my cable (Dish or Direct TV) connection to the projector as well (it seems the AE 900 only has one HDMI input). Should I connect the DVD player to some connection at the back of the Dish HD reciever or is there a DVD with an HDMI input in the back? Thanks for the help.

Some people seem to think that without an scaling DVD player they end up viewing at DVDs native resolution... which of course is not the case with most any digital projector.

"but rather which scaler/deinterlacer does the better job."

Of course, but is there enough difference in the scaling to need a scaling DVD player?

For example deinterlacing can be done in the DVD player and feed the Panasonic a 480p picture and let it handle the scaling. If the scaling in the projector works at 10 bit (it claims 10 bit video processing) it could potentially do a better job then doing it in a DVD player which has to output 8 bits (DVI).

Another for your list would be the Panasonic S77. It has Faroudja deinterlacing/scaling and costs a hair more then the Oppo. The Panasonic S77 has a HDMI output which can, in theory anyway, transport 10 (or even 12) bit video.

But I haven't played with the scaling in the projector hardly at all. I'm using a Lumagen scaler in my system as part of the CH setup.

Shawn

I'm looking into getting my first projector (current TV is a 50" Toshiba, non-HDTV from about 5 years ago). I'd be using it for 'normal' TV viewing, and of course DVD/HD.

What kind of brightness can I figure on getting, compared with my old setup, with a normal amount of ambient/daytime light?

Does this projector allow me to easily go from a 60-70" screen during the day, where a smaller picture will still be bright enough, to a 100-112" picture at night when it's darker?

Shwan:
Thank you for the quick post. Sorry for sounding stupid (not much experience with this field),
1) Do most DVD players nowdays have a 480P output? If the projector is going to upscale the signal, I think I am ok with that.
2) So do I just connect the DVD player to the projector (or to the back of the satellite receiver) using component cables? To connect directly to the projector using component cables is a bit of a challenge as I have to wire them through the ceiling (was hoping to get away with wiring just the HDMI cable).

Thank you.

Unfortunately unless you have exactly the same equipment it is difficult to make value judgements..... that is why folks suggest trying it both ways and seeing which you like best.

In my theater the Oppo @ 720p over DVI did a much better job than my Panasonic player with a Faroudja chip inside, which was connected via component........

For those of you with connection issues....... there is NO easy answer. However the consensus of experience tells us that a digital connection from source to projector will provide arguably the best picture. How many sources you have to send to the projector and what type of output capabilities they have will determine many of your choices for you.

The simplest answer is probably a HT receiver such as the JVC 702B, Yamaha RX-V2600, Denon 3806, or Denon 4306... I think there is also a Pioneer, but I am not familiar with it's capabilities. With these receivers you can connect all of your sources (the 4306 has 3 HDMI in's the rest have two) DVI (via adapter), HDMI, component, s-video, composite, and then output a single HDMI (monoprice an excellent source) cable from the receiver to the projector. (it's magic)

If you decide against this method then you will need to run multiple cables and have some type of switching for any sources for which you have multiples of any signal type (HDMI, DVI, Component, etc).

Skier Girl if the equipment is located at the back of the room most of the time your remote signal will bounce off of the screen and activate the equipment without a problem. If yours is hidden in some way that prevents it from receiving the signal they make inexpensive IR receivers that can receive your signal at the front of the room and then transmit it via RF (radio frequency) back to a small receiver by your equipment where it is changed back into IR signals.

Once again you will "normally" get your best image from the following in descending order.

HDMI
DVI
Component
S-Video
Composite

My Story - I have been on the fence for a better part of a year - I picked up a sony 1271 as my first projector only because the LUMEN/CONTRAST RATIO nonsense was more numerical voodoo to me without a visual starting point - The 1271 was really impressive and fun to setup I had an outdoor setup that was the envy of the neighborhood however my living room was just to small to support the monster so I started researching newer projectors from the DV-10 on up into the unattainable price devices - after spending months and months creeping around in the forums I decided on a AE900 I have it sitting on a table projecting on a Draper HD Grey Screen that I pull down infront of my Toshiba 55' 4:3 HD TV and I tell you this thing is impressive - Not having tweaked it or adjusted the color I played Con-Air via a Dell Laptop using the VGA connector (Laptop has a high end nvidia card) I went to each scene where there was high action or explosions and really looked for artifacts or picture problems in general - I think I saw a little distortion in the gas station explosion scene but since it was an "I Think" and not an "AH-HA" I'm going to let it slide - I cannot believe the brightness on this thing the 1271 just couldn't produce a watchable image during daytime - any light coming in made it unwatchable but the ae900 seems to work great - If the lamps were not so expensive I would shift over the entire TV viewing to it.

But thanks for all the comments and recommendations out there it really helped to narrow the field onto what to expect from the 900 and more importantly which brands to just flat stay away from.

Tonight ...HALO on 100' diag screen. :>

"but rather which scaler/deinterlacer does the better job."

Of course, but is there enough difference in the scaling to need a scaling DVD player?
There is no one answer to this. Obviously, some - me included if that's not obvious - think that there IS enough difference. It all comes down to perception, budget and how one balances the two. I can afford a really good DVD player and I can see (and hear) the difference. So, I bought the 3910. Some have made the same calculations and bought the 5910, and some the 2910 or Oppo.

Haven't we beaten this enough, sfogg? :)

The service manuals are available on ebay for $8.99. That's on a CD, PDF format.
I'm having trouble finding it. Is it still being sold at eBay?

"1) Do most DVD players nowdays have a 480P output? If the projector is going to upscale the signal, I think I am ok with that."

Just about all of them. The quality of the deinterlacing varies though.

" 2) So do I just connect the DVD player to the projector (or to the back of the satellite receiver) using component cables? To connect directly to the projector using component cables is a bit of a challenge as I have to wire them through the ceiling (was hoping to get away with wiring just the HDMI cable)."

Component or HDMI from the DVD player to the projector. Of if you want HDMI from both the DVD player and your STB you could use a HDMI switcher at the equipment and run one HDMI cable to the projector.

Shawn

Actually, the people who like it are mostly too busy enjoying it to be bothered with forums.

I hope so ! Does anyone know of a good DVD player for this PJ(900)? I think an upscaling model is what I want, right?

John

I have the Denon 1910, 16' DHMI from better cables and a Silverscreen paint screen with custom beveled border and the picture is for lack of a better word, awesome. Each time I look at it I can believe it comes from a $1600 projector investment. The upscaller on the 1910 does a great job, I never notice any issues with it at all and I'm very paricular.

I'm having trouble finding it. Is it still being sold at eBay?
You may be able to find it on the Panasonic direct website. I saw some sort of manual for the AE 900 there

Do you use the pass-through mode on the Prismasonic or just leave it alone for all material? Since I watch a lot of 2.35 material for now I'm just leaving the lens in place all the time and handling the different ARs entirely in scaling. Not the optimal way to do it but my unit is locked inside a hushbox (leftover from my previous unit) so it isn't easy to get at.

Shawn

I slide mine out of the way. It makes for an easier transition for the rest of the family as I use an HTPC. Plus I sit about 1.1 for 2.35 which means the slight softness introduced by the lens is noticeable.

The H1000 does have a "passthrough mode" which requires resetting the two lenses to a point where ratio in equals ratio out. This requires a slight focus change. Ultimately I'm lazy and find it easier to slide or currently *place* the lens rather than twisting knobs.

Lastly, I'm at the extreme with my throw (12.5 ft.) ratio where lens aperture can encroach on picture if I'm not careful for the picture size I want (pincushioning is easily masked).

I wish more users investigated CH. At the least, a great deal can be learned about optics and aspect ratios - there might be less need to defend OAR.

Thanks for your thoughts,
ted

But I haven't played with the scaling in the projector hardly at all. I'm using a Lumagen scaler in my system as part of the CH setup.

Shawn

Ah..thats the reason. ;)

I wonder if the scaling has changed much between the 700 and 900?
I'm one of those who thinks that the scaling in the 700 is tepid at best - its a flag reader with poor deinterlacing and is prone to pixelization.

With me an HTPC running ffdshow is the bee's knees.

ted

Thank you all for flogging this issue to death (for the un-initiated like myself).
So after reading all the expert opinions, I am thinking the best option for me may be a HT reciever and a DVD player such as Oppo (can somebody tell me the best [affordable] receiver which would have 2 HDMI inputs and an HDMI output). I take it that I can connect the speakers directly to the HT reciver without an amplifier.

I have purchased the Panny 900U, and I've just gotten a Sony Home Theater in a Box with a DVD player built in. I have a 50 foot S cable. I do not have any component cables.

Skier-Girl

Welcome to the forum.
Consider that *any* length of S-Video will limit the PQ the 900 can provide.
Use HDMI or DVI for your highest rez sources and step down from there.
I would hook all video outputs directly to the PJ and route audio digitally to the receiver. I realize this requires using two remotes but you are likely to get better PQ, and you could teach the Pansonic's remote to control your receiver. As to the VCR - unless you've a good scaler or its is a hi def source, a large screen will only serve to emphasize the limits of the source.

For me locating your components beneath screen will only serve as a distraction. All those little lights become much more apparent when the lights are off, which they should be if you wish to get the most from your 900.

ted

Thank you all for flogging this issue to death (for the un-initiated like myself).
So after reading all the expert opinions, I am thinking the best option for me may be a HT reciever and a DVD player such as Oppo (can somebody tell me the best [affordable] receiver which would have 2 HDMI inputs and an HDMI output). I take it that I can connect the speakers directly to the HT reciver without an amplifier.

The JVC 702B is the least expensive that I am familiar with... there is also I believe an Onkyo 803, but I know nothing at all about it.....

There is no one answer to this. Obviously, some - me included if that's not obvious - think that there IS enough difference. It all comes down to perception, budget and how one balances the two. I can afford a really good DVD player and I can see (and hear) the difference. So, I bought the 3910. Some have made the same calculations and bought the 5910, and some the 2910 or Oppo.

Haven't we beaten this enough, sfogg? :)

Just one more thought. (I have the Oppo).

You can spend a lot more, and you should be able to expect some quality differences.

However. With Blu-ray and HD-DVD just around the corner (give or take), do you really want to be spending $400 or $1000 on a DVD player that you will be replacing in a year or less (ok maybe 18 months). Supposedly HD-DVD decks from Toshiba and others are starting to ship this April, and Blu-ray - 3-6 months behind.

the HD-DVD folks say they will have something like 60 titles available at launch, and of course many of those will be the big sellers.

So, to paraphrase (butcher in this case) "K" from Men In Black - I guess I'll have to replace my Lord of the Rings Trilogy again.

I find the Oppo's performance to be impressive for a $200 deck. Rich folks can spend more while waiting for the next generation, if they want.

Art,

" I find the Oppo's performance to be impressive for a $200 deck. Rich folks can spend more while waiting for the next generation, if they want."

If one was planning on buy a HD-DVD player when they came out I wouldn't even suggest spending the $200 on the Oppos. The HD-DVD players will scale standard definition DVD too. As such just keep using the player they have or get an even less expensive unit for the couple of months till HD-DVD player arrive and save the extra money toward the HD-DVD deck.

A true HD source is going to look better then scaled standard definition.

Shawn

wow,

I'm at lunch right now so I thought I'd ck back. This dvd Q really took off !

I will give a little more info. I just ordered 900 PJ. I need a new DVD player because the one I have isn't even a progressive scan. I was thinking of the s77 or the oppo players. Sounds like the denon is too expensive for me at this time. Hows the quality of the oppo ? I never heard of the oppo before I started looking here.

I want HDMI or at least DVI output. What does the HT reciever cost (ball Park) for the Yamaha.................most likely more than I can afford.

Thanks for all the help.

John

Just one more thought. (I have the Oppo).

You can spend a lot more, and you should be able to expect some quality differences.

However. With Blu-ray and HD-DVD just around the corner (give or take), do you really want to be spending $400 or $1000 on a DVD player that you will be replacing in a year or less (ok maybe 18 months). Supposedly HD-DVD decks from Toshiba and others are starting to ship this April, and Blu-ray - 3-6 months behind.

the HD-DVD folks say they will have something like 60 titles available at launch, and of course many of those will be the big sellers.

So, to paraphrase (butcher in this case) "K" from Men In Black - I guess I'll have to replace my Lord of the Rings Trilogy again.

I find the Oppo's performance to be impressive for a $200 deck. Rich folks can spend more while waiting for the next generation, if they want.
This should definitely be considered by anyone buying any sort of mid- to high-end DVD player. My take on this though is that I will NOT be an early adopter - never am - and therefore don't expect to buy a hi-def optical player for 18 - 24 mos. Also to be pondered is this: The first and maybe the second generation of BD/HD-DVD players will NOT play present DVDs with the same quality as today's mid- to high-end players. If that's true, we'll all be watching DVDs for years. Aggravating this even more is that it will be a L O N G time before the hi-def catalog approaches the DVD catalog.

OK gang. I have had my 900 for a week now and love it. I currently have it sitting on a shelf almost 19' from my 92" screen. It looks great, but I want to ceiling mount just to make more room (for another row of seating). I looked at the Chief mounts, but I didn't feel like selling my only child. I think I am going with the Perfectmounts after reading some posts on this forum. I bought a 33' hdmi cable from Monoprice as well. I have looked at that darn projection calculator until I was blue in the face and I am still confused. It looks like I can mount this thing from 18'6" to 9'3". What would you guys suggest? Will I loose any quality using zoom? How far below the top of the screen should I mount this thing? I know these are very stupid questions, but I have owned a projector for all of a week. I am having someone come in and run power and the hdmi cable so I want to get it right the first time. Personally, I am thinking around 14', but I have no clue. Also, from things I have read on here it seems mounting level with the top of the screen is ideal? Will this keep me from having to adjust the keystoning or whatever? Thanks a lot for all the pointers. I appreciate it!

Art,

" I find the Oppo's performance to be impressive for a $200 deck. Rich folks can spend more while waiting for the next generation, if they want."

If one was planning on buy a HD-DVD player when they came out I wouldn't even suggest spending the $200 on the Oppos. The HD-DVD players will scale standard definition DVD too. As such just keep using the player they have or get an even less expensive unit for the couple of months till HD-DVD player arrive and save the extra money toward the HD-DVD deck.

A true HD source is going to look better then scaled standard definition.

Shawn

Shawn, you are right, but I was suggesting for those who need a deck now, and want some quality without dropping the really big bucks... And also the initial HD-DVD pricing I think is about $500-$600. that should drop after a few months.... So with limited titles and high prices, many will wait until the fall or year end. The Oppo is a good compromise between a $59 player and a high end $500+ (non-HD player.

Anyone else recently receive their Panny $200 rebate and 40 free Blockbuster rental card? Mine finally showed up yesterday -- everything's great except the Blockbuster card expires June 30, 2006?! That's barely 4 months... Plus the card stipulates only one rental at a time. At that rate, I'll have to rent and return a movie every 3.5 days to get all 40 rentals in!! I would have expected at least a year.

Anyone else recently receive their Panny $200 rebate and 40 free Blockbuster rental card? Mine finally showed up yesterday -- everything's great except the Blockbuster card expires June 30, 2006?! That's barely 4 months... Plus the card stipulates only one rental at a time. At that rate, I'll have to rent and return a movie every 3.5 days to get all 40 rentals in!! I would have expected at least a year.


Wow...I didnt' even read mine until I read this........what a ripoff. good thing I don't really care about the card....Netflix is better anyway :p

Rich

Shawn, you are right, but I was suggesting for those who need a deck now, and want some quality without dropping the really big bucks... And also the initial HD-DVD pricing I think is about $500-$600. that should drop after a few months.... So with limited titles and high prices, many will wait until the fall or year end. The Oppo is a good compromise between a $59 player and a high end $500+ (non-HD player.
Sort of glossed over - or just plain missing from this discussion - is the fact that there will be two competing formats at launch. Only those with too much money and/or not enough brains will buy one before that sorts out. Did I phrase that too gently? :)

Greetings All,

BENQ's statement on the PE7700 issues:

I just received an email with a copy of what will be posted on the BenQ site (tonight or tomorrow). I have cut and pasted it below:

This is the statement that will be posted on our FAQ website tonight.
It will solve all PE7700 issues.

Q: The lamp on my PE7700 stopped working shortly after I purchased the product.

A: Under some environmental conditions, older PE7700 projector lamps will have a reduced lifespan that can be corrected or repaired by our technicians at no cost for qualified models.

Qualifying Models: PE7700 Projector with a Mfr. PN: "99.J0C77.B51" and with a Mfr. Date prior to January 18, 2006.

How to Apply:

Check your "Mfr. PN" to ensure a match with the number listed above. If the numbers match, please complete the following steps.

Complete our online RMA form (Click Here)

Call a customer service technician at 866-600-2367

Once issued an RMA# by the technician:

Complete the RMA form by adding the provided RMA#

Fax in the RMA form to the fax number provided.

Process:

BenQ will arrange to pickup the product. (After an RMA# is issued)*

Place your product into the original box, or follow our online guide for packing instructions.**

BenQ will: a) Replace the Lamp; and b) Upgrade the Firmware*

BenQ will return ship the product to the address provided.*


* All shipping and repair costs for qualified models will be covered by BenQ.
** Any Damage resulting from packing practices that are not consistent with BenQ's stated guidelines will not be covered.


--------

OK, that, is indeed, what many of you are looking for. So, at least BenQ is making a major effort.

BTW, the 7700 I reviewed in January, has the same Part Number, and an October manufacturing date (although it arrived at BenQ US HQ right after Christmas as part of a large shipment).

With a Jan 18th manufacturing date, it basically means that all but their last batch or two of projectors are covered (so let's assume - risky) that the Jan 18th and more recent have no issues.

It would seem that this applies to units with early failing lamps, and may not address the issue of people who don't have lamp problems, and just want the upgraded firmware with newer color/gamma tables.

If, however the color/gamma tables are similar to the 8720, you may be able to accomplish the same thing with a calibration, using the service menu capabilities. With the 8720 firmware upgrade, I was advised by a dealer who got the new firmware from BenQ, that it changed the default settings, but that he was able to accomplish the same thing with his older 8720, just by going into the service menu and calibrating the whole unit. No I do not know if the same is true for the 7700, but we can hope.

One last thing, they do not say how long it will take for them to upgrade, from the time they receive the projector until they ship it back out. Someone talking to them might want to ask, and post their best estimate. -art

OK gang. I have had my 900 for a week now and love it. I currently have it sitting on a shelf almost 19' from my 92" screen. It looks great, but I want to ceiling mount just to make more room (for another row of seating). I looked at the Chief mounts, but I didn't feel like selling my only child. I think I am going with the Perfectmounts after reading some posts on this forum. I bought a 33' hdmi cable from Monoprice as well. I have looked at that darn projection calculator until I was blue in the face and I am still confused. It looks like I can mount this thing from 18'6" to 9'3". What would you guys suggest? Will I loose any quality using zoom? How far below the top of the screen should I mount this thing? I know these are very stupid questions, but I have owned a projector for all of a week. I am having someone come in and run power and the hdmi cable so I want to get it right the first time. Personally, I am thinking around 14', but I have no clue. Also, from things I have read on here it seems mounting level with the top of the screen is ideal? Will this keep me from having to adjust the keystoning or whatever? Thanks a lot for all the pointers. I appreciate it!

your mounting distance is correct the further back more zoom is needed effectively increasing f stop of lens so less bright image. where mount most likely comes down to where are you able to run cables to keeping runs as short as feasible. as far as how low to mount if your at top of screen with center of lens you will be okay as long as your not using horizontal shift also. when you run electric line don't forget about ground loops if amp cable box on different circuit then projector may be issue. as far as mount there are a lot of diy mounts in this forum i made a monkey mount looks great works well and it was fun to make good luck

your mounting distance is correct the further back more zoom is needed effectively increasing f stop of lens so less bright image. where mount most likely comes down to where are you able to run cables to keeping runs as short as feasible. as far as how low to mount if your at top of screen with center of lens you will be okay as long as your not using horizontal shift also. when you run electric line don't forget about ground loops if amp cable box on different circuit then projector may be issue. as far as mount there are a lot of diy mounts in this forum i made a monkey mount looks great works well and it was fun to make good luck

Thanks for the reply. I thought you use more zoom as you move closer to the screen?

Just wanted to let you guys know that are waiting for their rebates from Panny, I got mine today along with a blockbuster rental card worth 40 rentals. Kind of dissapointed that its not $300 bucks but instead 40 rentals. Owell. Wish I would have bought it in January as well because I could be getting $400. It doesn't matter, I have been enjoying this projector since November :cool:

your mounting distance is correct the further back more zoom is needed effectively increasing f stop of lens so less bright image. where mount most likely comes down to where are you able to run cables to keeping runs as short as feasible. as far as how low to mount if your at top of screen with center of lens you will be okay as long as your not using horizontal shift also. when you run electric line don't forget about ground loops if amp cable box on different circuit then projector may be issue. as far as mount there are a lot of diy mounts in this forum i made a monkey mount looks great works well and it was fun to make good luck

What would one do (OK...me!!!) to get rid of the ground loop noise? Yes amp, cable and OTA are on a different circuit. I get horizontal line rolling upward. If I unhook the cable and OTA antenna to watch movies, all is OK!!!

Thanks!

Gordon

search ground loop you will get detailed answers. quick answer put all same circuit if possible. ground cable better or try isolation transformers

as far as my last post i think i got mixed up closer you use more zoom .there was a discussion a while back about throw distances about effects of better collumation of light vs effect of lenses and i believe consensus distance does effect brightness. for me physical layout of room and needs to run cables and power dictated were my mount went

i have a 700 & am about to go 900 but need to reset the lamp counter on the 700 to allow me to move to higher ground.
Can anyone help me with this.

search ground loop you will get detailed answers. quick answer put all same circuit if possible. ground cable better or try isolation transformers

as far as my last post i think i got mixed up closer you use more zoom .there was a discussion a while back about throw distances about effects of better collumation of light vs effect of lenses and i believe consensus distance does effect brightness. for me physical layout of room and needs to run cables and power dictated were my mount went
Distance itself has no effect on lumens - picture size does. But with the Panny 900, and others similarly designed, the iris also changes with zoom and THAT is what changes the light output. Soooo, the closer the 900 is, the more open the iris is. More open = more light.

For what it is worth, I got my rejection letter yesterday (Friday).
A day late, $200 short....

Brian

For what it is worth, I got my rejection letter yesterday (Friday).
A day late, $200 short....
Like PBS stations taking a pledge call, they probably ring a bell when they can send out one of those . . .

Distance itself has no effect on lumens - picture size does. But with the Panny 900, and others similarly designed, the iris also changes with zoom and THAT is what changes the light output. Soooo, the closer the 900 is, the more open the iris is. More open = more light.

Sorry pepar,

This is still a misunderstanding - it has to do with Aperture and its relation to Focal Length. I've posted about this numerous times with links and other boring stuff. The Iris in the unit could be ripped unceremoniously out of the box (there is no iris in the lens) and the loss/gain would be the same. It is the nature of *all* zoom lenses (by this I mean camera lenses as well) unless they have the additional glass elements to compensate which would be called a Constant aperture lens - not cheap. Eric is correct in the way he stated it.

ted

Sorry pepar,

This is still a misunderstanding - it has to do with Aperture and its relation to Focal Length. I've posted about this numerous times with links and other boring stuff. The Iris in the unit could be ripped unceremoniously out of the box (there is no iris in the lens) and the loss/gain would be the same. It is the nature of *all* zoom lenses (by this I mean camera lenses as well) unless they have the additional glass elements to compensate which would be called a Constant aperture lens - not cheap. Eric is correct in the way he stated it.

ted
My bad - it's still something I've not internalized yet. When I wrote iris, I was thinking aperture. My previous calculation of "lumens * screen gain / screen size in sqft" is apparently out the window as there are no published specs on light output in relation to throw distance. And placing the pj as far away as possible so as to pass the picture through the center - and more accurate part - of the lens now has brightness implications. This has gotten very inelegant. Thanks, ted.

A little mad here. I am ready to purchase the 900 after saving forever, etc. I was going to purchase from Butterfly Photo since their price was good, service was regarded well, and they had the 3 bulb replacement warranty for 199.99. So I'm looking right now and the warranty is gone from their site. Tried calling them--on hold for 40 minutes. Any other suggestions for a site that is reputable and has a similar bulb replacement program? (I'm using pricegrabber and several have it, I was just wondering what you all thought)

Yea, I was just looking at the blockbuster card, it expires on 6/30/06. I don't even rent movies, now I have to rush to rent 40 in 4 months. Owell I guess, its still free :)

rebate info

copy this from other site

The envelope has a return address of ACB, The Advertising Checking Bureau,Inc on it. It is a windowed envelope with a "Pay to the order of", and your name and address showing. Just like alot of those come-on junk mails, don't throw this one away,lol. Check is good for 30 days.


everyone should be aware and deposit check fast

A little mad here. I am ready to purchase the 900 after saving forever, etc. I was going to purchase from Butterfly Photo since their price was good, service was regarded well, and they had the 3 bulb replacement warranty for 199.99. So I'm looking right now and the warranty is gone from their site. Tried calling them--on hold for 40 minutes. Any other suggestions for a site that is reputable and has a similar bulb replacement program? (I'm using pricegrabber and several have it, I was just wondering what you all thought)


use are sponsors remember old saying if it sounds to good to be true it probally is. how could anyone offer 3 bulb replacements for $199 we all know bulbs fail

" if it sounds to good to be true it probally is. how could anyone offer 3 bulb replacements for $199 we all know bulbs fail"

For some of those camera companies that lack any morals it would be *easy* to offer 3 bulb replacements for $199....

..... you would probably get a nice three pack of frosted 75w bulbs....

Shawn

use are sponsors remember old saying if it sounds to good to be true it probally is. how could anyone offer 3 bulb replacements for $199 we all know bulbs fail


Very simple. They don't just hand you three bulbs. They only replace a bulb if it fails within the term of the warranty. These warranties have, I believe, three year terms. The majority of people who buy the bulb warranty don't use their PJ enough to burn out the original bulb in three years, so the warranty won't pay them anything. Some people (a much smaller number) will burn out their original bulb within 3 years and will get one bulb from the warranty. Very very very few people will go through more than two bulbs in three years. So they can advertise "three bulbs" knowing that almost nobody is going to actually get three bulbs, or even two bulbs, from the warranty.

The bulb warranty is a reasonable deal if you know for sure you will use your PJ for more hours during the term of the warranty than the rated life of the bulb. Essentially you are paying in advance for a discounted bulb. But, most people don't use their PJ that much and will never get anything from this warranty.

Also, the bulb warranties I have seen (Mack) are only issued if you also buy the issuer's extended warranty on the PJ itself. They aren't sold as a standalone.

i would like to hear from someone who acutally got one or more bulbs from a warrenty like that

Very simple. They don't just hand you three bulbs. They only replace a bulb if it fails within the term of the warranty. These warranties have, I believe, three year terms. The majority of people who buy the bulb warranty don't use their PJ enough to burn out the original bulb in three years, so the warranty won't pay them anything. Some people (a much smaller number) will burn out their original bulb within 3 years and will get one bulb from the warranty. Very very very few people will go through more than two bulbs in three years. So they can advertise "three bulbs" knowing that almost nobody is going to actually get three bulbs, or even two bulbs, from the warranty.

The bulb warranty is a reasonable deal if you know for sure you will use your PJ for more hours during the term of the warranty than the rated life of the bulb. Essentially you are paying in advance for a discounted bulb. But, most people don't use their PJ that much and will never get anything from this warranty.

Also, the bulb warranties I have seen (Mack) are only issued if you also buy the issuer's extended warranty on the PJ itself. They aren't sold as a standalone.
This works along the same lines as the rebates in that statistics are used to calculate in advance how many people will actually take advantage of the warranty (or rebate) knowing full well that xxx will not, meaning $$$ in their pockets for nothing.

Other than for a car that you intend to own beyond the mfg's warranty, NEVER buy extended warranties or any of the other slices of cheese they offer you.

Hi:
I am thinking of getting a JVC 702B (or less likely the Yamaha or Denon: due to the cost) receiver.

Can somebody tell me if there are significant disadvantages to the JVC I should be aware of. Also do I still need a good upscaling DVD player (like Oppo) with the receiver or can I buy a standard DVD player or a cheaper upscaling player like the Samsung? A standard DVD player would connect via an S video cable though (don't know if that makes a difference).

Thanks.

hello lets reset the counter please anyone
anyone?
anyone anyone
anyone ?
anyone?

Hi:
I am thinking of getting a JVC 702B (or less likely the Yamaha or Denon: due to the cost) receiver.

Can somebody tell me if there are significant disadvantages to the JVC I should be aware of. Also do I still need a good upscaling DVD player (like Oppo) with the receiver or can I buy a standard DVD player or a cheaper upscaling player like the Samsung? A standard DVD player would connect via an S video cable though (don't know if that makes a difference).

Thanks.

sg99,

I feel the JVC would be a great combo with the AE900U. I personally have the JVC 402B (Same as 702B, just less wattage) and I LOVE it. I use it with a Hitachi PJ-TX100. The HDMI switching is very nice and the sound is warm and full. It also has plenty of power. I would reccomend a good upscaling DVD Player. The Oppo is a good choice or the Denon 1920. I use the Denon with my setup. Eitherway you would want to use your digital connections (DVI with Oppo or HDMI with the Denon) with the upscaling DVD Player.

~Josh

Hi:
I am thinking of getting a JVC 702B (or less likely the Yamaha or Denon: due to the cost) receiver.

Can somebody tell me if there are significant disadvantages to the JVC I should be aware of. Also do I still need a good upscaling DVD player (like Oppo) with the receiver or can I buy a standard DVD player or a cheaper upscaling player like the Samsung? A standard DVD player would connect via an S video cable though (don't know if that makes a difference).

Thanks.
You might get more action on this if you post on the appropriate forum(s).

Got my rebate check and BB card. FWIW, I filed the rebate before the Blockbuster deal was announced. I really didn't expect to get the card, but I guess they let it slip thru. :)

DE

Ceiling mount: Inverted or Upright?

I will be mounting my Panny 900 from a 10ft ceiling on an extension so the lens will be no higher than the top of the screen (59"x105").

Since it will be somewhere overhead the primary seating area (I haven't nailed down the exact throw distance yet) I was wondering if there is a preference on the PJs orientation.

I've read where the unit is truely designed to sit upright, but I assume that is based on PJs that will sit on a shelf about midscreen in terms of height.

I've also heard some say the fan seems to run louder if the unit is inverted.

I like the cleaner look of an inverted ceiling mount, but if using a bracket type ceiling mount in order to keep the PJ upright is better performance-wise, I would choose that method.

Suggestions appreciated - Thanks.

I'm in a new house and my HT room is a bit small, but it's all I have. I'm really intersested in the 900 and ready to make the purchase, but wanted to know if it's right for my room. I will end up sitting about 9 feet from the screen and the projector will be on the ceiling about 9.5 feet back. I thought I would get a fixed mount 80" screen. Will I still have a decent picture that close to the screen? Would one of you with your projector up and running sit off your screen about 9 feet and let me know what you think. My next option would be a plasma, but I really want a projector if I can get a decent picture from that distance. Appreciaate any help or advice you have to offer. Thanks in advance

Edited... uncalled for.

Keep the insulting comments to yourself Dewa.
Carry on everyone..

Shucks, I completely missed it . . .

Any 900 owners have or seen the Severtson electric screens? I'll be in a light controlled room and will use primarily for movies/night time viewing. I'm restricted to a 92-94" pull-down or electric screen. Heard all the rave about the Severtson HC fixed screens, but not much about the matte white electric/pull down screens. If anyone has any information or are happy w/ other screens non-fixed screens for their 900, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

I'm in a new house and my HT room is a bit small, but it's all I have. I'm really intersested in the 900 and ready to make the purchase, but wanted to know if it's right for my room. I will end up sitting about 9 feet from the screen and the projector will be on the ceiling about 9.5 feet back. I thought I would get a fixed mount 80" screen. Will I still have a decent picture that close to the screen? Would one of you with your projector up and running sit off your screen about 9 feet and let me know what you think. My next option would be a plasma, but I really want a projector if I can get a decent picture from that distance. Appreciaate any help or advice you have to offer. Thanks in advance


Hi Ski,

My room isn't that much larger than your own. Only 11 feet from the screen to the couch. You will get a great picture at the distance you're thinking of. I have a 92" diagonal screen and the image is awesome. No Screendoor effect at all. My only advice is, if the room is totally dedicated to the theater, paint the walls and ceiling DARK. I painted my ceiling and the wall the screen is mounted on black and the walls a very dark blue. It made a huge difference in the contrast and black levels. Also, if your components are facing the screen and have bright LED's either dim them or cover them during playback. I had a lot of light spilling on my screen for the LED's on my Monster Powercenter and had to block them. Have to think about this kinda weird stuff with small rooms.

Elio

Regarding Blockbuster Rental Card - Are people who filed the currently active rebate ($400 cash + $300 BB card) finding that they are getting the 40 rental, one at a time, use by 6/30 version of the BB card?

I really find it hard to fathom how that can be worth $300. It sounds like I need to factor the savings out of the equation!

I just used my 40 free rental card at blockbuster and the price of the new release came to 4 bucks and some change. How does 40 rentals times 4-5 bucks equals up to $300 in rentals? I think we are getting skay rewed here out of $100 in rentals. Maybe panasonic used california prices :confused:

yea, its not worth $300

I went to my local Blockbuster with my shiny new rental card. I picked out a movie, went to the counter and was told that they are not a "participating store." I haven't been to blockbuster in almost a year because I use Netflix. What a bummer. This card is worthless to me. :(

well that sucks. I would personally give panasonic a call. I showed my card to the guy working and he never saw one before.

I went to my local Blockbuster with my shiny new rental card. I picked out a movie, went to the counter and was told that they are not a "participating store." (
This just keeps getting better and better.

well that sucks. I would personally give panasonic a call. I showed my card to the guy working and he never saw one before.
Cynic that I am, I'd bet that InPhase's Blockbuster guy had never seen one either, but he was instructed by management that they don't honor ANY promotions like that.

Just contact the Illinois attorney general over the BlockBuster card I think it's fraud they should have stated "40 free rentals" not "up to 300.00" 40 rentals at 3.99 is only 160.00 no where near 300 dollar value " and the "up to 300.00 won't get them off it's deceptive

The games rent for much more than $3.99 in my area about $7 per game. Films are $4.99.

In some parts of NYC the games even rent for more. The card states up to $300. I think this lets them off the hook. I know it is not right but it states only at participating stores. I think this means company owned stores. I wonder if your local store that refused the card was giving out the Holiday handout. The offer was on the last page (inside cover).

The games rent for much more than $3.99 in my area about $7 per game. Films are $4.99.

In some parts of NYC the games even rent for more. The card states up to $300. I think this lets them off the hook. I know it is not right but it states only at participating stores. I think this means company owned stores. I wonder if your local store that refused the card was giving out the Holiday handout. The offer was on the last page (inside cover).
These companies are so lawyered-up that it is probably a waste of time even thinking about lawsuits. Every syllable has been parsed and approved by the head weasel. "Up to $300" is only a problem for them if there is NOWHERE it's worth $300. And how would you prove that anyway?

The real problem is that consumers are not completely informed before buying on how much time and trouble they'll experience in getting the rebate and using the BB card.

Thanks for sharing your experience guys/gals. I was going to count the saving offset by canceling my Blockbuster online membership and use the $300 in rentals. Your experience has left me wiser (but sadder), and leaning towards the Sanyo Z4 perhaps as a better deal. I'm still going to go try and find a B&M that carries both to get some eyeball comparison.

just because you aren't really getting 300 bucks in rentals does not take away from this unit. I would have bought it anyways. It rocks!

Only good for rentals, or does it have cash value for used items?

just because you aren't really getting 300 bucks in rentals does not take away from this unit. I would have bought it anyways. It rocks!

the card states good for 40 movie or game rentals so you can't use it for cash :(

just because you aren't really getting 300 bucks in rentals does not take away from this unit. I would have bought it anyways. It rocks!


Oh I believe it, it's just it was that much a "clearer picture" at a lower price. He he. Sorry. Bad joke.

Anyway, from what you guys say I won't be disappointed if I get the Panny, so that's a huge consideration!

just because you aren't really getting 300 bucks in rentals does not take away from this unit. I would have bought it anyways. It rocks!
Yes, indeed! Don't let my venting on the rebate issue dissuade you from buying this model. Even without it, this is an excellent performer and great value!

Hello All. I just got an AE900U (From VA- great deal!) as a temporary replacement for our school's ailing XG85/IPS4000. It is installed in a screening room where students show their miniDV tapes and DVDRs. My plan was to have the AV Receiver switch between S-Video (for miniDV and DVDR) and composite (VHS and Umatic) souces. I also was going to run component directly from the DVD player for commercially produced DVDs and a VGA cable for computer presentations. While testing things out this weekened, I noticed that if I the s-video was plugged in while viewing component, the video image would picked up a greenish hue. It would "redden" back up if I unplugged the s-video cable. I haven't tried hooking up more sources at the same time yet, but the VGA and composite looked fine when hooked up alone. This color shift happened with 2 different DVD players. Is there a problem with having multiple inputs used at once with this PJ? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Problem
Dan Porvin

WAYYY back at the end of Oct. of last year, I sent in my rebate form. Just now received the $200 check with the Blockbuster card. It's dated 12/31/05. I was beginning to think it would never come. This is one awesome PJ and even with the deals currently out there I have no regrets.

Anywhere in the Atlanta area to check out a ae-900 ?

Thanks,

- Chris

HTIB and the Panny 900

Does anyone have any suggestions for a HTIB under $500 with a DVD in it that offers at least two inputs? Does it make more sense to go with a $300 system without a DVD and get the OPPO DVD player?

I got a Sony HTIB with a built in DVD player and I am currently setting up my system (yay I just got the projector). Comcast is coming tomorrow to install a DVR which I am hoping they can connect directly to the 900 with a HTMI cable. The HTIB is connected to the projector using a component cable.

This HTIB doesn't have enough inputs for me to put anything else into it except the cable dvr box. Since I am thinking I'll want to put a VHS on also (i know the quality will stink), I believe I will need to get a new HTIB system. My goal is to keep this to $500 or under which is why I went with with a DVD as part of the tuner.

2nd Issue:

I played my very first DVD and was blown away by the quality and look of the home theater experience. I rented a wide screen movie and was sure that the projector was set on aspect: auto. The movie when adjusted to fit the screen (100") looked fantastic, but there was about a foot of black light around it, like it didn't fill the screen. I tried changing the aspect on the projector to 16:9 to see if that would help, but it remained the same. Is this a function of the DVD player or is there something I am missing in setting up the Panny 900?

Thanks!

Skier-Girl

I have a question for the group concerning the Panny 900 "synch flash" issue or whatever it was called. I actually have one and have been enjoying it for the past year. On occasion I get that very brief flash that only happens on the HDMI connection. I 'd like to know if this has been fixed because I'm selling my house with the theater and want to buy another one. Just wondering if this issue has been resolved. Since finishing my theater I stopped reading up on these things....too many movies to watch you know. Thanks.

Skier-Girl, both your DVD player and the AE900 have to be set to output and display 16:9
Check in the DVD setup menu for an aspect ratio setting - might say something like "Wide"
The AE900 can be set in aspect 16:9 or auto.

HTIB and the Panny 900

Does anyone have any suggestions for a HTIB under $500 with a DVD in it that offers at least two inputs? Does it make more sense to go with a $300 system without a DVD and get the OPPO DVD player?

I got a Sony HTIB with a built in DVD player and I am currently setting up my system (yay I just got the projector). Comcast is coming tomorrow to install a DVR which I am hoping they can connect directly to the 900 with a HTMI cable. The HTIB is connected to the projector using a component cable.

This HTIB doesn't have enough inputs for me to put anything else into it except the cable dvr box. Since I am thinking I'll want to put a VHS on also (i know the quality will stink), I believe I will need to get a new HTIB system. My goal is to keep this to $500 or under which is why I went with with a DVD as part of the tuner.

2nd Issue:

I played my very first DVD and was blown away by the quality and look of the home theater experience. I rented a wide screen movie and was sure that the projector was set on aspect: auto. The movie when adjusted to fit the screen (100") looked fantastic, but there was about a foot of black light around it, like it didn't fill the screen. I tried changing the aspect on the projector to 16:9 to see if that would help, but it remained the same. Is this a function of the DVD player or is there something I am missing in setting up the Panny 900?

Thanks!

Skier-Girl
Issue #2 sounds like an incorrect setting, which is easily solved. Issue #1 however, might be another matter. Having a $2500 system with ~$2k of it in a display falls outside of the general guidelines for allocating one's budget in a home theater rig. Having tasted the apple, though, it's not likely you'll swap the Panny for a lesser model in order to spend more on the other gear. Indeed, my thinking is that the brain is wired so that a stunning picture can and will cause one to not notice other things not up to snuff. I guess my recommendation would be to hang with what you've got until you can afford to upgrade the receiver part of your system. The Panny has multiple inputs; a VHS outputs max quality over s-video, so use that. I'll go out on a limb and say that the more DVDs you watch, the less you'll use the tape deck. And the more hi-def cable you watch, the less you'll watch DVDs. :)

"but there was about a foot of black light around it, like it didn't fill the screen. I tried changing the aspect on the projector to 16:9 to see if that would help, but it remained the same. Is this a function of the DVD player or is there something I am missing in setting up the Panny 900?"

Top and bottom? If so you were probably watching a movie with an aspect ratio above 1.78. For *real* widescreen movies on a normal setup you will end up with letterboxing on a 1.78 screen.

That is why some of us have constant height setups......

Shawn

"but there was about a foot of black light around it, like it didn't fill the screen. I tried changing the aspect on the projector to 16:9 to see if that would help, but it remained the same. Is this a function of the DVD player or is there something I am missing in setting up the Panny 900?"

Top and bottom? If so you were probably watching a movie with an aspect ratio above 1.78. For *real* widescreen movies on a normal setup you will end up with letterboxing on a 1.78 screen.

That is why some of us have constant height setups......

Shawn
Don't confuse her - "a foot of black light all around" sounds like top and bottom, and left and right as well. On my Sony this would be the difference between "Full" and "Full Through" on the zoom button.

Skier-Girl, it looks like you got your answer, but for sure, the black all around your widescreen image is an incorrect setting in your DVD player. Somewhere in its menu system, you will be able to tell the DVD player that you are now using a 16:9 tv, instead of a 4:3. Your DVD player was outputting an image for a regular 4:3 display, and thats why it had that black in the areas that a 4:3 display doesn't show.

This PJ is only sold online at costco.com. I got this straight from the costco rep.

Gman

Seems to have disappeared from their website.

Skier-Girl,

In addition to what others have suggested i.e. Player and PJ are set correctly, be sure you are viewing a DVD that claims to be "Anamorphic" or "Enhanced for 16:9" The effect you describe - black all around can also be a result of the DVD not being coded to take advantage of Widescreen displays - these are likely to be older.

Also be aware of 2.35 "Scope" screens *will* fill your screen from side to side but there will be black bars across the top and bottom.

Some links if you wish background
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/anamorphic/index.html
http://www.widescreen.org/widescreen.shtml

ted

Found the problem, lol!

Found the problem, lol!

Was it nearby?
Find any coins with it?

ted

Hehe no. Visual Apex did not send me the pdf of the invoice. I just called them and they sent it right away.

Hello All. I just got an AE900U (From VA- great deal!) as a temporary replacement for our school's ailing XG85/IPS4000. It is installed in a screening room where students show their miniDV tapes and DVDRs. My plan was to have the AV Receiver switch between S-Video (for miniDV and DVDR) and composite (VHS and Umatic) souces. I also was going to run component directly from the DVD player for commercially produced DVDs and a VGA cable for computer presentations. While testing things out this weekened, I noticed that if I the s-video was plugged in while viewing component, the video image would picked up a greenish hue. It would "redden" back up if I unplugged the s-video cable. I haven't tried hooking up more sources at the same time yet, but the VGA and composite looked fine when hooked up alone. This color shift happened with 2 different DVD players. Is there a problem with having multiple inputs used at once with this PJ? Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Problem
Dan Porvin

I have hooked up my ae900 with s-video, component and HDMI. I don't see any color shifts, all sources are just fine.

Would anybody be able to tell me the mounting pattern for the ceiling mount? I am getting my AE900 today and I would like to make up a mount at work before I get home. I was not able to find the mounting pattern in the manual. Thanks.

I am planning to mount a Panasonic AE900 using a Chief-RPA225 mount. My first consideration was to mount the projector so that center of the lens will be even with the top of the screen. This will mean that I have to use an extension pole that is 14-inches long. Chief Manufacturing makes fixed extension poles of various lengths but none that are exactly 14 inches. The adjustable poles are just way too expensive.

With the Panasonic AE900 how close do I need to be to the top of screen to avoid keystone corrections? And secondly, can I just buy a 1-½ inch diameter pole from Home Depot and have it cut and threaded to be exact length that I need? I was just thinking the Home Depot pole would be just plain ugly.

Any suggestions?

Wow! You can count me as one of those who is very impressed after spending about five hours with the 900 last night. I am extremely impressed with this projector's contrast, especially given the fact that I am running it in low power mode with a DIY 96" BO screen in a very dark room. Tried everything on it last night--HD comcast signals, Oppo, and 360. By the way is it just me or does NBC's Olympic HD coverage flat out suck? Anyway, wow what a projector. I will obviously be doing a ton of tweaking in the next week, but I love what I see so far. One final question regarding filters since I am a noob with them--when I buy a filter how do I attach it to the projector? Does it come precut to just thread on to the lens?

Chris r in pa, welcome to the forum. Glad to see you are enjoying your new projector. To answer your question about filters. You can buy 77mm filters and they will screw in. There is a thread on the lens. It is also possible to get 67mm filters and get a 67-77mm adaptor.
The cost is much lower for 67mm filters. You might want to get a calibration disk such as AVIA or DVE. Check out the AE900 tweaks thread. So far I like the 81C filter best. Others like the 81EF filter, but for me there is too much loss of light with that filter. Before you buy the filter use the calibration disk and you might want to try some of the posted settings on the tweak thread without using a filter.

Thanks everyone for the black bar advice. It was the DVD player set to the wrong setting. Now all is wonderful except for the fact that I am stuck waiting for hours for comcast to show up and they aren't here yet! I can't wait to watch the olympics on this thing!

I have not calibrated my player or even tweaked it. I haven't mounted the projector or the screen yet, figuring it's best to leave the tinkering for when it's in its permanent place. I think it looks good but I haven't seen anything but cartoons on it yet.

Why do people use filters on their projectors?

Thanks,
Skier-Girl

Why do people use filters on their projectors?l
This might get me flamed, but it's mostly to make picture improvements that only a trained eye - or test instruments - that can detect. :)

Use a calibration DVD and you will get 98% of the potential performance. Without that, you're probably getting 80%.

This might get me flamed, but it's mostly to make picture improvements that only a trained eye - or test instruments - that can detect. :)

Use a calibration DVD and you will get 98% of the potential performance. Without that, you're probably getting 80%.

I get about 1/2 stop greater On/Off CR with my 81EF filtered 700 and, black level is noticeably lower. Now I would agree if you had said "experienced" as I don't think you need to be told what to look for (training) to perceive a difference. "Experienced" wouldn't necessarily mean that you can describe what you see - simply note it.

Now of course my eyes might be described by some as trained (I am in Broadcast) but perception is quite often altered ;) so maybe I'm just in a state of "Oh wow man, dig the Contrast." :)

ted

My eyes definitely could NOT be described as "trained", and the difference the 81ef filter made to the contrast and black levels of my 900 was obvious. A significant improvement.

Well I would not call myself "trained", but I would certainly not call myself a novice either with video systems, nor to front projection. The 900 is my third projector, and as it is after some nice tweaking with DVE and suggestions here on the forums, I have a gorgeous picture already. But I am also am one of those guys who never settles until perfection. So I was looking into filters, which I will gladly admit I am a complete noob at understanding. Is it really worth the money to spring for a filter in the opinion of those "experienced" in such things? I am really thinking of doing this if it will truly help black levels and/or more accurate greyscale/color reproduction.

"Is it really worth the money to spring for a filter in the opinion of those "experienced" in such things? I am really thinking of doing this if it will truly help black levels and/or more accurate greyscale/color reproduction."

Read the tweak thread and you will see the measured CR (not spec. CR) in some cases almost doubles with the filter. That is probably worth $50 to most people.

As far as black level it noticeably helps there. The big thing it does is help to remove the blue cast that 'black' has. I'm using the 81EF on mine.

Shawn

Kind of a spur of the moment thing. TV set went out on me and it will be 10 days before they can even look at it. It was either the panny or the z4 and I picked this one because of the great rebate so much cheaper. Anyone have any good places to get a cheap ceiling mount. Also need cables. I guess the projector will be about 10 feet from wall. Was even thinking about just having on a coffee table for now until later this summer when I get work done to the theater area. Anyone using it on a table top?

So I was looking into filters, which I will gladly admit I am a complete noob at understanding. Is it really worth the money to spring for a filter in the opinion of those "experienced" in such things? I am really thinking of doing this if it will truly help black levels and/or more accurate greyscale/color reproduction.

The investment is the cost of a filter and the effort involved in changing your settings per the 900 tweaks thread.

The why might be glommed at this link (http://www.smartavtweaks.com/dummies3.html). Unfortunately Smart III is currently unavailable but Smallcombe's site does have good information regarding the process.

ted

[QUOTE=Skier-Girl]HTIB and the Panny 900

Does anyone have any suggestions for a HTIB under $500 with a DVD in it that offers at least two inputs? Does it make more sense to go with a $300 system without a DVD and get the OPPO DVD player?

I got a Sony HTIB with a built in DVD player and I am currently setting up my system (yay I just got the projector). Comcast is coming tomorrow to install a DVR which I am hoping they can connect directly to the 900 with a HTMI cable. The HTIB is connected to the projector using a component cable.

This HTIB doesn't have enough inputs for me to put anything else into it except the cable dvr box. Since I am thinking I'll want to put a VHS on also (i know the quality will stink), I believe I will need to get a new HTIB system. My goal is to keep this to $500 or under which is why I went with with a DVD as part of the tuner.

Not sure if this will help, but I have a go video dvd-recorder with vhs deck and tv tuner that will output all signals through s-video or component outputs. One connection covers anything coming out. I got it for $120 on UBID.com about 6 months ago. It is model number vr 3930. I believe other models have this capability.

With that, you could get the rest for your other money.

Just a thought.

Ken

PS. Hey Look, my 100th post.....

What happened to the panny 900 at Costco.com ?? :o I was going to order today and it seems to be gone. Did they sell out !!!! I was going to order last week but never got around to it......uuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggg!!!

John

This is what it says:
"We're sorry, this product is not available.11110043"

Hi all....another newbie here going from RPTV to the AE900. My room will not be completely dark during the daytime, but probably 80-85% dark, and I've decided on a screen either 106" or 119", possibly Da-Lite HCCV (1.1 gain) or CV (1.3 gain). I did use the Calculator Pro on projectorcentral.com, as everyone probably does, to get the throw distance for a 106" and 119" screen.

I'm still unsure about the distance/brightness debate. Should I mount closer to the screen in order to achieve maximum brightness, or does it matter the mounting distance? On the Calculator Pro, how come adjusting the throw distance for a certain screen size doesn't change the image brightness?

Will the AE900 be bright enough for either a 106" or 119" screen?

Any other recommended alternatives to the Da-Lite screens?

Sorry for the questions, which I'm sure has been asked a million times before, but I'm just learning this front projector deal. Thanks in advance.

After months of reading forums and reviews I narrowed my search to the Z4 and AE900. The $400 rebate on the AE900 was what I needed to pull the trigger. I was concerned about the 1 yr warranty so I decided to look at VA to purchase the Panny with the additional warranty. From yesterday to today their price increased $30. What gives?

Well I would not call myself "trained", but I would certainly not call myself a novice either with video systems, nor to front projection. The 900 is my third projector, and as it is after some nice tweaking with DVE and suggestions here on the forums, I have a gorgeous picture already. But I am also am one of those guys who never settles until perfection. So I was looking into filters, which I will gladly admit I am a complete noob at understanding. Is it really worth the money to spring for a filter in the opinion of those "experienced" in such things? I am really thinking of doing this if it will truly help black levels and/or more accurate greyscale/color reproduction.
I would say that if you are able to verbalize the differences you seek and expect to achieve - which you just have - then you are a good candidate fior a filter. As noted, the cost is minimal. One thing no one mentioned above is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, i.e. for something gained, something else is lost. In this case, the increase in CR comes at the expense of brightness (light output). That so many swear by filters suggests that the trade-off is worth it. YMMV; if you've got lumens to spare with your screen size and room conditions, go for it.

Any good recomendations for screen type with this projector. Most of the viewing will be 80% dark. Just don't want to spend money on a screen only to be disapointed. I understand that since it is lcd it doesn't have great black levels. Would a higher gain screen be in order or what? What do others use and how do they like it.

If price is important I would recommend the Grey Wolf. A good screen at a great price.

If price is important I would recommend the Grey Wolf. A good screen at a great price.


That is what I was leaning towards. I can pick a 106" up at my local B.B. for $299. Of course I could get it $100 cheaper with an online retailer, but I want to be able to try it out and if I don't like it I assume BB has a good return policy. With a gain that high will I sacrifice anything that goes with it? Seems as though you have trade offs when getting one thing. I also assume I would be able to go in low light mode with that screen. That would be a plus as it would expand bulb life.

Check out the screen thread. You may get BB to match one of the online retailers.
Their price is very high. The screen has gotten great reviews and many consider it a great buy. You can use low light mode with no problem and you might want to check out the tweak thread on the AE900. You could even try filters without too much light loss.

What happened to the panny 900 at Costco.com ?? :o I was going to order today and it seems to be gone. Did they sell out !!!! I was going to order last week but never got around to it......uuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggg!!!

John

I too saw that a few days ago.
After doing a fair bit of research, (I don't like sending the better part of $2K just anywhere), I settled on VA (a forum alliance member). They were very competitive and the AVS member warranty bonus was well, a bonus. I ordered the projector and the product was delivered 250 + miles away in just over 23 hours (free regular shipping). I had a question regarding my order and received very pleasant and knowlegable info from the sales rep,"Nancy".
I've ordered a number of products in my day but this experience was one of the most enjoyable.
My highest recommendaton.

Hammerman

After months of reading forums and reviews I narrowed my search to the Z4 and AE900. The $400 rebate on the AE900 was what I needed to pull the trigger. I was concerned about the 1 yr warranty so I decided to look at VA to purchase the Panny with the additional warranty. From yesterday to today their price increased $30. What gives?

The price bump is curious but overall still close to the best $ out there. Figure in the AVS bonus warranty and it's hard to beat. Best customer service I've seen in a long time.

Hammerman

When did you send in your rebate info? Just wondering as I mailed mine on 12/16/05 and still don't show up on the rebate website. I called a few weeks back and they said it hadn't been 8 weeks yet, but I figured I'd still show up in the database.

jcg

FYI, mine didn't show up on their website either, so I called today. They said they received it on 1/10/06 and will probably have a check send out w/in a month or so. I asked why it didn't show up on the website, and they said something about Panasonic maintaining the website, and they haven't kept it up to date, etc.

-Sean

Hammer,

Thanks for the info. I liked the costco idea because you could return it to the local store if it had a problem instead of having to send it back. Not a huge deal but a nice convenance.

I'll ck out VA and perhaps go that route now. Thanks again.

John

Finally ordered my AE900 from VA after 2 weeks of reading this thread. My room is 12 x 27 and planning to have it ceiling mounted 16 feet back and paint my wall for a screen. My seating distance will be around a foot in front of the projector.
My question is regarding placement of A/V equipments. Does most people have it in front near the screen or in back behind their seating area? TIA.

Finally ordered my AE900 from VA after 2 weeks of reading this thread. My room is 12 x 27 and planning to have it ceiling mounted 16 feet back and paint my wall for a screen. My seating distance will be around a foot in front of the projector.
My question is regarding placement of A/V equipments. Does most people have it in front near the screen or in back behind their seating area? TIA.

IMO you do not want it near the screen because all the lights can be distracting from the overall HT experience. That being said I am putting mine against the screen wall, but it's all the way to the side pretty far from the screen and there will be smoked glass covering it to tame the lights.

Noob question, but what is "VA"? I did my due diligence, and all I found out was it's somtimes V/A, and it's West Coast, maybe Redmond WA?

Thanks

IMO you do not want it near the screen because all the lights can be distracting from the overall HT experience. That being said I am putting mine against the screen wall, but it's all the way to the side pretty far from the screen and there will be smoked glass covering it to tame the lights.
Some layout will lend themselves better to locating gear in the rear, while others in the front. For the rooms that "want" the gear in the front, it is usually a struggle (read: $$$) to locate it in the rear. For example, my souces and processing is in the rear, but my power amps are in the front. I built a false wall to hide it (and the subs) as well as hold a perfed screen. (If you click on the link in my sig you can follow the process.) The $$$ in my case was for an 8-channel audio snake to connect the pre/pro in the rear to the amps in the front. It was a simple matter to run video cables from my rack to my projector.

Noob question, but what is "VA"? I did my due diligence, and all I found out was it's somtimes V/A, and it's West Coast, maybe Redmond WA?

Thanks
visual apex got mine from them very happy

visual apex got mine from them very happy


Cool, thanks, I will look into this...!

I have been "lurking" around this thread for a while and now that my home theater is almost done, I have finally ordered an AE900. I also purchased from VA and got a great deal. My projector won't come in until next week and I know this has probably been covered but what are the first things I should check out about the projector to make sure there are no issues?

Hey I need some advice, I have decided that when I purchase my projector next month it will be the Panasonic AE900U. Now my problem is I am trying to decide which screen to get. I have been looking into the Gray Wolf Panoview 92" screen and it seems to be the closest to what I want that's actually 16:9. What is everyone else using for screens I really can't get much bigger than the 92" and I can't get too expensive the gray wolf is about 200 dollars so I don't really want to go much higher than that.

good screen as long as your not planning to ceiling mount

interesting article on how companies delaying or not paying rebates sounds a liitle like how are rebates are being delayed
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/consumeractionguide/P57658.asp

interesting article on how companies delaying or not paying rebates sounds a liitle like how are rebates are being delayed
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Savinganddebt/consumeractionguide/P57658.asp
Considerably more verbose than even me, but that makes my exact point.

good screen as long as your not planning to ceiling mount

why is it not a good screen if I end up ceiling mounting the projector?

sorry if this is a dumb question from the get go, but I just received my ae900 and I am in the process of deciding on a screen. I am going with a 16:9 even though I'm thinking I'll be watching 75% dvd and 25% HDTV/xbox 360. Anyway since I have not been able to fool around with the projector, how does one adjust for the different aspect ratios when viewing. Does the projector account for it and just put in the black bars like my rear projection widescreen TV, or do you need to manually adjust the lens when you switch from the different formats?

I am getting my room drywalled next week. I have an outlet for the projector on the ceiling, where it will be mounted. I am going to get some sort of line conditioner/surge protector. Is there any way for me to plug the projector into the surge that will be in my equip rack? Can I get a longer power cord for the proj, and just run it alongside my HDMI and comp cables? Or, would it be better to just get a separate, small surge that plugs into the proj outlet and the proj plugs into it?

What is the best way to do it?

Andy

Hey I need some advice, I have decided that when I purchase my projector next month it will be the Panasonic AE900U. Now my problem is I am trying to decide which screen to get. I have been looking into the Gray Wolf Panoview 92" screen and it seems to be the closest to what I want that's actually 16:9. What is everyone else using for screens I really can't get much bigger than the 92" and I can't get too expensive the gray wolf is about 200 dollars so I don't really want to go much higher than that.


I have the exact same screen. I'm really happy with it!!

Elio

I got my $200 rebate but I suggest that anyone who files for a rebate do the following.

1. Photocopy everything.
2. Be sure you follow all directions and put a check mark next each direction.
3. If the rebate is large like the one for the Panasonic send it in using some type of delivery conformation.
4. Keep track of the dates you sent in the rebate.
5. Cash the check immediately when you receive it.

why is it not a good screen if I end up ceiling mounting the projector?

The GreyWolf is a "retro-reflective" screen... this means that the light will be reflected back towards the source. If the projector is mounted high above your seating area, that is where the light will go. You will still be able to see the image, but you will lose a great deal of the "gain" the screen comes with and depending on what the angles are you could even wind up with a gain of less than 1.0 at your seating location.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL THROW DISTANCE

I have the same question as below. I have a darkish room in the day (probably 85% dark) and plan on mounting the 900 on the ceiling. I can mount it from about 11 feet to as much as 19 feet. I have a 100" 16:9 screen. What is the OPTIMAL distance to mount the projector? Although I know I am in the right range for the screen size, I can't figure it out from reading the throw charts.

Oh..and on my ceiling mount it came with wood screws and sleeve anchors to attach it to the ceiling. I have NO IDEA what a sleeve anchor is! (I'm home improvement challenged). Does anyone know if I need to use this metal thingie when attaching the mount to the ceiling?

Finally, what are the IR things that can make your remote controls bounce to the back of the room called? I am setting up with all my equipment on the opposite wall than the screen.

Thanks!

Skier-Girl


I'm still unsure about the distance/brightness debate. Should I mount closer to the screen in order to achieve maximum brightness, or does it matter the mounting distance? On the Calculator Pro, how come adjusting the throw distance for a certain screen size doesn't change the image brightness?

Skier-Girl,
Mounting the projector closer to the screen will give you a brighter picture, but you'll want some leeway in case you ever want to get a larger screen, or something. So, the optimal distance for you would be about 13 feet.

People often find a little distortion if they use all of their lens shift, so an ideal location for ceiling mount would include the projector hanging down about as low as the top of the picture on your screen. (no matter how far back or forward you mount the projector.)

For mounting to ceiling, wood screws are only good enough if you are going directly into solid wood. If your ceiling is made of that white "popcorn" stuff, those new sleeve anchors will be needed, but should be good enough for such a lightweight projector. (Don't pull hard on the mount while adjusting it, though.)

The best kind of anchors look something like fat screws. You tap it into the surface about 1/4 inch, then turn it with a screwdriver until it is flush. Then, you screw the mount to that with the screws.

Some other sleeves don't have anything that looks like threads (no sorkscrew shape), and they have to be inserted into holes you drill that are just small enough to make a tight fit. Those kind of anchors are not as strong, in my experience.

Some people attach their projector mount to the joists or rafters that support the ceiling, using long wood screws, but that is not necessary with the 900 (again, it's light.)

Finally, what are the IR things that can make your remote controls bounce to the back of the room called? I am setting up with all my equipment on the opposite wall than the screen.
There are IR repeaters that can be used for this purpose. There are also remotes that emit RF and IR. Those types have receivers that receive RF and emit IR. Obviously, RF is not line-of-sight allowing the receiver/emitter to be mounted where it can "see" the gear being controlled.

Here is a helpful site for remotes - http://www.remotecentral.com/.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL THROW DISTANCE

I have the same question as below. I have a darkish room in the day (probably 85% dark) and plan on mounting the 900 on the ceiling. I can mount it from about 11 feet to as much as 19 feet. I have a 100" 16:9 screen. What is the OPTIMAL distance to mount the projector? Although I know I am in the right range for the screen size, I can't figure it out from reading the throw charts.

Oh..and on my ceiling mount it came with wood screws and sleeve anchors to attach it to the ceiling. I have NO IDEA what a sleeve anchor is! (I'm home improvement challenged). Does anyone know if I need to use this metal thingie when attaching the mount to the ceiling?

Finally, what are the IR things that can make your remote controls bounce to the back of the room called? I am setting up with all my equipment on the opposite wall than the screen.

Thanks!

Skier-Girl

As TRICK mentioned earlier... it is always a compromise! The closer you mount the projector the more light available for lighting a bigger screen... the farther away you mount the projector you have less light, but you use the smaller section of the lens which will give you the best focus! Personally I would stay away from any of the extreme ends of the spectrum for the screen size you want. If your room is such that you can mount the projector at the back of the room on a shelf of any kind that would be ideal as that way you could have the projector as close as possible to the middle of the screen and use the least amount of vertical or horizontal offset... of course to not have the zoom completely set to zero you might have to have a larger screen.... Oh Darn! :eek: With my limited experience with projectors (two years) bigger is always better!

On item two the IR Repeaters...... one source for you to consider is one of our forum contributors MIKESRC. Mike runs a "remote" business and knows everything there is to know about remote controls. :D

When I turn the Overscan option to off and put a calibration test DVD, whenever the blue filter test pattern is on the screen, all along the left border of the screen it get a red colored vertical line (like a straight red vertical line pararell to the screen with noise in it). It disappears if I turn overscan on. Does anybody knows what this could be? thanks.

Thanks Bumski....is the extension poll built in a way that I can cut it smaller if need be??? It may be a little long. I was looking for a total of 9-10" in a mount and than add the 4-5" or so for the lense for a total of 13-15" down from my ceiling. Is this possible??

Thanks,
The extension telescopes out for the inside of the main tube like a radio antenna, you will not have to cut anything. If you wanted to cut a custom fit a hack saw and few minutes will do the trick and it would still look like a clean professional install.

You will have to set the desired length before you mount. If you want to make sure it is extremely secure you could drill a hole thorough the main pipe housing into the telescoping piece and use a screw and nut, thus guaranteeing the ae900 would not slip. But I think the latter method would be way over kill.

Hi:
Just ordered the AE900 from the Costco website along with the Da-Lite 100" HD screen also available on the Costco website. Does anybody know more details about that particular screen (eg material, gain ratio etc).

Also, I am not sure if that is the right size screen for my room, the seating area is about 18 feet from where the screen will be. Do I need a bigger or a smaller screen. After reading this forums I am already having second thoughts on the PJ, the other projector on my short list was the Sony VPL-HS51A Cineza but the AE 900 is about $ 1500 cheaper.

Thanks.
Get the 900 and don’t look back it’s a deal right now. I was on the fence with the 51 also. I read some reviews form this site and others that if you are going to watch standard def with the VPL-51 you may want to consider an upscale-r just to make match CRT sd quality. Although I may be biased because I am an ae900 owner. Once you got that that PJ running you wont care about the minute difference and claims, you will just love it. My next real upgrade will be 1080p at this price point.

I have a question regarding my power cord. I found a 3 foot 3 pronger at work. It says 25A 125V or something. It says it is 18 AWG. Would this work with the Panny? I know it is a numbskull question, but I am not an electrician and don't want to start a fire or wreck my projector!

OK, I said I'd post more details when my issue was resolved.

Last month, I bought an AE900 from Projector People, that had noticable vertical banding (VB) in sky, water, fog/smoke, and scenes with large areas of tan/beige colors. Bad enough to be VERY distracting! The lines were EASILY visible on a green test pattern. (There was also a stuck pixel, but it was not at all visible from 12' away)

I talked to their tech support people and they asserted that all LCD projectors have VB, and that the best thing to do for it would be to defocus my lens. :mad: This was surprising. Since I was having a quality issue, and the liability is Panasonic's, why I was getting resistance from the vendor? :confused:

After Phone Menu Hell, I talked to several Panasonic people, none of whom appeared to know a whole lot about the projector. I eventually got some more suggestions which were:

1) Reduce Brightness
2) Flip the switch off instead of leaving it in standby
3) Warm up the unit for 5 minutes before applying a signal
4) Feed the PJ 1080i instead of 720p

They suggested that if that didn't work I should contact my dealer or their service center. So after trying all this and not being satisfied, I contacted Projector People, and after a little bit of nudging, they talked with their Panasonic rep and he agreed to swap it out...Which they did post-haste. (3 days, total, there and back. Impressive. :) ) They also opened and checked out my new unit, putting a new piece of tape on the box stating that they had done so, and that the unit passed Quality Assurance. :)

The new unit, like my original, was made in September 2005. The serial numbers are just a few hundred units apart, yet the replacement is NOTICEABLY better than the original, after only 15 minutes warm-up, with zero tweaking. :D But still not completely free of VB. :(

What I've learned that I hope will help other projector neophytes:

* If you buy from PP, have them do the quality check. This will mean ordering via phone instead of on the website, but MIGHT save you from the hassle I've been through.

* Projector People is a decent vendor, but obtaining service required the overcoming of some inertia, after which things moved very well.

* Don't expect perfection from a projector that's as feature-rich and low-priced as the AE900. You won't get it. Nevertheless, if you get one that's unacceptable to you, persistence pays off. Judging from the two units I've seen, the quality on these units varies more widely than I would hope.

* Have your environment and test material 100% ready before striking the bulb. Some vendors (PP included) have a return policy that is limited by bulb-hours. I didn't determine that my unit was unacceptable to me until after 30 bulb hours; Well-beyond the refundable limit, though I never seriously considered returning the projector anyway. I didn't want a different projector; I wanted an AE900 that didn't have quality problems.

* Given what I know now, I would have bought a DLP projector instead. However, none of the DLP models at this price (yet) offer the setup flexability that the AE900 does, so a comparable DLP unit would be significantly more expensive.

Hey I need some advice, I have decided that when I purchase my projector next month it will be the Panasonic AE900U. Now my problem is I am trying to decide which screen to get. I have been looking into the Gray Wolf Panoview 92" screen and it seems to be the closest to what I want that's actually 16:9. What is everyone else using for screens I really can't get much bigger than the 92" and I can't get too expensive the gray wolf is about 200 dollars so I don't really want to go much higher than that.

You might want to get your pj this month, to take advantage of the $400 rebate.

RULE #1 - wherever possible at least consider shelf mount with a dead center projector shot, even if you have to shoot to the long wall

1. if you keep the shelf height at 5 ft or less onto a typical 96" screen, you will best approximate the near dead center (over viewer shoulder style) approach of commercial theaters

2. so long as the light cone from the projector is not blocked by someone seated, don't worry about any other blockages of someone standing -as the straight shot is near optimal in all regards

3. you will absolutely maximize the capabilities of the smooth screen technology meaning, you will retain the IMAX viewing distance options, for example viewing a 96" screen from 4.5 ft, or for have the options for normal SDE-free viewing positions as close as 6.5 to 8.0 ft with few (if any at all) picture quality tradeoffs with the best quality HD material

4. shelf mount allows complete dust protection when not in use

5. shelf mount allows very short HDMI/DVI cable runs from CABLE hd box or SAT HD box as they can be located very close to the projector

6. when HD-DVD hits, the ultra-close abilities of the Panasonic will become apparent to more people, as it will provide a standardized high quality HD signal, since owners so far have been unable to test with high quality HD material.

Now that COSTCO is apparently offering AE900u's - I don't see how anyone can beat them in practical (easy exchange if defective) terms now in regards to low cost/high quality home HD theaters

correction on # 6 "SOME owners so far have been unable to test"

For example in Australia where HD is 5 yrs behind USA or where owners didn't want to get HD for whatever reason in other countries

The impact of HD-DVD (assuming its finally released) will be enormous on mega-screen home theaters as they display optimized HD sourced material better than any other style of HD displays. I am assuming Toshiba is going to do their job and give us some decent HD

Hello,

I'm on the fence for a new projector with prices dropping as fast as this.

A few years back, prices were a bit on a tie between LCD & DLP, and I went with a Nec HT1000, still a great projector, but I have a bit of trouble with it since I went the fully digital route. a noticeable flaw is that this machine can't change aspects when it is fed 720P.

I'm wondering about the new LCD's like the 900 here... For regular DVD (PAL!) use (upscaled to 720p though) would the improved resolution on an LCD outperform the DLP at 1024*576? I'm just thinking, more pixels means better interpolation means better color?

I went for DLP because I couldn't stand the black levels in LCD at the time the HT1000 appeared.

HDTV is not an option yet, there's nothing available in Europe that's worth it yet. However, as internet is ever progressing, there's already a lot of 720P Xvid material out there that is worth viewing...

So would a move from a XGA DLP to this new LCD be worth it for someone in PAL land? Thanks!

OK, I said I'd post more details when my issue was resolved.

Last month, I bought an AE900 from Projector People, that had noticable vertical banding (VB) in sky, water, fog/smoke, and scenes with large areas of tan/beige colors. Bad enough to be VERY distracting! The lines were EASILY visible on a green test pattern. (There was also a stuck pixel, but it was not at all visible from 12' away)

I talked to their tech support people and they asserted that all LCD projectors have VB, and that the best thing to do for it would be to defocus my lens. :mad: This was surprising. Since I was having a quality issue, and the liability is Panasonic's, why I was getting resistance from the vendor? :confused:

After Phone Menu Hell, I talked to several Panasonic people, none of whom appeared to know a whole lot about the projector. I eventually got some more suggestions which were:

1) Reduce Brightness
2) Flip the switch off instead of leaving it in standby
3) Warm up the unit for 5 minutes before applying a signal
4) Feed the PJ 1080i instead of 720p

They suggested that if that didn't work I should contact my dealer or their service center. So after trying all this and not being satisfied, I contacted Projector People, and after a little bit of nudging, they talked with their Panasonic rep and he agreed to swap it out...Which they did post-haste. (3 days, total, there and back. Impressive. :) ) They also opened and checked out my new unit, putting a new piece of tape on the box stating that they had done so, and that the unit passed Quality Assurance. :)

The new unit, like my original, was made in September 2005. The serial numbers are just a few hundred units apart, yet the replacement is NOTICEABLY better than the original, after only 15 minutes warm-up, with zero tweaking. :D

What I've learned that I hope will help other projector neophytes:

* If you buy from PP, have them do the quality check. This will mean ordering via phone instead of on the website, but MIGHT save you from the hassle I've been through.

* Projector People is a good vendor, but obtaining service required the overcoming of some inertia, after which things moved very well.

* Don't expect perfection from a projector that's as feature-rich and low-priced as the AE900. Nevertheless, if you get one that's unacceptable to you, persistence pays off. Judging from the two units I've seen, the quality on these units varies more widely than I would hope.

* Have your environment and test material 100% ready before striking the bulb. Some vendors (PP included) have a return policy that is limited by bulb-hours. I didn't determine that my unit was unacceptable to me until after 30 bulb hours; Well-beyond the refundable limit, though I never seriously considered returning the projector anyway. I didn't want a different projector; I wanted an AE900 that didn't have quality problems.

* Given what I know now, I MIGHT have bought a DLP projector instead. However, none of the DLP models at this price (yet) offer the setup flexability that the AE900 does. I would probably still have chosen the AE900, since in the end I am satisfied.


I think I might have some VB as well. I only noticed it towards the end of my movie. What is the cause of VB and do certain screens show it more than others. Using the Graywolf 106". The only other issue I have with this projector is a stuck green pixle down on the lower right side right where the stations put their logos. I don't think the stuck pixle is a big deal as I expected to have them anyway. I don't think I spend my time looking at that far off center anyway.

I am going to be away from home for two months, so I have a delema. I could send it back and then pay a 10% restocking fee with after all the shipping and all both to me and back would factor in about $300 loss. Then wait for 2 months when I get back home and buy another PJ, but would there be any for under $500 in 2 months factoring in the rebate? Or I could just keep the projector.

I think I need to look at some test screens to look more closely. I put up one of those cross patterns for convergence and I mustt say I was impressed. Looked better than my $3000 jvc tv I bought 7 months ago. I mean it was dead on no CA or convergence issues. Weird thing is though I did the same thing on just a wall before mounting my screen and it was bad like a large blue was off by two pixles and then put up the screen and it was perfect. So how does the screen help convergenge? Ok enough rambling just want to know what you would do. I got my unit at Buydig so I don't know if I should complain about the VB and pixle as I don't know if they would let me swap it out and if I tell them there is a problem they might not let me return for my 10% restocking fee.

Costco had them....

Just checked the web site today - no AE-900 listed anywhere.
Hope ya all got em while they lasted. What a deal.

Finally, what are the IR things that can make your remote controls bounce to the back of the room called? I am setting up with all my equipment on the opposite wall than the screen.

Thanks!

Skier-Girl

I highly recommend the URC line of universal remotes. Their 100, 200 and 300 models can be combined with an IR repeater that is strong enough to accept the original signal, and flash it back to all of your components. You would place the repeater in the front of the room facing toward the back of the room. Search the web for the best deals. Most vendors will bundle the remote and base station (repeater) for a very good deal. If you'd prefer, you can also pay a bit more and pick one up at CC or BB.

I use the URC-200 to control my 900, receiver, DVD player, Sat STB, and my lights, all of which are located at the back of the room behind the seating area. I place the MRF-100 (base station) in the front of the room on my left main speaker. It works like a charm, and the small footprint of the base station allows it to disappear when the lights go down.

When I turn the Overscan option to off and put a calibration test DVD, whenever the blue filter test pattern is on the screen, all along the left border of the screen it get a red colored vertical line (like a straight red vertical line pararell to the screen with noise in it). It disappears if I turn overscan on. Does anybody knows what this could be? thanks.

Overscan is there for exactly that reason, that is to eliminate any noise at the edges of the picture.

That said, I have my overscan set to "Off," and I've never seen noise in a DVE test pattern. What test disk are you using?

Overscan is there for exactly that reason, that is to eliminate any noise at the edges of the picture.

That said, I have my overscan set to "Off," and I've never seen noise in a DVE test pattern. What test disk are you using?

I am using Video Essentials (not DVE)...

Just got the AE900. I have my Dell XPS connected to the AE900 through a DVI cable from my ATI X850XTPE with a converter at the end of the DVI to Hdmi. The problem I have is that I leave the PC on normally and just turn off the projector. When I turn the projector back on I do not get a signal. If I reboot or change the display properties, the image kicks in. This did not happen with my Sony I upgraded from. Any ideas?

I have already turned off power save to the monitor and screen savers. I know the signal is still there. It happens even if I just turn off the projector and immediately turn it back on after the cool down. Anyone else have this problem?

I am finally ready to pull the trigger and buy a new projector at the end of this month. I have been looking at the ae900u and ae700u and would like to know what the differences are. I know that the 700u has the D4 panels and the 900u has the D5 but I still don't know what that means in the real world.
Basically, what are the real world differences between the two. For example, I have read that the real CR on the 700u is about 1200 and the 900u is about 1350 so I am not looking at specs on paper but in real life. What it really comes down to is how much more improved is the 900u over the 700u. I know that cost is relative, I am just putting up the price difference between the two (but if you would like to voice your opinion on whether you would pay $700 more for the 900u or not I would be glad to listen).

Just got the AE900. I have my Dell XPS connected to the AE900 through a DVI cable from my ATI X850XTPE with a converter at the end of the DVI to Hdmi. The problem I have is that I leave the PC on normally and just turn off the projector. When I turn the projector back on I do not get a signal. If I reboot or change the display properties, the image kicks in. This did not happen with my Sony I upgraded from. Any ideas?


Have you tried switching to another source and then back again?

I used to have this issue with my 700 and an older ATI card until I upgraded to the latest Catalyst Drivers.

ted

Upgraded to the Catalyst Control Center version and that seems to have done it.

Thanks

I was hoping you guys could help me with something.

I want to upgrade from my InFocus X2 to an AE900U. I have a dark room, with a $200.00 Da-Lite screen recommended to me by the AVS store. I am using a ceiling mount and the low power setting on the X2. For inputs, I have the Infocus Component Video adapter and the standard PC/VGA cable that comes standard with the projector. My input devices are an Xbox 360 and a PC. Throw distance is about 11-12 feet.

Assuming I can get someone to buy my X2 for $300.00 or so, I was going to get an AE900 listed at visual apex (any comments on that specific vendor/deal would be welcomed as well).

So the question is : Will I notice a big difference with the upgrade?

Edit: I'm not at all unhappy with the X2, just wondering how much better 720p stuff will look...

My cheap-o RCA DVD player is suddenly (after a whopping 4 months) freezing in certain movies at specific places, and skipping audio in predictable areas on others.

Hm.

Anyway, I was thinking I may as well upgrade to a better player to put with the new projector. That said, I plan to continue to use component inputs for the time being.

What players would give me the absolute best 480i component output for the AE900 to upscale internally? I hope the AE900's internal scaler is up to snuff, but it sounds like it's solid. Advantages/disadvantages of using the internal scaler to turn 480i DVDs into 720p material?

I don't want to spend a lot, primarily because I'm more concerned about an interim DVD player while we all wait for HD DVD. I'm content to use component outputs, but I'd like a player that's got top-notch, Grade-A 480i component output so that the AE900's internal scaler can get the most out of the picture. Unless, of course, upconversion on a player (like the Oppo) is *SO* much better than the AE900's internal upconversion that the extra $100+ for a 25' HDMI cable is worth the cost ;)

Finally, I'd also like to use component cables because, A) I have top-flight component cables (got a killer price, only reason I'd ever spend big money on Monster Series III...), and B) I'd like to route the signal through my Denon A/V receiver (which is also the hub for my XBox, PS2, Cube, CD Changer, and Sirius receiver).

Thanks for suggestions :)

^ I've also heard relatively solid things about the Zenith DVB-318's component output abilities, as long as the firmware's retro-updated for the component output activation.

Anybody use an AE900 with a Zenith 318 DVD player for the upconversion via component? Thoughts on DVD upconversion vs. 480i signal letting the AE900 do the upconversion instead?

Question I can't seem to find in the thread:

When feeding 720P over HDMI, can aspect ratios be controlled? (For example 4:3 sidebars?)

Thanks

I have a 106 inch graywolf and I see a circle the size of a basketball just to the left and down from center. I only see it on really black scenes and it is very faint. Kind of like maybe a bluish tint maybe. I looked inside my projector and I notice there is a nob inside the thing and light shines off it. I am wondering if this is something that they all have. I am the only one that even sees the circle, so I think the average owner of this PJ wouldn't as well. I was actually looking for problems for the last couple days.

I also have a smudge at the bottom of the screen and it is not uniform. Very faint and I have one green pixle in lower left corner where station logos go.

I also notice it looks like there is a scratch on my lens and there is dust inside the lens area. I even wipped off the lens with lens cloth and it is still there making me believe its a scratch. Is there anything I can put on it to see if it comes off. How about a alcohol wipe?

Very simple. They don't just hand you three bulbs. They only replace a bulb if it fails within the term of the warranty. These warranties have, I believe, three year terms. The majority of people who buy the bulb warranty don't use their PJ enough to burn out the original bulb in three years, so the warranty won't pay them anything. Some people (a much smaller number) will burn out their original bulb within 3 years and will get one bulb from the warranty. Very very very few people will go through more than two bulbs in three years. So they can advertise "three bulbs" knowing that almost nobody is going to actually get three bulbs, or even two bulbs, from the warranty.

The bulb warranty is a reasonable deal if you know for sure you will use your PJ for more hours during the term of the warranty than the rated life of the bulb. Essentially you are paying in advance for a discounted bulb. But, most people don't use their PJ that much and will never get anything from this warranty.

Also, the bulb warranties I have seen (Mack) are only issued if you also buy the issuer's extended warranty on the PJ itself. They aren't sold as a standalone.

I got the mack bulb warranty. I am a power user. I will average around 3000 hours/year on my PJ.

I have a 106 inch graywolf and I see a circle the size of a basketball just to the left and down from center. I only see it on really black scenes and it is very faint. Kind of like maybe a bluish tint maybe. I looked inside my projector and I notice there is a nob inside the thing and light shines off it. I am wondering if this is something that they all have. I am the only one that even sees the circle, so I think the average owner of this PJ wouldn't as well. I was actually looking for problems for the last couple days.

I also have a smudge at the bottom of the screen and it is not uniform. Very faint and I have one green pixle in lower left corner where station logos go.

I also notice it looks like there is a scratch on my lens and there is dust inside the lens area. I even wipped off the lens with lens cloth and it is still there making me believe its a scratch. Is there anything I can put on it to see if it comes off. How about a alcohol wipe?

I also noticed a blob in the lower left quadrant of the screen, only visible against black screens. I exchanged my projector and the second one does not have this problem. I suspect it's a dust particle.

you can clean the individual lcd panels...someone in the AE700 Tweak thread explained how it got rid of his blobs...do a search in that thread for more info

I also noticed a blob in the lower left quadrant of the screen, only visible against black screens. I exchanged my projector and the second one does not have this problem. I suspect it's a dust particle.

I don't think buydig will allow me to return it. I will call them and if all else fails just go through panasonic. The unit itself was charged with static when I opened the package up. Everything just clings to it.

On another note I just turned the PJ over so it is upside down laying on my crystal plate that my sunfire amps rest on. I figure it will be fine as it would help take heat away from the unit. The position of the lens to the screen is now only about 4 inches from center, instead of maxing out my lens shift. Going to see if maybe the same circle is in the same spot or if it moves. Wonder what else I should try. How about cleaning the outside of the lens. Don't want to scratch it. Could I use an alcohol pad?

If I could clear up those two problems man that would be sweet. Picture is crisp. I am thinking of doing the filter mod. I just don't know what to get. Would like one that screws onto the lens and one that helps the black level. The projector is plenty bright for me as I watch my movies in zero light anyway.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the green pixle next to the station logos. I guess I can live with it. I wonder how many people who have this have one or more pixles that are out. I guess when you figure the price per inch it isn't that big a deal. Heck this projector cost almost half what my 60 inch tv was and the picture on my 106 inch screen actually looks better. I am in awe.

Anyone?

I was hoping you guys could help me with something.

I want to upgrade from my InFocus X2 to an AE900U. I have a dark room, with a $200.00 Da-Lite screen recommended to me by the AVS store. I am using a ceiling mount and the low power setting on the X2. For inputs, I have the Infocus Component Video adapter and the standard PC/VGA cable that comes standard with the projector. My input devices are an Xbox 360 and a PC. Throw distance is about 11-12 feet.

Assuming I can get someone to buy my X2 for $300.00 or so, I was going to get an AE900 listed at visual apex (any comments on that specific vendor/deal would be welcomed as well).

So the question is : Will I notice a big difference with the upgrade?

Edit: I'm not at all unhappy with the X2, just wondering how much better 720p stuff will look...

I also notice it looks like there is a scratch on my lens and there is dust inside the lens area. I even wipped off the lens with lens cloth and it is still there making me believe its a scratch. Is there anything I can put on it to see if it comes off. How about a alcohol wipe?

I returned a unit, that was otherwise perfect, because it had 4 scratches on the lens. My replacement has several scratches (imperfections) in the lens as well. I didn't even mention it to my dealer because I went through 4 units to get one that was right in the first place. I started a thread asking 900 owners to check their lenses for imperfections, or scratches, but no one responded. I have a feeling that there are many, many 900's out there with lens imperfections.

Bottom line if you can't see it in the image, then don't worry about it. I returned the unit with the scratched lens because I was worried more about resale, but I wish now that I had kept it. It was quieter than the unit I have now.

Anyone?
Night and day. Not a fair comparison - like apples and alligators.

Question I can't seem to find in the thread:

When feeding 720P over HDMI, can aspect ratios be controlled? (For example 4:3 sidebars?)

Thanks

On my unit, there are only 2 aspect choices when using 720P over HDMI. One is "16:9," and the other is "H-Fit." I'm guesing that H-Fit would stretch the image to get rid of sidebars, if that is what you are trying to accomplish.

I returned a unit, that was otherwise perfect, because it had 4 scratches on the lens. My replacement has several scratches (imperfections) in the lens as well. I didn't even mention it to my dealer because I went through 4 units to get one that was right in the first place. I started a thread asking 900 owners to check their lenses for imperfections, or scratches, but no one responded. I have a feeling that there are many, many 900's out there with lens imperfections.

Bottom line if you can't see it in the image, then don't worry about it. I returned the unit with the scratched lens because I was worried more about resale, but I wish now that I had kept it. It was quieter than the unit I have now.


I can't see anything on the screen other than the basketball sized circle on the mid to lower left quadrant. I think I know what it is. I can see inside the lens there is a screw or something on each side and on one side light reflects off of it. It is the same shape as what I see on the screen. This is only in black scenes it is noticebale. I don't think that anything will fix it. I think its a design flaw. The light only shines on the one and not the other. I think if more people look at it they will realize it. I am still not sure what to do. I called buydig and they told me it isn't there polocy to swap out and told me to call panasonic. Oh well I will deal with panasonic. That circle is my only complaint so far. I wonder how I can jump through the hoops to talk to a panasonic person who is technical and not a CSR. I sure as heck don't want to send it to panasonic as I fear getting it back with even more problems. I also have a green pixle in the lower left that is starting to bug me because on a 106 in screen it is noticeable. Also the build date is Jan 2006. Surprised it is so new.

Is there any way to turn off the smooth screen? Like in the service menu or something. Would like to see what it does. I also was wondering does the type of screen you use make any difference as far as how sharp you can get your picture. I know that the panny is on the soft side, but I am using a graywolf 106 screen and was thinking of returning the screen and going for a fixed frame screen that is flat. I just can't stand the waves in the screen. I assuem a better screen will yield better performance with this projector.

Does anyone use the draper High Def Gray screen with this PJ?

" Is there any way to turn off the smooth screen? Like in the service menu or something. "

Smooth screen is an optical things, not electronic. As far as how it works read up on IMX lenses and it is the same sort of thing just built into the projector.

Shawn

" Is there any way to turn off the smooth screen? Like in the service menu or something. "

Smooth screen is an optical things, not electronic. As far as how it works read up on IMX lenses and it is the same sort of thing just built into the projector.

Shawn
Is it adjustable like the IMX?

"Is it adjustable like the IMX?"

No. But it also doesn't really need to be adjustable like the IMX. The IMX is more of a one size fits many device. where the Smoothscreen in the AE900 is of course setup to that projector.

Shawn

Night and day. Not a fair comparison - like apples and alligators.


So you are saying I will notice a big improvement with the AE900 over the X2, or are the units pros/cons so vastly different that they are not comparable?

I can't see anything on the screen other than the basketball sized circle on the mid to lower left quadrant. I think I know what it is. I can see inside the lens there is a screw or something on each side and on one side light reflects off of it. It is the same shape as what I see on the screen. This is only in black scenes it is noticebale. I don't think that anything will fix it. I think its a design flaw. The light only shines on the one and not the other. I think if more people look at it they will realize it. I am still not sure what to do. I called buydig and they told me it isn't there polocy to swap out and told me to call panasonic. Oh well I will deal with panasonic. That circle is my only complaint so far. I wonder how I can jump through the hoops to talk to a panasonic person who is technical and not a CSR. I sure as heck don't want to send it to panasonic as I fear getting it back with even more problems. I also have a green pixle in the lower left that is starting to bug me because on a 106 in screen it is noticeable. Also the build date is Jan 2006. Surprised it is so new.

I don't have this problem with my unit, nor have I seen it mentioned before, so I wouldn't assume that it is a design flaw inherent to all 900's. The QC on the 900 varies wildly. If you've had the projector less than 30 days, Panasonic may swap it out directly, or they may even direct your dealer to do so.

Sorry about your dealer, but it's good to know about their total lack of support. They come up frequently as the lowest price for many things electronic. Now we know why.

Call the 800 number on the back cover of your manual and let us know how it goes.

On my unit, there are only 2 aspect choices when using 720P over HDMI. One is "16:9," and the other is "H-Fit." I'm guesing that H-Fit would stretch the image to get rid of sidebars, if that is what you are trying to accomplish.

Would it ZOOM forward or stretch vertically? Would you mind checking? This would make it useful with an anamorphic lens. I'd rather avoid the PJ's native scaler so if it takes 720 and maps it vertically, all the MPEG decoding and massaging could be done externally letting the PJ stretch it would be a plus. Unfortunately the 700 doesn't do this.

It would mean I could drive the unit with an upscaling player and let the PJ do its magic for my lens - t'would make it easier on the family than using my HTPC.

ted

OK, I said I'd post more details when my issue was resolved.

Last month, I bought an AE900 from Projector People, that had noticable vertical banding (VB) in sky, water, fog/smoke, and scenes with large areas of tan/beige colors. Bad enough to be VERY distracting! The lines were EASILY visible on a green test pattern. (There was also a stuck pixel, but it was not at all visible from 12' away)

I talked to their tech support people and they asserted that all LCD projectors have VB, and that the best thing to do for it would be to defocus my lens. :mad: This was surprising. Since I was having a quality issue, and the liability is Panasonic's, why I was getting resistance from the vendor? :confused:

After Phone Menu Hell, I talked to several Panasonic people, none of whom appeared to know a whole lot about the projector. I eventually got some more suggestions which were:

1) Reduce Brightness
2) Flip the switch off instead of leaving it in standby
3) Warm up the unit for 5 minutes before applying a signal
4) Feed the PJ 1080i instead of 720p

They suggested that if that didn't work I should contact my dealer or their service center. So after trying all this and not being satisfied, I contacted Projector People, and after a little bit of nudging, they talked with their Panasonic rep and he agreed to swap it out...Which they did post-haste. (3 days, total, there and back. Impressive. :) ) They also opened and checked out my new unit, putting a new piece of tape on the box stating that they had done so, and that the unit passed Quality Assurance. :)

The new unit, like my original, was made in September 2005. The serial numbers are just a few hundred units apart, yet the replacement is NOTICEABLY better than the original, after only 15 minutes warm-up, with zero tweaking. :D But still not completely free of VB. :(

What I've learned that I hope will help other projector neophytes:

* If you buy from PP, have them do the quality check. This will mean ordering via phone instead of on the website, but MIGHT save you from the hassle I've been through.

* Projector People is a decent vendor, but obtaining service required the overcoming of some inertia, after which things moved very well.

* Don't expect perfection from a projector that's as feature-rich and low-priced as the AE900. You won't get it. Nevertheless, if you get one that's unacceptable to you, persistence pays off. Judging from the two units I've seen, the quality on these units varies more widely than I would hope.

* Have your environment and test material 100% ready before striking the bulb. Some vendors (PP included) have a return policy that is limited by bulb-hours. I didn't determine that my unit was unacceptable to me until after 30 bulb hours; Well-beyond the refundable limit, though I never seriously considered returning the projector anyway. I didn't want a different projector; I wanted an AE900 that didn't have quality problems.

* Given what I know now, I would have bought a DLP projector instead. However, none of the DLP models at this price (yet) offer the setup flexability that the AE900 does, so a comparable DLP unit would be significantly more expensive.

I'm about to purchase a AE900, but am now a bit concerned about the possibility of receiving a unit "made in September 2005". I don't understand how that is possible unless the unit was in a warehouse since then, or was "factory renewed" by Panasonic. It just doesn't make sense that these units would have been a warehouse for 5 or more months. Does anyone know what the latest firmware is for the AE900? How would I check the firmware in the unit I receive to insure that it is the latest?

" I'd rather avoid the PJ's native scaler so if it takes 720 and maps it vertically, all the MPEG decoding and massaging could be done externally letting the PJ stretch it would be a plus."

If you let the PJ stretch the image you aren't avoiding the projectors scaler. Look at my gallery for some screen shots of what just having Overscan ON does to test patterns when fed a 720p/60hz signal over HDMI.

The Hi-Fit I think is just a zoom (both H+V) but I'll play with it more tonight. Not sure if it is suitable for an anamorphic lens or not but I kind of think it isn't.

"It would mean I could drive the unit with an upscaling player and let the PJ do its magic for my lens -"

You might be able to do the needed work in the player itself as some are getting the needed stretch/zoom.

Shawn

So you are saying I will notice a big improvement with the AE900 over the X2, or are the units pros/cons so vastly different that they are not comparable?
Yes, and yes. :)

. . .I called buydig and they told me it isn't there polocy to swap out and told me to call panasonic. Oh well I will deal with panasonic. That circle is my only complaint so far. I wonder how I can jump through the hoops to talk to a panasonic person who is technical and not a CSR. I sure as heck don't want to send it to panasonic as I fear getting it back with even more problems. I also have a green pixle in the lower left that is starting to bug me because on a 106 in screen it is noticeable. Also the build date is Jan 2006. Surprised it is so new.
Be sure to go to as many customer feedback/ratings sites as you can find and post your experience with the vendor. It's really the only recourse burnt buyers have against this kind of treatment. :(

I have never been a FP owner but I do have a Samsung Rear DLP. I want to install the projector in my motorhome for use mainly in the evenings late afternoons but I am not sure how the projector will work when lighting conditions are not the same as in a home with a theater room. My Rear DLP is very bright which is what I am accustom to. I could purchase an LCD flat panel but that would require a lot of cabinet construction and smaller screen dimensions.

The projector would be placed about 12 feet from a 60-65" screen. I would not be able to center it with a 3 foot horizontal offset to the right and probably a 2 foot vertical offset. "Am I crazy to think that I can get the projector to fit my situation"? I am also thinking that I could bring the unit outside and project on a larger screen at night for special events like football games.

Thanks for any advice.

MitchR

If you let the PJ stretch the image you aren't avoiding the projectors scaler.

Spatial interposlation is pretty easy - I'm really trying to avoid the MPEG decoding (3:2, deinterlacing etc.) hence the desire to feed it 720p or else I'd just feed it 480i.

You might be able to do the needed work in the player itself as some are getting the needed stretch/zoom.

Hey - I thought you were a member of the CH club. :) You should know there are not many players that do this. I'd like the player of my choice - rumour suggests a new OPPO with 720p over component.

ted

"Spatial interposlation is pretty easy -"

Doesn't mean it won't screw up the picture though.

This is 1:1 pixel mapped 720p feeding a test pattern of every other vertical line being on to the projector...

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/DSCN3132.JPG

This is what happens when you let the projector resize the image (overscan on)...

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/508/medium/DSCN3133.JPG

I haven't tried the hi-fit but I bet it distorts in the same manor.

" I thought you were a member of the CH club."

I am.

" You should know there are many players that do this."

Sorry, haven't bothered to keep up on this as AR changes (as well as deinterlacing and all scaling) are all handled in my Lumagen for all sources. If the DVD player can do it (I think the S77 I have might... I'll look tonight) it is certainly better to do it all in one step then doing it in multiple steps.

Shawn

This is what happens when you let the projector resize the image (overscan on)...


That's because the overscan is no longer being mapped 1:1. Stretched vertically should still map 1:1. Stretching still maintains the same pixel count so its not really a "resize" in this case, simply a remapping.

Sorry, haven't bothered to keep up on this as AR changes (as well as deinterlacing and all scaling) are all handled in my Lumagen for all sources. If the DVD player can do it (I think the S77 I have might... I'll look tonight) it is certainly better to do it all in one step then doing it in multiple steps.

Bozo that I am, I failed to include the "not". - There are only a few that I know of. The BRAVO, MOMITSU and some older LG's and SAMSUNG's. All of which have issues that I would prefer to steer clear of. I'd buy a scaler if it came to that , but I'd prefer to save my cash for a possible new PJ in the fall. If the 77 can do it you let me know but I'd bet against it.

ted

Shawn

I've had a 900 made in Sept 05 for about six weeks and have seen none of the issues talked about here. I look at it this way. Think about how many people who have purchased the 900 and are completely satisfied and don't post with this forum. Purchase from a reputable dealer (like the one I used that threw in an extra year warranty) and enjoy it!

Hello All. I just installed the PJ in our school's screening room. I was wondering if there is a simple universal remote I could let the faculty and students use. It would only have to control Power, Input and Aspect. I'd hate for some bored or absent minded person to undo my tweaks. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
DP

Ted,

" Stretched vertically should still map 1:1."

I kinda doubt it. Think about it... you have x number of active lines (the non letterboxed part of the image) you need to fit into Y (720) number of lines. You need 33% vertical stretch.... it can't be done evenly.

If you put up a horizontal pattern I'd bet there would be distortion to it. I can't test it as the PJ doesn't have just a vertical zoom for 720p source AFAIK.

"I'd buy a scaler if it came to that , but I'd prefer to save my cash for a possible new PJ in the fall."

Understood. AFAIK the AE900 itself can handle an anamorphic lens but only for 480p (or 480i) material. If you feed it HD (or of course scaled SD) I don't think it has the neccessary scaling to deal with the lens.

"If the 77 can do it you let me know but I'd bet against it."

If I get a chance tonight I'll try and give it a shot.

Shawn

ok...ready to pull the trigger on a filter. 2 Questions: First--Does the filter come precut (I'm assuming the 81EF 77mm filter fits with just threading) to fit the 900's lense, or do I need to buy other stuff? Second--does buying a filter mean that whichever settings I go with I have to stick with for all input sources? For Example, I have no problem using the same settings for my 2 hdmi inputs (HD cable and OPPO), but use a VGA cable for the Xbox 360, which is of course a much different input, especially in terms of brightness. Thanks!

I don't think buydig will allow me to return it.

The only thing I can't get rid of is the green pixle next to the station logos. I guess I can live with it. I wonder how many people who have this have one or more pixles that are out. I guess when you figure the price per inch it isn't that big a deal. Heck this projector cost almost half what my 60 inch tv was and the picture on my 106 inch screen actually looks better. I am in awe.



I suggest calling them with a firm but polite attitude. If the person on the phone is unhelpful, ask to speak with their manager. See if you can get past the hassle wall. Remind them that you are on Home Theater forums and it's simply not good business for them to leave a trail of complaints on such forums. I'd try to return the item and buy it from a friendlier vendor.

Your projector had a January build date so I assume you still have plenty of time to return it. If they decline, use your Panasonic warranty until you get a unit that you are perfectly happy with. They might say that they consider the stuck pixel as acceptable but they have to clean your unit and get rid of the blob.

As I mentioned before I'm on my second Panasonic. The first one had a blob similar to what you see, and it bugged me. I too, found a stuck pixel on it, a blue one. I would not have returned the unit for the stuck pixel alone but the blob was annoying me. I got a second unit and after a couple of weeks of testing and calibrating I finally saw a blue stuck pixel on this one as well. The unit is perfect otherwise and I've decided to keep it. I can't see the stuck pixel unless I'm staring at it up close, on a black test screen, so I gave them a pass on it.

In spite of the minor hassle of having to return the first Panny, this projector has far exceeded my expectations. Watching good source material on it is just jaw dropping at times.

Even though the home theater is not built, I got the AE900 today and just had to set it up. Well, actually I wanted to set it up since I have limited time to check out anything that might be wrong with it.
Unfortunately right now all I have to test it with is a DVD player and an s-video cable. I will get the rest of the equipment in the next week. I can tell that there are no bad no pixels, the unit works, and that it looks pretty good so far. That being said, here are the bad parts:
It was a real pain to set up in terms of placement. This is mostly my fault as I have a shelf with a window in another room. I have to place it, make adjustments then go out and see how they look. The keystone feature does not seem to do much for me and the thumbstick is very hard to move accurately. That is the projector's fault.
I can say the picture is very soft but again I am using s-video. I still don't know that it should be that bad. The color was good after some tweaking. The fan makes a lot of noise, but it is in a closet and tends to echo. I am really looking forward to seeing how it does with HD and a better DVD feed.
You can see by my screenshot that I got pretty good contrast and, at times, OK sharpness. That shot was about the best one I got. I haven't gone through all the tweak threads yet and so far have just adjusted it by eyeing it and using AVIA.
I will post more when I have more to tell.

I can say the picture is very soft but again I am using s-video. I still don't know that it should be that bad.
If you've only seen it with an s-video connection, you haven't really seen it.

Ted,

" Stretched vertically should still map 1:1."

I kinda doubt it. Think about it... you have x number of active lines (the non letterboxed part of the image) you need to fit into Y (720) number of lines. You need 33% vertical stretch.... it can't be done evenly.

Shawn

Perhaps semantics. What you are suggesting by your example is that a scaled 720 x 480 DVD cannot be mapped 1:1. The mapping happens after the resize, so once an image is resized to display size and then presented to that display the display would map the pixels per the file or stream. So what i suggest is though a 2.35 anamorphic DVD source does not utilize the full 720 x 480 pixels available to it, once it is massaged into its final stream it is then presented to the display.

For example with ffdshow I resize a DVD to 1920 x 1280 which is sent to the Frame buffer which resizes that to 1280 x 720 and then presents it to my display which maps it 1:1. There is no pixel loss here and all pixels of the output stream fit where the are intended.

In the above cases *all* pixels are used (interpolated in the case of resize an aspect). In the overscan case there is pixel *loss* which obviates the possibility of 1:1.

1:1 simply means presenting the panel with a data stream that has the same geometry.

ted

Perhaps semantics.

1:1 simply means presenting the panel with a data stream that has the same geometry.
Indeed. But to me, "1:1 mapping" means that for every pixel in a source there is a pixel in the display. And vice versa. A one-to-one relationship. If a source is scaled, then there is no longer a 1:1 relationship between it and the display.

OK, I finally pulled the trigger on the 900U this morning from VA..

I must say that they were Very nice to deal with........extended warranty is included on promo deal right now. Ask for it if you order. I'm STOKED !!!!! :)

John

OK, I finally pulled the trigger on the 900U this morning from AV.

I must say that they were Very nice to deal with........extended warranty is included on promo deal right now. Ask for it if you order. I'm STOKED !!!!! :)

John

Congrats on your purchase. At this price point you can't go wrong. You will be very happy with your new PJ. Did you mean VA rather than AV?? I too bought from Visual Apex and was very happy with their service, price, and the bonus warranty for us AVSers. It's the best deal out there IMO.

Indeed. But to me, "1:1 mapping" means that for every pixel in a source there is a pixel in the display. And vice versa. A one-to-one relationship. If a source is scaled, then there is no longer a 1:1 relationship between it and the display.

I underatand this point of view but it is not what 1:1 mapping means in a display context. If my display is 800 x 600 I could quite easily map a DVD as a window within that frame per your description. However how would you treat a 4 meg JPEG? In your sense that would mean scrolling. But if I convert that file to an 800 x 600 JPEG, then *those* pixels are feeding the display in a 1:1 manner - no hardware based scaling (dithering, interpolation) is invoked. It is true you would have thrown away a lot of data but the display is getting what it requires for pixel mapping. Ther is no concern for the data that is presented.

ted

I underatand this point of view but it is not what 1:1 mapping means in a display context. If my display is 800 x 600 I could quite easily map a DVD as a window within that frame per your description. However how would you treat a 4 meg JPEG? In your sense that would mean scrolling. But if I convert that file to an 800 x 600 JPEG, then *those* pixels are feeding the display in a 1:1 manner - no hardware based scaling (dithering, interpolation) is invoked. It is true you would have thrown away a lot of data but the display is getting what it requires for pixel mapping. Ther is no concern for the data that is presented.

ted
I wanted to move on . . but . . I . . can't . . :)

As soon as "convert," "scroll," and for that matter, "scale" come into the discussion, 1:1 leaves. Sure you could map any image to any display, but that's not necessarily 1:1 mapping. Only if the source and the display have identical H & V resolution is it 1:1. The whole point of 1:1 anyway is to leave as much electronics, i.e. scaling and deinterlacing, out of the signal path as possible.

I wanted to move on . . but . . I . . can't . . :)

As soon as "convert," "scroll," and for that matter, "scale" come into the discussion, 1:1 leaves. Sure you could map any image to any display, but that's not necessarily 1:1 mapping. Only if the source and the display have identical H & V resolution is it 1:1. The whole point of 1:1 anyway is to leave as much electronics, i.e. scaling and deinterlacing, out of the signal path as possible.

Well, I will move on too but I will continue to disagree. If the panel expects 1280 x 720p and I feed it that, then, unless it is doing something funky (the 700 happens to mask the panel on HDMI - though it is mapping 1:1) then it is matching its feed to source regardless of whether that file is rescaled in software (ffdshow) and then passed on by the hardware as 1280 x 720p (in the case of the Panasonic) or hardware (upscaling players) It is still feeding the panel in such a way that all pixels fed to it are being seen - which of course is its native rez.

ted

Well, I will move on . . native rez.

ted
Uncle. :)

Congrats on your purchase. At this price point you can't go wrong. You will be very happy with your new PJ. Did you mean VA rather than AV?? I too bought from Visual Apex and was very happy with their service, price, and the bonus warranty for us AVSers. It's the best deal out there IMO.

Yes, I mean VA. Thanks for the heads up :o :)

John

[QUOTE=gergg]The fan makes a lot of noise...

I've had mine for 10 days and the fan makes and unusual soft "rumbling" noise, BUT ONLY during bright scenes... fan is completely quiet during dark scenes. Very weird. What is this?

[QUOTE=gergg]The fan makes a lot of noise...

I've had mine for 10 days and the fan makes and unusual soft "rumbling" noise, BUT ONLY during bright scenes... fan is completely quiet during dark scenes. Very weird. What is this?
Ι wouldn't worry too much. The same is with mine. I quess is the lamp wich in more bright scenes is going full throtle by the auto iris...

[QUOTE=tangerineink]
Ι wouldn't worry too much. The same is with mine. I quess is the lamp wich in more bright scenes is going full throtle by the auto iris...
It might *be* the iris and not the fan.

Hi!

My AE900 has just under 300 hours on it and I'm noticing a few issues. The left half of the screen is a bit reddish (visible in black and white images only) and there is a slight bluish "splotch" in one place (PJ is in clean smoke free room).

Suspecting that the unit needs a proper cleaning, I decided to call Panasonic's Zipit center and they were extremely helpful. I even mentioned my misconvergence (red if off a bit) and they opened a ticket and said that they'll take care of *all* the issues and bring the unit back to specs once I send it in. They claim it will not take more than 1 week turnaround.

Has anyone dealt with the Zipit center before? Am I likely to have a pleasant experience and a fixed unit or is a nightmare awaiting me?

:)

[QUOTE=tangerineink]
Ι wouldn't worry too much. The same is with mine. I quess is the lamp wich in more bright scenes is going full throtle by the auto iris...

This is the iris.
To test it go to your menu and toggle back and forth between on and off on your iris. You will hear it then.
Also mute your sound systenm, and as you switch channels on your tv receiver you will hear the same thing. In between channels (black) it will be silent, then as the channel comes up, youll hear it.

I've posted this now several times and no one has responded. I want to go with the EF filter that is recommended here but have 2 questions:

1). The filter will be permanent, and will be fit to just thread on, so I do not have to purchase anything else, correct?

2). Is it correct that the filter would thus be used for all input sources then? I ask because I have a 360, and the VGA input is wildly different on normal than is the hdmi input (haven't even tried component for XBOX, PS2 and Gamecube yet)

Thank you!

Do you guys think there would be a noticeable improvement in picture quality with the 900 using a new HD-DVD player instead of the oppo?
I'm trying to decide if I should purchase the Toshiba player.Thanks!

"Do you guys think there would be a noticeable improvement in picture quality with the 900 using a new HD-DVD player instead of the oppo?"

When playing HD-DVDs... certainly. True HD sources look better then scaled DVDs.

When talking about scaled DVDs between the two can't say as nobody has really seen the HD-DVDs. I'd expect they would be fairly similiar but the HD-DVD players might have better processing since they will have some much more video processing power onboard.

Shawn

Hi!

My AE900 has just under 300 hours on it and I'm noticing a few issues. The left half of the screen is a bit reddish (visible in black and white images only) and there is a slight bluish "splotch" in one place (PJ is in clean smoke free room).

Suspecting that the unit needs a proper cleaning, I decided to call Panasonic's Zipit center and they were extremely helpful. I even mentioned my misconvergence (red if off a bit) and they opened a ticket and said that they'll take care of *all* the issues and bring the unit back to specs once I send it in. They claim it will not take more than 1 week turnaround.

Has anyone dealt with the Zipit center before? Am I likely to have a pleasant experience and a fixed unit or is a nightmare awaiting me?

:)

I used the panny zipit center a couple of years ago for my 75U. The service then was very prompt. The projector was sent to a small service depot here in the states and was turned around very quickly.

Don

Thanks Don! This is comforting!

I've posted this now several times and no one has responded. I want to go with the EF filter that is recommended here but have 2 questions:

1). The filter will be permanent, and will be fit to just thread on, so I do not have to purchase anything else, correct?
If the filter size matches the lens size, then it's a direct attachment.

2). Is it correct that the filter would thus be used for all input sources then? I ask because I have a 360, and the VGA input is wildly different on normal than is the hdmi input (haven't even tried component for XBOX, PS2 and Gamecube yet
You will need to calibrate each source.

Do you guys think there would be a noticeable improvement in picture quality with the 900 using a new HD-DVD player instead of the oppo?
You're joking, right?

Bizarre Cable Box Problem

I am on my 4th DVR digital cable box from comcast. They all shut down, restart, then reset (which takes a while for the guides etc to come back up). Comcast is stumped as to why as soon as I get the box home it becomes defective. They have run and tested a couple of the boxes before I picked them up and had no issue in their office.

I have the box connected to the 900 with an HDMI cable and it doesn't sit near any other electronic equipment. It's a few feet away from any speakers too. (Until I get my cables I have the unit sitting on top of a wall unit and connected to the 900 which is ceiling mounted).

Could this issue have anything to do with the projector?

also....

AVIA or DVE..... where do I find these things? I've seen DVE offered with either PAL or NTSC. What's the difference between PAL and NTSC? Which one do we use in the US? I also noticed that the DVE is from 2003, is there a newer release than this?

Thanks,

Skier-Girl

DVE is actually newer than Avia..........

I cannot see how the projector could have anything to do with your DVR issues... weird!

I have Avia, because it was what was available at the time (before DVE).

In the USA & Canada we use NTSC.... PAL is used most everywhere else I think......

1). The filter will be permanent, and will be fit to just thread on, so I do not have to purchase anything else, correct?
A 77mm filter will thread right to the lens - nothing else will be needed. A filter of another size would require a coupler.


2). Is it correct that the filter would thus be used for all input sources then? I ask because I have a 360, and the VGA input is wildly different on normal than is the hdmi input (haven't even tried component for XBOX, PS2 and Gamecube yet)
Regardless of using a filter or not *all* inputs with a chosen mode of a display should be calibrated. Its your choice to remove it for a particular input (convenience).

The tweak thread should contain answers to most of your questions.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=589234

ted

Got my 900 a couple weeks ago . Where do I get the forms to fill out for my rebate and BB card ?

http://www.visualapex.com/ProductSupport/PT-AE900U_promo.pdf
better hurry 1 month limit from purchase

Thanks ! I looked all over for that and could'nt find it :o

" I have the box connected to the 900 with an HDMI cable and it doesn't sit near any other electronic equipment. It's a few feet away from any speakers too. (Until I get my cables I have the unit sitting on top of a wall unit and connected to the 900 which is ceiling mounted).
Could this issue have anything to do with the projector?"

Try disconnecting the HDMI cable and see if perhaps the comcast box works then?

If so you might be running into some kind of compatibility problem between the two over the HDMI connection. HDMI is a two way connection... the two devices basically sort of have to work out a handshake between them and keep that up over the connection. The Comcast box might be receiving something from the Panasonic that it doesn't like which is causing the crashing.

Welcome to the wild wild world of HDMI and HDCP........

Shawn

Bizarre Cable Box Problem

I am on my 4th DVR digital cable box from comcast. They all shut down, restart, then reset (which takes a while for the guides etc to come back up). Comcast is stumped as to why as soon as I get the box home it becomes defective. They have run and tested a couple of the boxes before I picked them up and had no issue in their office.
They need to make a service call and check your installation. They should have done that after TWO bad boxes.

Hey all,
Hoping you can help. Can someone run a plain white image on the ae900 and let me know if you have color uniformity?
About 40 hours into mine I started using it with my Computer. It was only then that I noticed a pretty large magenta aura at the bottom of the screen, and a bluish aura at the top, while using my internet browser, as the page color is white.
Once I noticed it, I started to notice how much it was affecting the bottom of the screen during movies. Grass fields look a bit pink at the bottom, etc.

Having taken so long to realize it, it was too late to send back to the store, and instead I dealt with Panasonic directly. They took about two weeks to send it back. The invoice said it was repaired, and extensively tested. The light bulb now clocked about 80 hours, so I must assume they did.
Took about 10 minutes to set it up and check out another pure white image - the Bluish aura was gone, but the magenta remained. Easily seen.

They told me they knew the problem and gave me a UPS account to send it through, so I won't have to pay again. Week and a half later it is back in my hands. Problem is, I still see the magenta glow - just not as strongly. Bearable.
However, I am wondering if I would be a crybaby if I sent it back yet again, and if it would be worth losing my projector for another 2 weeks. I had bought it to watch the Superbowl and the Olympics, and have missed them both due to repair time. I am at the point where I would demand another unit (if they would hear me out) - but want to first check myself and get a second opinion.

So can someone let me know if the AE900 is even capable of full color uniformity, my previous Plus HT-3200 DLP was able to.

Thanks much,
Anthony

That kind of picture size can I expect here with a 10' throw distance?

Hey all,
Hoping you can help. Can someone run a plain white image on the ae900 and let me know if you have color uniformity?
About 40 hours into mine I started using it with my Computer. It was only then that I noticed a pretty large magenta aura at the bottom of the screen, and a bluish aura at the top, while using my internet browser, as the page color is white.
Once I noticed it, I started to notice how much it was affecting the bottom of the screen during movies. Grass fields look a bit pink at the bottom, etc.

Having taken so long to realize it, it was too late to send back to the store, and instead I dealt with Panasonic directly. They took about two weeks to send it back. The invoice said it was repaired, and extensively tested. The light bulb now clocked about 80 hours, so I must assume they did.
Took about 10 minutes to set it up and check out another pure white image - the Bluish aura was gone, but the magenta remained. Easily seen.

They told me they knew the problem and gave me a UPS account to send it through, so I won't have to pay again. Week and a half later it is back in my hands. Problem is, I still see the magenta glow - just not as strongly. Bearable.
However, I am wondering if I would be a crybaby if I sent it back yet again, and if it would be worth losing my projector for another 2 weeks. I had bought it to watch the Superbowl and the Olympics, and have missed them both due to repair time. I am at the point where I would demand another unit (if they would hear me out) - but want to first check myself and get a second opinion.

So can someone let me know if the AE900 is even capable of full color uniformity, my previous Plus HT-3200 DLP was able to.

Thanks much,
Anthony

Hey there,

I'm on my second Panny. Both had a certain amount of what you're describing to a lesser or greater degree. I returned the first one (manufactured in Sept). The new one (manufactured in Oct) had less uniformity issues but there's still a small magenta glow near the right corner. Really only noticeable during black and white movies. I must say that the second projector is much sharper and the black levels are WAY better than my first 900. My first 900 had some blooming around white text on black that this one just doesn't. I had assumed that the Graywolf screen I was using was contributing to the blooming but I was wrong. In addition the convergence is much better. I'm really kind of amazed at how different the two machines are. Even the remote sensor on the second one seems more responsive.

Elio

Did you have it replaced by the store or Panasonic? If through Panasonic, was it an ordeal? I have been dealing with Zipit. I am wondering if I will face much opposition in having them replace rather than continue attempts to fix it (which is costing lost time and added hours on the bulb).

By the way, the service people at zipit have been great, but at this point I am wondering about their quality assurance, as I can spot the problem almost immediately, and they seem to think it's repaired enough to send back to me.

I notice people are bringing up noise from the dynamic iris on bright scenes...

How noticeable is this? I'm sensitive to noise and will be sitting around 2-3 feet from the unit. It seems strange that you would constantly hear it, so it must be noise of the motor that is encountering high resistance (since the iris won't open anymore).

This is slightly worrisome, since it's not a stretch to say that things with noisy moving parts generally make more noise over time...

"It seems strange that you would constantly hear it, so it must be noise of the motor that is encountering high resistance (since the iris won't open anymore)."

No, the projector doesn't keep trying to open the iris further.

When I was testing mine if the room is quiet you can hear the iris open or close when the scene goes from dark to light but once the iris has moved you no longer hear it.

With the sound on during a movie unless it was during a quiet scene I doubt you would hear the iris change.

Of course if you are really fanatical about noise (I am) put the whole thing in a hushbox. That gives you the benefit of being able to run the fans on high all the time to keep the unit cooler and still having it all be very very quiet. I had the hushbox (with airflow/exhaust from outside of the room) from a previous projector so decided to just keep using it for the Panasonic.

Shawn

Hey all,
Hoping you can help. Can someone run a plain white image on the ae900 and let me know if you have color uniformity?
Anthony


I am also on my second Panasonic. The second unit has excellent uniformity on both white and black DVE test screens. The one I returned had a blob on the black screen and it was sent back before I bothered to test it on plain white screen.

Did you have it replaced by the store or Panasonic? If through Panasonic, was it an ordeal? I have been dealing with Zipit. I am wondering if I will face much opposition in having them replace rather than continue attempts to fix it (which is costing lost time and added hours on the bulb).

By the way, the service people at zipit have been great, but at this point I am wondering about their quality assurance, as I can spot the problem almost immediately, and they seem to think it's repaired enough to send back to me.

Are you saying the AE-900 is eligable for their ZIP-IT program?
I was lead to believe it was for the commercial machines only. Let us know. I have used Panasonic's ZIP-IT program with a previous projector. and the service was great.

"No, the projector doesn't keep trying to open the iris further.

When I was testing mine if the room is quiet you can hear the iris open or close when the scene goes from dark to light but once the iris has moved you no longer hear it."

This makes sense, but someone earlier seemed to indicate it was a constant noise only during bright scenes. So it was probably the fan they were hearing. However, I thought the fan ran at a pretty constant rate relative to the lamp mode. Not sure how a brief, bright scene would cause that...

So how bad is the iris noise, in your estimate? 3db above fan noise? 6db?

As far as fan noise on the 900, is it basically white noise, or is there an audible hum there too? In your judgement, how bad would this be from 2 feet away (low lamp mode of course)?

"So how bad is the iris noise, in your estimate? 3db above fan noise? 6db?"

Its hard to say.. maybe 3dB but it is at a different frequency so it is a little harder to judge that. When I was listening to it I literally only had the projector on, no audio. Its quieter then what the fans are like on high mode as I'm pretty sure they drown out the iris noise when it is on high mode.

The fan (in low mode) is pretty quiet and mostly like a background white noise.

"In your judgement, how bad would this be from 2 feet away (low lamp mode of course)?"

How loud is the noise floor in your room? My room is very quiet (staggered studs, double drywall construction including the ceiling) so I wanted things as quiet as possible. Even still in the low fan mode the projector is pretty quiet. At 2' if you are listening at lower levels you would probably hear it during the quiet scenes but I doubt it would be distracting.

My other projector was much louder (even in the hushbox) and once I got into the movie it rarely bothered me. YMMV of course.

Shawn

I have been reading this forum for some time and based on the information I learned here, I just ordered an AE900. It will be delivered next week. This will be my 1st front projector. I will be placing it in a wall unit on a shelf that is 23-1/2" wide, and 23-1/2" deep. It has solid sides, back, and of course, top and bottom (only the front is open). I can only vary the vertical space between shelves. I plan to bring the cables in thru a small hole in the back. My question is: what is the minimum shelf spacing I can use to ensure that I provide adequate ventilation for the AE900? Having zero experience with front projectors, I want to make sure that I don't cause the projector to overheat and be damaged. I'm hoping that someone on this forum has expertise in this area. Thanks in advance for your help.

"How loud is the noise floor in your room?"

Good question :) I have no way to measure, so I'd only be guessing. It's just a living room, currently with tile, but we are adding rugs and I will be putting fiberglass along the screen wall, behind the speakers. The PJ will be against the back wall, so if the PJ is noisier at its rear, I guess I could stick some fiberglass just behind it.

Can you recommend any good dealers for simple, inexpensive hushboxes? It seems like it'd be a good way to cut down on dust as well as noise. Thanks for the input!

"Can you recommend any good dealers for simple, inexpensive hushboxes? "

Nope, sorry. I built mine as part of the theater.

Shawn

This makes sense, but someone earlier seemed to indicate it was a constant noise only during bright scenes. So it was probably the fan they were hearing. However, I thought the fan ran at a pretty constant rate relative to the lamp mode. Not sure how a brief, bright scene would cause that...

So how bad is the iris noise, in your estimate? 3db above fan noise? 6db?

As far as fan noise on the 900, is it basically white noise, or is there an audible hum there too? In your judgement, how bad would this be from 2 feet away (low lamp mode of course)?

Rezonat0r

My ae900 makes a constant noise during bright scenes, and is more quiet during dark scenes. Its not so bad, but its more noticable than the fan noise.
It seems that this howling iris noise varying from unit to unit.

If you've only seen it with an s-video connection, you haven't really seen it.

Well, I finally got around to hooking up the HDTV cable box and the cheapo DVD player via component. I gotta say you were right, thank god!
WOW! This thing looks pretty sharp with the DVD player just putting out 480i. Don't get me wrong, you can tell it is not HD, but as good as any HDTV showing DVDs that I have ever seen. But once I saw the HD feeds I was really blown away. I thought the olympics looked soft, but then I realized they actually were broadcast that way. Then I put on American Idol in 720p and it really popped! I could see the details of the audience in the dark room and the graphics and lighting were almost perfect.
I would say that I could imagine a projector that has better contrast and looks better with 1080 sources, such as the Sony Ruby, but I can't imagine one any better in the $2000 and under range. I have been to CES many years in a row and I know what to look for (I think). And so far I have no problems with uneven color or brightness or bad pixels that I can see. No VB either, but I have to find a good way to check that for sure.
Anyway, I am posting another shot from HD this time. It has been resized and was not taken using a tripod so it may not be very representative.

The noise is constant during bright scenes, dead silent during dark scenes. If I push very slightly on the top of the case the noise gets much louder.
My livingroom is very reflective of sound (no drapes or carpets and high beam ceiling), so I would expect the noise to be a non-issue in a well damped room.
I don't like the noise, but I hate sending things back so I'll keep this.
One other thing; I never watch DVDs, only cable HDTV. Color adjustment on the 900 is very comprehensive and after getting a really good picture dialed in, I notice that during a movie (on cable HDTV) the color will shift, especially noticeable on skin tones. I would expect some shift when watching live shows or switching channels, but I would not expect this to happen during a movie. I trust this is a Cox cable HDTV issue? I'm also using the Cox HDTV recorder.

Rezonat0r

My ae900 makes a constant noise during bright scenes, and is more quiet during dark scenes. Its not so bad, but its more noticable than the fan noise.
It seems that this howling iris noise varying from unit to unit.

" The noise is constant during bright scenes"

Weird, have you tried turning off the IRIS to see if that then goes away?

Are you in high lamp mode?

Shawn

...My question is: what is the minimum shelf spacing I can use to ensure that I provide adequate ventilation for the AE900?

I don't remember the official number, if there is one, from the owners manual, but I'm sure that book height is plenty enough. Figure 10" as a minimum and you will be very safe.