That's not a good sign...My wife and I finally decided on the 900U (plan on ordering tomorrow) but part of the WAF was the inclusion of the rebate....

Boss- I am not saying you won't get the rebate or that I won't get the rebate. I am saying stay on top of it and don't just wait till the 8-10 weeks are over and then check on it. BE SMART-- DON'T be me :o

Boss- I am not saying you won't get the rebate or that I won't get the rebate. I am saying stay on top of it and don't just wait till the 8-10 weeks are over and then check on it. BE SMART-- DON'T be me :o

I'm still going to pull the trigger today at lunch, it's quite a bit cheaper than the NEC 50" plasma I was looking at. At least this way if we don't get the rebate, I can blame someone else (yay, somebody other than me in the doghouse! :D)

you should be fine and you'll love the 900.

I do not have a DVD player with HDMI at the moment. I was planning on getting the oppo. I'll try a friends DVD player tonight if I can.

The picture CAN look AMAZING in some scenes. Hope I can sort this out.

John

The best way to tell if your focus is sharp is just to put up the main menu. If it's sharp than the projector doesn't have a sharpness issue. When you get a HD receiver you'll really notice a difference in sharpness and detail. Especially on sources that originate in HD video like concerts and stuff. Sometimes when I think my PJ looks soft I'll go to the concert channel on Dish and, lo and behold, the picture is so sharp you can slice tomatos with it. As far as images that are further away looking soft, line doubling doesn't add detail. It just smooths out the image. On small and distant objects the detail was never there to begin with on standard definition DVDs and video. Only a true high def signal will reveal that.

Elio

what are most of you who have ceiling mounted your projectors using? I have one that has a ball joint (is that the correct wording?) and I am not thrilled with lack of exact movemnet of projector. Are you guys using a spider type mount or one I descibed?

The best way to tell if your focus is sharp is just to put up the main menu. If it's sharp than the projector doesn't have a sharpness issue. When you get a HD receiver you'll really notice a difference in sharpness and detail. Especially on sources that originate in HD video like concerts and stuff. Sometimes when I think my PJ looks soft I'll go to the concert channel on Dish and, lo and behold, the picture is so sharp you can slice tomatos with it. As far as images that are further away looking soft, line doubling doesn't add detail. It just smooths out the image. On small and distant objects the detail was never there to begin with on standard definition DVDs and video. Only a true high def signal will reveal that.

Elio
Thanks for the input. The menu looks good so it may be the player, or even the DVD itself. Some DVD's look better than others i'm finding out. :)

Has anyone been able to find their rebate on the redesigned rebate site?
http://www.panasonicconsumerrebates.com/

No.

I could find it on the 'old' site under $10 Phone MIR, but I can no longer find it on the new site.

Thanks for the input. The menu looks good so it may be the player, or even the DVD itself. Some DVD's look better than others i'm finding out. :)

The menu on my unit was always sharp. Maybe smoothscreen is not applied to the menu? Not sure but I tried 6 different DVD's plus 720p WMV recordings (PC) and my unit was never sharp unfortunately. I also tried different HDMI modes but all the same.

The menu on my unit was always sharp. Maybe smoothscreen is not applied to the menu? Not sure but I tried 6 different DVD's plus 720p WMV recordings (PC) and my unit was never sharp unfortunately. I also tried different HDMI modes but all the same.

People seem to misunderstand "smoothscreen" suggesting it is an algorithm the scaler uses or an electronic adjustment - this is incorrect.

Smoothscreen cannot be avoided as it is a prism in the optical path. Softness can be related to scaler issues, source or quite often the flicker adjustments which can change over the thermal timeline of the unit.

If people wish to test my comments on flicker they can quite simply set them correctly and then throw them noticeably out of alignment. Flicker for the most part was a bigger problem with the 700. Flicker adjustment is related to clock phase of the clocks driving the individual panels and if each unit is not being addressed simultaneously (phase relationship) then a blurring can occur. Extreme pahse errors can result in what has been dubbed "peekaboo scanlines" an artifact wherin scalines become visible in vertical movement or bright screen areas.

ted

Ted,

"Smoothscreen cannot be avoided as it is a prism in the optical path. "

Exactly. If the projector is sharp on menus and/or HD material then if a DVD looks soft it has nothing to do with Smoothscreen.

DVDs picture quality varies greatly... the bigger the picture the easier that is to see.....

Shawn

Thanks for the input. The menu looks good so it may be the player, or even the DVD itself. Some DVD's look better than others i'm finding out. :)


Oh heck yeah. You'll find some DVDs look almost as good as high def and others look like crap. I'm constantly amazed at the differences from one DVD to another. Sony/Columbia is totally inconsistent with their releases. Even some of their Superbit DVDs look awful (Lawrence of Arabia is all edge enhancement and mushy detail) Newer Fox titles look pretty darn good. And Anchor Bay tends to release some beautiful DVDs as well (Suspiria looks amazing). You'll really see the benefit when you go HD. The Sopranos is a whole new experience.

E

All of Anchor-Bay's "DIVIMAX" releases are astounding, made from HD prints. The Divimax version of Dawn of the Dead looks nearly HD. Which...probably isn't a great thing for a low budget movie.... :) But still, its as good as I imagine it'll ever look.

All of Anchor-Bay's "DIVIMAX" releases are astounding, made from HD prints. The Divimax version of Dawn of the Dead looks nearly HD. Which...probably isn't a great thing for a low budget movie.... :) But still, its as good as I imagine it'll ever look.

Totally with you on that. I love those guys. I hope they re-release "Alice Sweet Alice" in enhanced 16x9. It's one of the few titles they've released that I'm bummed about. Dawn does look amazing.

any of you club memebers see the power buy for the HD DVD player-- do you think it is worth going to that and rent HD dvd's (netflix will be renting them)??
Also, again what mount are you guys using for ceiling mount??

I just received my panny 900, should i leave cinema reality on or off? May be a stupid question, but wanted to get others opionions

I just received my panny 900, should i leave cinema reality on or off? May be a stupid question, but wanted to get others opionions

There are no "stupid" questions - that only applys to answers. ;)

It depends on source.
This option is strictly for film source (it invokes reverse telecine).
If you are feeding interlace and the source is film then it should be on. If progressive, your player is handling the issue and will be (or *should* be) automatically bypassed by the pj's scaler

What "reverse telecine" is, can be found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine)
ted

Any 900 owners take their PJ in because of the "howling iris" issue and get it back with the noise corrected?. I do notice this a little on mine and some say it is common while others say it is not. Now I have only watched mine in a dead silent room as my HT is not done yet so there was no audio. The PJ exhibits a higher pitched noise during dark scenes and than stops once it brightens up. I don't think it gets louder, just a higher pitch sound. Some have used the word "grinding". That could also apply somewhat. Perhaps with my audio system, carpet, and wall treatments this will be a non issue. Any thoughts?? Also do you think VA would swap it out if it came to that. It's been almost 60 days, but I have < 1 hr on the lamp.

I have had to turn Cinema reality off because when there are scene changes on
film HD sources I notice lines for a few seconds. I had the same problem and it was bothering me when I had an AE700. Since most of us are feeding progressive I would suggest leaving it off.

Any 900 owners take their PJ in because of the "howling iris" issue and get it back with the noise corrected?. I do notice this a little on mine and some say it is common while others say it is not. Now I have only watched mine in a dead silent room as my HT is not done yet so there was no audio. The PJ exhibits a higher pitched noise during dark scenes and than stops once it brightens up. I don't think it gets louder, just a higher pitch sound. Some have used the word "grinding". That could also apply somewhat. Perhaps with my audio system, carpet, and wall treatments this will be a non issue. Any thoughts?? Also do you think VA would swap it out if it came to that. It's been almost 60 days, but I have < 1 hr on the lamp.
Mine does the exact oppisite as yours.
It's gets louder as the scene brightens.
Sometimes it gets to howling so much I can hear a mechanical sound also, almost a clicking sound, as the fan speeds up.
It does tend to bother me some.
I also seems to quiet down some as the projector gets to it's running temperature.

I have had to turn Cinema reality off because when there are scene changes on
film HD sources I notice lines for a few seconds. I had the same problem and it was bothering me when I had an AE700. Since most of us are feeding progressive I would suggest leaving it off.


Mine is off as well for the very same reason

There are no "stupid" questions - that only applys to answers. ;)

It depends on source.
This option is strictly for film source (it invokes reverse telecine).
If you are feeding interlace and the source is film then it should be on. If progressive, your player is handling the issue and will be (or *should* be) automatically bypassed by the pj's scaler

What "reverse telecine" is, can be found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine)
ted

I have a Oppo 97 DVD player which I can change the output from 480/720/1080. Noting that it's an oppo 97, leave it on or off. Since I don't really know if it's interlace or progressive. Thanks for the replies to this question.

I have a Oppo 97 DVD player which I can change the output from 480/720/1080. Noting that it's an oppo 97, leave it on or off. Since I don't really know if it's interlace or progressive. Thanks for the replies to this question.


I can't help you with the OPPO as I do not own one (good machine btw) but I can tell you it will be located in the players menu settings. My advice would be to set your OPPO to 16:9 and set the player to use 720 progressive (there is no interlace timing for 720) as its output over HDMI (unless another device owns that input). Turn OFF Cinema Reality in the 900 for the HDMI input.

OPPO specific questions can be asked in the AVS DVD Forum found here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=5&f=18).

Welcome to the forum,
ted

Mine does the exact oppisite as yours.
It's gets louder as the scene brightens.
Sometimes it gets to howling so much I can hear a mechanical sound also, almost a clicking sound, as the fan speeds up.
It does tend to bother me some.
I also seems to quiet down some as the projector gets to it's running temperature.


That's good. I have not really run it for more than a few times like when I first got it and when my Goo screen was finished. It's pretty much still brand new. It took me a while to realize it was even making the noise, so maybe once I am watching an actual movie it will not be an issue.

Well I have the IRIS NOISE however mine only does this on dark scenes and it is only slightly louder than the fan but still noticeable. You can here it switch back and fourth between bright and dark scenes. I spoke with VisualApex technical support and they say it's normal, I also called the Panasonic projector service number and they also said it's a normal phenomenon that can be slightly different between units. The put me in touch with Jim Fast who apparently is the regional engineer for Los Angeles, he belives it is normal but wants to get some more information and when he does he will be calling me back. I will post what information he gives me. As long as this isn't something failing right away than I will deal with it and build a sound diffuser.

I get what I think is the same noise (from what has been described) when I first turn on the unit. I don't notice it watching movies because the PJ is behing a wall at the back of my media room. When I first heard it I thought I had a problem with my fan as I did on my previous viewsonic PJ when they had to replace the fan. -Don

I have an AE900 and I thought that the HDMI was supposed to be the superior input signal. I have both HDMI and Component Video Cable (3 RCA) connected to my LG (LDA-511) DVD player. When I switch in-between them on my 100” screen the HDMI picture is about 3 inches smaller than the component video. IS this normal?

Andy.

Well I have the IRIS NOISE however mine only does this on dark scenes and it is only slightly louder than the fan but still noticeable. You can here it switch back and fourth between bright and dark scenes. I spoke with VisualApex technical support and they say it's normal, I also called the Panasonic projector service number and they also said it's a normal phenomenon that can be slightly different between units. The put me in touch with Jim Fast who apparently is the regional engineer for Los Angeles, he belives it is normal but wants to get some more information and when he does he will be calling me back. I will post what information he gives me. As long as this isn't something failing right away than I will deal with it and build a sound diffuser.



As I already said before:

IMHO noone has to accept that annoying iris noise - my unit went to the service two times and since then I hear nothing - neither in dark nor in bright scenes.

And after having experienced both phenomena I must admit, that the noise with bright scenes would have been tolerable for me compared to that really hearable "howling" sound within dark scenes.

In the end everybody has to decide for themselves. I at least am happy that I got it repaired.

The menu on my unit was always sharp. Maybe smoothscreen is not applied to the menu? Not sure but I tried 6 different DVD's plus 720p WMV recordings (PC) and my unit was never sharp unfortunately. I also tried different HDMI modes but all the same.
Maybe is obvious but, if you are using a PC, did you turn the OVERSCAN off on the projector and set your graphic card to 1280x720? The images are much sharper with these settings.

What screen and gain are you using and have you calibrated video settings yet?

I've been a CRT guy for many years, and accepted DLP front projection for many years, too, as an acceptable trade-off. After reading the many glowing reviews I received a Panny AE900 yesterday. I won't bother going into all of the features I like. There are many. However, when DLP has a blank image, or in this case with the AE900; "Shuttered", the image is essentially a very dark blackish grey. However, with the Panny, it is a very bright bluish tinted grey. I have tried adjusting brightness, contrast, gamma, etc.. and it doesn't seem to make any difference at all. It's as if they're stuck open. I've turned on the iris, turned it off and essentially spent about three hours trying to figure out a way to adjust this. This affects the black level and the image depth tremendously, flattening out the shadow detail into a muddy mess. When viewing 4:3 material (on a HD broadcast) the black bars on each side don't look black, they appear to be a milky, hazy bluish grey. Is this normal? Is this what everybody has come to accept? The picture, otherwise, with some adjustment, looks nice, but this is, to me, unacceptable.

Get a filter... like the 81EF. It cuts out much of the blue in the 'black' and also cuts the overall black level about in half again.

Shawn

The filter helps quite a bit. I've had one on mine pretty much after the first hour or so of use. I use Mike's settings with the 81EF and they worked well for my setup. You might want to try some of the various settings posted by those with instruments to properly set the grey scale and gamma tracking. Save your current settings to one of the memories and try the settings in a different memory location... that way you can go back and forth and compare pretty easily.

If the gamma is off it throws off shadow detail. If you have good test patterns make sure you aren't crushing the blacks as that too will make it loose shadow detail pretty sharply.

With the filter you will still get light on the screen on a full fade to black but there is still detail on dark scenes when everything is set properly. Check my gallery from some screen shots of dark material. The camera did exaggerate the black level of them a bit but not by a huge amount.

Also.... how many hours on your projector? Keep in mind the bulb is going to dim after you get some hours on it. That will drop the black level down too.

Shawn

Mike's settings for the 81EF from this thread...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=589234

I think they are in the first message in the thread.

Shawn

You might want to check out the 81C filter. Both Mike and Eric like it better than the 81EF.
Check out the tweaks thread. The 81C is a good compromise since there is not that much light loss.

does extreme zoom cause a problem with the picture degrading. The throw distance is great with this projector but if the projector is say a foot away from minimum throw does it degrade the picture?

can anyone recommend a good respectable establishment to buy this projector along with a ceiling mount hardware from?

I see many on pricegrabber, etc. but i want more than just low price.

Thanks!

can anyone recommend a good respectable establishment to buy this projector along with a ceiling mount hardware from?

I see many on pricegrabber, etc. but i want more than just low price.

Thanks!

Call any of the forum sponsors at the top of the page; then buy from the one you feel most comfortable with.

I just ordered one from Costco. I paid an extra $100 for it with them but I feel real confident in their return policy if anything should go wrong or if I don't like it. I got the Graywolf screen for now. I just need a good ceiling mount now.

digital dilemma, I would buy the 67mm filters and a 77mm step down ring since the projector takes 77mm filters. The 67mm filters will work fine and the price is much lower.

I just ordered one from Costco. I paid an extra $100 for it with them but I feel real confident in their return policy if anything should go wrong or if I don't like it. I got the Graywolf screen for now. I just need a good ceiling mount now.

How much at Costco ?

does extreme zooming (just WITHIN the minimum throw) hurt picture quality on this projector?

Thanks to everyone for the advice on Costco. Placed my order a few days ago before they sold out and it should be here either today or Monday since it finally shipped...

Had a couple questions since this is my first foray into the projector world

1) I am going to be comparing this head to head against a 3-4 year old 42inch Sony Wega HD LCD. Will I be disappointed and headed down the return path to Costco

2) I was initally looking into a few DA Lite screens, but I have smooth white wall in my living room. Is that suitable for a test?

3) How does the projector perform with some room light? Right now my Wega in some room light gets really washed out and can be hard to see....

4) Does anyone have any images of their projector on a shelf? Trying to get some ideas.

Sorry if this qualifies as noob material, but I figured I would pull on the expertise of this forum. Thanks all...

How much at Costco ?

You're new, so you're forgiven for asking, but forum rules prohibit posting of prices. You could either (a) do your research by going to Costco or go to their web site, or (b) ask to be private messaged with the information you seek.

Excellent! Thanks! :)

One more thing. Ahem.. serious vertical banding issue. Totally ruins the immersiveness of the image. Can't seem to tune it out. If this isn't eliminated, the projector won't stay. If there's a fix, either in regular menu or service menu, I'm sure it is in this thread or the tweak thread, but have not had time to research, yet. If you, or anyone can point me in the right direction or post a link to where I should start, it would be much appreciated. I've seen where some units manufactured at certain dates exhibited this tendency more than others. This unit indicates a September 2005 build date. Thanks in advance for the assistance.


You can adjust the VB out by going to the service menu. Main Menu>Options>(Can't remember what the top selection is) Hold down the enter button while on the top selection for about 5 seconds and you'll go into the service menu. Select panel adjust. For each panel adjust up or down until the VB dlsappears or is minimized. It takes a few tries to see the VB. Tends to be most visable in the first gray level away from pure white. Do this for each color where VB is visable in the pattern.

E

Today Friday 03/31/06 Received my $200 cheque and Blockbuster card good for 40 movie or Game Rentals valid until 06/30/06. I sent my rebate form by regular mail on the 11th Jan 06.

Sent mine on 1/11 as well. Received my check today, along with the 6/30 BB card.

My check was dated 2/28/06. They've got nothing on the Pony Express.

You can adjust the VB out by going to the service menu. Main Menu>Options>(Can't remember what the top selection is)...


OSD

I Received my $400.00 check and the BlockBuster card (good till 6/30/06)!! I am quite surprised, since I sent the rebate in 2/2/06. Now I just need to become a movie watching freak to use up the card before 6/30. I know it's only about 13 movies a month, but I usually only watch movies on the weekends.

Wanted to say I got my rebate today, from a submission date of 15 Dec 2005. The panny web rebate site has become a huge cluster.. I recommend using the phone...

Also wanted to thank everyone for the great learning experience. Sometimes after a movie on the big screen, I cant wipe that smile off my face for an hour. The oppo/panny/81c/panamorph combo makes me feel like I got way more than my money's worth for very high performance AV.

That 200 will be a down payment on the new lumagen HDQ...

Cheers.

Dennis

Ditto on rebate today with a 6/30/06 bb card expiration.
Mine was sent in 12-27-05.
They must of sent them out bulk mail.

OK, so does anyone know if Panasonic will extend their rebate now that it has expired?

(N00b here, just wanted to say "Hi" to all the vets here.

I suppose I'll be back wanting to know more, much more...) :)

Call Projector People they can tell you if the rebate was extended.

Wanted to say I got my rebate today, from a submission date of 15 Dec 2005. The panny web rebate site has become a huge cluster.. I recommend using the phone...

Also wanted to thank everyone for the great learning experience. Sometimes after a movie on the big screen, I cant wipe that smile off my face for an hour. The oppo/panny/81c/panamorph combo makes me feel like I got way more than my money's worth for very high performance AV.

That 200 will be a down payment on the new lumagen HDQ...

Cheers.

Dennis
What scaler are you using now for your 2:35 scope movies with your lens?

First time poster so be gentle

Had my panny 900 for 120 hours use.

Howling Iris on bright scenes noticeable, is this fixable?

When "ON" looking into lens, the rear surface of the lens and the lens further back is accumulating alot of dust is this normal, and is it easy to clean. My old epson had very little dust on the rear section of lens.

Just watched a HD movie off a STB, and it was a clearer picture letting the Panny 900 downscale to 720p than the 720p signal from the box, which leads me to my next question
is an upscaling DVD player any better than just letting the Panny do it itself ?

But despite these niggles, the picture quality is fantastic and since i like sitting close, no pixel structure really enforces the cinema feel, and with good input, is as sharp as it needs to be.

First time poster so be gentle

Had my panny 900 for 120 hours use.

Howling Iris on bright scenes noticeable, is this fixable?

When "ON" looking into lens, the rear surface of the lens and the lens further back is accumulating alot of dust is this normal, and is it easy to clean. My old epson had very little dust on the rear section of lens.

Just watched a HD movie off a STB, and it was a clearer picture letting the Panny 900 downscale to 720p than the 720p signal from the box, which leads me to my next question
is an upscaling DVD player any better than just letting the Panny do it itself ?

But despite these niggles, the picture quality is fantastic and since i like sitting close, no pixel structure really enforces the cinema feel, and with good input, is as sharp as it needs to be.

A lot of these have already been addressed. A lot of people seem to have the "howling iris issue". Mine does a little and I assume when my room is done and there is audio in the mix I will not notice it. Some people have said that they have had their PJ fixed of this issue. Definitely get an upscaling DVD player. They can be had for about $200 (Oppo) and the scaler is much better than the 900. I noticed a pretty big difference in clarity.

I need help picking a good screen for less than $900...

I just ordered a AE900. I intend to mount it on a shelf behind the viewing position 6' 3" high and 13' 8" from the wall with the screen.

Seating arrangement is a sofa 7' wide. When seated on the sofa the viewers eyes will be at 40" height and 9' 8" from the screen wall.

The room is painted dark colors antique red on sides and back, and dark blue on ceiling and projection wall. There are windows on one side and french doors on the other side with glass so there will be ambient light although I am installing blackout curtains on both the windows and doors to minimize this.

My questions are:

1. What is the best size screen? I am interested in the largest practical screen size for this viewing distance.

2. What is the best screen in this price range (<$900) for this setup?

3. How high should I mount the screen? The sofa and projector will be centered on the screen. The ceiling is 10' high. The screen wall is 13' wide.

Doug

I'm about to start fishing some cable to my Panny..........kinda confused about what cables I should run to it ? Not sure if the (eventual) surround sound receiver will hold most of the cables and maybe only need to run 1 or 2 cables to the Panny. I'm wanting to run satellite tv, dvd, regular cable, x-box. How long do the cables run ? I probably have to go some 25'.

Thx.

I need help picking a good screen for less than $900...

I just ordered a AE900. I intend to mount it on a shelf behind the viewing position 6' 3" high and 13' 8" from the wall with the screen.

Seating arrangement is a sofa 7' wide. When seated on the sofa the viewers eyes will be at 40" height and 9' 8" from the screen wall.

The room is painted dark colors antique red on sides and back, and dark blue on ceiling and projection wall. There are windows on one side and french doors on the other side with glass so there will be ambient light although I am installing blackout curtains on both the windows and doors to minimize this.

My questions are:

1. What is the best size screen? I am interested in the largest practical screen size for this viewing distance.

2. What is the best screen in this price range (<$900) for this setup?

3. How high should I mount the screen? The sofa and projector will be centered on the screen. The ceiling is 10' high. The screen wall is 13' wide.

Doug

I sit 10' from a 89" diagonal screen, and I like the experience. You could go to 100"+ without experiencing any SDE. When you go to the movie theater, do you like to sit close? If so, than think in terms of 100" or so at a 9' 8" viewing distance. If you prefer to sit farther back in a theater, then I would go 92".

This projector begs for a grey screen in order to produce decent black levels, IMO. Your budget would allow for a Carada HCG, or a Da-Lite HCCV from AVS. If you went 92", then you could probably get a nice Cinema Contour frame with pro trim on the Da-Lite. 100" would be over your budget, but you could go with the PermWall frame instead.

Generally, the 1/3 height guideline works well for mounting, meaning that your line of sight should intersect the screen 1/3 up from the bottom of the viewing surface.

The Da-Lite HCCV seems like the ticket. I do like to sit close in the theater most of the time, but am not sure whether I will like the 100" or 92" size better. I noticed that Costco has a Da-Lite 100" fixed frame with white frabric (lower cost than HCCV - Cinema Contour)... Its not grey, but given their return policy it might be a good way of determining how I like the size ...

Thanks for the help - it clarified my questions ... I was trying to decide if grey or white was a better choice.

The Da-Lite HCCV seems like the ticket. I do like to sit close in the theater most of the time, but am not sure whether I will like the 100" or 92" size better. I noticed that Costco has a Da-Lite 100" fixed frame with white frabric (lower cost than HCCV - Cinema Contour)... Its not grey, but given their return policy it might be a good way of determining how I like the size ...

Thanks for the help - it clarified my questions ... I was trying to decide if grey or white was a better choice.


the return policy is very good but you will pay shiping with a screen that is usally not cheap

The Da-Lite HCCV seems like the ticket. I do like to sit close in the theater most of the time, but am not sure whether I will like the 100" or 92" size better.

Since you are undecided regarding size, project on a wall or a white sheet if possible and work out your sizing then. You might be surprised how close you can sit with the 900 without there being appreciable artifacts. These in fact are most likely to be source related.

If you are following THX recommendations 1.5 screenwidths represents the back of the theatre. With my 700 I sit about 1.3 for a 16:9 screen and anticipate sitting closer when source improves.

An online calculator is available at http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html .

ted

Since you are undecided regarding size, project on a wall or a white sheet if possible and work out your sizing then. You might be surprised how close you can sit with the 900 without there being appreciable artifacts. These in fact are most likely to be source related.

If you are following THX recommendations 1.5 screenwidths represents the back of the theatre. With my 700 I sit about 1.3 for a 16:9 screen and anticipate sitting closer when source improves.

ted

Good advice --- a sheet is much simpler and cheaper than getting a screen that I am pretty sure that I won't want just to check size.... yeah, in fact I woke up this morning thinking that that was a stupid idea that I posted.... funny how a good night's sleep can clear the thinking... besides I feel that getting something that you are expecting to return just to check it out is a bit unethical...

Wow, I am excited now, and looking forward to getting the PJ.

Doug

Attention all AE900 smarties!

This should be quick...

I have my 900 all set up finally. Watched a few movies, seemed fine. Tonight I watched War of the Worlds and there were many scenes where I was seeing ghosting. Example, light would be coming from off the side of the screen(in the movie) and the lighting on the subject on screen was all, well, ghosted looking. Any ideas why I'm seeing that? I don't see it on my Samsung DLP with the same DVD player.

Overscan is off, the DVD player (Zenith 318) upverting to 720P. I haven't noticed it before.

I really appreciate any help here.

Dear all:

I just purchased an AE900 and it works great with my iScan HD via the component connection. The source to my iScan HD is a SDI modded Panasonic 91 DVD player. Now, I plan to get the best pq from the setup. Could anyone please tell me whether I can connect my iScan HD to AE900 by a DVI/HMDI cable. The output of the Panasonic 91 is 480i via SDI and the iScan HD will upscale it to 720P and output it via DVI to the HDMI input of AE900.

DVD Player (SDI, 480i) --> iScan HD (DVI, 720p) --> DVI/HDMI cable --> HDMI input of AE900

Thank you in advance.

Daniel

Now, I plan to get the best pq from the setup. Could anyone please tell me whether I can connect my iScan HD to AE900 by a DVI/HMDI cable.

DVD Player (SDI, 480i) --> iScan HD (DVI, 720p) --> DVI/HDMI cable --> HDMI input of AE900

Thank you in advance.

Daniel

Daniel,

You should be able to use the DVI/HDMI cable. I don't have an iScan but I use the DVI/HDMI with my cable box and the PQ is better than with component.

I mailed the form in on Dec, 22 and got the check on 3/31/06, last Friday.

And the projector is working great, couldn't look any better!

Anyone know whats happening wiht pricing/rebates for those of us who haven't ordered yet?

Sheetrock is almost done here but it is still too early to buy a pj to just have it sit in the box....

Anyone know whats happening wiht pricing/rebates for those of us who haven't ordered yet?


Just saw on Projector People that the rebates have been extended to 4/30.

Has anyone figured out how to go directly to one of the component inputs on the AE900? The remote only has a toggle button between the two component inputs.

ahh thanks---I think by the end of the month we should be ready....

I got my rebate last Firday as well.

I just sent a very lengthy email to their customer service department letting them know haw disappointed I was in the whole matter.

Lets see if it gets any response. ( I doubt it though)

Rob

Edit: Email ws sent to Blockbuster.

Waiting 4 months for a rebate is lame...I just sent mine in last Tuesday.

Has anyone duplicated my problem connecting from a PC's DVI to the HDMI input? Everytime I reboot the computer the resolution changes from 1280 x 720 to 640 x 480!
This doesn't happen when connected to a Dell 19inch LCD. Thanks,Eric

I got my rebate last Firday as well.

I just sent a very lengthy email to their customer service department letting them know haw disappointed I was in the whole matter.

Lets see if it gets any response. ( I doubt it though)

Rob

Edit: Email ws sent to Blockbuster.

Yes you'll receive an response about 10 to 14 weeks after recept of complaint

himey -- Part of that depends on what video card you have. Also, have you downloaded and installed the latest drivers for your card? ATI has been updating their Catalyst software just about every month. See the HTPC forum.

Has anyone duplicated my problem connecting from a PC's DVI to the HDMI input? Everytime I reboot the computer the resolution changes from 1280 x 720 to 640 x 480!
This doesn't happen when connected to a Dell 19inch LCD. Thanks,Eric

To follow up on Claus' post - it sounds like it might not be reading EDID info properly. If your Vid Card is ATI, I recommend the latest drivers. I used to have this problem with my former ATI card (now using an NVidia) which I managed to work around by installing a monitor driver that had similar rez capabilities.

When I upgraded to the most recent Catalyst drivers the problem went away.

ted

Attention all AE900 smarties!

This should be quick...

I have my 900 all set up finally. Watched a few movies, seemed fine. Tonight I watched War of the Worlds and there were many scenes where I was seeing ghosting. Example, light would be coming from off the side of the screen(in the movie) and the lighting on the subject on screen was all, well, ghosted looking. Any ideas why I'm seeing that? I don't see it on my Samsung DLP with the same DVD player.

Overscan is off, the DVD player (Zenith 318) upverting to 720P. I haven't noticed it before.

I really appreciate any help here.

Try reducing the SHARPNESS setting on the PJ. Many believe the Panasonics add too much contouring. If this doesn't help, has cable length changed? (I'm assuming you are using the component out of the 318 when I ask this.)

Much of this can be source dependent. What size is your DLP? What is not apparent at 50" might scream at you when viewing 100" which is ~four times the area.

ted

The Da-Lite HCCV seems like the ticket. I do like to sit close in the theater most of the time, but am not sure whether I will like the 100" or 92" size better. I noticed that Costco has a Da-Lite 100" fixed frame with white frabric (lower cost than HCCV - Cinema Contour)... Its not grey, but given their return policy it might be a good way of determining how I like the size ...

Thanks for the help - it clarified my questions ... I was trying to decide if grey or white was a better choice.

I maybe too late with my input on this but what the heck...........I sit at 9' 6'' from my screen. It is 100" diag and I like it just fine. I thought it was going to be too big at first but that all changed with the first movie I watched. It 's perfect for the panny, no screen door at all on this PJ.

My screen is a DIY, Do-able board screen. I made it for under well under a $100. and think it is a good match for this PJ, esp. if you have controlled light room. If you go with a white screen I would give Do-able board a try.

John

Thanks guys...Yes It is an ATI 9800 Pro. I am using the latest drivers. I have reinstalled twice and still no go. If anyone has this working what version drivers are you using. I see it does recongize the ae-900...

Any problem with this projector being 18-20 feet from the screen in a designated room with light control? Curious if I need to move it forward or not....if so, I may have to go to a diffrerent projector :(

micromax,
I have my projector 19 feet back (back wall) and centered. It looks great even with the lights on. I have one window next to the screen using black out drapes. Direct early morning or afternoon light will wash out any picture on any TV. I have a ceiling mount I was going to use but hiding the wires is a pain so I am leaving it on the back wall! Eric

What is the overscan for on the Panny? I received mine last week & have played with it much. It looks great without calibration, anyone out there just watch it without calibration? Also what are these filters some members get for the Panny? do they improve the pq? thanks

Attention all AE900 smarties!

This should be quick...

I have my 900 all set up finally. Watched a few movies, seemed fine. Tonight I watched War of the Worlds and there were many scenes where I was seeing ghosting. Example, light would be coming from off the side of the screen(in the movie) and the lighting on the subject on screen was all, well, ghosted looking. Any ideas why I'm seeing that? I don't see it on my Samsung DLP with the same DVD player.

Overscan is off, the DVD player (Zenith 318) upverting to 720P. I haven't noticed it before.

I really appreciate any help here.

Someone mentioned to me that War of the Worlds is a very bad transfer. Hardly reference material.

Someone mentioned to me that War of the Worlds is a very bad transfer. Hardly reference material.

I believe War of The Worlds looks grainy as Steven Spielberg intended just like he made Saving Private Ryan look grainy also and as the Wachowski brothers added a green tint to The Matrix. So relax there is nothing wrong with your TV set. ;)

Thanks guys...Yes It is an ATI 9800 Pro. I am using the latest drivers. I have reinstalled twice and still no go. If anyone has this working what version drivers are you using. I see it does recongize the ae-900...

I used the 9500 Pro up until about a month ago with the latest drivers at the time. (Don't remember the numbers) Since then I've been using an NVidia 6600GT.

This is an issue with your HTPC and not the pj so I suggest you will get more satisfaction in the HTPC Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=5&f=26). This issue has been reported before with ATI drivers.

Is it safe to say you removed the older drivers completely before the new install? (with the ATI uninstall program?) Did you try the FORCE 720p select in your Control Panel? Are you using Catalyst Control Centre or the older interface?

ted

I used the 9500 Pro up until about a month ago with the latest drivers at the time. (Don't remember the numbers) Since then I've been using an NVidia 6600GT.

This is an issue with your HTPC and not the pj so I suggest you will get more satisfaction in the HTPC Forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=5&f=26). This issue has been reported before with ATI drivers.

Is it safe to say you removed the older drivers completely before the new install? (with the ATI uninstall program?) Did you try the FORCE 720p select in your Control Panel? Are you using Catalyst Control Centre or the older interface?

ted

I have uninstalled and reinstalled 3 times now all with the same result...when I restart my pc it goes to 640 x 480 resolution and I manually have to change it back to 1280 x 720. Other than that it works perfect. Just a P.I.T.A.! Right now I am using the "Omega" drivers and still not remembering the resolution.

The reason I am asking on this forum is because I am trying to see if it can be duplicated. Like I said before, I don't have the problem with the same setup on my Dell LCD just the panny. Eric

Someone mentioned to me that War of the Worlds is a very bad transfer. Hardly reference material.

Very interesting.

The reason I am asking on this forum is because I am trying to see if it can be duplicated. Like I said before, I don't have the problem with the same setup on my Dell LCD just the panny. Eric

I understand the issue - as I said it used to occur with older drivers on my ATI. I used to work around it by defining my primary monitor with a SONY monitor driver (though it was connected to the 700). I then FORCED 720p mode.

If I remember correctly the last couple of drivers I used obviated this issue. I was at that point using the Catalyst Control Centre though I'd been using the older Control Panel up until then.

I've had no issues with NVidia. I'm not dissing ATI btw.

ted

I maybe too late with my input on this but what the heck...........I sit at 9' 6'' from my screen. It is 100" diag and I like it just fine. I thought it was going to be too big at first but that all changed with the first movie I watched. It 's perfect for the panny, no screen door at all on this PJ.

My screen is a DIY, Do-able board screen. I made it for under well under a $100. and think it is a good match for this PJ, esp. if you have controlled light room. If you go with a white screen I would give Do-able board a try.

John
Excellent! I was just about to ask about this. My projector is planned to be 11' back from the screen and the seeting area is also 11' back. My screen will be 110". So if your OK at 9'6" with 100" im hopin im OK at 11' with 110".

Is that Do-able a grey screen or a white screen?

I just got my rebate on Friday, mine was sent on Jan 13th. BB card has a date of 6/30 (sux!!)

In your opinion, what is the maximum HD screen size to consider for the AE900 with HD and DVD as primary sources? My home office / home theatre room is under construction, so there is no issue with where the projector is to be placed.

Thanks,

David

My screen is 128" and the first row is only 11 ft back. We currently only watch DVDs with our oppo.

At the movie theater we both prefer sitting in the back, but in the HT the 11 ft back works well for us.

My rebate claim was received on 3/28 and they said to expect an 8 week turnaround.

Excellent! I was just about to ask about this. My projector is planned to be 11' back from the screen and the seeting area is also 11' back. My screen will be 110". So if your OK at 9'6" with 100" im hopin im OK at 11' with 110".

Is that Do-able a grey screen or a white screen?

Do-able is a white board, 1/4 thick. 110 should be fine from 11'. I would say. Only you can tell for sure though.

John

Very interesting.

Actually War of the Worlds is an excellent transfer. The issue is that the filmakers decided to desaturate and "grunge" up the image in it's theatrical release to better hide the digital elements in the film. The DVD comes pretty darn close to the original theatrical version's image detail (or lack there-of). That being said it really isn't a DVD you to use for reference unless you're comparing it to it's own theatrical print. One of the more amazing transfers is a really crappy movie (at least I didn't like it much) "House of 1000 Corpses". Even the menus look amazing on this disc. Rent it if you don't own it. The detail is pretty surprising. And if you're a horror movie buff try just about anything distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment. They really do some beautiful work.

Elio

Actually War of the Worlds is an excellent transfer. The issue is that the filmakers decided to desaturate and "grunge" up the image in it's theatrical release to better hide the digital elements in the film. The DVD comes pretty darn close to the original theatrical version's image detail (or lack there-of). That being said it really isn't a DVD you to use for reference unless you're comparing it to it's own theatrical print. One of the more amazing transfers is a really crappy movie (at least I didn't like it much) "House of 1000 Corpses". Even the menus look amazing on this disc. Rent it if you don't own it. The detail is pretty surprising. And if you're a horror movie buff try just about anything distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment. They really do some beautiful work.

Elio

Hmm, so then I'm not sure why I was seeing the ghosting. Usually I use DVI to HDMI for stuff and it looks great. But my cable is being borrowed at the moment. I'll see if it goes away with the better signal of HDMI.

Has the rebate actually been extended? I know some websites are claiming that it has, but when clicking on the rebate form the website directs you to click on, the expiration date is 3/31/06. Is there some weaseling going on here by some of the online vendors?? :rolleyes:

I couple weeks ago I asked checkmyrebate. why I haven't heard anything from Panasonic concerning my rebate. Today I received a reply, obviously they have received many complaints about this.

Dear Consumer:

CheckMyRebate and its affiliates are no longer associated with Panasonic or it’s rebate process. As a result, we will not be able to assist you with information regarding Panasonic rebates.

We understand your concerns and/or questions regarding your rebate completely and we suggest that you fully follow through with your inquiry.

Checkmyrebate has and will continue to support manufactures and retailers that have a rebate goal in mind where the customer comes first and allows companies like ourselves to process the responses in a timely matter for a successful rebate for everyone.

Due to termination or our relationship with Panasonic and the abundance of emails we have received concerning Panasonic rebates we have taken the time to give you some quick tips on how you should proceed.

We suggest that you contact the ACB rebate center directly at 1-800-832-7199. They are now responsible for processing most of Panasonic’s rebates. You may also contact Panasonic customer service at 1-800-211-7262.

If you feel that you are not receiving an answer that satisfies you, you may contact the Tennessee Better Business Bureau to assist you with your claim.

We thank you for visiting our rebate site and hope you will come back to visit us again when participating in a rebate from a manufacturer or retailer who is affiliated with us

Hmm, so then I'm not sure why I was seeing the ghosting. Usually I use DVI to HDMI for stuff and it looks great. But my cable is being borrowed at the moment. I'll see if it goes away with the better signal of HDMI.

What scene did you see the ghosting. I'll check it out on my copy and see if I see the same thing. It could have been something that happened on set. Like a reflection in a filter used in front of the lens. I used to be a camera assistant on films and it was a common occurance.

E

I'm curious about the rebate extension as well...I'm on the fence, possibly wanting to purchase this Panny - but only if the rebate is still in effect.

I was checking out a refurb and saw it was called ae900u-B ----what's the "B" mean?


----Oh. If it means "B-stock", then I guess I figured it out.

Has the rebate actually been extended? I know some websites are claiming that it has, but when clicking on the rebate form the website directs you to click on, the expiration date is 3/31/06. Is there some weaseling going on here by some of the online vendors?? :rolleyes:

Probably not. The original rebate ended in January I think, and the one that ended at the end of March was an 'extension.' So if they are saying extension then they are probably talking about that. I havent seen anything about a new extension.

Probably not. The original rebate ended in January I think, and the one that ended at the end of March was an 'extension.' So if they are saying extension then they are probably talking about that. I havent seen anything about a new extension.

Actually, they have now extended it until May 31, 2006 amazingly enough. Great for some people, kind of a real pisser for others.

-Tim

What scene did you see the ghosting. I'll check it out on my copy and see if I see the same thing. It could have been something that happened on set. Like a reflection in a filter used in front of the lens. I used to be a camera assistant on films and it was a common occurance.

E

Near the beginning of the movie when Tom Cruise is out at the curb when his kids show up in the SUV. When the camera is behind Tom and it is focused on the kids and mom in the background. The light shining on Tom is all ghosted pretty bad. There are 5-6 other scenes that I saw it in though. Thanks for checkin.

Near the beginning of the movie when Tom Cruise is out at the curb when his kids show up in the SUV. When the camera is behind Tom and it is focused on the kids and mom in the background. The light shining on Tom is all ghosted pretty bad. There are 5-6 other scenes that I saw it in though. Thanks for checkin.

I'll check tonight. FYI the movie was HEAVILY filtered in the beginning so it's very likely a filter artifact.

E

I called the 800 number listed in the CheckMyRebate email that I received... They indicated they had my rebate and it was in process. I asked about the BlockBuster card and they indicated that it was extended to 7/31/06.

For those waiting for AE900 rebates. . .

I just called ACBRebate. After about five minutes on hold someone informed me that they recieved my rebate form on 3/9/06 and that it would be 8-14 weeks from that date until I received my check and my Blockbuster card. She did say that the deal on the Blockbuster card was extended until July31 and could possibly be extended further if they stayed slow on getting the check/cards out to people.


[QUOTE=gmjb0525]I couple weeks ago I asked checkmyrebate. why I haven't heard anything from Panasonic concerning my rebate. Today I received a reply, obviously they have received many complaints about this.

Dear Consumer:

<snip>
Due to termination or our relationship with Panasonic and the abundance of emails we have received concerning Panasonic rebates we have taken the time to give you some quick tips on how you should proceed.

We suggest that you contact the ACB rebate center directly at 1-800-832-7199. They are now responsible for processing most of Panasonic’s rebates. You may also contact Panasonic customer service at 1-800-211-7262.

micromax,
I have my projector 19 feet back (back wall) and centered. It looks great even with the lights on. I have one window next to the screen using black out drapes. Direct early morning or afternoon light will wash out any picture on any TV. I have a ceiling mount I was going to use but hiding the wires is a pain so I am leaving it on the back wall! Eric

I tried this in the tweak thread and guess it was inappropriate for that thread, no answer. Might be a really dumb question but I was wondering about screen distance myself. I am in a well controlled light room.

I was wondering about the distance I can set my Panasonic AE900 and it seemed some two months ago, its was fine. Now I wanted to show someone this site and it seems the numbers are different and my throw distance is not in the recommended range. So for a screen 119' diagonal and a gain of 1.1, with the throw even at 12 feet it would recommend higher brightness. But then calculator classis shows 12 - 24.3 is my available range. Anyone want to stab at this and enlighten me? Dave at Projector central wrote back and said;

With the Calculator Pro we use 75% of the projectors ANSI lumen rating in all our calculations in order to allow for lamp aging. The lamp life is rated in hours and what it means is that the lamp will be at half brightness at the end of its life. You’ll also notice that your foot-Lambert measurement with this setup is 11 fL. A movie theater is typically 12 fL, so you will be higher than that when you start and fall below that number half way through the life of the lamp. This isn’t a problem as long as you can control light in the room. If you cannot manage room light then, contrast will suffer, but the image is still viewable.

If I can be of further assistance, please advise.

Not sure where 11fl came in. Don't want to appear to stupid here. So why doesn't it show 11' as a maximum distance. Really confused

Also, I bought a 25' HDMI cable cheap and took it back because of sparkles. A more expensive cable fixed it.



Thanks
Dave

A movie theater is typically 12 fL, so you will be higher than that when you start and fall below that number half way through the life of the lamp. This isn’t a problem as long as you can control light in the room. If you cannot manage room light then, contrast will suffer, but the image is still viewable.

Thanks
Dave

Throw calculations are image size centric, so it is showing you screen size for a given distance if the PJ is capable of it - 100 inches diagonal seems to be the goal. The lumens calculations are inaccurate at best as yhey don't follow the typical brightness curve of a lamp - expect about 50% loss (1 F stop) within the first 500 hrs. FtL incorporates screen area as well as screen gain so if 11 FtL is too low you would choose a screen with a higher gain.

BTW, Cinemas are typically lower than 12 Ftl and those are recommendations not rules. It is not unusual to be viewing a cinema projection at less than 10 FtL. To make matters more confusing there are those oddballs who find this too bright and view movies at less than 9 Ft L. I count myself amongst these darkened souls. ;)

ted

if you're talking about bad visuals from certain scenes in war of the worlds, its just the dvd.

the end of the movie where he is in the automn(sp) leaves is one of the worst looking scenes in a dvd ive ever seen.

I was wondering about the distance I can set my Panasonic AE900 and it seemed some two months ago, its was fine. Now I wanted to show someone this site and it seems the numbers are different and my throw distance is not in the recommended range. So for a screen 119' diagonal and a gain of 1.1, with the throw even at 12 feet it would recommend higher brightness. But then calculator classis shows 12 - 24.3 is my available range. Anyone want to stab at this and enlighten me? Dave at Projector central wrote back and said;
.....................
...................
Not sure where 11fl came in. Don't want to appear to stupid here. So why doesn't it show 11' as a maximum distance. Really confused


Dave



Just a followup to my earlier likely confusing post.

If you are achieving 119" diagonal at your throw distance, I would consider that the calculator is at best a rough instrument.

As to where the 11 Ft L comes from:
Ft Lamberts is a measure of what is coming *from* an object - reflected light basically. As such it is calibrated as:

Screen Brightness (in Foot-Lamberts) = Projectors Light Output(in ANSI Lumens)Screen Size(in Square Feet) x Screen Gain
or Ft Lamberts = (Lumens/Sq Ft) x Gain

What it appears that Projector Central has done is (my conjecture anyway):
1) They have calibrated the the PJ's lumens output as 75% of manufacturers rating (as stated) = 825 lumens (it is likely less after a proper calibration or this would be a higher output mode).
2) They have then divided this in half to reflect the output at the lamp's end of life which would be 412.5 lumens.(I'm betting considerably less)

Plugging this info into the above formula with your screen size of 41.8 square feet and a gain of 1.1, you get:

Ft. Lamberts = (412.5 / 41.8) x 1.1
Thus Ft. L = 10.71
Essentially 11 Ft lamberts at the end of bulb life.

Frankly, if you get that much output from the lamp at the end of its life you should be whistling dixie and kicking up your heels.

My earlier comments regarding the viewing conditions in your local cinema and what members of the bat brigade like me are willing to live with, remain the same.

Sorry for the quality of my earlier post.
ted

Actually, they have now extended it until May 31, 2006 amazingly enough. Great for some people, kind of a real pisser for others.

-Tim

Why would it be a pisser? and how can you qualify your statement? Nobody has seen anything in writing from Panasonic. If you have, please post it.

http://www.pricegrabber.com/info_rebate.php/masterid=12398173/ut=4467c9fc2dd120f3

I received my rebate and BB card about 2 weeks ago. The guy at my local BB said that he doesn't mind using my rebate card more than 1 time per day. He just has to rent one movie at a time and close each transaction. No problem as long as there's not a big line behind you. I don't know if everyone will do that, but it seems like I'll probably get my 40 rentals in now.

Whats the contrast for this projector? I don't see it listed in the manual, and the specification sheet has 5500 but thats with dynamic iris on. What is its basic contrast?

DnoyeB. Check out the AE900 tweak thread. You will see all kinds of information on the Contrast and how it can be tweaked. Start with page one for suggestions.

I just got my projector last week and there is a white line that goes from the top all the way down to the bottom of the picture on the left side. Anyone know what this would be or how to get rid of it? It shows up really well on light backgrounds such as blue and white. Also, I see Vertical banding too.

I just got my projector last week and there is a white line that goes from the top all the way down to the bottom of the picture on the left side. Anyone know what this would be or how to get rid of it? It shows up really well on light backgrounds such as blue and white. Also, I see Vertical banding too.

On what source?

On HDMI with my dvd player and on component with the xbox 360. It's also there when it's just a blue screen background. It's a faint whitish colored line that nots very thick but goes all the way down the side of the picture. I'm shooting onto an off white colored wall right now as I haven't gotten a screen yet. Could it be that part of the wall is alittle off color to the rest of the paint?

On HDMI with my dvd player and on component with the xbox 360. It's also there when it's just a blue screen background. It's a faint whitish colored line that nots very thick but goes all the way down the side of the picture. I'm shooting onto an off white colored wall right now as I haven't gotten a screen yet. Could it be that part of the wall is alittle off color to the rest of the paint?

Move the projector and find out.

Hiding frustration raises blood pressure Mike :).

Hiding frustration raises blood pressure Mike :).

HUH HUH, Who me? :eek:

Hello all. I'm looking to jump on the Panny AE900U bandwagon here sometime soon.

And I'll be jumping on yet another bandwagon with the eventual purchase of a Carada screen, somewhere in the 100" range....but I'm going for the projector first so that I can figure out the best size to get for my setup.

I currently have a HTPC, that I connect via DVI to my 42" Plasma. Once I get the Panny, I know I'll hav to connect the HTPC via the HDMI port on the projector (using a DVI->HMI Converter).

I'll also be wanting to step up to HD DVD sometime this summer/fall...which will then ALSO be required to connect via HDMI to the Panny projector.

QUICK QUESTIONS:

1. What are my options? Is there such thing as a DVI/HDMI switcher that would allow both to be connected?

2. Does anyone have any photos of the Panny in action? I wuld like to see what you have done with screen placement/setup, if anyone wouldn't mind sharing. I would also LOVE to see a 4x3 image (standard def TV) displayed on a 1.78 to 1 screen..

Thanks for any input/help!

Mike

Welcome Mike to the forum. I hope you get you Ae900 while the rebate is still on. It is a great deal. Regarding the switcher. Get the 5x1 Monoprice HDMI switcher and some cables from Monoprice. They work great with the AE 900 and you can get HDMI/DVI or HDMI/HDMI cables in many lengths from they at great prices. They also sell very cheap cable adaptors and they are a fourm sponsor. You will be able to use the switch with any new HD player you may purchase this summer. Also check out the tweak thread to get the best results with your new projector. A 100" screen should be fine. You might also want to check out the Grey Wolf screens which have gotten great reviews and are very low in cost.

Question regarding the Shutter feature-

Is it ok to use this for like 30 mins to 60 mins? Does this keep an image on the LCDs? Or does it shut the LCD's off? Just concerned about leaving the shutter feature on for extended periods of time, no greater than about 1 1/2 hrs, don't want to cause burn in or image retention...

Thanks

In preperation for the new HD DVD/ BD players coming out this year, I was thinking of changing pj's from my 4805 to the ae900u. I have a couple of questions i would like some help with. I currently use my 4805 with a vip 622 and an xp-30 dvd player via component. I'm leaning towards a BD player and would like to stay with component as the preferred connection long as I can.
1. How well would the 900u lcd work with an elite screen-(94" matte white)
2. Are there any 4805 to ae900u converters out there?
3. I have seen the japanese ae900 on ebay that has the usa power cord and usa inputs for a pretty good price. What is the "catch" with this?

thanks

1. How well would the 900u lcd work with an elite screen-(94" matte white)
Should do fine.
2. Are there any 4805 to ae900u converters out there?
Not quite sure what you mean by this

Can you inform as to what you think you might gain with respect to HD? The 4805 will *accept* HD timings and has HDCP over DVI so that shouldn't be an issue. Basically you could begin your collection though you would not be able to see them at their best. I don't think the higher rez of the 900 will be that much of an advantage.

I wouldn't count on Component as a transport for next gen DVD as, if the Studios decide to invoke Image Constraint Token (ICT) YPbPr transports will be resolution limited and if they invoke Digital Only Token (DOT) you are likely to be limited to digital transports.

My recommendation would be to wait until the fall (CEDIA) to see what is in store.

ted

Should do fine.

Not quite sure what you mean by this

Can you inform as to what you think you might gain with respect to HD? The 4805 will *accept* HD timings and has HDCP over DVI so that shouldn't be an issue. Basically you could begin your collection though you would not be able to see them at their best. I don't think the higher rez of the 900 will be that much of an advantage.

I wouldn't count on Component as a transport for next gen DVD as, if the Studios decide to invoke Image Constraint Token (ICT) YPbPr transports will be resolution limited and if they invoke Digital Only Token (DOT) you are likely to be limited to digital transports.

My recommendation would be to wait until the fall (CEDIA) to see what is in store.

ted

HDTV does look great on the 4805, but its still not TRUE HD, as would be the case when the HD DVD/BD players come out. I want to take advantage of the full rez of those formats, as well as HDTV. Also, the last i heard was most of the studios would not implement ict on component.

Hi,

I am thinking of buying this panny. Can you guys tell me where did you buy it and if there are good deals on this out there with $400 rebate still valid?

Thanks a lot! Please PM.

HDTV does look great on the 4805, but its still not TRUE HD, as would be the case when the HD DVD/BD players come out. I want to take advantage of the full rez of those formats, as well as HDTV. Also, the last i heard was most of the studios would not implement ict on component.

With next gen dvd film encoding at 1080P24 there will still be scaling going on with 1280 x 720p displays so you will not be "taking full advantage of those formats" unless you've a 1080P display.

As to ICT - there are no rules, simply promises which can be revoked at any time.

I'm not saying "Don't buy a 1280 x 720p PJ" simply, were it me. I would wait until the fall to see what new models are available and we should have a better idea as to what is really going to be delivered by the competing camps.

If you can't wait to purchase a player - you should still be able to drive your existing unit and by fall there will be more product on the shelves so you will have a clearer picture - moreso if the pj you purchase is better than existing models. ;)

ted

Hi,

I am thinking of buying this panny. Can you guys tell me where did you buy it and if there are good deals on this out there with $400 rebate still valid?

Thanks a lot! Please PM.

Simple note of warning (I ain't no enforcer) but this is against forum rules and will disappoint the mods. Only MSRP is sanctioned.

ted

On HDMI with my dvd player and on component with the xbox 360. It's also there when it's just a blue screen background. It's a faint whitish colored line that nots very thick but goes all the way down the side of the picture. I'm shooting onto an off white colored wall right now as I haven't gotten a screen yet. Could it be that part of the wall is alittle off color to the rest of the paint?

Since it is present with two separate sources, it probably isn't the source. Check out your wall color theory (can you move it to a different wall?), and if that isn't it, exchange the projector. The QC on these things is so loose that nothing would surprise me.

Hi,

The distance from screen to projector will be 13ft. Will it be possible to project 120' diagonal 16:9 pull down screen? the sitting distance will also be 13ft and considering THX calculaator it seems about right. I'm low on budget so I guess I will be picking cheap elite screen for 200shipped.

PS. Also, projector will be connected only to my pc. My graphic card has DVI-D but the projector has HDMI. Can somebody post a link to a cable that will let me feed digital from my comp to panny ae900u?

Thanks in advance

Monoprice.com is a forum sponsor and they can sell you a relatively inexpensive DVI to HDMI cable.

ok cool, thank for pointing where to get cable. Can somebody answer my first question?

Thanks

one more thing, I just ordered this cable at monoprice
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023103&p_id=2661&style=&seq=1&format=4#feedback

I would appriciate if somebody could confirm that this cable will work for transmitting video from my graphic card's DVI to panny ae900u HDMI.

Thanks and sorry for noob questions

Hi,

The distance from screen to projector will be 13ft. Will it be possible to project 120' diagonal 16:9 pull down screen? the sitting distance will also be 13ft and considering THX calculaator it seems about right. I'm low on budget so I guess I will be picking cheap elite screen for 200shipped.

PS. Also, projector will be connected only to my pc. My graphic card has DVI-D but the projector has HDMI. Can somebody post a link to a cable that will let me feed digital from my comp to panny ae900u?

Thanks in advance

Thirteen feet will project an image of 120", but the zoom will be almost at its maximum. If you can, 16 feet would be better as the zoom would be right in the middle which gives the best picture. But, 13 feet would work. Go to the projection calculator below to work out your own numbers:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE900U-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Does the P_anny have descrete remote codes?

Does the Panny have descrete remote codes?

I have searched through this thread and there has been some mention of possible overheating, but I don't know exactly what happened with my Panny so I figured I would post it. We were watching a movie and the projector just turned off. I felt the projector and it was very hot. I waited for about a half an hour and the projector seemed much cooler, but it would not turn on.
I am wondering if the unit is burnt out or if it is possible that the bulb blew out. I will wait for a while longer before I try to turn it on again. But if anyone has an idea or similar experience please let me know.

I am wondering if the unit is burnt out or if it is possible that the bulb blew out. I will wait for a while longer before I try to turn it on again. But if anyone has an idea or similar experience please let me know.

Outside of the bulb another possibility is if the fan circuit is inoperative the unit will shut down.

ted

A dirty filter could also cause the projector to shut down.

Thirteen feet will project an image of 120", but the zoom will be almost at its maximum. If you can, 16 feet would be better as the zoom would be right in the middle which gives the best picture. But, 13 feet would work. Go to the projection calculator below to work out your own numbers:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE900U-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Thanks for the help; I did tried calculator before but it confuses me. When I set diagonal to 120' the throw distance is 24.3 !!! when I try to lower it then diagonal is lowering as well. Any help here?

nevermind:D I just noticed zoom function. everything seems fine now
but at 120' diagonal and zoom 1.8x it says "reduce image size or increase screen gain" can't I just increase brightness in the projector? The cheap elite screen has gain 1.1 because it's just matte white. Should I consider gray wolf in that situation? it bothers me because I the biggest cheap graywolf I saw was 106 from optoma and 120' would perfectly fit my wall.

You said before that the zoom feature will be almost set to maximum; does it affects image quality? Room is dark with very very little of light sneaking by the windows covers:D

Thanks

You said before that the zoom feature will be almost set to maximum; does it affects image quality? Room is dark with very very little of light sneaking by the windows covers:D
Shorter throws will avail you of better light transmission, thus you will achieve more brightness for a given screen size. If you understand how F-stops convey light transmission info and how it relates to focal length - the lens specs will reveal all.

Shorter throws *do* bring with them the possibility of geometry errors - pincushioning - since it uses a greater portion of the glass. This would be apparent as an inward curve to the picture borders. Masking would hide this - the impact on PQ is not likely to be noticeable with most content.

Welcome to the forum btw.
ted

Shorter throws will avail you of better light transmission, thus you will achieve more brightness for a given screen size. If you understand how F-stops convey light transmission info and how it relates to focal length - the lens specs will reveal all.

Shorter throws *do* bring with them the possibility of geometry errors - pincushioning - since it uses a greater portion of the glass. This would be apparent as an inward curve to the picture borders. Masking would hide this - the impact on PQ is not likely to be noticeable with most content.

Welcome to the forum btw.
ted

hmm, I will project from about 13ft which is very short, but still projector calculator indicates that I should get screen with more gain or reduce the size. Basically you are saying that PQ will not change, and even if it will then my novice eye will not detect it?

Thanx for a hot welcome

hmm, I will project from about 13ft which is very short, but still projector calculator indicates that I should get screen with more gain or reduce the size.

It is considered desirable for your viewing that 100 IRE (calibrated white) be within the 12 to 16 Ft Lambert range. Since Ft lambert calculations are dependent on screen area and screen gain then your screen size is the issue. For a 16:9 image 127" is considered "largish". If you've total light control this may not be an issue to you. For example I find the recommendations too bright for my tastes. You may not.

If you've a white sheet or some Blackout cloth, I suggest you set up your PJ and decide on a screen later. B/O cloth has a gain about .8 per my measurements. You could reference the DIY screens forum for help re this. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=5&f=110

Basically you are saying that PQ will not change, and even if it will then my novice eye will not detect it?


I was referring to geometry changes here, and your "novice" eyes are likely to notice those before you notice the brightness difference between one extreme of the 900's lens to the other (slightly over 1 stop). Again, Proper masking will solve this.

I think if you do some setup testing *before* purchasing a screen (assuming you haven't) you will be less of a "novice".

ted

A dirty filter could also cause the projector to shut down.
Thanks. It seems like the fan was working, but the bulb would not go on. I can check the filter, but how dirty does it get after a month and a half of use? Is there anything else to check before I assume the unit is dead and have to go through who knows what to get it working?

any of you guys know where I can get a good quality HDMI repeater for my Panny?? the HDMI is is the ceiling and we pulled everything through AFTER drywalling and not long enough...now I can't pull it out so I need to add a few more feet...who sells good quality LOW PRICE :-)

Thanks. It seems like the fan was working, but the bulb would not go on. I can check the filter, but how dirty does it get after a month and a half of use? Is there anything else to check before I assume the unit is dead and have to go through who knows what to get it working?

Test the socket it was plugged into just to make sure it is working properly. Luckily, you should still be fully covered even for the bulb. Just make sure you clean the filter real good before mailing it in to the repair center.

any of you guys know where I can get a good quality HDMI repeater for my Panny?? the HDMI is is the ceiling and we pulled everything through AFTER drywalling and not long enough...now I can't pull it out so I need to add a few more feet...who sells good quality LOW PRICE :-)

You could add a hdmi coupler for around $7 plus shipping. I did that with my Panny and it didn't cause any problems. I needed to add 3 feet so I used a 6 foot cable and it worked out fine. Eventually I redid the ceiling and replaced it but I never saw any defects in the picture at 106".

gergg -- Very dirty! You should be cleaning the filter(s) at least every 40 hours of use (my recommendations) and at least every 100 hours at most (Panny's recommendations in the manual). I make sure my LCD PJ filter is cleaned every week (unless it's not used much).

I unplugged the projector and cleaned the filter and now it seems to work again. I guess the overheating was the problem. It says I have about 150 hours on the projector, but the filter looked clean when I took it out.
I have the projector up on a shelf and it seems louder there as well as hotter. It does not get as much air flow in the equipment closet up on a shelf. I guess I will be getting the AC unit in the closet quicker than I thought.

For those of you who watch both PAL and NTSc masterial-since the PJ can display both do you no longer have your dvd player convert from one to the other?

johnbe-- where can I buy an HDMI coupler for price you said??? Or anyone else where can I buy the hdmi coupler??

one more thing, I just ordered this cable at monoprice
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023103&p_id=2661&style=&seq=1&format=4#feedback

I would appriciate if somebody could confirm that this cable will work for transmitting video from my graphic card's DVI to panny ae900u HDMI.

Thanks and sorry for noob questions

i bought a "2109 HDMI Cable male to male (24AWG) - 25ft (Gold Plated)" from Monoprice for my AE900 and it works perfectly. I have it hooked up to my cable box with a Female HDMI to Male DVI and that works great too. don't see why that cable won't work for you.

Does the Panny have descrete remote codes?

Not that i know of. It's pretty annoying:

To turn it on, you press the "power" button once.

To turn it off, you have to press the "power" button twice, or press power then "select/ok".

It was quite a pain setting it up with my Harmony.

Not that i know of. It's pretty annoying:

To turn it on, you press the "power" button once.

To turn it off, you have to press the "power" button twice, or press power then "select/ok".

It was quite a pain setting it up with my Harmony.

I wish all things were only that difficult. :p

I wish all things were only that difficult. :p

Ok you got me, not terribly difficult, just annoying! out of the box, the harmony was pressing the power button to long, and ended up putting the projector in a mode that would shut it down, then power it up again after it cooled!

imagine my surpise to see the projector on an hour after i thought i had turned it off!

Ok you got me, not terribly difficult, just annoying! out of the box, the harmony was pressing the power button to long, and ended up putting the projector in a mode that would shut it down, then power it up again after it cooled!

imagine my surpise to see the projector on an hour after i thought i had turned it off!

Don't you know anything about the electric knomes that live in our walls. They do what they want whenever they want! :D (NOTE TO SELF: never buy another foreclosed home from a crackhead)

I probably would have freaked out if that happened to me. Just knowing that you have to do so much to turn the PJ off is enough for any OCD person to NOT triple check the machine to make sure its off.

So you are saying that the PJ actually finished the cooling process with the super high shutdown fan speed, and only then turned back on?

Don't you know anything about the electric knomes that live in our walls. They do what they want whenever they want! :D (NOTE TO SELF: never buy another foreclosed home from a crackhead)

I probably would have freaked out if that happened to me. Just knowing that you have to do so much to turn the PJ off is enough for any OCD person to NOT triple check the machine to make sure its off.

So you are saying that the PJ actually finished the cooling process with the super high shutdown fan speed, and only then turned back on?

That's exactly what happened (including the freaked out par). Aparently, if you press the power button while the projector is cooling down, the light blinks orange, meaning it will turn back on after it cools down. Why panasonic allows this is beyond me. WHY WOULD YOU TURN IT OFF ONLY TO TURN IT ON AGAIN!?!?! So the knomes can watch i guess.

however, having the harmony send a "power" command followed by an "ok" works perfectly.

I have a somewhat limited set of options for mounting and will have the projector in a niche on my back wall with a cover directly in front it. You can see the setup with the cover on and off below (I'll have to redo the face to move the hole as I'll likely set the new projector on the shelf). This has worked great for about 6 years with my current projector.

Anyway, my question is about the fan and heat. The two holes on either side of the niche in the Cover Off pic vent directly outside. As you can see, I also put some ducting directly from the fan output to one of the holes to the outside...sort of like a dryer. With the Sanyo I can obviously vent in a similar fashion. But I'm worried about trying to vent the Panny because the fan output is in the front.

Am I nuts to think I can vent the Panny in a similar fashion? The cover will sit a few inches in front of the projector and because the Panny lens looks like it sticks out and the vent looks like it's recessed, I'm thinking it MIGHT work.

Cover On (http://dave.murphy.net/images/P2.jpg)

Cover Off (http://dave.murphy.net/images/P1.jpg)

I have a somewhat limited set of options for mounting and will have the projector in a niche on my back wall with a cover directly in front it. You can see the setup with the cover on and off below (I'll have to redo the face to move the hole as I'll likely set the new projector on the shelf). This has worked great for about 6 years with my current projector.

Anyway, my question is about the fan and heat. The two holes on either side of the niche in the Cover Off pic vent directly outside. As you can see, I also put some ducting directly from the fan output to one of the holes to the outside...sort of like a dryer. With the Sanyo I can obviously vent in a similar fashion. But I'm worried about trying to vent the Panny because the fan output is in the front.

Am I nuts to think I can vent the Panny in a similar fashion? The cover will sit a few inches in front of the projector and because the Panny lens looks like it sticks out and the vent looks like it's recessed, I'm thinking it MIGHT work.

Cover On (http://dave.murphy.net/images/P2.jpg)

Cover Off (http://dave.murphy.net/images/P1.jpg)

very nicely done! I'm no expert but think that will work

I can't help you with the OPPO as I do not own one (good machine btw) but I can tell you it will be located in the players menu settings. My advice would be to set your OPPO to 16:9 and set the player to use 720 progressive (there is no interlace timing for 720) as its output over HDMI (unless another device owns that input). Turn OFF Cinema Reality in the 900 for the HDMI input.

OPPO specific questions can be asked in the AVS DVD Forum found here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=5&f=18).

Welcome to the forum,
ted

Ted.
Is it possible to turn off Cinema Reality for the HDMI input? When i use the HDMI input, I cannot se the "cinema reality" text in the menu. (Im using oppo, 720p)
I thought that when you use HDMI, cinema reality was default on?
Lars

OK guys, don't flame me but I have a stupid question. What's the difference between the Panny AE900 and Panny AE900U ?

Was going to buy the AE900 but read about a Japanese menu and they also put sticky's on the remote to translate the keys ? You know what's gonna happen to those stickys eventually ?

Is the Panny AE900U and English version of it ??

OK guys, don't flame me but I have a stupid question. What's the difference between the Panny AE900 and Panny AE900U ?

Was going to buy the AE900 but read about a Japanese menu and they also put sticky's on the remote to translate the keys ? You know what's gonna happen to those stickys eventually ?

Is the Panny AE900U and English version of it ??

It is listed as the AE900U by all of the forum sponsors that sell the Panasonic projectors. So I would say your assumption is quite close if not entirely correct.

Not that i know of. It's pretty annoying:

To turn it on, you press the "power" button once.

To turn it off, you have to press the "power" button twice, or press power then "select/ok".

It was quite a pain setting it up with my Harmony.

I have a MX-500 remote that I have set up all of my equiptment on. I keep the pj on a separate page and like the the 2 step shut off. Keeping the pj on a separate page and using the 2 step shut off prevents accidental shut down. Turning the pj on and off reduces the lamp life, so i like the safe guard of the 2 step system.

gergg -- Very dirty! You should be cleaning the filter(s) at least every 40 hours of use (my recommendations) and at least every 100 hours at most (Panny's recommendations in the manual). I make sure my LCD PJ filter is cleaned every week (unless it's not used much).

So I have a question/comment about this - I've dutifully taken out my Panny 900 filter at 100 and 200 hours for cleaning per the owner's manual (I'm almost to 300, so I guess I'm due for another). In neither case could I tell any difference after the cleaning, which consisted of me vacuuming the filter as described in the owner's manual, both front an back. I used our standard household vacuum, which is relatively powerful (not ShopVac powerful, but still). Didn't seem to do a darn thing to my eye. So, Claus, when you clean your filter - is it visibly dirty prior to the cleaning?

Thanks,
Sean

Ted.
Is it possible to turn off Cinema Reality for the HDMI input? When i use the HDMI input, I cannot se the "cinema reality" text in the menu. (Im using oppo, 720p)
I thought that when you use HDMI, cinema reality was default on?
Lars

In this case you are likely feeding the 900 a Progressive source, thus Cinema Reality would not be needed and should be unavailable as a selection, since it would not be part of the pj's processing chain. It would have been performed by the player

Cinema Reality is Panasonic's name for Inverse Telecine (see this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecine) for an explanation). Inverse Telecine is basically film source deinterlacing, thus if you are feeding a progressive source, it is assumed deinterlacing has occurred and hence no further need to process in this manner.

If you feel adventurous and your source is capable, then set it to feed the 900 an interlace signal (480i or 1080i) in which case Cinema Reality should be available as a selection and you could turn it On or Off. It would only need to be On for film based source for an interlaced signal.

ted

If you are, can you tell me how you like it? How big is your image and from what throw distance? Does it distort the picture at all? How much do these things cost?

Thanks for your input, I would like to table mount my pj, 6-7 feet from the screen but still get a 100" picture. Dunno if this is possible? pj: ae900, still waiting for rebate!!!

Thanks!!!

If you are, can you tell me how you like it? How big is your image and from what throw distance? Does it distort the picture at all? How much do these things cost?

Thanks for your input, I would like to table mount my pj, 6-7 feet from the screen but still get a 100" picture. Dunno if this is possible? pj: ae900, still waiting for rebate!!!

Thanks!!!

I'm afraid you need to about a 10 Ft throw for a 100 inch diagonal screen. See this calculator (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE900U-projection-calculator-pro.htm) which is accurate enough. There are add on lenses that might help, but for good optical quality it is likely not worth the investment. Is there no chance of perhaps shelf mounting it behind you?

Shorter throw does incorporate more of the curvature of the glass as well as force the light to hit the screen at a more extreme angle. Thus geometric errors can be introduced. See this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pincushion_distortion) for some background. Don't let this frighten you however, as it will not be extreme and with proper masking it should be unseen.

ted

I tried my 900 with a Raynox 6600PRO (.65X) and Olympus WCON08B (.8X) lenses, about $60 ea from ebay. That would give you minimum throw ratios of 1.12:1 and .91:1, or 100" diag from 8.1' and 6.6'.

That's per spec; my 900 is actually a bit longer, 3:1 at the long end istead of 2.8:1.

I didn't mount them, just held them in front of the lens and took a quick look. With the 900 already at it's biggest picture setting and from 1.7 screen widths, they both looked fine.

I'm afraid you need to about a 10 Ft throw for a 100 inch diagonal screen. See this calculator (http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE900U-projection-calculator-pro.htm) which is accurate enough. There are add on lenses that might help, but for good optical quality it is likely not worth the investment. Is there no chance of perhaps shelf mounting it behind you?

Shorter throw does incorporate more of the curvature of the glass as well as force the light to hit the screen at a more extreme angle. Thus geometric errors can be introduced. See this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pincushion_distortion) for some background. Don't let this frighten you however, as it will not be extreme and with proper masking it should be unseen.

ted

I am confused. According the site you linked to it says for 100" screen its a 18ft throw..

I tried my 900 with a Raynox 6600PRO (.65X) and Olympus WCON08B (.8X) lenses, about $60 ea from ebay. That would give you minimum throw ratios of 1.12:1 and .91:1, or 100" diag from 8.1' and 6.6'.

That's per spec; my 900 is actually a bit longer, 3:1 at the long end istead of 2.8:1.

I didn't mount them, just held them in front of the lens and took a quick look. With the 900 already at it's biggest picture setting and from 1.7 screen widths, they both looked fine.


This is my first venture into FP. My plan is to have the 900 with Da lite 100" screen from costco which has a 1.0gain. I am going to sit the projector on top of a component rack that will be directly behind me. The projector will be about 12-13ft from the 100" screen and will be almost centered so I should it should not require much vertical or horizontal shift if any. The room has some minor ambient light during the day but is very dark at night. Was wondering if this set up will work. I am not new to the av world but this is my first venture into FP so any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

This is my first venture into FP. My plan is to have the 900 with Da lite 100" screen from costco which has a 1.0gain. I am going to sit the projector on top of a component rack that will be directly behind me. The projector will be about 12-13ft from the 100" screen and will be almost centered so I should it should not require much vertical or horizontal shift if any. The room has some minor ambient light during the day but is very dark at night. Was wondering if this set up will work. I am not new to the av world but this is my first venture into FP so any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

I have just set up something near identical to you. Projector sits on a rack approx 11 1/2 feet from a grandview 1.0 gain screen projecting a 110" image. Rack mount is 4ft high so lens shift adjustment is about centred. Image at night is very good, considering I'm using a 5 year old Pioneer DVD player. I suffer too much ambient light during the day. This setup works for PC games, normal def TV viewing as well as DVDs. Enjoy it!

Neal

I am confused. According the site you linked to it says for 100" screen its a 18ft throw..

Now I'm confused. ;)

Try this:
First choose your UNITS setting and calculator mode (this is selected on the left side beside the VERTICAL slider- this slider represents the zoom range of your lens).

For Throw Range mode:
Select the desired screen size using the IMAGE DIAGONAL slider which is the bottom Horizontal Slider. You can incrementally change this using the +- buttons to the right of these sliders.

Using the Vertical Slider, move it throughout its range and you will see the upper Horizontal Slider move. This represents a required throw distance for for a given image size depending on the Zoom Range setting (Vertical Slider).

For Diagonal Range mode:
Set your THROW RANGE using the upper horizontal slider.

Using the Vertical Slider throughout its range you will see the bottom Horizontal Slider move, representing the IMAGE DIAGONAL size.

So with a throw range similar to yours at 12 ft. and moving the Vertical Slider (Zoom Range), Image size should vary (diagonally) from 60" to 119".

The Zoom range of the 900 is a little more than 2X (which the slider indicates) so sizes will vary a bit.

Note that when in THROW RANGE mode and varying the Zoom range there is no change in the Ft Lamberts because the screen size remains fixed. While this is theoretically correct with a Constant Aperture lens this is not true as it does not reflect the fact that the lens transmissibility (F-Stop) changes with Zoom setting (it is not Constant Aperture). Again this is for a given screen size. So take the lbrightness readings as estimatation. This information is reflected in the lens specifications in your manual. What this means is that for a given screen size, a shorter throw will provide more lumens.

If you haven't already worked this out for yourself, I hope this helps.

ted

This is off subject of what is currently being discussed, but...

I am sending a 720P signal from my Zenith 318 DVD player so I have Overscan off on the projector. When Overscan is off, I get that bright white dotted line on the far upper left and a little on the far upper right of the image on the screen. Is there ANY way of getting rid of that? I mean, really getting rid of it and not just hiding it in the black frame around the screen.

So I have a question/comment about this - I've dutifully taken out my Panny 900 filter at 100 and 200 hours for cleaning per the owner's manual (I'm almost to 300, so I guess I'm due for another). In neither case could I tell any difference after the cleaning, which consisted of me vacuuming the filter as described in the owner's manual, both front an back. I used our standard household vacuum, which is relatively powerful (not ShopVac powerful, but still). Didn't seem to do a darn thing to my eye. So, Claus, when you clean your filter - is it visibly dirty prior to the cleaning?

Thanks,
Sean

I've stopped taking out my filter every 100 hours, because like you, Sean, I see no dust each time I clean. I think like me, you live in a less-dusty environment than Claus, and therefore don't have to worry about cleaning the filter as often. My projector is in a cool, dry basement theatre room that is kept very clean, and I bet the manual recommendations are for worst-case conditions. I plan to clean the filter every 250 hours from now on. And if I start notice dust build-up, I'll change my cleaning habits accordingly.

Just a comment re filters.

These are microfibre and are designed to capture very small particles. Its entirely possible dust is being caught but you are not seeing it.

My filter exhibits the same appearance that you gents state, however, my environment is as dust free as the Mojave.

ted

I cleaned mine @ 200 and it was terrible...very glad I remembered to do it

Can anyone confirm whether the AE900 will accept a 1080p signal and downscale it to 720p? I'd like to test my Denon 3806 which supposedly supports 1080p.

Can anyone confirm whether the AE900 will accept a 1080p signal and downscale it to 720p? I'd like to test my Denon 3806 which supposedly supports 1080p.

no

Can anyone confirm whether the AE900 will accept a 1080p signal and downscale it to 720p? I'd like to test my Denon 3806 which supposedly supports 1080p.

ae900 will support 1080i not 1080p

ae900 will support 1080i not 1080p


Thanks guys. Understood.

So the new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players cannot be used with the 900, or can the new players downconvert to 720 for input into the 900?

ae900 will support 1080i not 1080p

ae900 will support 1080i not 1080p
I recall seeing in the manual in the list of supported resolutions that the 900 can accept a 1080p/24 input.

Anybody using a voltage stablizer with the 900, such as a Monster AVS-2000?

"So the new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players cannot be used with the 900, or can the new players downconvert to 720 for input into the 900?"

They will have multiple output options. 1080i and 720p will be there for sure and maybe others.

Shawn

I recall seeing in the manual in the list of supported resolutions that the 900 can accept a 1080p/24 input.

Hmmm from the manual:

525i (480i), 525p (480p), 625i (576i),
625p (576p), 1 125 (1 080)/60i,
1 125 (1 080)/50i, 1 125 (1 080)/24p,
750 (720)/60p, 750 (720)/50p

Seems like 1080/24p is listed as an accepted resolution? But I guess people have tried it and it doesn't work?

From the Appendix: List of compatible signals
Mode Display Hor Vert Dot Pic Qual Format
Resolution kHz kHz cl freq
1 125 (1 080)24p 1 920 x 1 080 27.0 24.0 74.3 AA YPBPR/HDMI

I just got my 900 set up and love it. However, I have a problem. When watching cable (TW) over HDMI I get picture loss sporadically for a second ever few minutes. This same box works fine on my mits 62525. It does this on live and recorded programming. When DVD (Samsung 850) is hooked up via HDMI there is no such problem. Any suggestions?

Im sorry. Im sure this has been posted many times on this thread but ive searched a couple times and cannot find the info. What are the codes to access the service menu?

Thanks :)

johnbe-- where can I buy an HDMI coupler for price you said??? Or anyone else where can I buy the hdmi coupler??

You can get one from Monoprice.

Does anyone notice any picture quality reduction when using the "lens shift" feature on the panny?

It looks like I'm going to have to make use of this feature once I decide to buy, but wanted to hear any first-hand feedback from those using it now if I can. thanks!

Does anyone notice any picture quality reduction when using the "lens shift" feature on the panny?

It looks like I'm going to have to make use of this feature once I decide to buy, but wanted to hear any first-hand feedback from those using it now if I can. thanks!
I used 100% vertical lense shift with 0% horizontal lense shift for a month until I ceiling mounted my 900, and I noticed zero image degradation. ymmv

I'm gonna be sending in my rebate form soon and I just wanted to double check that the serial number is the one that starts with SA?and that there's 10 numbers/letters in it? More specifically I guess 3 numbers and 7 letters?

Capek - thanks very much for your quick reply to my inquiry on the lens shift feature. Today is my birthday and I'm hoping to hear some magical words from the wife within the next 24 hrs that will allow me to purchase the Panny :) Wish me luck!

This is off subject of what is currently being discussed, but...

I am sending a 720P signal from my Zenith 318 DVD player so I have Overscan off on the projector. When Overscan is off, I get that bright white dotted line on the far upper left and a little on the far upper right of the image on the screen. Is there ANY way of getting rid of that? I mean, really getting rid of it and not just hiding it in the black frame around the screen.


Bump :)

Quick question:
Does anyone know if the AE900 remote can be programmed to talk to a PC to do mouse movements? Are there any HTPC users out there doing this with the AE900 remote?

Seems like 1080/24p is listed as an accepted resolution? But I guess people have tried it and it doesn't work?

Tried it with what?

" I am sending a 720P signal from my Zenith 318 DVD player so I have Overscan off on the projector. When Overscan is off, I get that bright white dotted line on the far upper left and a little on the far upper right of the image on the screen. Is there ANY way of getting rid of that?"

Any? Sure... turning on overscan will get rid of it. It is likely some of the VBI you are seeing.... that is one of the reasons many TVs default to having some overscan active.

Shawn

Can anyone answer my serial number question real quick?

Tried it with what?

With the AE900. People said the AE900 won't accept a 1080p/24 signal, but the manual indicates that it does.

According to projector central.com it says it can accept 1080i, not 1080p. I've read some threads where some HTPC users are sending it a 1080 vertical resolution without a problem, but it's not 1080p, it's just compressed/interlaced as the native res is 720.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AE900U.htm

I think the confusion comes from talking about 1080p without talking about the frame rate.

1080p @ 60hz (what I think many think of when they read 1080p) it likely won't accept.

If the manual says it can accept 1080p/24 then it is likely it can. The thing I'm curious about is if that is segmented frame or not... 1080 24PsF.

http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/why1080p.htm

I'll have to try feeding it various 1080 formats to see what it does and doesn't accept.

Shawn

I have a panny 900 and use comcast cable for sd and also hd, using component cables because hdmi cables through my receiver (JVC 702b) doesn't work but that's another issue. My issue: on sd stations there is a thin white horizontal line at the top of the picture and a vertical greenish brown line forms on the left side. On HD stations those lines are not there. None of these lines show up while watching DVDs. the sd is being shown on 480i and upconverted to 480p via my receiver.
All this happens with overscan being on "off" mode, but when I turn overscan "on", all these issues go away.

My question: Why am I seeing these lines and how do i fix it. Thanks.

Also SD stations don't completely fill up the screen, about a 1 inch border on the sides. But the sceen does fill up completely on HD stations

Not trying to be a smart @#$ but it sounds to me like you found the "FIX" already.............turn overscan ON when watching sd stations............thats what it's for isn't it ?

John

I just called the rebate place and it seems my rebate is getting mailed out in 5-7 days (sent it in 2/13 or so). I wouldn't have known the number if it wasn't for this forum. Does anyone have any ideas for the Blockbuster card? I have Netflix and there are no Blockbuster's near me. I would hate to see this card go to waste. I would be willing to sell it dirt cheap, but I am not sure if it is OK to post that here :) PM me if you could get some use out of it.

Hey folks:

I'm a newbie with a naive question - although I've researched this forum (and google) pretty thoroughly and found no anwer to my question.

I'm saving my hard earned cash to buy a panny for Christmas (the sequel to the 900!!). How would I hook up an Oppo DVD player AND a cable box so both connections are hooked up via DVI (or HDMI). I only see one DVI input on the panny - and the A/V receiver I could probably afford (probably a Denon) only has one DVI input.

You can buy an hdmi or dvi switcher. Many online stores have them, check out monoprice.com .

Great.

Thanks oldschool.

Not trying to be a smart @#$ but it sounds to me like you found the "FIX" already.............turn overscan ON when watching sd stations............thats what it's for isn't it ?

John

I agree with you John, however, on this forum and every other forum, everyone says, "turn overscan off", so I was wanting this to work without having to have overscan on. Is having overscan on mess up the picture quality that much, then again the picture is on sd.

If you do not want to use overscan to get rid of the white line try the vertical picture adjustment on the 900's menu. It worked on my Optoma H30.

'"turn overscan off", so I was wanting this to work without having to have overscan on. Is having overscan on mess up the picture quality that much, then again the picture is on sd."

If it is on SD the projector is going to rescale the image anyway.

The reason some turn overscan off on 720p is to bypass the scaler in the display so you can be pixel mapped 1:1 to the source.

If you are inputting SD you aren't pixel mapped anyway.

Shawn

This is my first venture into FP. My plan is to have the 900 with Da lite 100" screen from costco which has a 1.0gain. I am going to sit the projector on top of a component rack that will be directly behind me. The projector will be about 12-13ft from the 100" screen and will be almost centered so I should it should not require much vertical or horizontal shift if any. The room has some minor ambient light during the day but is very dark at night. Was wondering if this set up will work. I am not new to the av world but this is my first venture into FP so any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.


I would agree with Neal. I am running the 900 at 13ft onto a Carada 1:85 104" CCW (1.0 Gain) screen. I initially had the unit on a stand dead centre until I was able to ceiling mount it using approx 25% of the vertical lens shift. Noticed no difference in PQ between the two lens settings, with the PQ being great in both. Even in low lamp mode I find the 900 handles some amibient light in front and to the sides quite well. I was really impressed at how much light I could have on behind the projector. In my room the rear 1/3 has a pool table and other entertainment gear. Room divided into three dimmer-controlled areas (front, middle and rear). I can have the rear dimmer at 40% and still have a great picture.

I also run the PJ slightly behind and directly above main seating area. Have not been bothered at all by any noise during movies. I do not claim to be an expert on all PJ models pros & cons but as a fellow first-time FP user I can confidently say that you will be very happy with the 900 in the configuration you describe. :)

One other comment - you may initially find the 100"+ screen looks too big from 11-13 ft. Wait a month or so and strangely enough it will seem to shrink. At that point you wouldn't want anything smaller - in fact some people on this forum swear by 120" at 13ft :D

Hi,

Does anyone know of anyone in the USA that can work on/converge a Japanese AE900 projector? Also, has anyone found any secret code to change the menus over from Japanese to English? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Black_Mustang_97

thanks very much for your feedback!

I'm looking at roughly the same setup as you have going (though my pj will not be able to be cieling mounted).

I'm 50/50 on buying the Panny right now - as my wife and I are drastically cutting our spending habits right now as we are planning to start a family within the next year or so...today was my birthday, and I had the ok to purchase now - but something stopped me from doing so this morning (damn adult responsibilities!!!), but I have a feeling that come football season i'll be jonesing for the Panny again :)

Then again, the future baby will like watching all those cartoons on the big screen - wont he/she? :)

Black_Mustang_97

thanks very much for your feedback!

I'm looking at roughly the same setup as you have going (though my pj will not be able to be cieling mounted).

I'm 50/50 on buying the Panny right now - as my wife and I are drastically cutting our spending habits right now as we are planning to start a family within the next year or so...today was my birthday, and I had the ok to purchase now - but something stopped me from doing so this morning (damn adult responsibilities!!!), but I have a feeling that come football season i'll be jonesing for the Panny again :)

Then again, the future baby will like watching all those cartoons on the big screen - wont he/she? :)


Glad I could help. You mention TV and a budget in your post. Not sure how much you would be watching TV vs movies and how much Standard Def vs Digital and HD. If you're a big TV watcher, I would suggest you try to find a location or contact who can demo it for you under SD - normal cable, SD - digital and HD channels. I mainly use it for movies (ie. DVDs) - have another TV in house that family uses for TV. We're not a big TV house so I haven't invested in HDTV (either cable or Sateliite). I did see HDTV demoed a couple of times and it is very good (tho' you need to do your homework on the channels you like as "HD-quality" varies a lot depending on how the channel and cable/sat company push down the signal to you.

The way I would describe SD under normal cable is how TV shows looked about 10 years ago when the first 50"+ sets came out. Given the limited TV we watch on it this is no issue at present (tho' I'm sure I'll be going the HDTV route in the future). If you are wanting to watch sports then I would strongly suggest you budget in the cost of an HDTV cable or sat setup as well (assuming of course you don't already have it).

Does anyone know of a shortcut to cleaning the lens on the inside of the projection lens block rather than going through the process described in the service manual for removing the projection lens block. It seems that the described process involves removing the analysis block, the lamp unit, the APC board, LCD block. I'm hoping there is a way to clean or blow out the dust behind the lens just by removing the upper case. Thanks!

I agree with you John, however, on this forum and every other forum, everyone says, "turn overscan off", so I was wanting this to work without having to have overscan on. Is having overscan on mess up the picture quality that much, then again the picture is on sd.

I do not think using overscan in this situation makes that much, if any, difference to pictures quality. When you switch between the two do YOU see a better picture with it on or off ? I can't tell myself but the lines are gone so that makes it much better to my eyes. In fact, I think that is why overscan is defaulted to ON in the first place. Alot of signals are not in HDTV or 720p yet so it kinda makes sense to me. In a blind test most people would never know the difference IMHO ;) :)

John

To follow up a problem I am having with the AE-900 connected to my PC Via DVI to HDMI. I am using a ATI 9800 pro Video Card. The problem is that everytime I restart the computer the resolution goes to 640 x 480 on the desktop. I still have not found a fix! However I found a program called MultiRes that makes it very simple to change the resolution. So no perfect fix (yet) but a solution I can live with!

By the way the picture is awsome using this connection at 1280 x 720. I wanted to compare the HDMI vs VGA connection but I get small black bars on the side and no overscan option with VGA so no go on that. Eric

I have a panny 900 and use comcast cable for sd and also hd, using component cables because hdmi cables through my receiver (JVC 702b) doesn't work but that's another issue. My issue: on sd stations there is a thin white horizontal line at the top of the picture and a vertical greenish brown line forms on the left side. On HD stations those lines are not there. None of these lines show up while watching DVDs. the sd is being shown on 480i and upconverted to 480p via my receiver.
All this happens with overscan being on "off" mode, but when I turn overscan "on", all these issues go away.

My question: Why am I seeing these lines and how do i fix it. Thanks.

Also SD stations don't completely fill up the screen, about a 1 inch border on the sides. But the sceen does fill up completely on HD stations


Unfortunately what you're seeing is in the transmission. That "junk" you're seing is exactly what "Overscan On" is designed to eliminate. There's nothing wrong with your projector.

Elio

BTW, although this may have been answered before, what exactly is the "overscan" on the AE900U?

3%?

5%?

Thanks!

BTW, although this may have been answered before, what exactly is the "overscan" on the AE900U?

3%?

5%?

Thanks!

Too much :).

As to the earlier question regarding degredation using lens shift, I know in my case, using a pretty substantial portion of the lens shift causes bowing in my setup.

Do we know how exactly panny scales 1080i signals ? Does it first go to 540p and then to 720p ?

The reason for the question is obvious for anyone following the release of the new HD-DVD player in the US (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7495043#post7495043). In particular I'm referring to this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7495004&&#post7495004).

The report is that 1080i input to the projector from Toshiba HD-A1 is much better than native 720p input. For eg. see this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7493598&&#post7493598).

I can't seem to get my AE900 to handshake with my Gorce MX4k video card over HDMI. Any ideas of things to try. I can use VGA no problems and see that other people have got their pc to talk to the panny over DVI/HDMI. MY DVI monitor works fine. I have tried rebooting with the panny connected but it never gets a signal.

I can't seem to get my AE900 to handshake with my Gorce MX4k video card over HDMI. Any ideas of things to try. I can use VGA no problems and see that other people have got their pc to talk to the panny over DVI/HDMI. MY DVI monitor works fine. I have tried rebooting with the panny connected but it never gets a signal.

1.) Update video card drivers.
2.) Make sure projector is on first before starting PC.

Got my $400 rebate and Blockbuster rental card yesterday. Of course, the blockbuster card expires on 6/30/06. I think Panasonic is trying to pull a fast one on us: 75 days to watch 40 movies. I usually watch only 1-2 movies, and that too on the weekends since I'm usually out of town for work on weekdays. The rental card requires all rentals to be made at the same store, and only one rental per day. Looks like they've gone to great lengths to make sure the card is pretty much worthless... and this was advertised as a $300 card!

Got my $400 rebate and Blockbuster rental card yesterday. Of course, the blockbuster card expires on 6/30/06. I think Panasonic is trying to pull a fast one on us: 75 days to watch 40 movies. I usually watch only 1-2 movies, and that too on the weekends since I'm usually out of town for work on weekdays. The rental card requires all rentals to be made at the same store, and only one rental per day. Looks like they've gone to great lengths to make sure the card is pretty much worthless... and this was advertised as a $300 card!
When did you send out the rebate form? I sent mine out back in Feb and havent received anything yet.

I posted a general XBOX 360 question but since the panny AE900 seems to be the top value/quality pick I was wondering how XBOX 360 looks on it.

So what's this about VisualApex advertising on this site about a $500 rebate? Everyone else is sticking to the advertised $400 rebate and the BB rental card.

In fact, I checked their website and there was no mention of anything different. any ideas?

When did you send out the rebate form? I sent mine out back in Feb and havent received anything yet.
I mailed my rebate back in end of February.

Anyone have a solution for Flush mounting this projector to the ceiling? I don't need it to drop down at all. It looks like Im going to have to create a mount and use a very short pole, but it seems silly to use a pole when I don't need any drop down at all.

Yet having the pole gives you room enough to screw in the screws into the projector as well as room to screw the flange into the ceiling. Without any space between projector and mount point, I don't see how I could mount it.

maybe there is a track system or something?

Got my $400 rebate and Blockbuster rental card yesterday. Of course, the blockbuster card expires on 6/30/06. I think Panasonic is trying to pull a fast one on us: 75 days to watch 40 movies. I usually watch only 1-2 movies, and that too on the weekends since I'm usually out of town for work on weekdays. The rental card requires all rentals to be made at the same store, and only one rental per day. Looks like they've gone to great lengths to make sure the card is pretty much worthless... and this was advertised as a $300 card!


While it does seem like a pretty worthless deal. My local blockbuster told me today that the computer doesn't actually keep track of how many rentals you've used, nor does it keep track of the number of times the card was used in a day. The card relies on the person at blockbuster to only rent you 1 movie per day and to add a note to your account each time you use 1 of your 40 movie rentals. I rented four movies today and I think he didn't update the note on my account to reflect the total number of movies I've rented so far. Theoretically, you could go to every block buster in your area and rent as many movies as you want as often as you want between now and 6/30. As long as the blockbuster employee will let you use the card more than 1 time per day.

Just wanted to share some info. I got about 150 hours use on my AE900 before dust blobs showed up. It was on the lower left corner with a slight bluish tint that only showed up on black/dark scenes. Cleaned out the air filter per instructions and then tried to remove the blob by sticking the vacuum hose at the air filter vent, and at the air exhaust vent. I even blew some compressed air into the air filter vent. Didn't work as it only moved stuff around and actually made things worse. The bluish blob was still there, but now I also had a greenish one just above it (evident only in dark scenes just as the original blob). Followed the service manual and removed the upper case, and A-P.C. board with S-P.C. board attached as one unit. I then removed the LCD block and used compressed air to blow off foreign material from the LCD panels, and anything else that looked like part of the optics. It was hard to see the source of the blobs making it difficult to verify the cleaning, so I made sure to blow air from different angles (top, bottom, left and right) when possible. Voila! Blobs all gone, and the procedure even managed to rid most of the magenta ghosting stuff that was only apparent on my Oppo DVD player menu text (I've had this magenta ghosting from the get go and presumed it to be Oppo related as it was undetectable on anything else). The whole process took about 45 minutes. Cheers! ;)

Just wanted to share some info. I got about 150 hours use on my AE900 before dust blobs showed up. It was on the lower left corner with a slight bluish tint that only showed up on black/dark scenes. Cleaned out the air filter per instructions and then tried to remove the blob by sticking the vacuum hose at the air filter vent, and at the air exhaust vent. I even blew some compressed air into the air filter vent. Didn't work as it only moved stuff around and actually made things worse. The bluish blob was still there, but now I also had a greenish one just above it (evident only in dark scenes just as the original blob). Followed the service manual and removed the upper case, and A-P.C. board with S-P.C. board attached as one unit. I then removed the LCD block and used compressed air to blow off foreign material from the LCD panels, and anything else that looked like part of the optics. It was hard to see the source of the blobs making it difficult to verify the cleaning, so I made sure to blow air from different angles (top, bottom, left and right) when possible. Voila! Blobs all gone


I had the same problem with only 20 or so hours on mine. It showed as a blue hue in the top left. I removed the case and wasn't sure if I needed to remove the circuit board so I just blew through any openings around the back of the lens. It worked I have no more blue during dark scenes

Just wanted to share some info. I got about 150 hours use on my AE900 before dust blobs showed up. It was on the lower left corner with a slight bluish tint that only showed up on black/dark scenes. Cleaned out the air filter per instructions and then tried to remove the blob by sticking the vacuum hose at the air filter vent, and at the air exhaust vent. I even blew some compressed air into the air filter vent. Didn't work as it only moved stuff around and actually made things worse. The bluish blob was still there, but now I also had a greenish one just above it (evident only in dark scenes just as the original blob). Followed the service manual and removed the upper case, and A-P.C. board with S-P.C. board attached as one unit. I then removed the LCD block and used compressed air to blow off foreign material from the LCD panels, and anything else that looked like part of the optics. It was hard to see the source of the blobs making it difficult to verify the cleaning, so I made sure to blow air from different angles (top, bottom, left and right) when possible. Voila! Blobs all gone, and the procedure even managed to rid most of the magenta ghosting stuff that was only apparent on my Oppo DVD player menu text (I've had this magenta ghosting from the get go and presumed it to be Oppo related as it was undetectable on anything else). The whole process took about 45 minutes. Cheers! ;)

Cutman,

I too am plagued by the blue dust blob. I have used the service manual to remove some of the top "stuff" in the projector. After blasting what I could get to with air I put the projector back together and to no avail I still have the notorious blue blob.

My question to you is how did you get all of those small plastic connectors out of their slots? I had a hell of a time trying to remove those with a VERY small pair of jewlers type needle nose pliers and I felt like every time I pulled on them they were going to break which would not look good if I had to send my 900 in for warranty work.

If I knew of any easy way to remove all of those little white connectors that plug all of the different circuits in I could get into my projector a little deeper and maybe get rid of this damn blue blob.

Any advise on those connectors would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rob

The ribbon cable connectors have to be released before removal. Look for little "wing tips" at the front of the each connector and gently open one side at at time then pull the cable out. Reverse the process to reinstall.

Ive rented from stores in MD and VA and rented more than one more at a time. The last store I went to the burnout behind the counter said hey you could only rent one movie at a time, I said scan it twice it will work(used the force on him). I left with two movies no problem.

The ribbon cable connectors have to be released before removal. Look for little "wing tips" at the front of the each connector and gently open one side at at time then pull the cable out. Reverse the process to reinstall.


The ribbons were a piece of cake. I'm talking about all of the little white connectors that have all of the wires attached that go to each specific block.

Rob

OH !! Reading too fast I guess. If your talking about the little white pluggins :) then grab the plastic that the wires go into and wiggle sideways while pulling. Don't use any kind of pliers and don't pull the wires. Some are tight but they will come out. Assuming you have finger-nails to do this:).

OH !! Reading too fast I guess. If your talking about the little white pluggins :) then grab the plastic that the wires go into and wiggle sideways while pulling. Don't use any kind of pliers and don't pull the wires. Some are tight but they will come out. Assuming you have finger-nails to do this:).

I will try the "manicure" method and see if I can get those pesky little things out without using any type of pliers.

I'll have to wait a week or so since I'm a nail biter.

Rob

Cutman,

I too am plagued by the blue dust blob. I have used the service manual to remove some of the top "stuff" in the projector. After blasting what I could get to with air I put the projector back together and to no avail I still have the notorious blue blob.

My question to you is how did you get all of those small plastic connectors out of their slots? I had a hell of a time trying to remove those with a VERY small pair of jewlers type needle nose pliers and I felt like every time I pulled on them they were going to break which would not look good if I had to send my 900 in for warranty work.

If I knew of any easy way to remove all of those little white connectors that plug all of the different circuits in I could get into my projector a little deeper and maybe get rid of this damn blue blob.

Any advise on those connectors would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rob

Rob,

I used a tool kit intended for computers (made by Belkin I think). It came with a tweezer like tool with hooks on the tips. When pulling back, I found it easier to do a slight side to side motion instead of just straight back. In effect, you remove the connectors by alternating between sides, little by little. Hope this helps.

Rob,

I used a tool kit intended for computers (made by Belkin I think). It came with a tweezer like tool with hooks on the tips. When pulling back, I found it easier to do a slight side to side motion instead of just straight back. In effect, you remove the connectors by alternating between sides, little by little. Hope this helps.


Thanks Cutman.

That's the answer I was looking for.

I'll see if I can go to my local computer supply house and get some sort of a kit.

Thanks again,
Rob

I recieved my rebate today. Pretty close to 8 weeks. I sent mine in on 2/14. :p

Recieved my rebate today as well. BB card still expires 6/30/06.. at least I didn't calculate that into the cost of the projector as I did the $400 rebate.. Sent mine in on 2/20 so they turned it around pretty quickly.

Recieved my rebate today as well. BB card still expires 6/30/06.. at least I didn't calculate that into the cost of the projector as I did the $400 rebate.. Sent mine in on 2/20 so they turned it around pretty quickly.
My rebate came in an envelope that I normally would've thrown away as junk mail. It think it said "Advertising bureau" or something equally silly on the envelope. Those who are still waiting for the rebate, be warned: don't throw any junk mail away without opening it first.

I just got done watching ROTS and I was wondering why it seems like that when peoples faces are close up I am seeing a great picture but for everyone in the backgrounds or if the shot isn't a close up it seems people's faces aren't clear and it looks out of focus or something. It also seems as if when the camera is moving that the picture gets blurry or out of focus as well. Could just be that I haven't watched a movie in a long time and I'm just remembering wrongly and thinking the picture wasn't like this before or something. It seems wierd though because I haven't really had any focusing issues with the xbox 360 games except when words scroll across the screen they are blurry. I don't know, I may just be stupid but it sure seems like alot of the time the picture looks out of focus on movies.

Received my rebate yesterday as well. Sent it in the 1st week of March...7 weeks!

To follow up a problem I am having with the AE-900 connected to my PC Via DVI to HDMI. I am using a ATI 9800 pro Video Card. The problem is that everytime I restart the computer the resolution goes to 640 x 480 on the desktop. I still have not found a fix! However I found a program called MultiRes that makes it very simple to change the resolution. So no perfect fix (yet) but a solution I can live with!

By the way the picture is awsome using this connection at 1280 x 720. I wanted to compare the HDMI vs VGA connection but I get small black bars on the side and no overscan option with VGA so no go on that. Eric

What is your monitor driver set to? Try setting it to Sony GDM-W900.

Hello Everyone,

I received my rebate yesterday, approximately six weeks after sending the rebate via certified letter . It arived in a white business envelope from THE ADVERTISING CHECKING BUREAU INC., which is different from the initial rebate company. It certainly seems since Panasonic has changed rebate companies, rebate checks have arrived more expeditiously.

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

Hello Everyone,

I received my rebate yesterday, approximately six weeks after sending the rebate via certified letter . It arived in a white business envelope from THE ADVERTISING CHECKING BUREAU INC., which is different from the initial rebate company. It certainly seems since Panasonic has changed rebate companies, rebate checks have arrived more expeditiously.

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

Another happy rebate receiver here :) :) :) They received it on 2/21 so I got it in about 8 weeks. Looks like they are getting their sh## together over there. BB card indeed expires 6/30 which is crap, but the $400 came at a good time. Time to take advantage of the AVS powerbuy for HT Authority and get my HT seating :D

I just got done watching ROTS and I was wondering why it seems like that when peoples faces are close up I am seeing a great picture but for everyone in the backgrounds or if the shot isn't a close up it seems people's faces aren't clear and it looks out of focus or something.
Depth of Field/ Focus. See this link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field)
It also seems as if when the camera is moving that the picture gets blurry or out of focus as well.

Film is shot at 24 fps which is rather slow (it is in fact too slow for the eye's "flicker" perception - which is why each frame when projected in a cinema is held in the gate and repeated two or three times via a shutter mechanism). Thus each frame with motion is likely to suffer some motion blurring. Its one of the reasons why film has a "softer" or "smoother" look than video, though film has more spatial resolution than video. Basically it comes down to the capture rate (temporal resolution). It is why some prefer the "look" of video rather than film - because it is perceived as sharper (less motion blur).

Could just be that I haven't watched a movie in a long time and I'm just remembering wrongly and thinking the picture wasn't like this before or something. It seems wierd though because I haven't really had any focusing issues with the xbox 360 games except when words scroll across the screen they are blurry. I don't know, I may just be stupid but it sure seems like alot of the time the picture looks out of focus on movies.

Its difficult to compare live action capture to CG as CG is rendered one frame at a time and therefore can be as sharp as the artist desires. Since motion is not "real" in reference to the capture rate, unless the artist builds in motion blur to simulate film capture, CG will appear considerably sharper though it is likely to have considerably less spatial resolution than film.

So, though I really want to blame you :p , I can't in this instance - I'll keep looking. ;)
ted