Has anyone had one of the component inputs on the 900 "go bad"? I suddenly started to get a blue screen on component 1, and after trying everything I switched the cables to component 2 and all is well.

Jack, the "green" component connection is for "sync and green". If your display is blue I guess you mean the projectors default background ?
In any-case, double check the green connection. you won't get any video signal without it being securely connected at both ends.

Yeah, I did all the standard trouble-shooting, even tried another set of cables and source...nada. The input itself just gives a blue screen while component is still identified as the chosen source in the upper right. The other component input works fine, though.

:) I have two of them (900's) and didn't realize there were two component inputs. Hey, maybe the second one is like as spare tire ??

Is the non working green input loose ?

I got my Panny at the beginning of last week. I did a lot of reading beforehand in this forum to help me make the desicion. I am really happy with it! I got a 92" Greywolf II to go with it (getting the II was a nice surprise!). Next up an Oppo DVD player!

Only issue is a problem getting my PC to detect the projector through the monoprice 5x1 hdmi switch, but I posted about that elsewhere already.

I'm happy to join the community! Go Panny!

thought i'd mention i received my $400 rebate and blockbuster card yesterday. mailed rebate form around the 20th of february.

I too am having problems with my component input 1. I see the red and the green lines rollling up and down the screen. I first used a 100ft cable. I checked the cable into both inputs and it was still there. So I purchased a 35ft cable and in input 1 its there but not in input 2. I purchased my panny in Feb. from VA and have less than 25hrs. on it (been a away) but the picture from every other input and even the second component input is amazing, tv never looked this good before!

I too am having problems with my component input 1. I see the red and the green lines rollling up and down the screen. I first used a 100ft cable. I checked the cable into both inputs and it was still there. So I purchased a 35ft cable and in input 1 its there but not in input 2. I purchased my panny in Feb. from VA and have less than 25hrs. on it (been away) but the picture from every other input and even the second component input is amazing, tv never looked this good before!

I have two of them (900's) and didn't realize there were two component inputs. Hey, maybe the second one is like as spare tire ??
I suppose so, since there's no way to choose the individual component inputs. If it is a spare tire, I hope it's not a doughnut that I can't go over 50 hours on. :)

Is the non working green input loose ?
Felt ok when I was checking the connections. The weird thing is that there was no physical moving of anything that precipitated it going blank, I just turned it on and the input didn't work whereas previously it had.

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'm interested in this as well, can anyone confirm whether the panny uses the bob or the weave method?

I currently own a Hitachi 65S500 and thought about getting a projector for a bigger picture. How does the AE900 compare in picture quality? I'm also not really sure if I should go for a front PJ while I'm urging for a big picture I also like the nice and bright Plasma picture. Is it worth upgrading or should I wait? Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

I currently own a Hitachi 65S500 and thought about getting a projector for a bigger picture. How does the AE900 compare in picture quality? I'm also not really sure if I should go for a front PJ while I'm urging for a big picture I also like the nice and bright Plasma picture. Is it worth upgrading or should I wait? Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks in advance.
I have to chime in because I have almost the same set. I have the Hitachi 57S500 and I love the picture quality. I actually prefer tubes to LCD or DLP when given the choice. I would say that my AE900 looks almost as good as the Hitachi on HDTV and DVDs. It looks worse with standard TV and does not have a good "stretch" mode like the Hitachi does for 4:3 material.
However, I only have a 94" screen in my theater and it looks much larger and completely different than watching the 57" set. If you are using it to watch movies and HDTV only I say it is a great addition, but on a regular every day basis I would keep the Hitachi.

I have to chime in because I have almost the same set. I have the Hitachi 57S500 and I love the picture quality. I actually prefer tubes to LCD or DLP when given the choice. I would say that my AE900 looks almost as good as the Hitachi on HDTV and DVDs. It looks worse with standard TV and does not have a good "stretch" mode like the Hitachi does for 4:3 material.
However, I only have a 94" screen in my theater and it looks much larger and completely different than watching the 57" set. If you are using it to watch movies and HDTV only I say it is a great addition, but on a regular every day basis I would keep the Hitachi.

Thanks for your feedback I use the Hitachi mainly for DVD and HD wachting or maybe for the morning news but for that I don't need a good picture. In addition I have several other 4:3 TVs for general daily TV stuff.

Thanks for your feedback I use the Hitachi mainly for DVD and HD wachting or maybe for the morning news but for that I don't need a good picture. In addition I have several other 4:3 TVs for general daily TV stuff.

I second what Gergg suggests with the additional comment that if you are attached to the lumens levels that are coming from your plasma, you might not be too happy with a projected image, though there are ways to ameliorate that. Be sure to view in a light controlled room.

ted

Is anybody using a plasma in a dedicated room with the AE900 for normal TV viewing? Maybe a 42"?

Is anybody using a plasma in a dedicated room with the AE900 for normal TV viewing? Maybe a 42"?

It's not really a dedicated room but I am using a Pioneer plasma and the 900 in the same room. The screen pulls down over the plasma. Here's a pic:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/sanglee24/screen1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/sanglee24/screen2.jpg

Sorry about the pic. The distorted shape on the screen is due to the camera angle.

Sorry about the pic. The distorted shape on the screen is due to the camera angle.

What type and size of pull-down screen do you have?

It's a 106" Dalite Highpower Model C.

got my new ae-900 yesterday plus 80'' widescreen projection screen. (upgrade from pana tau 36'') There seems to be subtle vertical banding on areas where the colour is largely uniform. eg. Grey sky. to be honest it's not too bad - watched 'HP and goblet of fire' last night and there were only a few 'moments' when I noticed it-(and then I was really looking). My wife only noticed it when I drew her attention to it.

I spoke to the supplier who will take it back 'reluctantly' but said a replacement would more or less be the same, and that if you know what to look for you will always see elements of vb to some degree . we agreed I would tweak it over the weekend and get back to him on monday if I need to.

My worry is that a replacement might be worse, (but on the other hand it could be perfect.)

bulb has only been on for 3 hours so am I expecting too much? Should I be able to tweak it out with flicker or panel adjustment? Like I say, it is quite subtle and most people probably would not notice it. I'd rather not return it unless there's a 99% chance of it being perfect. I'd certainly rather live with it than risk it being worse. Anyone else in similar situation and what did you decide? Just can't help feeling I've got a dud . . . . or is it me being picky . . . . help!

Thanks

Does anyone know what the "HDMI Hot Plug" option does in the service menu?

got my new ae-900 yesterday plus 80'' widescreen projection screen. (upgrade from pana tau 36'') There seems to be subtle vertical banding on areas where the colour is largely uniform. eg. Grey sky. to be honest it's not too bad - watched 'HP and goblet of fire' last night and there were only a few 'moments' when I noticed it-(and then I was really looking). My wife only noticed it when I drew her attention to it.

I spoke to the supplier who will take it back 'reluctantly' but said a replacement would more or less be the same, and that if you know what to look for you will always see elements of vb to some degree . we agreed I would tweak it over the weekend and get back to him on monday if I need to.

My worry is that a replacement might be worse, (but on the other hand it could be perfect.)

bulb has only been on for 3 hours so am I expecting too much? Should I be able to tweak it out with flicker or panel adjustment? Like I say, it is quite subtle and most people probably would not notice it. I'd rather not return it unless there's a 99% chance of it being perfect. I'd certainly rather live with it than risk it being worse. Anyone else in similar situation and what did you decide? Just can't help feeling I've got a dud . . . . or is it me being picky . . . . help!

Thanks


If it's that subtle you should be able to tweak it out. I've had 2 Pannys with varying degrees of banding out of the box that I was able to tweak out completely. Play with the panel adjustment before returning it.

Elio

Does anyone know what the "HDMI Hot Plug" option does in the service menu?

Hot Plug on means you can plug in an HDMI component while the projector and the unit are on. Hot plug off means you'll have to turn off the projector to plug something into the HDMI port then turn it back on for it to be recognized.

e

Thanks e! That is what I thought too.

I'm having problems with a Monoprice 5x1 HDMI switcher between my Denon DVD-3910 and the 900 projector. The picture from the DVD player will sync with the projector for a few seconds and then loose it for a couple of seconds and show a blue screen and continue to go back and forth. I have no problems when I connect straight to the projector from the 3910 as well as using the switcher with my HD Directv DVI output.

I heard a guy in the 3910 forum has the same problem with the new DVDO VP30 too.

Any ideas? EDID or HDCP errors?

I picked up my AE900U yesterday, i haven't had a chance to mount it or anything yet, but you folks here are providing excellent information, it will be paired with a Da-Lite HCCV screen (should be okay no?)

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 was able to send my AE900 a 1080p 60Hz gray bar signal and it was able to display it with no problems. I wasn't able to project it onto my screen yet so I wasn't able to determine how the PQ was affected by the higher clock rate signal. It was promising though that it is able to sink correctly and the edges of the grey bar looked pretty clean.

Thanks e! That is what I thought too.

I'm having problems with a Monoprice 5x1 HDMI switcher between my Denon DVD-3910 and the 900 projector. The picture from the DVD player will sync with the projector for a few seconds and then loose it for a couple of seconds and show a blue screen and continue to go back and forth. I have no problems when I connect straight to the projector from the 3910 as well as using the switcher with my HD Directv DVI output.

I heard a guy in the 3910 forum has the same problem with the new DVDO VP30 too.

Any ideas? EDID or HDCP errors?

I have a Geffen DVI switcher and I have that problem with my Dish Network HD receiver. The I have a Denon 3910 DVD player and have no issues. So I'm kinda in the same boat.

E

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 would hope that it uses all of the 1080i information and scales it directly to 720P. Otherwise the result would be a picture just above SD-DVD's 480P. According to this article found here, though:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/hd-dvd.htm

the picture quality on many of the current projectors is amazing with the new HD-DVD player from Toshiba. As Evan states, signal quality is more important than resolution. So I don't know either.

I have two questions about the projector hopefully someone can help me with. 1. Whats the best price of this unit to get it in canada? 2. Does it have a sleep timer? I think thats something all projectors sohuld have, more importantly cause of the short life span on the bulbs.
Thanks

hey guys, i have about 900 hours on my panny ae900 and the brightness power seems to be flickering randomly. Sometimes it will flicker 10 times in a row and then nothing for 2 hours and then it will just flicker from bright to something a bit darker for a minute and then go back to normal. Has anyone else had this happen to them? fyi, I've disabled auto-iris. Could the bulb be shot?

thx

If it's that subtle you should be able to tweak it out. I've had 2 Pannys with varying degrees of banding out of the box that I was able to tweak out completely. Play with the panel adjustment before returning it.

Elio

had a play with flicker and panel adjustments, I can get it where it is 'barely' noticable, but if you really look, you can just about see it - the blue and red panels are fine, it seems to be the green panel that is problematic, adjusting that just makes the bands thicker or thinner. I don't think I will return it though - watched King Kong last night and there was probably about half a dozen times where I noticed it - and then only briefly (and I was looking for it) - my wife is astounded by the quality so I guess I'm just being picky!!

had a play with flicker and panel adjustments, I can get it where it is 'barely' noticable, but if you really look, you can just about see it - the blue and red panels are fine, it seems to be the green panel that is problematic, adjusting that just makes the bands thicker or thinner. I don't think I will return it though - watched King Kong last night and there was probably about half a dozen times where I noticed it - and then only briefly (and I was looking for it) - my wife is astounded by the quality so I guess I'm just being picky!!

LOL... Welcome to the club. We're all picky on this forum... hehe.. But seriously, in a few weeks you won't even notice it anymore. We could drive ourselves crazy picking apart everything that isn't absolutely perfect about this stuff but in the end it's an awesome projector for the price. I honestly don't know if there's a better value out there. I really love my Panny. Always a treat to watch a well mastered DVD on it. And the Sopranos in HD is amazing.

I have a Geffen DVI switcher and I have that problem with my Dish Network HD receiver. The I have a Denon 3910 DVD player and have no issues. So I'm kinda in the same boat.

E

E, how old is your Gefen switcher?

I also have a Gefen HDMI 2x1 switcher that is being sent back to have the firmware updated to support 256 bit EDID. My Gefen switcher worked with my DVI input AE500 but would only pass 1080i from both my 3910 and the HD Directv box to the HDMI input 900. Will post if the new firmware will pass 720p and 480p when I get it back.

I sent back the Monoprice for a new unit but I don't think it is going to fix the flashing problem. I'm starting to see a pattern of problems with the 900 and HDMI switchers. Some might work and others not. I wonder if a DVI switcher would be more stable with the 900?

HDMI is bad...

my brother turned me on to avforum when i was deciding on a video purchase, and after quite a bit of reading on here i decided to buy a projector and then settled upon a panny900, which i ordered 4 days ago (woohoo! :) ) . i'll most likely be using some form of polywall diy screen, have made trips to both HD and Lowe's, but no such luck, sheets that looked similar to a description of polywall, but not a match.
this projector will be used almost exclusively for movies, my room will be void of any light minus what makes it through a window that i will cover as best i can, but all surfaces in the room are pretty reflective, white ceiling, glossy hardwood floor, cream semi-gloss walls.
this is my first projector and i'm a little green.
i've read of projectors having problems out of the box and i'm looking for any guidance on how to test the projector when i receive it and WHAT (as specifically as possible ) to look for, i'm not the most discriminating viewer, and some details (problems) could get by me until i do pick them out and i don't want that to be too late.
also, does anyone have experience/suggestions on bulb life for the 900, i'm considering ordering a back-up/replacement bulb off the get-go.
thank you for your time and sharing of experience

I have two questions about the projector hopefully someone can help me with. 1. Whats the best price of this unit to get it in canada? 2. Does it have a sleep timer? I think thats something all projectors sohuld have, more importantly cause of the short life span on the bulbs.
Thanks

JUST PURCHASE MY AE900. Got it at 2001 audio video. They list at 2999.00. I got it for 2599.00. There is a sleep timer. You can set it to a number of times in 30 minute increments up to 280 minutes.

cheers

Stephen

does anyone have experience/suggestions on bulb life for the 900, i'm considering ordering a back-up/replacement bulb off the get-go.
thank you for your time and sharing of experience

The AE900 is a great projector which I have bought and setup for someone. However, I would not buy a extra lamp unless I were absolutely sure of keeping it,
just my 2 cents.

JUST PURCHASE MY AE900. Got it at 2001 audio video. They list at 2999.00. I got it for 2599.00. There is a sleep timer. You can set it to a number of times in 30 minute increments up to 280 minutes.

cheers

Stephen

I think you overpaid, unless you got many additional items other than the AE900 itself.

I have two questions about the projector hopefully someone can help me with. 1. Whats the best price of this unit to get it in canada? 2. Does it have a sleep timer? I think thats something all projectors sohuld have, more importantly cause of the short life span on the bulbs.
Thanks

Not sure where in Canada you live, but I would concur with Stephen re: AV2001. In my research they were the best priced brick & mortar store. Possibly slightly cheaper on-line if you don't care about being able to deal directly with your purchase source. If you are looking to but additional components (ie. DVD player, receiver, etc) you should also be able to get AV2001 to knock a bit more off the price (ie. $50-$100).

I have had mine for about two months now. Very happy with it. It was great right out of box. Bought the Avia DVD but only had to do minimum tweaking.

My personal suggestion regarding the bulb is if you are concerned about replacement, don;t buy it right now, just put the money away somewhere in a bank account so it is available when and if you need it.

Unfortunately, the timer has to be set each time you use the projector. And unlike the Z4, it is not signal dependent or anything. Just a straight time ... kind of useless IMHO.

-Tim

erbilliards-- if you want to tweak the panny go to the Panny 900 tweak thread.

I think you overpaid, unless you got many additional items other than the AE900 itself.

Unfortunately, some projectors up here in Canada cost a LOT more than in the US. The AE900 in the US with the rebate is the best deal out there, but only for US residents.

After reading this thread and some reviews, I finally got myself AE900U from visualapex and boy, its great out of the box! Its my second pj (have to fleabay HP/Compaq MP1200 now) and we were all truly impressed by the short throw, color, smooth pixel stuff. And all this is on a light color wall! I am thinking of buying a 108" wide BOC for screen. I do have a 54"W BOC from my apartment but I just moved into a brand new house and can project on to a BIGGER screen now. Also bought a Samsung HD860 HDMI DVD player and have so far watched 3 movies including HP/fire goblet (the worst HP movie ever made!!!) and the pq was incredible. I am wondering if its worth going for oppo. I have to do a lot to set up my HT and will be checking this forum often. I basically have to buy (screen/ceiling mount/raceways/seating/AV rack) and do (darken ceiling, carpet?, walls) everything. Also bought Logitech 880 remote and ATI HDTV wonder; havent set them up yet.

thanx reginald and art, didnt realize there was a separate panny900 tweak thread, will have to check that out after it arrives tommorrow and i start playing with it.

Samx-- I have the panny 900 and have tried both the Oppo and the Sony 75H-- both players VERY comparable in PQ-- I went back and forth for an hour on the same scene picking out tiny details to see what didn't show up and they were both really good so... Sony much cheaper, no macroblocking and great audio. DO not get me wrong-- OPPO is a great product also but right now it is DVI and there are still a few issues- aspect issues bugged me. Personally, I kept the Sony and am VERY Happy with it. I might when Oppo comes out with the 971 with HDMI come back and try it again and hopefully all the little issues will be completely resolved but right now I am great with the Sony. and knowing what you just forked out plus the purchases you just made you'll be happy with the extra money and not be missing anything.

erbilliards-- just remeber to write down what you started with just in case you are not happy with what you do.

I just bought this projector and was wondering if anyone has experience hooking it up with both component and HDMI? Which one looks best with this projector? Is there a general concensus?

I appreciate your comments in advance.

Marbury,

I have hooked it up with both, and I can't tell the difference. Occassionally I will see artifacting, but it happens with both inputs, so it is coming from the input device. I have had my HD cable box/recorder hooded up to both inputs, and no difference to my eye.

Just one man's opinion.

Ken

Thanks for the info. Have you hooked a DVD player up with both?

i too watched HP/goble of fire this wknd. this was my first run, tonight i will watch a little star wars on the screen that arrived today. First impression was awesome, but as we were watching the Family Guy i noticed some ghosting around Lois' shirt, just her shirt which is a weird blue. Is that normal and will it calibrate out with simple adjustments? Other blues looked fine.

Marbury, I think that is really dependent on the DVD player you choose. Example the Oppo needs to be DVI NOT component as component looks bad (general consensus of basically all). As far as the Sony, some feel the component is excellent while others feel HDMI is better picture. You will pretty much need to decide DVD player before determining what looks best on projector.

When I go into the menus and change the lamp power, I see no difference in brightness.

Why would that be?

Thanks

edit: never mind, there is a slightly noticeable difference

When I go into the menus and change the lamp power, I see no difference in brightness.

Why would that be?

Thanks

edit: never mind, there is a slightly noticeable difference

The difference is more noticeable if you are viewing a high resolution picture.

Hey everyone, current 4805 owner here, considering moving up to the AE900. Quick question: how big of a problem is image retention with the 900?

I have now had my AE900 for 6 months. So far, no banding, flickering or funny noises. I've tried a filter and some calibrating, to me, it looks best just as it came out of the box. I occasionally watch a DVD, but 95% of the time it's HD cable projected on 110" screen. The sharpness and color is great, almost too good actually. You don't realize how bad an actor's skin is, til you see it in HD on this big a screen.

Very happy, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this projector to anyone.

I have now had my AE900 for 6 months. So far, no banding, flickering or funny noises. I've tried a filter and some calibrating, to me, it looks best just as it came out of the box. I occasionally watch a DVD, but 95% of the time it's HD cable projected on 110" screen. The sharpness and color is great, almost too good actually. You don't realize how bad an actor's skin is, til you see it in HD on this big a screen.

Very happy, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this projector to anyone.
I'm happy to read the post above! I've had my AE900 for a week now and I've decided to do no tweaking of the picture. I'm using the pre-sets provided by Panasonic for "video" for my high def sports watching and "normal" for everything else, including DVD's. I tried the recommended "Cinema 1" and even "Cinema 1" with tweaked settings provided on the "AE900 tweak thread" here at AV Science and I prefer "normal." Obviously I'm not a videophile and I'm going with what subjectively looks good to me--the Panny "out of the box!"

Hi Ae900 owners
I did the costco thing two weeks ago and out of the box it was great. ran some component and HDMI from bluejean cable over HD tivo Awesome. Today I Just took a leap of faith and bought the pioneer Eite 74 silver from Hippo audio. Was going to get the Onkyo TX SR803 but wanted the up conversion and more power!!
I'll have this hooked with HTD Level 3 speakers, HD Tivo and a plain old DVd player for now( Waiting to see winner on HD Dvd or Blue ray War) Anyone with similar setup or advice to a newbie ?

Anyone with similar setup or advice to a newbie ?

Buy an Oppo dvd player - it'll be the best $200 you'll spend. I was going to wait until the HD DVD situation settled down, but decided a $200 investment for the next year or two wasn't that big a deal. Glad I did, as it's much nicer PQ than the 2001 model Toshiba progressive player it replaced.

Just installed mine tonight, replacing a sharp xr-11 (also from costco). The improvement is very striking and positive. I'm running mine from an Oppo dvd player into a vp-30 and then to the AE900 onto a pearlbright torus screen. Quite an amazing picture for SD DVD.

Dave

I've read a lot about both the Oppo and Sony DVD players. Can anyone tell me if one is better than the other with the 900U? Also, do both support DTS-ES or 7.1 audio? I didn't see it on the Oppo site.

Marbury-- I have tried both with my Panny and both have a great picture! I kept the Sony because of price, sound and there are still just a few issues needing to be worked out with Oppo. I decided to wait to see the new 971 oppo this summer with HDMI and keep Sony for now. I am running a 7.1 system on my Pioneer 74 sounds beautiful.

Thanks for the feedback Artimp

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).

Before I say anything about this, I absolutely truely hope that someone who knows more about this than I do can drop a line and clarify. BUT, everyone that has this PJ and has digital cable state that the PQ is better at 720P vs. 1080i. So this means one of two things. Either the PJ converts the 1080i image into a 540P image and then scales it to 720P, OR the 1080i image from the cable box is not as high a quality as the 720P, maybe it gets the image as 540P and then deinterlaces it into a 1080i image. I really don't know but that is the most logical conclusion I can figure out without anymore information. I would assume that since this PJ has been around for over 6 months and due to it's price, it would convert the 1080i image to 540P and then rescale it to 720P.

Samx-- I have the panny 900 and have tried both the Oppo and the Sony 75H-- both players VERY comparable in PQ-- I went back and forth for an hour on the same scene picking out tiny details to see what didn't show up and they were both really good so... Sony much cheaper, no macroblocking and great audio. DO not get me wrong-- OPPO is a great product also but right now it is DVI and there are still a few issues- aspect issues bugged me. Personally, I kept the Sony and am VERY Happy with it. I might when Oppo comes out with the 971 with HDMI come back and try it again and hopefully all the little issues will be completely resolved but right now I am great with the Sony. and knowing what you just forked out plus the purchases you just made you'll be happy with the extra money and not be missing anything.

Thanks artimp! I have read someone else comaring Sammy HD860 and Sony 75H and liking sony better. I think I am gonna return HD860 and buy a 75H.

well, it happened again. Lamp Circuit Failure. This happened with my first 900 after six days. My current 900 worked great for about 4 months, until this. Last night out of no where it decides to malfunction. Talk with heartland and got it sent out today. So it looks like I'll be without a projector for a couple weeks at least. And just in time for the playoffs! :mad:

The AE900 manual describes how to clean lint off of the lens, but it does not, however, offer any guidance for cleaning little greasy fingerprint smears, from a 4 year old, off the lens...

I left my 4 year old and a few of his friends alone in the theater for about 15 minutes last night (c'mon, the Incredibles were on, no problem)...BIG MISTAKE!!! I came back to find them standing on the 2nd row of seats (which is on a riser) with their hands up in front of the projector. The focus adjustment had been tweaked, the lens shift joystick readjusted, and, after examing the evidence, the lens touched by popcorn tainted fingers :eek:

Can anyone offer any advice on cleaning the lens?

The AE900 manual describes how to clean lint off of the lens, but it does not, however, offer any guidance for cleaning little greasy fingerprint smears, from a 4 year old, off the lens...

I left my 4 year old and a few of his friends alone in the theater for about 15 minutes last night (c'mon, the Incredibles were on, no problem)...BIG MISTAKE!!! I came back to find them standing on the 2nd row of seats (which is on a riser) with their hands up in front of the projector. The focus adjustment had been tweaked, the lens shift joystick readjusted, and, after examing the evidence, the lens touched by popcorn tainted fingers :eek:

Can anyone offer any advice on cleaning the lens?

now I maybe completely wrong, but I think a soft terry cloth rag (soft being key word) and some rubbing alcohol would do the trick...I don't see how it could "hurt" glass, I guess you just don't want to scratch the lens

The AE900 manual describes how to clean lint off of the lens, but it does not, however, offer any guidance for cleaning little greasy fingerprint smears, from a 4 year old, off the lens...

I left my 4 year old and a few of his friends alone in the theater for about 15 minutes last night (c'mon, the Incredibles were on, no problem)...BIG MISTAKE!!! I came back to find them standing on the 2nd row of seats (which is on a riser) with their hands up in front of the projector. The focus adjustment had been tweaked, the lens shift joystick readjusted, and, after examing the evidence, the lens touched by popcorn tainted fingers :eek:

Can anyone offer any advice on cleaning the lens?

I'd pick up a bottle of lens cleaner from, say, B&H. Clearsight works wonders and will last you some time.

Anyone know of a local dealer in Atlanta for the pt ae900u? Thanks!

guys I read the whole thread from the beggining to the end (don't you feel sorry for me?). It was never answered if you can use remote to control pc (adjust volume, run program etc, or if you can use it as a mouse.

Thanks

guys I read the whole thread from the beggining to the end (don't you feel sorry for me?). It was never answered if you can use remote to control pc (adjust volume, run program etc, or if you can use it as a mouse.

Thanks

Good to see you've done your due diligence. :)

Do you mean the 900's remote? Is this for Home automation?
You would need an IR receiver/transmitter on you PC and software like Girder (http://www.promixis.com/) or Charmed Quark (http://www.charmedquark.com/)
You would have to teach the software the 900's commands.

If you do not need complete automation there are simpler alternatives that would satisfy your needs more directly if you do not need the sophistication of the above.
The Snapstream Firefly (http://store.snapstream.com/free-firefly.html) for example.

The HTPC forum will have better answers.

ted

Okay cool, I was watching that one but will decide on Logitech's remote to control all my units in the room.

One more thing, my Elunevision 120' electric screen will arrive today, will panny remote be able to control it after learning feature?

PS. I decided to go with Panny instead of Z4 because I will sit really close (120' from only 13feet) smoothscreen should help here. Although I would love to see longer warranty with panny:(

Will write more when I got my panny and set it up with my PC.

Regards
DeathEvil

guys I read the whole thread from the beggining to the end (don't you feel sorry for me?). It was never answered if you can use remote to control pc (adjust volume, run program etc, or if you can use it as a mouse.

Thanks
I ended up getting the fusion remote <$20 US that has the ir sensor so I could teach the Panny remote the fusion commands to talk to my pc, but no mouse control only specific keyboard functions. The problem I found using the Panny remote is that it does not have enough keys to allow complete control of all my toys. I now have a harmony that I still have not completly figured out regarding teaching it commands from the fusion remote. If you want mouse control the only way I have seen is with the presentation remotes, but these are very limited. With the fusion or others like it you can program all your most common keyboard commands and this handles most situations.


Christopher

I jumped in and ordered a Panny AE900 here this morning from Costco. I've never had a projector before - nor do I know of anyone first-hand who owns one either. I decided to pay a little more right now and have Costco's return policy as a safety-net, just in case I'm expecting too much from my first foray into a proector setup. It will be replacing a 42" LG Plasma (EDTV), which I recently sold - and I cannot wait to see the difference now!

Now...to order the screen....Carada?

I plan on getting the projector and seeing what size of an image I want to display for my theater roon by trying out some different sizes, and then ordering the screen from there. I'm shooting for something between 92" and 110".

I jumped in and ordered a Panny AE900 here this morning from Costco. I've never had a projector before - nor do I know of anyone first-hand who owns one either. I decided to pay a little more right now and have Costco's return policy as a safety-net, just in case I'm expecting too much from my first foray into a proector setup. It will be replacing a 42" LG Plasma (EDTV), which I recently sold - and I cannot wait to see the difference now!

Now...to order the screen....Carada?

I plan on getting the projector and seeing what size of an image I want to display for my theater roon by trying out some different sizes, and then ordering the screen from there. I'm shooting for something between 92" and 110".

I have the Carada 104" CCW 1:1.85 screen. We sit 13ft from it. I am not an expert on screens but can say I can find nothing wrong with it.

Not sure how far you will be sitting from screen but I would not suggest anything smaller that 104" if you are 13ft or further. When we first got it, it did look really big but as others have mentioned in the screen forums, they seem to get "smaller" the more you watch. Now I would go any smaller though I was originally looking in the 90" diagonal range. Don't be scared off by its self installation, if you've got even a basic handy man capability you can install this quite easily yourself.

The two big questions you have to ask yourself is screen material treatment (it depends on how much light will be present in room when watching) and aspect ratio. I went with 1:1.85 because it was a good compromise between 1:2.35 (best for most newer movies) and the smaller formats used by TV. If I had to do it again, I would probably go for the 1:2.35 aspect as we mainly use it for movies but that is a personal preference only.

After reading this thread and some reviews, I finally got myself AE900U from visualapex and boy, its great out of the box! Its my second pj (have to fleabay HP/Compaq MP1200 now) and we were all truly impressed by the short throw, color, smooth pixel stuff. And all this is on a light color wall! I am thinking of buying a 108" wide BOC for screen. I do have a 54"W BOC from my apartment but I just moved into a brand new house and can project on to a BIGGER screen now. Also bought a Samsung HD860 HDMI DVD player and have so far watched 3 movies including HP/fire goblet (the worst HP movie ever made!!!) and the pq was incredible. I am wondering if its worth going for oppo. I have to do a lot to set up my HT and will be checking this forum often. I basically have to buy (screen/ceiling mount/raceways/seating/AV rack) and do (darken ceiling, carpet?, walls) everything. Also bought Logitech 880 remote and ATI HDTV wonder; havent set them up yet.

Couple suggestions:

1). Check out the DYI ceiling mount thread in the forum. I built my own for $50Cdn by tweaking the Monkeyman basic design. With a bit of paint and detail work it looks and works as well as some mounts that were going for up to $200. I was initially a bit apprehensive but then figured what did I have to loose and was able to build and mount it in about 3 hours.

2). Regarding DVD player - if you're thinking about trading in for Oppo, also give the Panasonic S77 a look. It is an HDMI player and I run it with my AE900 and it works great.

3). Cable Raceways: Before going for anything too fancy check out Home Depot. I was quoted about double the material cost from a professional installer (not including labour) for the same runs I got from Home Depot and installed myself.

4). Don't know how serious a HT room you want but I would suggest getting your screen and sound system all set up first before investing in wall/ceiling colour and sound treatments. I was planning on doing a number of things to our Rec Room when we got the PJ and screen (Panny AE900 and Carada CCW 104" 1:1.85). After setting everything up, it looked and sounded so good I decided it didn't seem worth all the other expense and effort. That said, I fully confess to being more of a general user than a serious HT expert.

I wanna have all my ducks in-line for when my Panny arrives (sometime next week), so I may need some assistance with the correct cabling needed.

I will be connecting:

Now:

1. Xbox 360 (Component)
2. HTPC (DVI to HDMI coverter-HDMI Cable)
3. DIRECTV DVR (S-Video)

Future:

1. DIRECTV HD DVR (Component)
2. HD-DVD or BLU-RAY Player (HDMI)

In the future, when I get everything upgraded (HD DVD/BLU RAY & HD DVR) to where I want it - I know I'll need to add a HDMI SWITCHER - but for NOW, it looks like I need the following:

DVI -> HDMI converter (for HTPC)

HDMI cable (to connect to the DVI->HDMI coverter - and then to the Panny)

Does this all sound right - :) ?

yeah, everything seems fine so you should be good. Keep in mind that you might encounter some issues with htcp so make sure to download the newest drivers etc.

DeathEvil - thanks for the feedback! The HTPC is ready to go (I believe so anyway - and thanks for the reminder!)

I just want to clarify and see if this is the correct DVI to HDMI cable I need to be able to connect my HTPC:

http://images.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/24041.jpg

HDMI DVI Cable 28AWG - 6ft w/Ferrite Cores (Gold-Plated) (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023103&p_id=2404&seq=1&format=2)

DeathEvil - thanks for the feedback! The HTPC is ready to go (I believe so anyway - and thanks for the reminder!)

I just want to clarify and see if this is the correct DVI to HDMI cable I need to be able to connect my HTPC:

http://images.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/24041.jpg

HDMI DVI Cable 28AWG - 6ft w/Ferrite Cores (Gold-Plated) (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023103&p_id=2404&seq=1&format=2)

Yeah, no problem. This is the one - actually I ordered the same one because I can't justify spending 100$ for a cable. What GF do you got? I have tested this cable (3feet one) with Geforce 7800GTX DVI-D and works perfect - can't imagine it look better. Good luck and post results once you have the pj running (I wouldn't mind few screenshots from some FPP games like doom3 or hl2:)

PS. Oh one more thing, when you set up pj and you will feed it with native res 1280-720 then make sure you disable overscan so you get 1:1 pixel mapping.

Best Regards
DeathEvil

Thanks again DeathEvil - just ordered the cable from Monoprice.com

My video card in my HTPC (Alienware HTPC) is an ATI X800 PRO (256MB) - hopefully she'll be able to do the job.

I'll definitely setup the Panny as you suggested - and I will try and post some screenshots by late next week.

Thanks again for all the help/info!!!

I wouldn't use rubbing alcohol on a lens. I think the len has some kind of coating that could be damaged by alcohol. Not a 100% sure. But you might want to stick with the lens cleaner stuff to be safe.

I wouldn't use rubbing alcohol on a lens. I think the len has some kind of coating that could be damaged by alcohol. Not a 100% sure. But you might want to stick with the lens cleaner stuff to be safe.

Absolutely correct.
Don't use Rubbing Alcohol on *any* electronics or optics. Rubbing alcohol is not pure alcohol. For that you need Isopropyl - 99% alcohol.

Alcohol should not be used on any lens - for that get some photo lens fluid and photo grade tissue from a camera supply. With poorer quality tissue there is a chance of scratching the lens.

ted

Absolutely correct.
Don't use Rubbing Alcohol on *any* electronics or optics. Rubbing alcohol is not pure alcohol. For that you need Isopropyl - 99% alcohol.

Alcohol should not be used on any lens - for that get some photo lens fluid and photo grade tissue from a camera supply. With poorer quality tissue there is a chance of scratching the lens.

ted

good to know

Absolutely correct.
Don't use Rubbing Alcohol on *any* electronics or optics. Rubbing alcohol is not pure alcohol. For that you need Isopropyl - 99% alcohol.

Alcohol should not be used on any lens - for that get some photo lens fluid and photo grade tissue from a camera supply. With poorer quality tissue there is a chance of scratching the lens.

ted

You can also use a microfiber cloth. I keep one in a Ziplock bag that I only use on lenses. No alcohol based products at all. They will lift the coating on the lens. Good lens cleaner is easy to find at a camera shop.

Elio

Thanks for the responses about cleaning the lens. I'll stop by a camera store tomorrow to see what they have available.

Panny Trouble!

I was using the HDMI input connected to an SA 8300 Cable box/HD-dvr. All of the sudden the picture started flashing on and off. I turned off the Cable box, and the HDMI Blue screen still flashes on and off. I tried other inputs that had no signal, and the blue screen never flashed.

Any idea what is going on? It flashes whether an input is present or not. I would guess this is a PJ issue. Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks,

Ken

I have only had it happen twice. Both times when the projector has been on for more than 6 hours. I thought it could be heat related.

XBOX 360 connection to Panny AE900: 720p or 1080i

My Panny AE900 will arrive tomorrow (can't frakin' wait!)!

What should I set my XBOX 360 to disply? 720p or 1080i

This will be my only available HD source to audition the Panny out - so I'm trying to make sure I have everything setup correctly so that I can accurately gauge the picture quality. I plan on downloading some 720p trailers from the xbox live marketplace to demo the projector tomorrow night.

Many thanks.

XBOX 360 connection to Panny AE900: 720p or 1080i

My Panny AE900 will arrive tomorrow (can't frakin' wait!)!

What should I set my XBOX 360 to disply? 720p or 1080i

This will be my only available HD source to audition the Panny out - so I'm trying to make sure I have everything setup correctly so that I can accurately gauge the picture quality. I plan on downloading some 720p trailers from the xbox live marketplace to demo the projector tomorrow night.

Many thanks.

It is a maxim that you set your source to output at the native resolution of any fixed panel device that you are feeding. Referred to as 1:1 pixel mapping this usually provides best PQ as it bypasses any further scaling done by your display device.

There is however a wrench in the works. With HD-DVD sourced by the new Toshibas players it would seem that utilizing these players with 1080i is the best.

So after this long preamble :p my suggestion is use your own eyes. If you find one better than the other then use that one. Don't tell *us* though, as we will only ridicule you for using the wrong settings. ;)

I think it is more important that you use a good calibration disc like AVIA or DVE with whatever source/transport you decide upon.

ted

Just wanted to weigh in quickly. I have had my Panny for about a month and am absolutely loving it. I read this thread many times throughout my decision making process and I wanted to thank everyone for all their insight. My wife even mentioned after watching a movie the other night that it felt like we just got back from the theater...its all good. Thanks guys.

I just got the new Monoprice 5x1 Enhanced HDMI switch (PID 2777) with remote, but found that although it works great with my Sony DHG-HDD500 and AE900U it will not switch to the Denon DVD-1920. It recognizes the DVD-1920 but when switched, the Denon video does not get displayed on the AE900U. Anyone else seen this problem or know a way to resolve it?

I just got the new Monoprice 5x1 Enhanced HDMI switch (PID 2777) with remote, but found that although it works great with my Sony DHG-HDD500 and AE900U it will not switch to the Denon DVD-1920. It recognizes the DVD-1920 but when switched, the Denon video does not get displayed on the AE900U. Anyone else seen this problem or know a way to resolve it?

I have a Monoprice 2x1 HDMI switch with a Denon 1920 and AE900....don't have any problems switching...does the 1920 output straight to the projector? did you turn HDMI on?

I have a Monoprice 2x1 HDMI switch with a Denon 1920 and AE900....don't have any problems switching...does the 1920 output straight to the projector? did you turn HDMI on?


Interesting. Yes the 1920 works fine connected straight to the projector and HDMI is on. I also have an older manual HDMI switch and the 1920 works fine through that. I wonder if there is a difference in the 5x1 switch or if something is just wrong with mine.

I need a receiver, dvd player, and XBOX.
Here is my question.

Which receiver and dvd player would you purchase to execute the following.


I want to hook up all devices, xbox, dvd, and cable box, to my receiver.
Then I only want one cable that transfers video to my projector. (the projector doesn't do audio anyway).

what should I get and how should I hookem up. HDMI or component.

I tested both on the projector and there wasn't any difference in the PQ.
Thanks for your help.
T

BTW - First time projector owner and i will never go buy a "TV" again.

p.s. how do I change my name in the left margin???

Hey Guys! I have been searching for a projector for a few weeks now and I am having trouble justifying spending between 2 and 4 grand on something that seems impossible to look at before I buy. I have heard good things about the Panasonic 900, Optoma HD72 and the Infocus IN76. I have been leaning towards the IN76 Because a friend of mine reccomend's it and turned me on to the AVS club for special pricing. IS THERE ANYWHERE I CAN GO TO SEE ONE OF THESE UNITS?!! I am in the Los Angeles area and my tax return is already burning a hole in my pocket!

I need a receiver, dvd player, and XBOX.
Here is my question.

Which receiver and dvd player would you purchase to execute the following.


I want to hook up all devices, xbox, dvd, and cable box, to my receiver.
Then I only want one cable that transfers video to my projector. (the projector doesn't do audio anyway).

what should I get and how should I hookem up. HDMI or component.

I tested both on the projector and there wasn't any difference in the PQ.
Thanks for your help.
T

BTW - First time projector owner and i will never go buy a "TV" again.

p.s. how do I change my name in the left margin???


Todd - I am not an expert but having gone through similar questions recently I would suggest the following:

1). I use the Yamaha RX line (RX757) but there are others that offer same functionality. Make sure you like the sound first, then consider the video functionality.

2). My experience is that there is a big price jump from receivers that upconvert to Componet to receivers that upconvert everything to HDMI. There is also a PQ issue. Others on this forum have commented that receiver HDMI upconversion varies significantly and is not as good as DVD based HDMI. PQ is a personal thing but I do seem notice a difference between Component and HDMI when watching "big budget-type movies. I would agree with you on films like basic drama and comedy.

3). Question: are you planning on running cables in walls or outside? I ask this because cable recommendations will likely differ depending on your layout. If you can easily add/remove cables in future then you have a lot more flexibility in your plans. Many on this forum have commented that different cables are better for different signals. If you are going to run cables through walls then I would install at least S-Video, VGA, HDMI and Component initially. Even if you have no plans to use them at present, the cost is much less for installing all at once vs going back later and adding new ones if your needs change. If you get your cables from Monoprice (or somewhere comparable) cable cost should not really be a factor. I run 25ft lengths of Monoprice HDMI, Component, VGA and S-Video and it cost less than what the big box stores wanted for a 25ft HDMI cable on its own. Doing this still doesn't stop you from sending your signal via one cable to your PF but it protects you for down the road.

4). If you scan the forum you can get recommendations on DVD players. I use the Panasonic S77 (upconverts and has HDMI). Others swear by the Oppo. Again this is a personal decision only you can make after reading up on them. A goog site for getting a handle on the issues and things to look for, as well as very informative product reviews is http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/main.html. I run HDMI direct from the S77 to my AE900 and feed everything else into the Yamaha RX757 (ie. cable, VCR, XBox - I even run my S77s Component connections through it as back-up) and connect to my AE900 via S-Video and Component.

Absolutely correct.
Don't use Rubbing Alcohol on *any* electronics or optics. Rubbing alcohol is not pure alcohol. For that you need Isopropyl - 99% alcohol.

Alcohol should not be used on any lens - for that get some photo lens fluid and photo grade tissue from a camera supply. With poorer quality tissue there is a chance of scratching the lens.

ted

Thanks for the info. I had just started to wonder about this cleaning issue myself. :)

Mustang Man,
Thanks a ton.
My basement is slated to begin finishing June 17th. It should be done 6-7wks after that.
I have an awesome contractor.
The walls will be drywall and a drop ceiling throughout. I see your point in running all types of cables to the 900 - just to be safe. The only problem at this point is determining where they would exit the wall. The ceiling is no problem.

Thanks for the pointers.

T

BalletBoarder,

I believe TVAuthority in Santa Monica (see logo at top of page) has a variety of pj's on display.

Not to mention Frys.

I am about to purchase one of these units but have a question regarding mounting. I want to mount this projector near my ceiling but upright on a shelf, not inverted with a ceiling mount. Can this projector handle this? The pictures in the manual seem to indicate it can but I want to make sure before I pull the trigger.

Thanks
Shawn

I am about to purchase one of these units but have a question regarding mounting. I want to mount this projector near my ceiling but upright on a shelf, not inverted with a ceiling mount. Can this projector handle this? The pictures in the manual seem to indicate it can but I want to make sure before I pull the trigger.

Thanks
Shawn

Yes it can. It's designed to be mounted center screen, but gives you over 60% of the screen width in lense shift up or down. This works inverted or not. I can't imagine a scenario where anyone couldn't mount this this however they wanted.

Well, I just got my Panny today (why must the UPS guy always deliver around 5:00PM???) and I am just amazed.

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG!

Thus far I have only been able to demo 720p from my Xbox 360 - and it is amazing!

Thanks to everyone here on the forum for all the help and guidance on this purchase!

Congrats on the new Panny.
I've had mine for about two weeks and love it.

I am currently determining where to set it up for my soon to be finished basement.

I love HDTV on it and Movies are incredible.

I might be having a problem with SD cable or anything at 480p. It looks terrible.
I'm at about a 13 ft. throw and projecting anywhere from a 120" to 70" pict.
The 70" isn't too bad (except that the wings lost last night). But I much rather prefer to do all my viewing on a much larger screen 100 - 120. (Pistons in HD on a 120 was awesome last night).

Does anyone have a problem viewing SD tv?
Also SD seemed to have "Heat lines"? running through the pict until the projector warmed up.
Has anyone experienced this problem?

Help - I need to be 100% sold on this projector. I am 99% sure it's the best one in its price range.

Thanks
T

Todd,

I was laughing out loud about your SD comment. I feel the same way. Also, my eyes have enjoyed many sporting events in HD, and it has ruined me for DVD. It's a nice place to be, when your media is the limiting factor. :) But that will be changing soon!

I'm at 500 hours of bliss with my 900! I'm sure there are better projectors, but I'm ignorant to them and will stay that way for awhile!

Tony

Congrats on the new Panny.
I've had mine for about two weeks and love it.

I am currently determining where to set it up for my soon to be finished basement.

I love HDTV on it and Movies are incredible.

I might be having a problem with SD cable or anything at 480p. It looks terrible.
I'm at about a 13 ft. throw and projecting anywhere from a 120" to 70" pict.
The 70" isn't too bad (except that the wings lost last night). But I much rather prefer to do all my viewing on a much larger screen 100 - 120. (Pistons in HD on a 120 was awesome last night).

Does anyone have a problem viewing SD tv?
Also SD seemed to have "Heat lines"? running through the pict until the projector warmed up.
Has anyone experienced this problem?

Help - I need to be 100% sold on this projector. I am 99% sure it's the best one in its price range.

Thanks
T

Todd,

From my experience both when shopping around to decide on what HDTV format to go with (ie. Rear Projection, Front Projector, LCD, DLP, etc) and with my AE900 I never found any that handle SD content well. From my understanding the large screen, HD units can't - mainly because SD does not send as much signal content for the units to properly convert and scale - they have to estimate too much of the picture, hence the feel that you're watching one of those first 5)+" sets of 15 years ago (at least that is how I see it). HD signals send more source data which gives the HD units more to work with.

I was told you can consider PQ as a spectrum. From highest to lowest, you basically have DVDs, HD Cable/Sat, Digital Cable, VCR, SD Cable.

SD Content looks pretty rough on my friend's 62" Toshiba RP DLP unit too. It's a little better than my AE900 but I attribute that more to the fact that I have almost twice the screen space for the Panny to fill with pixels than his Toshiba. Intuitively mine should be a bit blurrier.

Ultimately we're more of a movie household, hockey being the main TV draw. We have another TV for pure TV watching at this point. Will consider plunking down the bucks for HD Cable next October when hockey season starts up again.

Mustang Man,
Thanks a ton.
My basement is slated to begin finishing June 17th. It should be done 6-7wks after that.
I have an awesome contractor.
The walls will be drywall and a drop ceiling throughout. I see your point in running all types of cables to the 900 - just to be safe. The only problem at this point is determining where they would exit the wall. The ceiling is no problem.

Thanks for the pointers.

T

Have you determined 100% where your A/V stand & equipment would be located? Also, is that location fixed in stone or could you see yourself re-locating it in the future if you reconfigure the rooms furniture.

My suggestion, given that you have a drop ceiling is:

If you have a definite fixed location for your AV equipment - run the cables through the ceiling to the wall where the A/V equipment will be. Find the channel between the two wall studs that is closest to the back of the AV equipment and run the cables through the wall down to the equipment.

Some of the cables do not safely bend too much so you should first check on how much space you have behind your drywall. This will help you determine how much of the vertical to horizontal bend you can achieve inside the wall (otherwise you will have to move your A/V equipment away from the wall or bring the cables out to the side of the stand to give the cable room to bend).

I would bring the cables out near the floor, much like any power outlet. At this lower level it is easier to conceal cable holes with furniture or tables, etc.

The way I did mine (because I may relocate my A/V stand if we buy new furniture) is I brought the cables out at standard power outlet level and about two feet to the side of my stand. I did this to allow for moving the stand down the road. I was fortunate however to have a low-level side table, that we want next to the A/V stand, that once in place, basically masks the cable below it from view (unless you're lying on the floor).

Another reason for floor level as opposed to equipment height is home resale issues - you may have a PJ but the next owner may not or not want everything in the same location. Higher up cable exits will be more visible and hence potentially have a more negative impact on room impression.

Remember to allow sufficient cable to get from your exit hole to the equipment. I suggest never measure in a straight line, always measure using 90 degree bends to find your length, then add 3 feet or so to ensure you have some slack so if you ever need to shift the equipment to gain access to something you aren't always condemmed to disconnect everything.

If you think you may move the A/V site a some point you can either allow for additional cable length so that the cable can get there or get adapters at the future date that allow you to extend the cable. If this is the case, I would suggest careful planning as to where the new locations might be as you will want options to help hide any cable running along the floor.

Another option, if you are pretty certain you know where the possible future new location will be is to have your contractor pre-cut a cable channel in the drop ceiling to the wall above the future location. This way if you do eventually change locations, you would still have to pull the cables back from the initial run but it would be fairly straightforward to reset them to the new location. (From personal experience, if you have allowed for the necessary cable channel runs, pulling and fishing the actual cable in ceilings and walls is fairly straightforward)

One thing to keep in mind is that some of the cables' signals can start to degrade after certain cable lengths. There is a lot of info on this forum regarding this. Personally, all my cables are 25ft and I haven't seen anything to complain about. This may influence your final A/V location decision however.

Sorry have haven't given a specific answer but hopefully this gives you food for thought to discuss with your contractor and come to a decision that fits your current and future plans.

Todd,

I was told you can consider PQ as a spectrum. From highest to lowest, you basically have DVDs, HD Cable/Sat, Digital Cable, VCR, SD Cable.


Unless that listing is of no particular order, DVD's would come in comparable or maybe slightly above Digital Cable.

DVD's are essentially cleaned up SD, but no better than line quality SD and in some cases worse, because of compression artifacting.

ted

Talking about SD on the Panny...

I was actually impressed with how it looks so far (coming from a 42" LG Plasma EDTV)...watching "Sin City" on regular HBO last night and the image was pretty darn good (at least to me). ALOT better than my plasma looked anyway...

got my new ae-900 yesterday plus 80'' widescreen projection screen. (upgrade from pana tau 36'') There seems to be subtle vertical banding on areas where the colour is largely uniform. eg. Grey sky. to be honest it's not too bad - watched 'HP and goblet of fire' last night and there were only a few 'moments' when I noticed it-(and then I was really looking). My wife only noticed it when I drew her attention to it.

I spoke to the supplier who will take it back 'reluctantly' but said a replacement would more or less be the same, and that if you know what to look for you will always see elements of vb to some degree . we agreed I would tweak it over the weekend and get back to him on monday if I need to.

My worry is that a replacement might be worse, (but on the other hand it could be perfect.)

bulb has only been on for 3 hours so am I expecting too much? Should I be able to tweak it out with flicker or panel adjustment? Like I say, it is quite subtle and most people probably would not notice it. I'd rather not return it unless there's a 99% chance of it being perfect. I'd certainly rather live with it than risk it being worse. Anyone else in similar situation and what did you decide? Just can't help feeling I've got a dud . . . . or is it me being picky . . . . help!

Thanks

Hey dunjenkeepa:

before you return your projector - you might want to check that the "vertical banding" isn't actually your screen. There have been a few complaints (on this forum and on others) about people noticing a streaking phenomenon on Da-Lite screens - especially the HCCV and the Da-Mat. Do you have a Da-Lite screen? (I plan on getting a Severtson for this reason.)

Also - re: being too picky - if it's driving you nuts, then it's driving you nuts. (Who knows, maybe you are crazy, but aren't we all on this forum? I think our wives would attest to that.) If it is your projector - you should be able to get one with no VB issues - very few people mention that concern with the Panny (more have commented on screen streaking).

I noticed slight VB on my AE900, and it was driving me nuts because I had heard the 900's had no VB and was one of the main reasons I upgraed from my AE300. Anyway, I bought 3 more 900's and ended up returning the other three (which had various build dates oddly enough: Nov 05, Jan 06, and Feb 06) because the VB was actually worse! I was tempted to keep one of them though because my original has IRIS noise, but it's not horrible. If it gets worse I'll send it in.

My friend has a Z4 and I can see it on his as well -- completely different screen material, DVD player, etc. I definitely think it is a limitation of the LCD technology and those that claim not to have any simply can't see it. Kind of like the color wheel issue with DLP -- some see it, some don't. Probably doesn't help that I have 20/20 or better vision since my LASIK, LOL!

-Tim

I noticed slight VB on my AE900, and it was driving me nuts because I had heard the 900's had no VB and was one of the main reasons I upgraed from my AE300. Anyway, I bought 3 more 900's and ended up returning the other three (which had various build dates oddly enough: Nov 05, Jan 06, and Feb 06) because the VB was actually worse! I was tempted to keep one of them though because my original has IRIS noise, but it's not horrible. If it gets worse I'll send it in.

My friend has a Z4 and I can see it on his as well -- completely different screen material, DVD player, etc. I definitely think it is a limitation of the LCD technology and those that claim not to have any simply can't see it. Kind of like the color wheel issue with DLP -- some see it, some don't. Probably doesn't help that I have 20/20 or better vision since my LASIK, LOL!

-Tim

have you tweaked the flicker adj? Since I tweaked that and added a power conditioner, I no longer notice VB...its either so slight I can't perceive it, or its just not there anymore

have you tweaked the flicker adj? Since I tweaked that and added a power conditioner, I no longer notice VB...its either so slight I can't perceive it, or its just not there anymore


Yes, tweaked the heck out of it to no avail. I have it on a decent UPS, but have often wondered about power conditioning. Do you think the Power Cond. was what did it for you? What model do you have and how much did it cost, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks,
Tim

I definitely think it is a limitation of the LCD technology and those that claim not to have any simply can't see it. Kind of like the color wheel issue with DLP -- some see it, some don't.
-Tim

Yes!
Someone said it wasn't?

Perhaps they should look into the columnar nature of LCD panels and the Analog control voltages used to determine the transmissability of the panel. While they're at it, a quick look at the addressing/clock structures might help too. I believe its possible with LCOS as well, due to the same reasons, though newer LCOS has some digital driven schemes. It can vary with any of these factors and from pj to to pj.

I also suspect that VB is likely to be a thing of the past with next gen pjs.

BTW I ain't no engineer but the info is out there.

ted

Ugggh, don't tell me I will feel the need to upgrade yet again! So soon? I am hopefully maybe power-condition will help, but considering I saw it on all those PJ's and to different degrees from the very same power source only leaves the same conclusion ... it's there, but to what extent?

OK, I'm think I'm going to pull the trigger on an OPPO Digital OPDV971H . ( or Panasonic DVDS97S - which one)
Next up is the receiver. If I use the dvi in from the OPPO to a receiver and use the hdmi out to the panny will that work?

Which receiver for 6 bills or less i hope??????????

Don't laugh - any thoughts on the new sony that has 2 hdmi inputs and 1 out --- Its a sony ... 800 something ?

T

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

I sent mine in at the first of March and still nothing. :mad: I thought there was a number posted to call, but I can't find it.

Chris

I have the Oppo connected as you mentioned and it works well with a Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi, which has 2 HDMI inputs and single output. I used the SHR HDMI cable from dvigear to connect to the 900.

OK, I'm think I'm going to pull the trigger on an OPPO Digital OPDV971H . ( or Panasonic DVDS97S - which one)
Next up is the receiver. If I use the dvi in from the OPPO to a receiver and use the hdmi out to the panny will that work?

Which receiver for 6 bills or less i hope??????????

Don't laugh - any thoughts on the new sony that has 2 hdmi inputs and 1 out --- Its a sony ... 800 something ?

T

hey guys, i have about 900 hours on my panny ae900 and the brightness power seems to be flickering randomly. Sometimes it will flicker 10 times in a row and then nothing for 2 hours and then it will just flicker from bright to something a bit darker for a minute and then go back to normal. Has anyone else had this happen to them? fyi, I've disabled auto-iris. Could the bulb be shot?

thx

hey guys, just following up on this. Has anyone had a similar problem? It just seemed to start in the last couple of weeks. It's driving me crazy :(

any info would be extemely helpful

timn99
If it were up to me the Pioneer might be the way to go.
However, the WAF would go out the window when I show
her that bill.
I recently (this past weekend) improved the WAF to about 90% on the projector.
It's a go.
Thank god for Neighbors with strong opinions .
T

I have my 900 for a few days now and it's great, except I'm hearing some kind of howling noise coming out of it. It's not very loud, but I'm wondering if it's supposed to be there.

It varies along with the amount of light in the picture. It's virtually gone if the screen is dark with a small portion of bright on it, but is very noticable if the picture is either completely dark or very bright.
Also, it's always there if I turn the auto iris function off and doesn't change whether I put the fan in high or normal mode.

Is anybody else hearing this?

I have my 900 for a few days now and it's great, except I'm hearing some kind of howling noise coming out of it. It's not very loud, but I'm wondering if it's supposed to be there.

It varies along with the amount of light in the picture. It's virtually gone if the screen is dark with a small portion of bright on it, but is very noticable if the picture is either completely dark or very bright.
Also, it's always there if I turn the auto iris function off and doesn't change whether I put the fan in high or normal mode.

Is anybody else hearing this?

There have been numerous posts on "iris howling" or noise in this as well as other threads. Try searching for that. Short answer is yes some people hear it to some extent and there is debate as to how much is acceptable if any. Bottom line is if it bothers you, call for service.

OT - What is the mounting screw thread size of the PT-AE900U?
Been to HD twice and got the wrong size each time.

art_in_motion

Here is the mounting bracket information I used for my Chief mount (RPA-225). Looks like they're M4 16mm Philips Pan screws.

http://www.chiefmfg.com/uploads/pdfs/SLB-225-I.pdf

Hope it helps.

Bud

anyone use their panny outdoors?If so, how large of a good
picture were you able to achieve.

Anyone watch sports outside on it ?
T

Yes, tweaked the heck out of it to no avail. I have it on a decent UPS, but have often wondered about power conditioning. Do you think the Power Cond. was what did it for you? What model do you have and how much did it cost, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks,
Tim

I have the Monster 3500 (or something like that)...I got it for $120 after rebate and sales (originally $400, i.e.: the only reason I bought it)

Thanks, Bud! I can now mount my panny!

I sent mine in at the first of March and still nothing. :mad: I thought there was a number posted to call, but I can't find it.

Chris

Let me second the rebate info

I sent mine in 02-13-2006. I have called about four times since, for an update. As of today they said they “are processing it now and should receive it shortly”.

This is when the rebate was 200 instead of the 400 smacks now!

Just a warning to those of you who have not sent in the rebate yet. I got to busy and waited too long. You only have 30 days.

Thankfully I got it at Costco so it is going back and a new one is on the way!! I know, I know. Some of you may think poorly for doing that. I dont need to here a lecture. If you worked over 100 hrs per week it might happen to you too. But in the end it will only cost Panasonic for having such a ridicilous rebate plan.

Just a warning to those of you who have not sent in the rebate yet. I got to busy and waited too long. You only have 30 days.

Thankfully I got it at Costco so it is going back and a new one is on the way!! I know, I know. Some of you may think poorly for doing that. I dont need to here a lecture. If you worked over 100 hrs per week it might happen to you too. But in the end it will only cost Panasonic for having such a ridicilous rebate plan.

I may be in the minority here, but I don't find the rebate very ridiculous. If you send it in on time and per instructions there should be no problems. Mine took 9 weeks and every time I called in to the 800 number I got through and spoke to someone (it took a few tries and they were pretty short on the phone, but oh well). Also I heard they extended the BB card to 10/31 so that seems pretty good. Better than 6/30. Anyhow...just my .02. Great PJ even without it IMO.

Hi.

Sorry, but can I ask someone to tell me if this is a high quality projector for a first time home theater owner? I saw this listed on Costco with the rebate, and it sounds like a good deal.

Any major pros/cons? I'll keep reading the thread, but 155 pages is a lot to digest!

Thanks.

any suggestions on a ceiling mount that extends at least 17in. down (hopefully with cable management)???

Eric

Hi.

Sorry, but can I ask someone to tell me if this is a high quality projector for a first time home theater owner? I saw this listed on Costco with the rebate, and it sounds like a good deal.

Any major pros/cons? I'll keep reading the thread, but 155 pages is a lot to digest!

Thanks.I just upgraded from my first PJ (AE-700) to the AE-900. The AE-900 is a FANTASTIC projector for a first time home theater owner!

Aside from the great picture quality for the money (or for even MORE money, for that matter), there are benefits and advantages to the AE-900 that many newbies to the Home Theater world (which sounds like you might be) may not even know have been patiently but hard fought for and won after YEARS of getting far less for much more $$$$.

- QUIET fan operation, for one.
- Incredibly flexible zoom and Horizontal/Vertical lens shift, for another.
- Virtually NO screen door effect from as close as 5 feet.
- A lumens (brightness) level that allows for reading lamps to be on in a room or drapes/blinds to be slightly parted (in many cases) without washing out the image.
- Relative Future-proof connection panel.
- "Bookcase"-type shelf mount-able, due to the position of the intake and ventilation fans.
- And more...

As a relative newbie to HT myself, I suspect a lot of brand new HT newbies might think this kind of value for the money is or has been commonplace in the projector product line for a long time. Not so.

As long as you appreciate that NOTHING in the HT projector world is perfect, but that what Panasonic has achieved and delivered in 2006 for less than $2000 beats what was available just 2 years ago by leaps and bounds, you shouldn't have any regrets in an AE-900 being your first HT projector.

Now, IF you get one and, after you set it up by following the easy to read and understand operating instructions, you see anything truly distracting about the picture quality that can't be adjusted out to your satisfaction through tech support and so on, then ship it back and try again.

ALSO...I strongly recommend purchasing the extended 2nd and 3rd year warranty on it. I did with my AE-700 and, after a year and a half of terrific results watching and enjoying it, an issue arose that Panasonic couldn't resolve in a timely manner without totally replacing it and I got the AE-900 upgrade model. I would have been S*** Out Of Luck without that extended warranty and I'm so glad I factored in the additional $200 I paid for it as part of the original purchase price.

Maybe extended warranty insurance like that for projectors won't be so much of an issue 5 or 10 years from now, but it's a growing product line that is new enough for it to be a wise move now, imho.

Yes, tweaked the heck out of it to no avail. I have it on a decent UPS, but have often wondered about power conditioning. Do you think the Power Cond. was what did it for you? What model do you have and how much did it cost, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks,
Tim

Did you try the Panel adjust? The flicker adjust doesn't affect the VB. I've been able to tweak out the VB on two 900s.

E

well, it happened again. Lamp Circuit Failure. This happened with my first 900 after six days. My current 900 worked great for about 4 months, until this. Last night out of no where it decides to malfunction. Talk with heartland and got it sent out today. So it looks like I'll be without a projector for a couple weeks at least. And just in time for the playoffs! :mad:
I just want to update my situation and report that Heartland FAR exceeded my expectations for service. They received my projector on monday, and fixed it and shipped it out on TUESDAY! I recieved it on today, hooked it back up and it's good as new. When I sent it in, I figured it couldn't hurt to list the rather small amount of howling that had creapt into iris operation and the small increase in fan noise along with the malfunctioned lamp circuit as things I wanted fixed. I wasn't expecting much on the first two relatively minor issues, but lo and behold, my projector is quieter then it was when I bought it. Better then brand new! The iris is now silent, and the fan is no longer perceptible. I got better service then I could possibly have imagined, and I want to again thank Heartland for treating my projector so well!

Looks like the rebate is back until May 31, (at least on the Costco website).

Anyone replace a JVC G series with one of these? I love my G1000 image, but the fan noise and age of the system is showing. Not sure I want to spend the $$ for a Canon SX60.

Ok, I just got my AE900 in today, but when I was looking through the paperwork there was no rebate to be found. Is there a place I could download it? IF it matters, the unit was produced in march 2006.

New AE900 owner.

I just mounted my AE900 on a shelf with zoom adjusted to project the smallest image size. No keystone, no lens shift. Source is HDMI.

When focusing the image the right side is invariably out of focus. If I refocus the right side, the rest of the screen seems out of focus. I've tried rotating the project to see if it's an alignment issue but it doesn't seem to be. Zooming out, the problem seems to go away.

Is this common? I'm finding it somewhat annoying even with video material.

Secondly, the vertical alignment of the panels seems just off with a red tinge above pixels and a blue tinge below. Can anyone direct me to information on how this can be adjusted?

Thanks.

Ok, I just got my AE900 in today, but when I was looking through the paperwork there was no rebate to be found. Is there a place I could download it? IF it matters, the unit was produced in march 2006.

Here is a link:

http://www.visualapex.com/productsupport/PT-AE900U_promo.pdf

My new AE900 came in on Wednesday from Visual Apex. It took all of two minutes to set up to replace my AE500 and I started from the beginnig to look for any issues and to compare to my 500 which now has 1700 hours on its one and only lamp.

I am pleased to report that my AE900 has no VB, no FPN and no geometry issues whatsover (Hooray!). My AE500 suffers from FPN pretty badly. So, in that I am extremely happy. Here is my short, short breakdown:

Picture quality is excellent, but not a far departure from my AE500. If it weren't for the FPN on the 500, I could not see the justification of the new PJ. Colors on the 900 have a bit more punch, but I think the 500 would too with a new lamp. The contrast is better, but again, not so dramatic, especially when I used an ND2 filter on the 500. However, this filter on the 500 mens you have to have a fully light controlled room.

What is definitely worth the money is the noise free, film-like, lack of artifacts picture. I calibrated mine with Avia and I have it connected to a Samsung upconverting player and I am very happy with it.

On another note, in my opinion, the term screen door effect (SDE) could also refer to FPN as the FPN on my AE500 looks just like looking through an old dirty screen door. Mayber we should rename it DSDE?

Does anyone know if Costco actually carries this in-store is it strictly available online? Also, does their 3-year electronics "return for practically any reason so long as you have everything that was in the box" policy apply to projectors?

Here is a link:

http://www.visualapex.com/productsupport/PT-AE900U_promo.pdf
Thanks. Do you know where I can mail it to when I'm through filling it out?

"Anyone replace a JVC G series with one of these? I love my G1000 image, but the fan noise and age of the system is showing."

Yes, I had a Dilard calibrated, IRIS modded G10 (about 700:1 CR) with ISCO II and Lumagen scaler that I replaced with the AE900 and kept the ISCOII and Lumagen in place for a CH setup.

The Panasonic keeps that same smooth look of the G series but is brighter and appears to have considerably better ANSI contrast. The AE900 still has a somewhat elevated black level (though not as much as the G series) but you can see more details in dark scenes then what the G10 could do. Maybe a touch more SDE at 1x width from the lower resolution but I think that is partially also from the greater brightness.

I do get a touch of VB every once in awhile. In my case I was able to almost get the bands gone but on some things (mostly skin tones) I can see a touch of a faint edge of them. It basically looks like a very mild form of 8 Bar on the G10 on the edges of skin tones. Mostly noticeable during movement as it makes the edges sort of appear to flicker a touch. I could never totally excise that on the G10 either.

And of course the Panasonic is *dramatically* quieter then the G10 and puts out much less heat. Even in a totally sealed to the room hushbox I could still hear the G10 a bit. Lens shift is also nice for setup as is lifting a maybe 10 pound projector compared to about 40 pounds onto the ceiling mount.

Shawn

Thanks. Do you know where I can mail it to when I'm through filling it out?

It is in the lower middle part of the form itself:


Panasonic PT-AE900U Projector Rebate/Rental Card
P.O. Box 1919
Memphis, TN 38101

By the way, it's noce to say something good about customer service for a change. The guys at Visual Apex were helpful and easy to do business with. They delivered on everyhting they told me. Kudos to this AVS Forum sponsor!

Hi folks...

my ae900 is here although my basement is not ready. Tonight i set it up for a little while in the living room and was very impressed with what I saw! And that was just a wham-bam no tweak set up with ambient light on a yellowish wall!

Anyway I panicked at first since ehnw i connected my upconverting player everything had a greenish and purplish cast. However this went away as soon as i set the player to 720p instead of 1080i. Is that normal?

Also-the unit will be shelf mounted--i was just wondering what tricks folks use when its time to clean the filter to make sure thay put the unit back in its proper spot and direction for alignment....

Does anyone know if Costco actually carries this in-store is it strictly available online? Also, does their 3-year electronics "return for practically any reason so long as you have everything that was in the box" policy apply to projectors?

Only online. Costco return policy applies - but it is not limited to 3 years.

Shawn: Thanks for the info on the switch. My G1000 is approaching 1000 hours on the current bulb. Was the AE900 a bit brighter or a lot brighter than your G10? I KNOW that a G1000 isn't close to it's 1000 lumen rating. I've an 8' wide 16:9 original Steward Grayhawk, gain 0.90. How wide is your screen? Gain?

I just picked up a VP30, so I'll have to head over to the tweeks thread. Seems like putting the AE900U into the no-overscan mode will help in getting to 1:1 mapping.

Sounds like this may hold me through till 1080 becomes reasonably priced.

Thanks in advance.
Mark

Hi
I dont know what I am doing wrong. I'll highly appreciate if somebody can help me out. I just installed my AE900 ceiling mounted. The front of the projector is facing towards the floor as the botoom was ceiling mounted and faces the ceiling. The image I am getting is upside down and I dont know how to correct it. Is it because that I did'nt mount it right. This is my first projector so I dont know much at all. I was shocked to see that the mount fits the back of the projector and I was wondering how its going to project the image. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thankyou in advance.
Jaymk

Hi
I dont know what I am doing wrong. I'll highly appreciate if somebody can help me out. I just installed my AE900 ceiling mounted. The front of the projector is facing towards the floor as the botoom was ceiling mounted and faces the ceiling. The image I am getting is upside down and I dont know how to correct it. Is it because that I did'nt mount it right. This is my first projector so I dont know much at all. I was shocked to see that the mount fits the back of the projector and I was wondering how its going to project the image. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thankyou in advance.
Jaymk
It's a simple fix. What you have to do is go in the menu. There is oone box that lets you switch between table and ceiling mounting position. Consult your manual if you can't find the right option.

Thankyou Capek,
I got it. The picture is awsome. It seems like that I have to get use to of the big image 100".
I was watching Lethal Weapon 4 and it seems like everything is moving so fast. By the way my room size is 17' by 26. I dont have an actual screen right now. I am using just the blackout cloth and I am very impressed by the picture. Once again thankyou for your help. Any recommendations on a screen?
Thankyou

And yes its a dedicated home theater room. It has got 3 big window but its fully covered with blinds and than the curtains and even at day time its pretty dark.
After watching the picture I am thinking of building my own screen from the blackout cloth. Would you recommend the 100" screen that costco is selling?
Thankyou

Thankyou Capek,
I got it. The picture is awsome. It seems like that I have to get use to of the big image 100".
I was watching Lethal Weapon 4 and it seems like everything is moving so fast. By the way my room size is 17' by 26. I dont have an actual screen right now. I am using just the blackout cloth and I am very impressed by the picture. Once again thankyou for your help. Any recommendations on a screen?
Thankyou


No problem. The 900 was my first projector too, and I still feel the same way you do about it. I'm afraid I can't help you with screen options. I'm still using the $30 worth of 1.3 gain screen material I bought off of ebay that I have tacked up on my wall. I had planned to build a fancy frame and all, but since I got it tacked straight, the picture looks so good that I haven't bothered with the frame or looked for a more expensive screen. Seeing as most screens are at least a couple hundred if not a couple thousand, I'd say DIY is the way to go.

I have a 106" Da-Lite high power that I bought from AVS. Great picture.

Also-the unit will be shelf mounted--i was just wondering what tricks folks use when its time to clean the filter to make sure thay put the unit back in its proper spot and direction for alignment....

I have mine sitting on a shelf upside down on a cloth/towel (to keep from scratching the top since it's upside down). Since you normally use the remote, the lack of accessible buttons is not a big deal. The nice thing is the filter can be pulled out without moving the PJ at all if you are careful.

"Was the AE900 a bit brighter or a lot brighter than your G10?"

Seemed like quite a lot brighter (even with an 81EF filter on it) but I also changed screens at about the same time moving from a 0.8 gain screen back to a 1.3 gain that I was originally using with the G10 which of course also had something to do with that. I never tried measuring the brightness difference between the two so that is just my impression. The screen is an 8' wide 2.35 AR Carada. Calibrated the AE900 isn't really 1100 lumens either. If you have nearly 1000 hours on your bulb I'd be surprised if you didn't think the Panasonic was quite a bit brighter.

"Seems like putting the AE900U into the no-overscan mode will help in getting to 1:1 mapping."

Yes, you can do 1:1 that way. See my gallery for some screen shots and how overscan effects 1:1 mapping.

"Sounds like this may hold me through till 1080 becomes reasonably priced."

That was my plan too.

Shawn

Hi All,

First of all, thanks to everone for all the great advice!
I've narrowed it down to the AE900 or the HS51A.
Is there any place in the CT area (or NY city) where I can see
a demo of the AE900?

Thanks

I have mine sitting on a shelf upside down on a cloth/towel (to keep from scratching the top since it's upside down). Since you normally use the remote, the lack of accessible buttons is not a big deal. The nice thing is the filter can be pulled out without moving the PJ at all if you are careful.

marx-7: You may want to get three or four rubber bumpers or felt pads, or some kind of "feet"to put under your projector. Most projectors use the case to alleviate some of the heat from the unit. It is never good to let the unit sit on carpet or cloth of any kind as it insulates the unit- especially upside sdown as there are no feet like on the bottom. Even an increase of a few degrees can greatly reduce lamp life or other components.

Hope that helps.

Hi All,

First of all, thanks to everone for all the great advice!
I've narrowed it down to the AE900 or the HS51A.
Is there any place in the CT area (or NY city) where I can see
a demo of the AE900?

Thanks

I don't know if you find any demos near you, but I did saw both projectors and really can't understand why people would pay much more for worse quality (my opinion).

Good luck

Marx-7--thanks for that idea--I may just go with that and pick up some rubber feert. the shelving unit I bought is aslo kind of mesh-like so I figured everything will have more air-flow...

Now does anyone know if it is normal for ht epicture to looks so out of wak when fed 1080i as compared to 720p?

Marx-7--thanks for that idea--I may just go with that and pick up some rubber feert. the shelving unit I bought is aslo kind of mesh-like so I figured everything will have more air-flow...

Now does anyone know if it is normal for the picture to looks so out of wak when fed 1080i as compared to 720p?

I don't have an AE900U but I'll probably order one soon. :) Many TV/Projecters look best when fed their native rate. Some look stunning when fed just the right signal and look horrible with a signal just shy of what it really wants. The internal scalers they use have to hit a certain price point for the projector to not be over priced with respects to the competition.

With a decent external scaler, you have it convert all inputs to an output that matches your TV/Projector. (You can also have it output different resolutions depending upon the input signal, but that's not required for these purposes).

BTW: The VP30 that I have costs about the same as an AE900U. You certainly don't need all the bells and whistles that this scaler provides, but you now know why people use the.

marx-7: You may want to get three or four rubber bumpers or felt pads, or some kind of "feet"to put under your projector. Most projectors use the case to alleviate some of the heat from the unit. It is never good to let the unit sit on carpet or cloth of any kind as it insulates the unit- especially upside sdown as there are no feet like on the bottom. Even an increase of a few degrees can greatly reduce lamp life or other components.

Hope that helps.

So that was the one thing I didn't think about! I guess it doesn't help that I have the PJ sitting on the towel that is sitting ontop of my APC H15 power conditioner or the fact that I use the PJ about 4-6 hours a day (glad I got the 4 year extra warranty with a 3 year bulb warranty). I guess I will need to get some 1/2" thick peices of rubber ASAP. Thanks guys. I knew I could count on everyone here to find flaws in my "perfect" ideas! LOL :rolleyes: :p

Mark hoy---

thanks--i would imagine that the native reolutin would like sharper/cleare etc but would the resolution change normally drastically effet the color?

There is no way to adjust the lcd panels. I had to return my first unit to costco and order another.


New AE900 owner.

I just mounted my AE900 on a shelf with zoom adjusted to project the smallest image size. No keystone, no lens shift. Source is HDMI.

When focusing the image the right side is invariably out of focus. If I refocus the right side, the rest of the screen seems out of focus. I've tried rotating the project to see if it's an alignment issue but it doesn't seem to be. Zooming out, the problem seems to go away.

Is this common? I'm finding it somewhat annoying even with video material.

Secondly, the vertical alignment of the panels seems just off with a red tinge above pixels and a blue tinge below. Can anyone direct me to information on how this can be adjusted?

Thanks.

Last night while going through movies I noticed while watching star wars episode 4 that to the far right of my screen right on the edge there is a vertical green line going all the way down the screen and next to it there is a vertical red line going all the way down the side of the screen, anyone know how to fix this? It's really noticeable on light colored scenes. One other thing also, when watching a movie that has black bars on the top and bottom near the edges where the picture stops there is a thin straight black line that goes across the screen on the bottom and top , I'm confused on this one? I don't see these two black lines when a movie takes up the whole screen. :confused:

marcx: I don't think it would affect the color, but I'm not entirely sure. I don't actually have a AE900U (and Costo's web site seems to have sold out last night).

I recently got my panny ae900 in the mail and I'm sorry to say that my blacks aren't quite what I think they should be after calibration, but I think it's because of my white walls, ceiling, and carpet. How much better would black levels be going from pure white(flat) to Behr songbird(essentially navy blue/blue) and switching from a multimedia(it was free) screen to a silverscreen-paint screen? If it matters I have an 80-inch screen.

at only 80 diagonal I think your blacks should be just fine. My firends panny blacks look better on his 92 diag than on my 120 diag even though we use the same screen material and our rooms are very similar. My conclusion is that smaller screen = better blacks and overall picture (more like plasma I would say)

at only 80 diagonal I think your blacks should be just fine. My firends panny blacks look better on his 92 diag than on my 120 diag even though we use the same screen material and our rooms are very similar. My conclusion is that smaller screen = better blacks and overall picture (more like plasma I would say)

Are the settings/tweaks identical for both units? If not that could explain it.

Painting my walls/ceiling a darker color after starting with white made a HUGE difference in blacks.

Hi All,

First of all, thanks to everone for all the great advice!
I've narrowed it down to the AE900 or the HS51A.
Is there any place in the CT area (or NY city) where I can see
a demo of the AE900?

Thanks

Where are you in CT. I am in Bethel and own one.
Glad to help out if possible.

I feed my 900 1080i all of the time and it looks fine. Using my HD satellite box I switched back and forth from 720p and 1080i and there wasn't much noticeable difference on the HD channels. both looked very good. However, when looking at the non-hd source material from DISH i think the 1080i scaled better. Not sure why but it might have to do w/ smaller pixel size or something.

FYI - My room is 12 x 18 and I sit approx 12 feet from a 110" Carada 1.4 gain screen.

kwildman...

i think back now and realize i turned the unit on for the first time and fed it 1080i and the clolor looked off--i then connected component and it looked great-then switched the hdmi to 720 and it looked fantastic--

could the unit have needed to warm up or something?

So.... I've read maybe 50 pages of this huge thread and I'm exhausted! My trusty X1 just bit the dust (dreaded color-wheel buzz saw noise) with 2800 hours over 2.5 years. Costco's carrying the AE900U for a good price which addresses my concerns about the short warranty, but I can't find any information anywhere about the expected lamp life on this projector - any thoughts? I put about 1200-1500 hours a year on...

So.... I've read maybe 50 pages of this huge thread and I'm exhausted! My trusty X1 just bit the dust (dreaded color-wheel buzz saw noise) with 2800 hours over 2.5 years. Costco's carrying the AE900U for a good price which addresses my concerns about the short warranty, but I can't find any information anywhere about the expected lamp life on this projector - any thoughts? I put about 1200-1500 hours a year on...
The manual says the bulb life is 2000 on High Lamp Mode and 3000 on Low Lamp Mode. We won't know for sure until people start putting that many hours on their 900's which shouldn't be for a while even though the projector has been out for about 6 months. Though I haven't seen anyone posting here about early lamp failure.

Thanks! Does it tend to be bright enough on low lamp mode?

2200hr on my Nov AE900 in low Lamp. Hours readout started flashing at 1900 IIRC and turned red at 2000, Flashing Red ever since.

Thanks! Does it tend to be bright enough on low lamp mode?
Absolutely! I'm using an 81ef filter, which cuts out a good amount of light output, and I'm projecting a 126" diagonal image, and the picture is the perfect brightness. I do have a light controlled room, but as long as you're able to keep most of the light way from your screen you should be fine. Actually, I think most people with this projector run it on low lamp mode.

Just in case anyone is interested, I checked on the $400/Block Buster rebate today. I sent mine in on 2/10/06 and have not received it yet. After calling the rebate center, 866-795-3383, I was told that my rebate was approved and they were waiting for more Block Buster cards before mailing the rebates out. They also said that the Block Buster cards are extended until the end of October if I remember right. So if you are waiting on your rebate, don't give up the ship just yet.

BTW...The Panny 900 is fantastic. I use it for 95% of my TV viewing and 100% of my DVD viewing.

2200hr on my Nov AE900 in low Lamp. Hours readout started flashing at 1900 IIRC and turned red at 2000, Flashing Red ever since.
To reset it goto options/lamp runtime/ hold enter button (on remote) for about 5 seconds. It will turn red and read, "TIME RESET..............(power off).
Just turn you pj off as normal and it will reset your run time.
I'm not positive, but I am assuming it will reset as if you replaced the lamp. Your red blinking light should stop.
Just remember, this will reset the runtime to 0 hours, and will show 1 reset in the buried menu.

Wow, is all I can say. Upgrade from AE300, so this one is a keeper!
One question though (of course)... I'm feeding it with a Pana S-97 over HDMI, and I'm wondering if someone has any references to how I should set the HDMI colorspace on both of the devices? I've read most of the threads for both, but didn't see anything.

Hi,

I'm having some dramas with my AE900 and HDMI cable lengths. I originally posted about this in the LG DVD player forum, but it appears the problem is with the projector.

I bought the DF9921P HDMI DVD player last week and a 15m SLAC HDMI cable from Lindy. However when I got it home, there was almost no signal, and the projector just kept flashing a bit of picture or static.

I went and bought a 1m HDMI cable, and it worked perfectly. I then bought a 10m cable, and it didn't work (same as the 15m). I tried a 5m cable, and it worked fine.

I thought it might have just been my DVD player, but this morning I went back to the shop and we connected the 15m, 10m and the 5m from my DVD player to a plasma TV, and all of them worked perfectly. We then connected the cables between the DVD and their stores AE900, and none of the cables worked which were above 5m. The 10m and 15m behaved on their unit just like mine.

I haven't been able to find any other posts where someone has encountered this problem. I'm going to order the ultralink HDMI repeater to try and fix the problem, but perhaps someone else has knowledge of this issue. I'm assuming its a problem between the LG DVD and the AE900's, but its weird that its related directly to the cable length. LG support had no suggestions.

Thanks,

my 35' cable from Monoprice works fine (with the radio shack HDTV set top box)

Brian

kwildman...

i think back now and realize i turned the unit on for the first time and fed it 1080i and the clolor looked off--i then connected component and it looked great-then switched the hdmi to 720 and it looked fantastic--

could the unit have needed to warm up or something?


Possible. Also it can be hard to tell if the source material has a lot of action, etc. I was fortunate enough to be using a tennis match for HD and a congressional hearing for SD. As with anything your mileage may very. In the end all that matters is that you are happy with the picture.

kwildman...

i think back now and realize i turned the unit on for the first time and fed it 1080i and the clolor looked off--i then connected component and it looked great-then switched the hdmi to 720 and it looked fantastic--

could the unit have needed to warm up or something?

Firstly, *all* inputs should be calibrated for individual sources. If you are talking about TV sources then it is possible that individual stations will have different calibrations - thought hat is not the way it is supposed to be.

On top of this, there is the different colour spaces between SD and HD sources. NTSC is represented by SMPTE rec. 601. ATSC sources are represented by rec. 709 specs. There is a different colour weighting with GR being given a greater portion of the colour sum. So inputs calibrated for SD will appear *greener* when accepting an HD source.

HDMI inputs are assuming ATSC (rec. 709) colour space so upscaled DVDs (SD) will appear slightly off unless the input has been calibrated for SD source.

As to 1080i vs. 720p, the differences will be most apparent with VIDEO source (sports for example). There are temporal differences in the capture methods. With 1080i, video material is likely to look sharper as the frame rate is essentially higher.

There are many other issues that the scaler has to deal with depending on source material. Info found at http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html can provide a good idea about how some of this falls into place.

ted

just to be clearer---

i fed it component from a philips 642 dvd player...

720p and 1080i were upscaled toshiba dvd v592

The unit is now boxed up until teh basement is complete. I was just trying to determin if the off color in 1080i vs perfect color in 720p could be a problem with the unit.

Thanks everyone.

just to be clearer---

i fed it component from a philips 642 dvd player...

720p and 1080i were upscaled toshiba dvd v592

The unit is now boxed up until teh basement is complete. I was just trying to determin if the off color in 1080i vs perfect color in 720p could be a problem with the unit.

Thanks everyone.

Is the Tosh using HDMI as its transport?
Are the colour differences you note from the same source or are you comparing the two players?

ted

Does the AE900U have a sealed light path?

" Does the AE900U have a sealed light path? "

No, LCDs need airflow over them to keep them cool. As such they can get dust blobs on the panels from time to time.

Most 'sealed' light paths aren't always totally sealed. Check out the threads on cleaning color wheels for example.

Shawn

tvted---


es this was HDMI-the color difference was noted between 1080i and 720p on the same disc from the same toshiba player....

it was the first time the unit was ever powered in so I do wonder if the change that I thought was due to the resolution change could be just an effect of time....

Went ahead and ordered one. Anyone know if the "Blockbuster gc" is just "spend some money at Blockbuster" or is it "only spend these $ on rentals"?

Went ahead and ordered one. Anyone know if the "Blockbuster gc" is just "spend some money at Blockbuster" or is it "only spend these $ on rentals"?

It's 40 free rentals of games or movies. Sort of misleading, but it is what it is.

I wanted to get an idea of what picture settings are most folks using to watch the following:

DVDs
HDTV
HDTV sports
SD
Video Games

I use Cinema 3 for DVDs, Normal for HDTV and HDTV sports, Video for SD and Natural for Video Games, what are others using?

I wanted to get an idea of what picture settings are most folks using to watch the following:

DVDs
HDTV
HDTV sports
SD
Video Games

I use Cinema 3 for DVDs, Normal for HDTV and HDTV sports, Video for SD and Natural for Video Games, what are others using?
Get Digital Video Essentials or Avia and get calibrate for all those. It's massively different in picture quality.

Thanks Jon. Kinda blows, but maybe if it lasts through October I can cancel my Blockbuster "always rent 2" montly subscription. At the moment I only have 480i sources, but maybe this'll spur me to get the XBox 360.

I wanted to get an idea of what picture settings are most folks using to watch the following:

DVDs
HDTV
HDTV sports
SD
Video Games

I use Cinema 3 for DVDs, Normal for HDTV and HDTV sports, Video for SD and Natural for Video Games, what are others using?

Check out this thread and it's first post.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=589234

Most of these settings were derived by experienced video calibrator's using professional equipment.

You will need AVIA etc. for touch up for your particular projector.

tvted---


es this was HDMI-the color difference was noted between 1080i and 720p on the same disc from the same toshiba player....

As I noted earlier, the 900 is expecting ATSC colorspace on its HDMI input and since you are in fact feeding it an SD source (unless the Tosh does conversion to rec. 709 when it upconverts) then you might perceive a green push on this input - unless you've calibrated with this in mind.

it was the first time the unit was ever powered in so I do wonder if the change that I thought was due to the resolution change could be just an effect of time....

If this were separate transports, that would be the likely cause, but since its is not, then you would have to conclude that it is the player. It is possible that the player handles each data stream differently though that doesn't make a whole lot of sense since they are both riding the same SMPTE spec (or should be). It would be a strange design to utilize different colour spaces for what is essentially the same source (though delivered differently). It is also possible, as you suggest, that thermal issues are a factor - but a pj should be stable within 15 minutes of turn on and a DVD player should be fine from the get go. You could check if the player has separate calibration dependent on the chosen output but that seems unlikely as well.

Sorry I can only speculate. If you manage to suss it out let us know.

ted

I have a question regarding warranties. I recently purchased the Panny at Visualapex.com. It obviously comes with the standard 1 year Panasonic warranty, but I would like to purchase an extended warranty.

Does anyone know if Panasonic offers this? If not, is the Visual Apex warranty ($200 for 2 extra years) legit? Are there any other ways to extend the warranty?

I appreciate your help in advance.

Just call them up and say that you want to purchase the manufacturers 2 year warranty extension.

HDMI cable length:

I ordered the following 50' HDMI cable from Monoprice:

http://images.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/28041.jpg

It will be here tomorrow and the Panny will be here on Thursday. It will be connected to the 5X1 HDMI switch that monoprice.com sells.

I'll post back if I have any problems getting it to work. I too have been worried/concerned over the length of this cable - but it's what I need in my setup for everything to work out the way I want.

FYI:

I saw the following information on the monoprice website regarding the HDMI switcher:

Output - Monoprice HDMI cable == Sharp LC-45GX6U AVC HDMI Input


Input1 Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG (see Caveat #1)
10) 35ft 24AWG (see Caveat #1)
11) 50ft 24AWG (see Caveat #1)

12) 50ft 22AWG (see Caveat #1)


Input2 Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection


Input3 Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #2)
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #2)

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #2)


Input4 Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection (see Caveat #3)


Input5a Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection


Input5b Selected
4) 15ft 28AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

8) 15ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

9) 25ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
10) 35ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection
11) 50ft 24AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection

12) 50ft 22AWG no sparkle, passed visual inspection



Caveats:--------

1) when testing Panasonic S77 DVD player, I found that the player performs a form of cable length
detection during the startup procedure. When used with 5x1 switch and HDMI output cable lengths
25ft and longer, the DVD player displays a U 70-2 error. According to the manual this error
is for HDMI cable too long. I tested a 50ft 24AWG cable directly from Panasonic S77 DVD player
to Sharp AVC HDMI port and this error did not occur. It appears using the 5x1 switch introduces
enough delay that the S77 DVD player thinks the cable is too long. This should not be an issue
if you intend to use output cable lengths up to 15ft, which did not exhibit this behavior. This
behavior could also be related to the Sharp AVC HDMI port, so you may not see this issue at all
if you use a different display.


2) when testing PNY Verto 6600GT PC graphics card and Sharp AVC HDMI port, there were no sparkles
or issues at any resolution. However for cable lengths 35ft-50ft the observed behavior was the
BIOS boot screen would display with no issues, but once the nVidia Windows drivers loaded, the
screen turned blank. Using a remote desktop, I determined this was occuring because the Windows
drivers failed to detect a digital display because the EDID information was not being returned
quick enough. It is not an issue with the DVI/HDMI video signal because I was able to trick the
graphics card by using a 25ft cable to boot into Windows desktop, then switch to 50ft cable. In
this scenario displaying WMV-HD 1080p videos had no sparkles and windows desktop had no artifacts
with the 50ft cable. Further, I was able to insert a Gefen DVI Detective to return EDID information
to the 6600GT card much quicker. With the DVI Detective in place, the 6600GT had no problems
booting into Windows desktop, even with 50ft 24AWG HDMI cable. Interestingly this issue might
also depend on the display. When testing 6600GT through 5x1 switch and 50ft cable direct to
Sharp display panel DVI (as opposed to going through AVC), the same issue did not occur.

3) this particular switcher has a feature that detects whether a signal is active by testing for
some signals on the HDMI input. The MyHD MDP-130 PC HDTV tuner passes this signal only if connected
to a DVI graphics card using the loopback cable. If the MDP-130 DVI port is used without the loopback
cable connected to the graphics card, the signal will not be present on the DVI cable and the switch
will think there is no active signal and thus will not allow the port to be selected. The workaround
is to use the DVI loopback cable. Ideally the feature of detecting signal could be disabled and that
might be a consideration for a future release.

I have the same setup. 50ft monoprice hdmi throught a 5/1 monoprice switcher to a 900. Works flawlessly.

Just call them up and say that you want to purchase the manufacturers 2 year warranty extension.

I tried this. Panasonic does not offer an extended warranty on it. Has anybody purchased one anywhere?

Why not buy from Costco - ultimate return policy? Although I'm a little curious what happens if you buy the Panasonic from Costco, send in the rebate, and then return the proj a few months later.

I tried this. Panasonic does not offer an extended warranty on it. Has anybody purchased one anywhere?

OMG, I got a 4 year extended warranty with a 3 year bulb warranty that covers up to 3 bulbs for $260 through Tapeworks in a thread here on AVS!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=626704

The total PJ warranty is 1 year from Panny + 4 years from Mack. The bulb warranty is 90 days from Panny + 3 years from Mack.

Why not buy from Costco - ultimate return policy? Although I'm a little curious what happens if you buy the Panasonic from Costco, send in the rebate, and then return the proj a few months later.

Ya, they will tell you that the rebate will be deducted from your refund. Whether that would happen or not is up to experience. However, I will say that I just bought a Panny AE900U from them (Costco), and the experience was one of the best I have ever had. The projector was shipped from within my own State (Ohio) and arrived in a very clean Panasonic double box. Almost as though I was a dealer (instead of just a consumer). I had a few questions about a recent price reduction on they're website and they are going to refund the difference. The lady told me that if I ever wanted to return the projector (for any reason, at any time) that not only would I get the price refunded, but they would pick the projector up (at their cost) but also refund the original shipping cost. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think that's about as good as it gets. BTW, I also bought a Peerless universal ceiling mount for about half what I would have found elsewhere. Oh, and if I don't want it, than yes I can return it (under the same terms) as the projector. To say the least, I'm a happy camper. Now, my other projector is an X1, and the Panny AE900U is so much of an improvement, that I can't even believe it. 720p (and LCD) rocks - Wow!

A&M 350Z : Thanks for the feedback! I'll have everything up by tomorrow night - and I cannot wait!

One more quick question before I mount the projector:

When using the throw distance calculator @ http://www.projectorpeople.com/projcalc.asp?sku=PT-AE900U&itmname=Panasonic+PT%2DAE900U and inputing my screen size of 106" (52" X 92") - I come up with a throw distance of 21'4" with the Zoom set at 1.0 (minimum).

My question: Is it more desirable and will it yield a better picture to have the zoom at 1.0 (minimum) versus 2.0 (maximum)? Or is there no difference?

I should be able to get my PJ mounted anywhere from 15' to 22' feet, and I'm just curios if I should just go right along with what the calculator says and set it up at 21' 4".

Many thanks...and hopefully this will be my last question :)

Has anyone who mailed their rebate on March 28 or later recieved their check and BB card yet? I plan on using the money for the new HD-DVD player and wonder how much longer. Thanks,Eric

Pick the middle area for the zoom. Gives you a bit of room to zoom in out for slight adjustments without having to drill more holes.

Thanks for the quick reply Mark - that is what I'll do then! Regards!

My AE900U may get delivered soon, (tomorrow?) so it will by my turn to ask numerous questions soon. :)

Has anyone who mailed their rebate on March 28 or later recieved their check and BB card yet? I plan on using the money for the new HD-DVD player and wonder how much longer. Thanks,Eric
You should call panasonic and ask about the status of your rebate. The number has been posted somewhere in this thread, so search around for it, or hopefully someone who knows it off the top of their head will post it again.

Pick the middle area for the zoom. Gives you a bit of room to zoom in out for slight adjustments without having to drill more holes.

I agree that the middle area is good. You may see a little detioriation in PQ at max zoom. As for moving the mount, I got a mount from PerfectMounts and also got the suspended ceiling adapter so I can move the projector location along the track ~16". Very nice setup.

kwildman

Can you point me to the suspended cieling adapter on the PerfectMounts website? For some reason I can't find it...

Or, if you happen to have any pics you could post for me?

This sounds like something I am interested in with my setup. I have a mount, but it doesn't appear to be very flexible.

My mount is from projectorbundles.com (Severtson Corp) and cost me just $100 shipped.

Purchased it because of the 4 1/2" profile that is pretty much perfect for how my scree (106" Da-Lite) is placed.

The install is later today (I work nights) - so I hope it works as planned!

I'm thinking of getting the mount from costco. I am also interested in the adapters.

What do you guys thing about the Da-Lite 92"Designer Contour electric screen from Costco.
Or, should I look into tension screens?
Thanks

Does anyone have experiences with the Panny900 and a Parkland DIY screen? I'm looking to project a 100" diagonal picture from just over 10' feet away in a pretty well light-controlled room. Should I use the textured or flat side of the Parkland Polywall?

kwildman

Can you point me to the suspended cieling adapter on the PerfectMounts website? For some reason I can't find it...

Or, if you happen to have any pics you could post for me?

This sounds like something I am interested in with my setup. I have a mount, but it doesn't appear to be very flexible.

My mount is from projectorbundles.com (Severtson Corp) and cost me just $100 shipped.

Purchased it because of the 4 1/2" profile that is pretty much perfect for how my scree (106" Da-Lite) is placed.

The install is later today (I work nights) - so I hope it works as planned!

Link Here (http://www.perfectmounts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9855)

This picture is pretty crappy. I will try to get a better picture from my setup tonight. I have my projector oriented 90 deg (in line w/ the long slot) so it can be adjusted back and forth. Had to do this as my ceiling tiles run perpendicular to the screen wall. Very good quailty - I got the 1000 series in white to match the ceiling tiles. Went together fairly easy after talking to their CSR. their directions need updating as some of the pieces have been redesigned and don't look like the pictures in the directions. I am really happy w/ the end result.

I'm thinking of getting the mount from costco. I am also interested in the adapters.

What do you guys thing about the Da-Lite 92"Designer Contour electric screen from Costco.
Or, should I look into tension screens?
Thanks

If you have a dedicated space I would go w/ a tension screen. Really depends on what else you need to do w/ that wall.

thanks
it will be mounted above a fireplace that has field stone facing.
why tension screen?
T

After 800 hours of use with lens shift now I am using -5 keystone and no lense shift. The picture is uniformly sharp. Before the text started to get blurry from 1/3 of the screen. One weird observation: picture quality is unchanged compared to 0 at -5 keystone but suffers at -4 or -6. Anyone can explain this?

My message is don't be afraid of using keystone but fine adjust betwwen final numbers by looking the changes keystone makes. I watch letter e for example top empty part of letter e fills up with distorted pixels at -4 and -6 but is unchanged at -5.

Do not use lens shift if at 0 shift your picture edge is in the middle of the screen and you have to use almost all the shift which is 60% of the screen highth. It is ok to use the lens shift to fine tune few inches.

Finally got this toy after a month of reading this forum. It's my first projector and I'm so glad that I hesitated one month ago on a LCD TV and started checking other options. Thanks to you all for the information in this thread!

Here's my first report:

Searched for VB using the fog scene in "Master and Commander" and didn't see it. Don't know if the power conditioner (Belkin PureAV PF21) helped or not.

Didn't notice iris noise. Fan noise is barely audible in silent scenes.

Checked faulty pixels using panel adjustment in service menu and black, white, gray scenes in DVE, and didn't find any.

There is a minor convergence problem: white text on dark background in the menu has ~1 pixel wide green edge on the left, visible if <5' from screen; panel or flicker adjustment didn't help; horizontal shift of image to extreme right helped minimize it.

Zoom 2.0 worked great (projector is 11' from 106" screen).

I got this projector from VA with free Audioholics 1-yr extended warranty. The manufacture date is March, 2006.

thanks
it will be mounted above a fireplace that has field stone facing.
why tension screen?
T

If you want to be able to hide your screen then a rollup would be best. My screen wall is dedicated to the theater, front speakers and CC, etc. It is the focal point of the room so I really didn't see a need to put it up and down. Besides I am lazy and would just end up leaving it down all of the time anyways.

Looking at the screens available the fixed screens are a lot tighter, no waves/ripples,etc. It isnt going to move accidently. It is always in the right place for the projector to hit it properly, etc. As I said before it really depends on what works for what you want to do w/ the wall.

You should call panasonic and ask about the status of your rebate. The number has been posted somewhere in this thread, so search around for it, or hopefully someone who knows it off the top of their head will post it again.

rebate center, 866-795-3383

I have a Sony DVP-NS775V player. Should I send a progressive or interlaced signal to the AE900? I used to have a SP4805 and I fed it a 480i signal because it had the Faroudja processor in it. So, I guess my question is: is the deinterlacer in the panny most likely to be better than what's in my Sony player?

!!!!NOTE: Be sure to allow the fan to cool the bulb before cutting the power, so turn it off with the remote then after the fan has stopped, then turn off the master power switch.
How important is this? With my 4805, I used to turn it off via the remote, then immediately hit the hard switch. I remember reading a discussion about this in another thread in this forum and I subscribed to the logic that it was better for the lamp to cool naturally than to "force" it to cool faster with the fans.

What's everyone else's philosophy on this?

I have this projector and will be using a Sony 75H DVD player. I want to run HDMI cables to take advantage of the HD upconverting.

To take full advantage of HDMI, do you need a receiver that has both HDMI inputs and an output? If not, I can understand sending the video straight to the projector, but what about the audio? Would you then use a separate audio cable?

Well, I'm kinda bummed...

Got my Panny today. Installed the PJ (Cieling Mount).

Setup the Monoprice 5x1 HDMI switcher

DIRECTV HD DVR works fine via the switcher....however, my HTPC will not display. The video card is a Radeon 9800 PRO connected to the HDMI switcher via a DVI-HDMI cable (also from Monoprice). I have the latest drivers intsalled from ATI (Catalyst).

The switch is connected to the PJ via a 50 ft HDMI cable, which some users have posted here works fine for HTPC. Could this be my problem? When connected directly to the PJ, the HTPC works fine.

Any suggestions?

Quote: "Wow, I'm impressed! I could watch TV like this all the time.", from my wife. :) TheJVC G1000 has been retired. Thank you all for helping in this great decision.

I tried the mount at costco and it does work with the 900U, however I ended up making my own mount for approx 10$ in materials.

Dave

I'm thinking of getting the mount from costco. I am also interested in the adapters.

What do you guys thing about the Da-Lite 92"Designer Contour electric screen from Costco.
Or, should I look into tension screens?
Thanks

How important is this? With my 4805, I used to turn it off via the remote, then immediately hit the hard switch. I remember reading a discussion about this in another thread in this forum and I subscribed to the logic that it was better for the lamp to cool naturally than to "force" it to cool faster with the fans.

What's everyone else's philosophy on this?

Heat kills. The engineers designed the unit to cool for a bit before powering down. During playback your fan provides a constant stream of air to prevent heat buildup within the projector. Turning off the power and the fan at the same time does not allow any residual heat from the lamp to dissipate. I will stick w/ how the unit was designed to operate.

Force cooling a lamp by going from full heat to freezing might be a problem but forcing it to cool a little bit longer w/ a fan isn't going to hurt. You are more likely to do damage by not adequately cooling it.

What is the logic behind turning off the master power switch? I turn mine off with the remote and leave it. I don't turn off my computer w/ the master power, I don't turn off the audio rack with the master power, why would the projector be any different. I doubt that I would burn out the little orange stand-by LED.

I'm just waiting for the knock @the door I will be replacing my nec 240k I just hope that the differance in lums2000 to 1100 will not be too much difference. :cool:

Regarding the suspended ceiling adapter and mount from Perfectmounts. Here is what I got. It is the 1000 series. The pictures on their website don't do it justice....of course they are trying to get you to shell out for a more expensive version of this mount.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a27/RightWingConspiracy/perfectmount1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a27/RightWingConspiracy/perfectmount2.jpg

Jason Brown,
We have the 900 with a poly wall screen and a light controlled room. I am finding it difficult to imagine a better image by spending more than the $13 I Have invested. The only disappointment is that they have quit producing the 5 X 10 sheets of poly wall. Go to the DIY screen area and you will find much more info. The side to use is what I would call the matt finish.

Jason Brown,
We have the 900 with a poly wall screen and a light controlled room. I am finding it difficult to imagine a better image by spending more than the $13 I Have invested. The only disappointment is that they have quit producing the 5 X 10 sheets of poly wall. Go to the DIY screen area and you will find much more info. The side to use is what I would call the matt finish.

thanks. I'll be projecting to a 100" screen, so the 4'x8'x works for me. The matte side is the flat, non-textured side, right? Without steering too far off course, what did you use for the frame? I'm just gonna get some 1x3 I think, as I don't think it would lay flat if just velcro-ed to the wall.

kwildman,

I have pretty much the same drop ceiling and was wondering what parts exactly did you buy? I looked at the perfectmounts website and looked at the 1000 series but it seems different then yours. I see you have the false ceiling adaptor plus the mount. The website has the 1000 series, elite series, 2000 series and premium. Also does the false ceiling mount seem stong enough to hold the projector?

Thanks,
Bri

kwildman,

I have pretty much the same drop ceiling and was wondering what parts exactly did you buy? I looked at the perfectmounts website and looked at the 1000 series but it seems different then yours. I see you have the false ceiling adaptor plus the mount. The website has the 1000 series, elite series, 2000 series and premium. Also does the false ceiling mount seem stong enough to hold the projector?

Thanks,
Bri

The pictures on the website are not good. I got the 1000 series when you check out there is an option to add the suspended cieling adapter. One bit of advise - they do not include the fixed mounting plate if you order the suspended cieling adapter which caused me some confusion. When I called them they explained what I had and where to skip to in the instructions (the mount and adapter instructions are on seperate pages).

As for the strength. They make the ceiling frames very strong. Your can lights sit on them and you can even hang a cieling fan from them. The adapter clampls onto the rail very snugly. Addtionally, there are 2 eyebolts on the top of this that are wired directly to the floor joists. So even if the whole cieling came down - theoretically, the saftey wire would prevent the projector from falling.

I was leary when I got it but I am happy with it and it is a very clean installation for a suspended cieling and it does lock securely into place. The onlything now I need to find a small cable cover to cover/cleanup the hole i cut through the tile to allow the HDMI, Component, and power cables to go through.

They do have a 100% 30-day return policy.

Read on another forum that Panasonic is sending out letters extending the blockbuster rental deadline from June 30 to October 31, 2006. Has anyone received one of these letters?

If anyone is reading I got my toy and wow! what pj! could someone tell me what the faint lines in light areas are is that vb? how do u get rid of it? its very slight . over all this pj seems brighter than my 240k with a new bulb..... :)

Right now I'm a little dissapointed with my black, but I know it's because of the white ceiling, floors, and walls(we remodeled the basement right before I got into HT) and I was wondering how dark a wall color would be needed to get a nice black picture. I can probably do a dark rug, but painting the ceiling won't happen. The room is completely light-controlled, but the ceiling is slightly glossy. I was thiking of the Behr Glacier Lake, but would that be dark enough? By the way, the lady says no blacks, greys, yellow, green, or red, so the typical red ht color is out.

Jason Brown,
I simply stapled to the drywall and added a screw with washer in each upper corner as a safety measure. I am going to cover the edges with 1X3 wrapped in black velvet as well as covering the balance of the wall in velvet. I do not intend to attach the poly to the 1X3's. I also have a piece of 1X2 supporting the lower edge. I did that mainly to help support the weight while I smoothed and stapled. It has been up for five months with no wrinkling and I don't really expect it to absorb any slight dampness in the Summer months. Our basement is a walk out and quite dry. My only delay in finishing is that I wanted to be sure that I didn't want a larger screen. I'm not sure yet but the 5X10 poly wall is apparently no longer available and I would need to find an acceptable alternative.

Right now I'm a little dissapointed with my black, but I know it's because of the white ceiling, floors, and walls(we remodeled the basement right before I got into HT) and I was wondering how dark a wall color would be needed to get a nice black picture. I can probably do a dark rug, but painting the ceiling won't happen. The room is completely light-controlled, but the ceiling is slightly glossy. I was thiking of the Behr Glacier Lake, but would that be dark enough? By the way, the lady says no blacks, greys, yellow, green, or red, so the typical red ht color is out.

I used a grey-blue, but since you can't go grey, go with a flat blue.

I received the letter from Panasonic extending my blockbuster rental card till Oct. 31.

Read on another forum that Panasonic is sending out letters extending the blockbuster rental deadline from June 30 to October 31, 2006. Has anyone received one of these letters?


Got my letter yesterday. Good thing as after being away from home for the last two months I didn't want to be in a rush to rent daily to get my movie fill. There isn't much of anything in the rental stores worth renting right now. Kong was the only one worth renting over the last couple months. Hopefully some good movies are released over the next 4 months.

Right now I'm a little dissapointed with my black, but I know it's because of the white ceiling, floors, and walls(we remodeled the basement right before I got into HT) and I was wondering how dark a wall color would be needed to get a nice black picture. I can probably do a dark rug, but painting the ceiling won't happen. The room is completely light-controlled, but the ceiling is slightly glossy. I was thiking of the Behr Glacier Lake, but would that be dark enough? By the way, the lady says no blacks, greys, yellow, green, or red, so the typical red ht color is out.
Before you start repainting your room, you should invest about $50 in a filter. Check out the 900 tweak thread. I have the 81ef filter, which improved the blacks and contrast a good deal. There's another filter which I think some of the tweakers seem to prefer, so make sure to check out the thread.

got my letter today too-- happy camper.

I got the letter yesterday! :)

Yep. Got mine too thursday.

I have had my AE900 since December 05' and have been very pleased. Have logged about 700 hours and now am starting to notice a slight flicker in the brightness of the image while viewing. This is most noticeable in darker scenes, however it also occurs in brighter scenes. Does anyone have ideas about what is causing this and the probable solution? Many thanks.

I have had my AE900 since December 05' and have been very pleased. Have logged about 700 hours and now am starting to notice a slight flicker in the brightness of the image while viewing. This is most noticeable in darker scenes, however it also occurs in brighter scenes. Does anyone have ideas about what is causing this and the probable solution? Many thanks.

Do you hard power down the Panny regularly? My iris goes schizo sometimes if I haven't switched the projector off in a while. Give it a hard power down for a few minutes and then start it up and see if the flicker goes away.

Elio

Do you hard power down the Panny regularly? My iris goes schizo sometimes if I haven't switched the projector off in a while. Give it a hard power down for a few minutes and then start it up and see if the flicker goes away.

Elio
Pardon this not too bright newbie question but what is a "hard power down?"

hard power down refers to turning off the master power switch on the back of the unit.

Any of you guys have a wall mount for your panny.
I am looking for a moun that swings out.
If you have heard of any, please let me know.
Thanks

T