Hey there,

Anyone? Any help? Reeeeeeeally suffering, and need some guidance...

Thanks,

-F

Hey there,

Can anyone guide me as to how to get into the service menus? I just need to factory default my unit.

I know of menu where you go into Options->OSD->keep enter pressed... but no love there.

Anyone?

-F

Hey there,

Can anyone guide me as to how to get into the service menus? I just need to factory default my unit.

I know of menu where you go into Options->OSD->keep enter pressed... but no love there.

Anyone?

-F
I really cannot help here but did you try to talk to Panasonic csr? sorry ur not getting any viable help I think this thread is kind of dead anymore shame.

^ fauzigarib's troubleshooting commenced in the AE900 tweaks thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16952639#post16952639

Hi,

Hope someone can help me.

I have just got a second hand ae900, and it works perfectly, except for one strange issue.

When I set my blu-ray player to output 1080p/24, the ae900 displays a distorted picture (only upper left corner visible). This is when it shows the menu from my blu-ray player, before starting the actual blu-ray disc. When I then start the blu-ray, the ae900 switches to the correct format (1080p/24)???

The same happens if I set the blu-ray player to output 720p.

If I set my player to detect the max resolution of the ae900, it sets itself to 1080i/60, and again switches to 1080p/24, when playing a blu-ray disc??

I have tried with a PS3 and a Pana DMP-BD80. Same result :-(

Anyone who has an idea?

Thanks

Hi,

Hope someone can help me.

I have just got a second hand ae900, and it works perfectly, except for one strange issue.

When I set my blu-ray player to output 1080p/24, the ae900 displays a distorted picture (only upper left corner visible). This is when it shows the menu from my blu-ray player, before starting the actual blu-ray disc. When I then start the blu-ray, the ae900 switches to the correct format (1080p/24)???

The same happens if I set the blu-ray player to output 720p.

If I set my player to detect the max resolution of the ae900, it sets itself to 1080i/60, and again switches to 1080p/24, when playing a blu-ray disc??

I have tried with a PS3 and a Pana DMP-BD80. Same result :-(

Anyone who has an idea?

Thanks

first of all, the 900 only does 60 frames up to 1080i. 1080p/60 gives you the weird picture. however, the 900 supports 1080p/24, so when your player forces that resolution, it should be fine (and the motion seemed very subtly better at 24 than at 60 frames, but not enough to really worry about). however, i still found that menus were at 60 frames, so it was a hassle to keep switching back and forth. so i usually keep it at 720p.

720p should be fine though. i've tried both 1080i and 720p with my oppo blu ray player...720p looks better (telling me the oppo downscales to 720 better than the 900 does). same thing with my xbox and my ps3. my hd dvd player i can keep at 1080p/24 and i've never had it switch to 60 frames, so i never had that issue.

i'm not sure why yours is acting that way, but i would see if your player is forcing 1080p/24. if it is set to auto AND set to force 24 fps, it may be going to 1080i, but then forcing 24 fps even though the 900 can't deal with it. i'd turn off the auto and see what happens.

don't know why you'd have any problem at all with 720p though. i'm guessing it has to do with that player. 720 is the native resolution of the 900, and i've found it to be the most reliable.

agnathra,

Thank a lot for your answer.

You are absolutely right about the AE900 not supporting 1080p/60. Didn't think of that.

Then I only have the problem with 720p not being displayed correct by the 900?

I have tried 480p, 576p and 1080i. They are all displayed correct, but not 720p??

I will have to do some more experiments...

first of all, the 900 only does 60 frames up to 1080i. 1080p/60 gives you the weird picture. however, the 900 supports 1080p/24, so when your player forces that resolution, it should be fine (and the motion seemed very subtly better at 24 than at 60 frames, but not enough to really worry about). however, i still found that menus were at 60 frames, so it was a hassle to keep switching back and forth. so i usually keep it at 720p.

720p should be fine though. i've tried both 1080i and 720p with my oppo blu ray player...720p looks better (telling me the oppo downscales to 720 better than the 900 does). same thing with my xbox and my ps3. my hd dvd player i can keep at 1080p/24 and i've never had it switch to 60 frames, so i never had that issue.

i'm not sure why yours is acting that way, but i would see if your player is forcing 1080p/24. if it is set to auto AND set to force 24 fps, it may be going to 1080i, but then forcing 24 fps even though the 900 can't deal with it. i'd turn off the auto and see what happens.

don't know why you'd have any problem at all with 720p though. i'm guessing it has to do with that player. 720 is the native resolution of the 900, and i've found it to be the most reliable.



I have a PS3 (release model) with current firmware. I have had it with my Panny PT-AE900U for over 3 years. I use the "force 24p" setting and the projector recognizes that for all material that supports the format. Remember the XMB will be either 720p or 1080i before the movie starts on a PS3.

I prefer forced 1080p24 for DVDs and that same native format for BD vs 720p overall. 720 seems a bit softer with BD vs the forced 1080p24.

If auto works I would stick with that on your player.

What source do you have for your primary?

Hello:

I have a Panasonic 900 projector sitting in my closet that has not been used since I bought my Mitsubishi 4900 in December of 2007. It has 1044 hours on its lamp and was still working fine when I put it away. Has this projector any value to any of you as a backup? I live in the San Diego County area of California. I have no idea of the value of this, it just seems a shame to have it just sitting there.

Hello:

I have a Panasonic 900 projector sitting in my closet that has not been used since I bought my Mitsubishi 4900 in December of 2007. It has 1044 hours on its lamp and was still working fine when I put it away. Has this projector any value to any of you as a backup? I live in the San Diego County area of California. I have no idea of the value of this, it just seems a shame to have it just sitting there.

William:

What are you looking for with it? I work in San Diego and could use a backup for my current PD-AE900U. Please PM me with details. Thanks.

Eldithomaso:

PM sent.

I did some searching, but couldn't find anyone with the exact same problem I had this weekend.

Was watching a movie over HDMI when the projector just shut down. It didn't power down (with fan running after the bulb has shut off), but it completely shut off. The power LED on the top glows green, and the unit will not power up at all.

I power-cycled the unit, both at the switch and by removing mains power cord. Every time power was applied, the power LED showed green instead of the usual standby red and it would not turn on. I changed the bulb to no effect (I had ~1200 hrs on the old bulb).

I'm resigned to the probability that it needs a new ballast or power supply, but I'm wondering if anyone here has experienced something similar and can give me some tips (or tell me what the repair shop replaced). I'm out of warranty but I don't mind tearing into this thing if I know what's wrong with it.

Thanks in advance!

ETA: There were no symptoms prior to the failure. Color and brightness were fine. No artifacting. No strange noises. No overheating or bulb life LEDs. I clean the filter regularly, though maybe not as often as I should.

If anyone is interested I just found a bunch of filters that I used to use on my AE900 back in the day to boost contrast. I've got an 81C, 81EF, CC10R, CC30R, CC40R, CC50R all glass. Includes the needed step adapter rings as most of the filters are either 62mm or series VIII. Shoot me a pm with a fair offer and their yours.

Moe

Update: According to ProjectorDoctor, it needs a new main power (APC) board: $915 all told. Time for a new projector.

Update: According to ProjectorDoctor, it needs a new main power (APC) board: $915 all told. Time for a new projector.


Well, that's both a bad and a GOOD thing, right?

Well, that's both a bad and a GOOD thing, right?

Hah! Pretty frustrating for a 3-year old $1200 piece of equipment. I'm debating not buying the PT-AX200U just due to this experience. Not sure if Panny deserves my money again.

Hah! Pretty frustrating for a 3-year old $1200 piece of equipment. I'm debating not buying the PT-AX200U just due to this experience. Not sure if Panny deserves my money again.

I had a similar experience to yours with my AE900 about 3 weeks ago. I didn't get an estimate, but all signs pointed toward a ballast or power supply issue. Repair wasn't even an option given the price of an AX200.

In the end, though, I had to make a decision of whether to spend $1000 on a good 720p unit, or >$2000 on a 1080p unit. Ultimately, the AVS b-stock JVC RS2 deal came just at the right time, and I am now enjoying an incredible picture from my newly installed RS2!

In the end, though, I had to make a decision of whether to spend $1000 on a good 720p unit, or >$2000 on a 1080p unit. Ultimately, the AVS b-stock JVC RS2 deal came just at the right time, and I am now enjoying an incredible picture from my newly installed RS2!

Sweet deal. I'm limited in mounting options and need a fairly bright projector due to light contamination, so I've been looking at the Epson 720 as an option to the PT-AX200U. I watch mostly film, which I think the Panny does better, but I can't help feeling that "once bitten" vibe. I'm also seriously limited in budget (since replacing the projector was not in the plan for this year) so something in the 1080p range isn't even an option, regardless of the deal.

Maybe I'll try reflowing the mainboard when I get my 900U back. Couldn't hurt to give it a shot.

Hah! Pretty frustrating for a 3-year old $1200 piece of equipment. I'm debating not buying the PT-AX200U just due to this experience. Not sure if Panny deserves my money again.

Believe me, I hear you. I worry all the time about my 900 having a significant problem. In fact, I try to limit my use for that very reason, which is counterintuitive to why I have the PJ in the first place. Heck, even the bulb is kind of pricey, but most PJs have that issue.

I think next time around I will either put aside a little bit of money monthly or get an extended warranty. I realize the vast majority of consumer electronic products have don't have issues for a reasonable amount of time (which is probably about five years for a mid-level PJ like the 900), but having an extended warranty or putting money aside is merely an insurance policy, and thus feels better. :)

I purchased my pt-ae900 in Dec. 2005 with an extended warranty and for the last little while (1year) have been experiencing a video issue only noticeable in 16x9 format on the left side of the screen blue edge for about 1-4 inches wide and on the right a pink edge again 1-4 inches wide. So I finally got around to taking it in before the extended warranty expires. This is the issue:

PARTS REQUIRED:
TXFEC99VKB4A (OPTICAL BLOCK) $902.50
TENC0169 (IRIS) $85.00
LABOUR $195.00
REPLACE ABOVE PARTS. ESTIMATED PRICE ABOVE INCLUDES PARTS,
LABOUR AND TAXES.

What a joke $1336.23, now I have to see if I am covered by the extended warranty (which Im told only covers electrical and mechanical issues):eek:

Sitting at 1600 hours and for the first time noticing a little dimming. What is the estimated life of this bulb? (I forget) And are we allowed to offer advice on where to go to get a good deal on a replacement on this board?

At lamp power on Low, the rated hours=3000

I purchased my pt-ae900 in Dec. 2005 with an extended warranty and for the last little while (1year) have been experiencing a video issue only noticeable in 16x9 format on the left side of the screen blue edge for about 1-4 inches wide and on the right a pink edge again 1-4 inches wide. So I finally got around to taking it in before the extended warranty expires. This is the issue:

PARTS REQUIRED:
TXFEC99VKB4A (OPTICAL BLOCK) $902.50
TENC0169 (IRIS) $85.00
LABOUR $195.00
REPLACE ABOVE PARTS. ESTIMATED PRICE ABOVE INCLUDES PARTS,
LABOUR AND TAXES.

What a joke $1336.23, now I have to see if I am covered by the extended warranty (which Im told only covers electrical and mechanical issues):eek:

Looks like I am covered by my extended warranty, I am taking the buy out option! I now have a projector that works with barely noticeable color distortion on the sides viewable only in 16x9 format not 4x3. With 2 bulbs one at 800hrs and the other at 12hrs up for grabs. To me it is not worth fixing 2005 technology. I will put the money towards another projector.

Looks like I am covered by my extended warranty, I am taking the buy out option! I now have a projector that works with barely noticeable color distortion on the sides viewable only in 16x9 format not 4x3. With 2 bulbs one at 800hrs and the other at 12hrs up for grabs. To me it is not worth fixing 2005 technology. I will put the money towards another projector.

How does the "buy out option" work? Do they give you a credit towards another projector or cold-hard cash!

How does the "buy out option" work? Do they give you a credit towards another projector or cold-hard cash!

They gave me the amount for the parts and labor $1182.50 (CAN.) I told them its a shame that you have to spend that kind of money to fix a 2005 technology when you can get a Sanyo Z60 for under a 1000 with a 3 year warranty, they agreed. Check is in the mail.:)

Where is a good/affordable place to buy a replacement lamp? (PM me if you'd rather not talk about your experience publicly).

anyone having hdmi issues with this pj and an onkyo 805/706 avr--losing sound? any correction for this?

so I have a heavy duty hdmi cable that has run to my ae900. turned it on tonight and no signal is coming thru. I swapped cables, ran it direct from source etc. so imo its gotta be the hdmi input on the projector itself.

Ive read elsewhere in this thread about squeezing the outside of the metal hdmi input carefully to get a tighter fit. Or you can use electrical contact cleaner to spray inside the connector. Does this sound reasonable?

if that doesnt work Ive read heavy cables (and wiggling and pulling maybe) can lead to sodder points being broken from the hdmi input and the circuit board especially on hdmi 1.1. that sound reasonable?

Any suggestions thoughts?

Sorry to bump this old thread but...

I have a Panny AE900, second hand, that I'm using until I set up my JVC RS20
projector.

I just noticed something odd: It seems to me light is coming out beyond the width of the projected image.

In other words, I have a really big screen (which I use 4 way masking). If I
zoom the Panasonic's image so the width of a movie does not fill the entire screen, leaving a couple feet of unused screen space on each side, it seems there is still projector light being cast on that unused screen space BEYOND the projected image.

I only noticed this when I put my hand up from my seating in front of the Panny and noticed it cast a darker shadow on that unused screen area. I'd always assumed that part of the un-used screen area was lighting up from
reflections coming back from my light walls. But it actually seems to be projected light. So when I put my hand in front of the projector, but to the side, and start moving it in toward the image area, I notice the shadow of my hand starts being cast outside the edges of the actual movie image.

Is this "light spill?" Is it normal for the Panasonic?

I'm just sort of shocked if it is as I never figured projectors would cast light well outside the movie image boundaries.

Thanks,

Bump...

I guess it's hard to get anyone's attention on a AE900 these days...

I have one in the closet with a 2000+ hour bulb and no discoloration or dust, and I'm wondering if I should just sell it off or try to buy a trashed unit just for a bulb with lower hours on it....

Sorry to bump this old thread but...

I have a Panny AE900, second hand, that I'm using until I set up my JVC RS20
projector.

I just noticed something odd: It seems to me light is coming out beyond the width of the projected image.

In other words, I have a really big screen (which I use 4 way masking). If I
zoom the Panasonic's image so the width of a movie does not fill the entire screen, leaving a couple feet of unused screen space on each side, it seems there is still projector light being cast on that unused screen space BEYOND the projected image.

I only noticed this when I put my hand up from my seating in front of the Panny and noticed it cast a darker shadow on that unused screen area. I'd always assumed that part of the un-used screen area was lighting up from
reflections coming back from my light walls. But it actually seems to be projected light. So when I put my hand in front of the projector, but to the side, and start moving it in toward the image area, I notice the shadow of my hand starts being cast outside the edges of the actual movie image.

Is this "light spill?" Is it normal for the Panasonic?

I'm just sort of shocked if it is as I never figured projectors would cast light well outside the movie image boundaries.

Thanks,

No light spill on my PT-AE900 - original owner here...
Sounds like a defect in the unit or it has been damaged.

no light spill on my pt-ae900 - original owner here...
Sounds like a defect in the unit or it has been damaged.

+1

Thank you.

Wow, that's a surprise. I guess there must really be a defect with my Panny.

I have one in the closet with a 2000+ hour bulb and no discoloration or dust, and I'm wondering if I should just sell it off or try to buy a trashed unit just for a bulb with lower hours on it....

You pretty much have to buy a new bulb. I mean how can you trust a low hours bulb unless you know the seller.

At any rate, $300 is cheap compared to $2000 for a new projector; especially if it has just been sitting in the closet.

Hey - quick question for the thread - My AE900 displays a purple tinge making the screen almost unreadable - crazy thing is intermittent though. Has anyone seen this or had any luck diagnosing this? Thanks in advance..........

I have another odd issue with my Panny A900: It seems to be somehow outputing a narrower image than it should. In other words, 16:9 ARs are looking a little more like 4:3 AR. Yet there's not obvious stretching/distortion of the image. But all the AR widths just look a little wrong and too narrow.

Any ideas? Some setting I don't know about doing this?

Thanks.

(This is going from my HD DVD player via HDMI to the Panny).

Look at the setting on your HD DVD I'll bet it's set on 4:3 screen instead of 16:9.

Hi everyone,

New member here with burning question:
My AE900 has some light "flickering/fluctuating" issues, or that's how I perceive it.

Picture will vary in brightness even during the same scene. It did that in LOW, now it does in in HIGH, with Iris on/off.
One bulb has 870hrs, the other claimed to have been a test bulb with allegedly under 180. No difference, brightness will fluctuate.
This is quite annoying, I have to admit. Is this easily, cheaply fixable, or did I just throw $350 buying this projector?
Greatly appreciate any suggestions.

Well I've checked the settings on both the projector and the HD DVD player and it's still looking weird. I watched a 4:3 movie last night and it was taller than it was wide. Not distorted as if there was stretching involved - just like some of the sides are being lopped off, or something. This is very weird.

Sitting at 1600 hours and for the first time noticing a little dimming. What is the estimated life of this bulb? (I forget) And are we allowed to offer advice on where to go to get a good deal on a replacement on this board?

I have always had mine on HIGH, and currently it has 1750hrs. There is noticeable dimming. But in bright scenes it still looks spectacular. Instead of replacing the blub, I ordered a ae4000u.

I have always had mine on HIGH, and currently it has 1750hrs. There is noticeable dimming. But in bright scenes it still looks spectacular. Instead of replacing the blub, I ordered a ae4000u.

i'm at 3500 hours. there was flickering that started on LOW around 1500 hours, so i've been watching on HIGH since then. just noticed a tiny bit of flickering on high, but it just started and is very rare.

Im at 1400 hrs and the pj shuts off at about 3 hrs. Fan is on. Green light stays on. If you shut it down and turn it back on its fine.

If I replace the lamp will this resolve the issue? Dont want to spend $ on bulb for an old pj if that doesn't fix it.

Dynamic Iris is off.
Filters clean and free airflow.

What would you guys do?

Im at 1400 hrs and the pj shuts off at about 3 hrs. Fan is on. Green light stays on. If you shut it down and turn it back on its fine.

If I replace the lamp will this resolve the issue? Dont want to spend $ on bulb for an old pj if that doesn't fix it.

Dynamic Iris is off.
Filters clean and free airflow.

What would you guys do?

When you say you turn it back on and it's fine, do you mean it stays on indefintely? If so, you don't have a lamp issue, you have an internal issue.

I'm sure you've checked this out but I embarrassed to say how often stating the obvious has left my face red ... you're sure you don't have the projector set to an auto-shutdown value of 3 hours?

Timer is turned off, dynamic iris is turned off.

If I restart the pj by shutting off the switch in the back it will fire back up until it decides to shut down again.

If its just a lamp, Ill replace it. But if its another issue i dont want to put $500 in this thing!

If it's consistently shutting down it could be either a lamp issue or internal issue. In all likelihood it's just a lamp, but if you have a failing lamp ballast, power supply or main board those would cause the same symptoms. The only way to tell for sure would be to install a new lamp and see if it works.

If it's consistently shutting down it could be either a lamp issue or internal issue. In all likelihood it's just a lamp, but if you have a failing lamp ballast, power supply or main board those would cause the same symptoms. The only way to tell for sure would be to install a new lamp and see if it works.

Ill do that and go from there.

Ok, I used it on cinema 2, low lamp tonight for 6 hrs and it finally shut off. Its really hot.
Im thinking the lamp is dying and its heating up more quickly than normal. It definitely lasted longer on tamer settings. Being that i used it on normal preset and mostly high power most of its life. Im sure it's about time.

6 hours, huh? I don't think that's a lamp issue. Did you see any other LED behavior aside from the normal green power LED?

Perhaps the filter is partially clogged or the fan is dying?
Or the sensor that tells the fan to turn (if there is one).

Mark

6 hours, huh? I don't think that's a lamp issue. Did you see any other LED behavior aside from the normal green power LED?

No, it stays green. You just see the lamp shutoff and hear the fan on.
It was very hot. I have my fan speed set to high in the menu.

I hope I can get this one running right. ALthough I could upgrade to one of the new DLP $999 1080p jobs....none of them would work with my setup:

106 Graywolf. 16 ft throw. PJ sitting on shelf 5 feet high behind couch.

One of the new pannys would be the best upgade but can't afford it.

That's not good. My guess would be:

1. The unit is overheating and either the temp sensor is failing or the temperature is too high to function normally but below the threshold which trips the temp sensor.
2. The lamp ballast, power supply or main board is failing.
3. You are turning the unit off after 6 hours but have consumed enough alcohol to erase your short-term memory. :)

The only thing left that you can try is cleaning the filters (if you haven't done so already) and using an external fan to increase the amount of cool air going into the air intake. If that doesn't keep it running I'd purchase a new projector.

That's not good. My guess would be:

1. The unit is overheating and either the temp sensor is failing or the temperature is too high to function normally but below the threshold which trips the temp sensor.
2. The lamp ballast, power supply or main board is failing.
3. You are turning the unit off after 6 hours but have consumed enough alcohol to erase your short-term memory. :)

The only thing left that you can try is cleaning the filters (if you haven't done so already) and using an external fan to increase the amount of cool air going into the air intake. If that doesn't keep it running I'd purchase a new projector.

HAHA! Wish number 3 was true!

I did clean the filters but I will try again.

Man, I hoped to upgrade to 1080p but it sounds like rather investing money in this I may be better off finding a deal on a 720p unit. WIth a new lamp and a repair bill I could easily spend $500-$700. I could find a 720p unit w that.

Sorry, how many hours on your lamp again?

1450

My lamp hours is flashing red on the menu screen at 1870 hours? I bought my projector in June 06. I just passed 1800 hours and I noticed it turned red in the menu. I've had the lamp on low power since day one and iris has been disabled recently. I was under the imrpession I could get 3000 hours out of my bulb using the lamp on low. I clean the filter often and never turn my projector on and off without a 2 hour cool down.

Should I be concerned? The manual doesn't say much other then the unit will shut down once it reaches 3000 hours. I hope I can get at least another year out of this bulb with the way I've been babying it.

As long as your lamp still functions you're fine. If you want to get rid of the warning you can reset your lamp timer and it'll go away.

If you projector is shutting down after 20-60 mins and then comes back on by itself of the lamp light flashes yet you have replaced the bulb I have the fix.

You need to replace 3 capacitors of the ballast main board. Takes about 30 mins or less.

You have to replace C9617 (1.6kv,4700pf), C9618 and C9619 (630v,.15u)..Parts are about $8

Enjoy.

If you looking for the service manual I found it here: http://home.orange.nl/rdls/AE900_servicemanual.pdf

The other option is to go to the service menu and turn the fans on full all the time. Its noisey but it seems to cool the unit enough that the failing parts seem to keep going for a while better.

Service menu is found by turning unit on then go to the shut down menu and move over to the cancel position, then hit up,down,up,down,enter...

I've seen a little on the thread here, but nothing solid. I've got what sounds like a fan belt noise. It started recently [bulb @ about 2850hrs]. Bought a new bulb, replaced the old one, noise went away for one night. Night number 2...it's back.

Doesn't matter what the setting is for Lamp Power or Dynamic Iris. The noise remains.

Can I deal with this without sending it in? Filter is new/clean and new bulb has 12 hrs on it. If I have to send it in, where would you recommend? Seems like a little WD40 would fix it.

This has been a FANTASTIC projector. I'd hate to give up on it.

I've seen a little on the thread here, but nothing solid. I've got what sounds like a fan belt noise. It started recently [bulb @ about 2850hrs]. Bought a new bulb, replaced the old one, noise went away for one night. Night number 2...it's back.

Doesn't matter what the setting is for Lamp Power or Dynamic Iris. The noise remains.

Can I deal with this without sending it in? Filter is new/clean and new bulb has 12 hrs on it. If I have to send it in, where would you recommend? Seems like a little WD40 would fix it.

This has been a FANTASTIC projector. I'd hate to give up on it.

Just curious. I have had this projector for about 3 years. My orig bulb last august was at 2300 hours. seemed a little dimmer. I searched around for a bulb say one at Advanced Lamps for a reasonable price inc shipping. I purchased it before labor day and it made a huge difference. Been runnign at high. Also when I removed old bulb cleaned dirt off outside and put away. Two weeks ago watching a red dvd upscaled to 1080p and started to flicker finally stopped and played through. Monday after thanksgiving went to watch movie. and no pic and red light flashing and PJ cycled to fan and shut off did this several times. Put back old bulb and worked fine. Called company and they suprised me. They had orig warranty of 90 days and I am week over but because I bought before labor day warranty special 120 days. They gave me return for inspection notice and rm I returned and they are replacing. The new bulb had just 85 hours. I hope this is not because it was and aftermarket lamp but the service so far at advance lamps is great and so is theyre pricing. Can it be that bad to run pj at high as It gives a much brighter pic and all the years I suffered with it at low. I do not expect 3000 hours but about 1500 at high for the price is okay. Hope second last longer. Just a reccomendation for advanced though. Great csr.

My 3.5 year old AE900 (about 4000 hours) has had a nagging convergence problem, which I understand from posters here requires service.

Now I've got a grinding fan noise, and it's unclear from what I've read here whether this problem can be fixed at home.

So, anyone know what these problems cost to fix out-of-warranty? I'm trying to decide whether it makes sense to keep this projector or upgrade to a new one.

Thanks...

was tempted to create a separate thread but i figure this was a better place for my issue

just bought an used PT-ae900u from ebay.

seller said the bulb has 2000 hrs on it but otherwise in great working condition.

When i got the pj the first thing i noticed was that under options menu the lamp runtime was @32 hr (made me uneasy since it wasnt what the seller said it was)

also when i hooked it up to my dvd player / playstation / tivo , etc i noticed a greenish tint to blacks and a generally pale or dull image.

i had to increase brightness all the way to max and it still looks very dark and dull.

do you guys think its the bulb? , im afraid it might be the lcd filters , read somewhere that the greenish tint on my blacks might indicate a problem with the green lcd filter.

any ideas?:confused:

A grinding Fan noise probably means the bearings in the fan are giving up the ghost.....I am guessing you could simply replace the fan yourself...but if you are seeing tinting in the colors....ehhh that ain't good.

Yeah, the fan seems to be a fairly common problem. A number of posters have asked whether the fan can be replaced at home but I've never seen a definitive reply.

Well if its a standard 12v fan you can likely replace it yourself, panasonic makes fans like that for the computer/electronics industry...its just a matter of finding the right one online. Even if the connector is non-standard you just clip wires and use a little electrical tape.

The point was that its not worth servicing a panny 900 at this point in time with questionable LCD panels. Better to sell it off for whatever you can get for it. How many hours on your bulb, I have a 900 thats in great working order (I dont use it) but the bulb has 2200hrs on it....

Yeah, that's why I'm trying to get a ballpark on the service costs. If it's 100 bucks, that's easy -- fix it. If it's 1000 -- that's easy, too. I just don't know where in between the repair is apt to fall. Incidentally, used the projector last night and the fan hums like a champ -- go figger.

My (second) bulb's got about 890 hours on it.

Unlikely to be fan. More likely the iris. Disconnect the iris on the board and all should be good with only a slight picture difference

You're talking at least as much to fix it as it would cost to almost buy a new projector, with better specs and a brand new bulb.

After a couple years these things just aren't worth repairing unless you've got some super high-end machine that can hold its own against the modern PJ's.

My advice is to sell it for parts, or sell the bulb, and look at the $1k PJ's.....just make sure you get one that works with your room setup, eg: if you use a lot of lens-shift, etc, etc. (I'm a DLP guy myself so I'm used to funky angles and weird setups and image offsets).

was tempted to create a separate thread but i figure this was a better place for my issue

just bought an used PT-ae900u from ebay.

seller said the bulb has 2000 hrs on it but otherwise in great working condition.

When i got the pj the first thing i noticed was that under options menu the lamp runtime was @32 hr (made me uneasy since it wasnt what the seller said it was)

also when i hooked it up to my dvd player / playstation / tivo , etc i noticed a greenish tint to blacks and a generally pale or dull image.

i had to increase brightness all the way to max and it still looks very dark and dull.

do you guys think its the bulb? , im afraid it might be the lcd filters , read somewhere that the greenish tint on my blacks might indicate a problem with the green lcd filter.

any ideas?:confused:

anyone have any thoughts on this matter?

I would buy a new bulb if it does not fix it you should be able to sell bulb on ebay for a bit less than you bought it for.

My AE900 has a really annoying issue that has reared it's ugly head once again, and my searches on the topic have proven mostly fruitless, and am hoping someone can help.

THE PROBLEM: My pj has just started doing this thing where the light output changes (basically it dims, then goes bright, dims, etc, etc.) every few seconds. This is NOT a "the flicker issue" ... this is a light output issue. It happened on my last bulb and it only had about 500-600 hours on it, and I had Panny send me a new one, and this new one has started doing it after only about 300 hours, so I'm guessing it is not the bulb.

It is EXTREMELY annoying when watching a movie, and is very noticeable in all but the darkest of scenes, and even those once you start seeing it. Switching back to ECONO mode, then back to NORMAL mode has no effect. This project sees relatively light use, and is well maintained (clean the filter normally every 50 hours, max every 75-100), very clean environment, not subject to vibrations, never abused, etc.

I read about this issue with at AX100, and there was some kind of "black-tape over a sensor fix" but could never find any more about it, or if it would even apply to the AE900. I doubt it is a power issue as it just pops up out of nowhere, and the power supply/source has not changed at all. In fact nothing has changed. Also, it does not matter what input I am using (HDMI HD-DVD, COMP1 DVD, COMP2 BLU-RAY, HD-CABLE TV, etc, etc.)

Has anyone had any experience with this or heard about any remedies to this problem? I would GREATLY appreciate any input. Thanks!

^ A problem with the lamp ballast could exhibit these symptoms...

was tempted to create a separate thread but i figure this was a better place for my issue

just bought an used PT-ae900u from ebay.

seller said the bulb has 2000 hrs on it but otherwise in great working condition.

When i got the pj the first thing i noticed was that under options menu the lamp runtime was @32 hr (made me uneasy since it wasnt what the seller said it was)

also when i hooked it up to my dvd player / playstation / tivo , etc i noticed a greenish tint to blacks and a generally pale or dull image.

i had to increase brightness all the way to max and it still looks very dark and dull.

do you guys think its the bulb? , im afraid it might be the lcd filters , read somewhere that the greenish tint on my blacks might indicate a problem with the green lcd filter.

any ideas?:confused:

I bought a new bulb , the image does look a bit brighter , way better than the old bulb, but it still looks dull / pale.

Blacks look washed out , like greys , i have a PT-ae700 and blacks look much better on the 700 with than the blacks on this ae900 with a brand new bulb.

what should be the next step here? should i take the ae900 apart and clean it for dust? does this sound like a dust issue? or maybe filthy poralizers? any1?

^ Thanks, I do remember reading something about a lamp ballast way back when, but could not find it again. Although I imagine that is something that would have to be sent out for repair too.

I also remembered (or re-read) something about it just being the lamps for these models that go through some type of arcing cycle, and just needed to work through it. Evidence is pointing that way considering the problem went away when I replaced the 600-700 hour bulb, and then did not start again until around 300 hours on this new one.

Sooo, I left the PJ on for 8 hours to see if I could get it to "burn through" the problem. Sure enough it has gone away ... for now. Never know when it will rear it's head once again is the problem. Anyway, that was better than suffering through 3-4 movies that are essentially ruined by this annoyance.

Take care,
Tim

timoteo - I think this is what you were referring to:

http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5820302&&#post5820302 (http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5820302&&#post5820302)

HELP.

I just replaced the bulb for the first time on my 4 plus year old AE900 and now when I plug in and turn it on, I get a green light, but nothing else. No fan or light from Bulb...

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I've enjoyed my 900 since its introduction. Just upgraded to the 4000, but have to admit to a tear in my eye over the 900. It has proven to have aged well, and even against a projector that is many generations newer, it holds its own.

Thanks to all the helpful people on this thread and the body of information. I feel like I'm leaving an old friend behind.

I may be skirting the rules a bit here but if anyone is ditching a 900 with a bulb that has less than or around 1000 hours on it, I may be in the market for a used bulb. nuff said.

HELP.

I just replaced the bulb for the first time on my 4 plus year old AE900 and now when I plug in and turn it on, I get a green light, but nothing else. No fan or light from Bulb...

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Were you able to get an answer on this? Sounds like a lamp ballast, power supply or main board failure...what happened to the old lamp that caused you to replace it?

Were you able to get an answer on this? Sounds like a lamp ballast, power supply or main board failure...what happened to the old lamp that caused you to replace it?

I have not gotten an answer other than this.

I do not quite know what the fatal issue was. It was working, albeit with I was not keeping track of the hours and I was not really good about cleaning the filter. There also for some time had been the sound which I know may be been the Auto iris. A hmming sound like a fan nose.

I do notice that the "lens" in front of the old lamp is now cloudy.
I would love to get it working again. I do not think i want to spend upwards of $500.00 to repair it.

Thanks again.

Hello. I'm a new member, though I have visited these forums a lot and been helped a lot by them.

I have an ae900. Bought in 2006. Been very happy with it UNTIL NOW.

It isn't used a great deal. Late last summer I started having a problem with the lamp not wanting to turn on, intermittently. Sometimes it would. The light indicating bad lamp circuit came on - not the light indicating a bad lamp. Finally, it wouldn't come on at all. Had only about 850 hours on it total.

Took it to a repair shop. They said it needed ballasts and a lamp. I was disappointed only to get 800 hours out of the lamp, so I had the shop replace the ballasts, and picked the PJ up from the shop, hoping there was an outside chance I could get Panasonic to help me with the lamp. Panasonic refused - not too surprising given the age of the PJ.

So, I bought a new lamp - Panasonic brand - online from Provantage. Got the lamp late September, installed it and turned the PJ on for a few minutes to make sure it was working. Everything seemed to be good. Powered it down.

We got busy and didn't turn it on again until late December. At that point - lamp won't come on. Frustrating.

Took it back to the shop. They said bad lamp - only has literally 5 minutes of use on it.

Question #1 - can these lamps be definitively tested as good or bad?

So, I called Provantage. Totally unhelpful. Completely ducked the issue and referred me to Panasonic. Panasonic was totally unhelpful. Said the warranty was 90 days and I was a few days over it.

Now I'm really frustrated. I've got $450 in repair costs, and am right back where I started.

Question # 2 - What's the chance I have a dead lamp from the factory? Could there be something else going on?

I went by a local electronics parts supply place here and asked for a recommendation on a good repair place. They suggested I give up on it.

Question #3 - Should I put any more money in this thing or try to take it to another repair shop?

Any thoughts most appreciated.

I have not gotten an answer other than this.

I do not quite know what the fatal issue was. It was working, albeit with I was not keeping track of the hours and I was not really good about cleaning the filter. There also for some time had been the sound which I know may be been the Auto iris. A hmming sound like a fan nose.

I do notice that the "lens" in front of the old lamp is now cloudy.
I would love to get it working again. I do not think i want to spend upwards of $500.00 to repair it.

Thanks again.

What were the exact symptoms you experienced when the last lamp went out? Did the projector just shut off? Which LED's lit up? Did you buy an OEM replacement lamp or a Chinese knock off?

Hello. I'm a new member, though I have visited these forums a lot and been helped a lot by them.

I have an ae900. Bought in 2006. Been very happy with it UNTIL NOW.

It isn't used a great deal. Late last summer I started having a problem with the lamp not wanting to turn on, intermittently. Sometimes it would. The light indicating bad lamp circuit came on - not the light indicating a bad lamp. Finally, it wouldn't come on at all. Had only about 850 hours on it total.

Took it to a repair shop. They said it needed ballasts and a lamp. I was disappointed only to get 800 hours out of the lamp, so I had the shop replace the ballasts, and picked the PJ up from the shop, hoping there was an outside chance I could get Panasonic to help me with the lamp. Panasonic refused - not too surprising given the age of the PJ.

So, I bought a new lamp - Panasonic brand - online from Provantage. Got the lamp late September, installed it and turned the PJ on for a few minutes to make sure it was working. Everything seemed to be good. Powered it down.

We got busy and didn't turn it on again until late December. At that point - lamp won't come on. Frustrating.

Took it back to the shop. They said bad lamp - only has literally 5 minutes of use on it.

Question #1 - can these lamps be definitively tested as good or bad?

So, I called Provantage. Totally unhelpful. Completely ducked the issue and referred me to Panasonic. Panasonic was totally unhelpful. Said the warranty was 90 days and I was a few days over it.

Now I'm really frustrated. I've got $450 in repair costs, and am right back where I started.

Question # 2 - What's the chance I have a dead lamp from the factory? Could there be something else going on?

I went by a local electronics parts supply place here and asked for a recommendation on a good repair place. They suggested I give up on it.

Question #3 - Should I put any more money in this thing or try to take it to another repair shop?

Any thoughts most appreciated.

Although it's not too common, yes, sometimes lamps are defective, which is why they have a 90 day warranty. If the repair shop said it's the lamp I would escalate to a supervisor at Panasonic and demand a replacement. If you're only slightly outside the 90 days they should be able to make an exception and get it swapped out for you.

Thanks for the input. Panasonic is saying that they will not respond to any warranty from a consumer unless the product was purchased directly from Panasonic. They require me to work through the dealer, Provantage. Provantage has been completely uncooperative. I have called repeatedly. On my last call, I did ask to speak with a supervisor. The rep became irritated and put me on hold. I waited for several minutes and was disconnected. How's that for customer service? I don't know what kind of reputation these people may have generally, but they have been HORRIBLE to deal with in my experience. They have no interest in trying to help me. I told them what stance Panasonic had taken and asked them at least to contact Panasoinc as a dealer and ask for a warranty replacement. I was told they did not have any way to contact Panasonic. Can you believe that!? What a crock. I may make one more attempt to get a supervisor on the phone, but honestly, I think I'm wasting my time. Any other thoughts about my predicament? Thanks for any advice.

What were the exact symptoms you experienced when the last lamp went out? Did the projector just shut off? Which LED's lit up? Did you buy an OEM replacement lamp or a Chinese knock off?

First. the Replacement is a knock off. Now the green light goes on and that is it not light or fan.

When the projector stopped working, it just would not turn on and the red lamp led came on.

Thank you.
Seth

I have had a 900 for several years. Last summer In august I felt the light was dimming I had about 2200 hrs on it. I found a Lamp at Advanced lamps for less than 200.00. I ordered it free shipping at the time and special ext warranty for 4 wonths. In november with 85 hours it died. I called took a couple of days they said return it it is still under warranty and they promptly replaced it. The CSRs were very helpful and pleasant . They are a busy company and a bit difficult to get on phone but at this point I would highly reccomend them. I am not sure I do not think it is a panny amp. I have found in the past Panny people can be jerks.

First. the Replacement is a knock off. Now the green light goes on and that is it not light or fan.

When the projector stopped working, it just would not turn on and the red lamp led came on.

Thank you.
Seth

If I understand correctly you're saying the power LED turns green, but neither the lamp nor the fans fire up when you hit the power button? If the fans don't come on you have an internal issue requiring repair, in which case you'll probably just want to purchase a new projector.

Thanks for the input. Panasonic is saying that they will not respond to any warranty from a consumer unless the product was purchased directly from Panasonic. They require me to work through the dealer, Provantage. Provantage has been completely uncooperative. I have called repeatedly. On my last call, I did ask to speak with a supervisor. The rep became irritated and put me on hold. I waited for several minutes and was disconnected. How's that for customer service? I don't know what kind of reputation these people may have generally, but they have been HORRIBLE to deal with in my experience. They have no interest in trying to help me. I told them what stance Panasonic had taken and asked them at least to contact Panasoinc as a dealer and ask for a warranty replacement. I was told they did not have any way to contact Panasonic. Can you believe that!? What a crock. I may make one more attempt to get a supervisor on the phone, but honestly, I think I'm wasting my time. Any other thoughts about my predicament? Thanks for any advice.

The rep at Provantage that told you that can't be very bright. I would keep calling them, keep escalating to supervisors/managers and make myself a giant PITA until they step up and do something. It's one thing to deny your request, but to flat out lie like that is just ridiculous. Not to mention insulting. If I were in your shoes I'd make it my personal mission to bombard them with correspondence (calls, emails, letter(s) to corporate) until this is resolved.

Hey guys,

I'm new to AVS and a complete newbie to PJs in general. I've been doing a lot of research on budget PJs and I'm wondering if the Panny AE900U is still good compared to today's standards. I know this PJ is nearly 5 years old now.

Also, is $450 a good deal for this PJ with only 200 hours?

Thanks!

1408vols,

My ae9000 with about +3,000 hours on the first bulb has startup issues that sounds similar to what you are describing. The projector will intermittently start.....I usually have to cycle the hard power switch on the back two to three times to get it to start up. I'm not sure if this is a power supply or a lamp issue - at this point, I'm not going to put any money into this projector to find out. so far, i've always been able to get it to start up.....but not sure how long it will last.

one one thing that seems to have helped (but not resolve the issue) was to start running the projector in high lamp mode - there are some other posts in this thread on similar startup issues that recommend the high lamp 'fix'.

-good luck

Jeff J
3,000 is the lamp life on low power mode.

1408vols
This could be an iris issue.
Check this:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1119814&highlight=ae900+iris+issue
PM if You need the Service Manual.

The usage hours explained above are for when “LAMP POWER” in the “OPTION” menu has been set to “HIGH” and when “DYNAMIC IRIS” in the “PICTURE” menu has been set to “ON”. When “LAMP POWER” has been set to “HIGH” and “DYNAMIC IRIS” has been set to “OFF”, the usage hours will be 2 000 hours. If “LAMP POWER” is set to “LOW”, the brightness of the lamp will be less and life of the lamp can be extended.

The usage hours above refer to 3,000 hours. I cant find a specific spec for the bulb run in low, other than the 'extended' noted above.

thanks for the heads up, I'll prob reset my lamp timer tonight to see if that makes any difference to the startup - as I'm now running in high lamp.

sevnup,
I just bought a used AE900 with 850 hours on it for $450; I'd say $450 for one with 200 hours on it would be a great deal. The only thing is if you're buying it from someone you don't know the lamp may have been reset and it actually has more hours on it; that's just the chance you take buying used. As far as the quality, this is my first projector so I have nothing to compare it to. However, I bought it with the intention of using it for a year or so until I could afford something better but I will probably end up keeping it as long as it functions correctly as I'm completely satisfied with it.

Thanks techtre2003.

Mine just came in today, but won't have a chance to toy with it til next week unfortunately (damn VDAY!). Anyhow, I appreciate your input - this is also my first home theater pj so I'm certain I'll be pleased with it. And I'll take my chances with the lamp usage as you said it's a risk buying it used.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it! Right now I'm just using mine on an off-white wall with white ceilings and I still get a great picture; not quite as much "pop" as my 50" plasma, but the projected image I have is bigger than 4 of those plasma's put together (112") so I really don't care :) Plus, when I get a screen in and have a better viewing situation, I'm sure it will help quite a bit. We watched the Superbowl on it with two lamps on and the adjacent kitchen lights on with no problem.

sevnup,
... The only thing is if you're buying it from someone you don't know the lamp may have been reset and it actually has more hours on it; that's just the chance you take buying used....

techtre2003.

Yes, You can. If You enter in the "secret" Ext Option (service) menu:
1. When the projector is power ON, press "POWER" button on the main unit or remote control unit to display "POWER OFF" confirmation screen.
2. Press the right-arrow " " button to select "CANCEL" in the "POWER OFF" confirmation screen.
3. On the main unit or remote control unit, press the buttons in order of up-arrow " ", down-arrow " ", up-arrow " ", down-arrow " " and "ENTER".
(When the "ENTER" button is pressed, "EXT OPTION" menu is displayed.)

Selecting "Self Check" You will see, among other things the Total usage time and the times it was resetted.

ferbal,
Thanks for the tip. Do most projectors have this kind of option? That would be good to know in case I decide to go the used route again on my next pj :)

Ive been searching all over the net for an explanation of how to get pixelmapped on my panasonic ae900.

I have it connected with vga from my computer. But i cant get it to be pixelmapped. Tryed several resolutions.. please someone explain how i can make it pixelmapped via vga!

Ive been searching all over the net for an explanation of how to get pixelmapped on my panasonic ae900.

I have it connected with vga from my computer. But i cant get it to be pixelmapped. Tryed several resolutions.. please someone explain how i can make it pixelmapped via vga!

Set resolution on desktop of PC to 1280 x 720...

Ive tryed that.. But if i look at the "pixelmap" site the first picture does not look right. But the second picture looks like it should.

the site: www.pixelmappat.nu

Click "Nästa testbild" to check the next picture.

Do you guys have any better test that i can do to make sure i have it pixelmapped?

I'm hoping to get some opinions on deciding whether to try replacing the lamp on my AE900 or to just cut my losses. I bought it used about 6 months ago from a guy who showed it to me for about 20 minutes and it looked fine. He told me that as the bulb had 2100 hrs (supposedly on low power) on it that it tended to shut down after a few hours but he assured me that panasonic stated it was projector shutting itself down to protect itself from overheating due to the bulbs age. Well I got it home and had no luck getting more than ~30 minutes of runtime, I noticed it ran longer when hooked up to my ups (with avr) and I was able to get an hour or two at a time until it shut down and I had to restart it. I put it aside until now as I only needed it for a short term project at that point, but now I am debating trying to incorporate it into my family room remodel. I was thinking that it was a power supply issue, but maybe this could all be caused by a dying lamp? Any thoughts

Possibly helpful info...

The fan generally seems to work as it should based on my reading this thread and the manual.
It generally Starts fine, will run for anywhere from 30 mins to an hour. Picture shuts off but green light stays on, sometimes it will continue running and the picture will come back, other times it needs to be shut down and restarted. I've repeated this a few times and I think one of the times the light may have turned orange, but generally it stays green until I restart it or it comes back on.
It previously seemed to get better runtimes with the lamp on high, but today I turned it back to low to test. It fired up but after 10 minutes it started to cut in and out while displaying some purple variations of the blue screen and then just some pixelated messes. I heard a noise as the lamp tried to turn back on each time, almost like a short circuit. I shut it down then waited a few and set it back to high and it seems to be back to the ~30 min runtime.
Not so much a behavior but a note, but when I got it home initially the filter was plugged beyond belief. I cleaned it immediately but it could have been that way for a while with the previous owner.


Thanks in advance...
Rich

Welcome to AVS, Rich! It could be a power supply, lamp ballast or main board failure. The fact that the projector keeps running after the lamp fails tells me it's likely not a lamp issue. Unless you can find another AE900 for a good price and feel like swapping parts between the two I'd cut my losses and just get a new projector.

Thanks TF Ghost, I appreciate the opinion and the welcome. I was always hoping I would be able to post something useful before my first question, but thats life I guess. Unfortunately I'm under a tight budget for my room remodel and it would be great if the bulb would fix the issue, but at the same time theres no way I can afford the bulb and a new projector if the bulb doesn't fix it. I'm going to observe it for a few more days and see if the green light staying lit behavior changes at all or not. If not then I guess I'll see if anyone else needs it for parts. Thanks again...

Thanks TF Ghost, I appreciate the opinion and the welcome. I was always hoping I would be able to post something useful before my first question, but thats life I guess. Unfortunately I'm under a tight budget for my room remodel and it would be great if the bulb would fix the issue, but at the same time theres no way I can afford the bulb and a new projector if the bulb doesn't fix it. I'm going to observe it for a few more days and see if the green light staying lit behavior changes at all or not. If not then I guess I'll see if anyone else needs it for parts. Thanks again...

If you can turn on your PJ, enter in the Service Menu (see post #6348) and open the "Self Check" sub-menu to see if something went wrong the last time your PJ shutdowns: it will be marked in red letters or flashing. Write this down and let us know. Do not change anything in the other sub-menus. If you need the AE900 Service Manual PM your mail adress.

Been a loooong time I've posted.

Still have my beloved 900U and I'm still very satisfied. Beautiful picture. Don't see a need to 'upgrade' at all.:cool:

Been a loooong time I've posted.

Still have my beloved 900U and I'm still very satisfied. Beautiful picture. Don't see a need to 'upgrade' at all.:cool:

Ditto!

Me too.

Yep, going strong here too. Have one small dust speck that I need to take care of.

Yep, going strong here too.

Same here, 'cept the bulb is getting on and should be replaced soon. Rather than doing that, I may look into going LED or bumping up to 1080p.

So my lamp was real dim and I ordered a new one. I put it in, turned it on, everything looked fine...then I looked at the box and realized I ordered the wrong lamp. I got the one for the ae700u.

I know the two units are very similar so is there going to be anything wrong with me using this bulb? Will it be dimmer than it should've been? I can't tell because it's been a long time since I've seen my ae900u fresh :)

I've got a question. My 900's bulb has a hair over 4000 hrs on it.

The projector starts just fine but it will only stay on for about 20-30 minutes then it shuts down.

Does this sound like its a bulb issue or a projector issue? I don't want to waste the money on a new bulb if thats not the problem.

I've got a question. My 900's bulb has a hair over 4000 hrs on it.

The projector starts just fine but it will only stay on for about 20-30 minutes then it shuts down.

Does this sound like its a bulb issue or a projector issue? I don't want to waste the money on a new bulb if thats not the problem.
Its the bulb and the shut off is trying to save you from the bulb shattering.

Mine's been goign strong, despite a fall from the shelf and a loud fan noise or something, until this week. The lamps started to just shut off intermittently after an hour or so of use. The projector continues to stay on.

I dont' even know what's a decent $1500-$2000 projector that I should look into. Time for some research...

4000- duh!!!

Mine's been goign strong, despite a fall from the shelf and a loud fan noise or something, until this week. The lamps started to just shut off intermittently after an hour or so of use. The projector continues to stay on.

I dont' even know what's a decent $1500-$2000 projector that I should look into. Time for some research...

Let us know what you come up with:)

4000- duh!!!

Agreed +1000!

I have had my 900 for almost 4 years and just took possession of a new 4000 and all i can say is WOW...

WOW..

WOW...

No more color correction filters to mess with.
Awesome color with Cinema1 right out of the box.
Way blacker blacks
Way brighter picture.
Much less color push.

Smoother movie playback. 1080 24p on bluray is awesome.

Quieter operation.

Much bigger projector. I never even looked at dimensions so my projector shelf will have to be redone, but thats not an issue.

Watched 2 movies that I knew the 900 struggled with for shadow detail and overall color and was very pleasantly surprised.

Have always used a lumagen HDQ to help the old panny with color tracking and gamma and at first thought the 4000 looked a little cold, but realized it was getting a corrected signal meant for the 900. When I reset the color calibration to factory, the color balance suddenly got..... just about perfect. :)

The honeymoon is going to last a while with this new proj.

Hendo

I'm jealous Hendo!!!

Hi, I have had my AE900 for a hair under 5 years and just this last month it started displaying evenly spaced Vertical Lines across the screen about an inch apart. It displays them with or without cables so it is definitely projector related.

Anyone know a solution for this?

That's awesome. I had a very similar experience upgrading from the AE900U to an Epson 6500UB. I loved the Panasonic during the time I had it, but it's astounding how far we've come in a few short years. Consider also that I got my refurb 6500UB for a little less than I paid for my AE900U.

Now at CEDIA we're seeing excellent LCoS projectors coming in at "entry level" prices. I have a feeling our next scheduled upgrades will be equally satisfying.


Agreed +1000!

I have had my 900 for almost 4 years and just took possession of a new 4000 and all i can say is WOW...

WOW..

WOW...

No more color correction filters to mess with.
Awesome color with Cinema1 right out of the box.
Way blacker blacks
Way brighter picture.
Much less color push.

Smoother movie playback. 1080 24p on bluray is awesome.

Quieter operation.

Much bigger projector. I never even looked at dimensions so my projector shelf will have to be redone, but thats not an issue.

Watched 2 movies that I knew the 900 struggled with for shadow detail and overall color and was very pleasantly surprised.

Have always used a lumagen HDQ to help the old panny with color tracking and gamma and at first thought the 4000 looked a little cold, but realized it was getting a corrected signal meant for the 900. When I reset the color calibration to factory, the color balance suddenly got..... just about perfect. :)

The honeymoon is going to last a while with this new proj.

Hendo

I replaced my AE900 late last year with a new 4000 and it was a very very pleasant upgrade experience!

Hi, I have had my AE900 for a hair under 5 years and just this last month it started displaying evenly spaced Vertical Lines across the screen about an inch apart. It displays them with or without cables so it is definitely projector related.

Anyone know a solution for this?

Here is a pic of the problem

it could be one of the LCD Panels, those are expensive to replace. Below is a link to a thread started by somebody with a similar problem as yours, sorry that it seems like is not a simple fix, I had my AE900 for around 4 years and love it...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1150743

Jose.

Yikes, I am handy with a screwdriver but the possible fixes for this look intimidating. Regardless it looks like I would probably need a new main board for a couple hundred.

Might just be time to upgrade to 1080p. I was hoping for a new Panny but since they didn't show up this year, I'll probably just go with that new Epson 8350. Thanks for the link.

Not sure if anyone has encountered this but today my projector decided to cut off half the image in the vertical direction. What I'm seeing is that material that is 16x9 is cut off at about the mid point vertically and that the proejctor will only display the top portion. It seems to stretch the 16x4.5 image to 16x9. For example, in the diagram below A and B represent the complete image, where A is the top and B is the bottom.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

What I wind up seeing instead is:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sorry for the bad drawing... Anyone see this before? I've already ordered a new projector to replace this one but wanted to give the 900 to my father-in-law. Is this a lamp issue? The lamp has 1400 hours on it.

Not sure if anyone has encountered this but today my projector decided to cut off half the image in the vertical direction. What I'm seeing is that material that is 16x9 is cut off at about the mid point vertically and that the proejctor will only display the top portion. It seems to stretch the 16x4.5 image to 16x9. For example, in the diagram below A and B represent the complete image, where A is the top and B is the bottom.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

What I wind up seeing instead is:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sorry for the bad drawing... Anyone see this before? I've already ordered a new projector to replace this one but wanted to give the 900 to my father-in-law. Is this a lamp issue? The lamp has 1400 hours on it.

It's not a lamp problem.
Is the image vertically stretched?
Happens on all sources (even with the PJ's menu)?
Could you post a picture?

It's not a lamp problem.
Is the image vertically stretched?
Happens on all sources (even with the PJ's menu)?
Could you post a picture?

Yeah the image is vertically stretched. The symptom I'm seeing is that it takes a 16x9 image and cuts it in half horizonatally and than stretches the top half to fix the screen. It's happening in the menu's as well. I haven't tried all the inputs, only HDMI.

...It's happening in the menu's as well. I haven't tried all the inputs, only HDMI.

Your PJ is malfunctioning. Don't know if this problem is permanent or transitory.
You can:
Try another input.
Try to play, in the Position menu, with the aspect ratio, the V-position (position menu) and the overscan.
Try changing the desk/ceiling and front/rear settings in the Option menu. Do you always see the "AAAA"?
Turn the PJ off, disconnect the power cable for a while and try again.
Good luck.

I have 900U and when I power it up, everything starts up, but with no image other than the whole screen being green. My laptop is connect via the PC in input and when I switch through the inputs I can see that it is switching because the screen flashes like its going to the next input, but still no image. No menus, no blue start up screen, nothing except green light. I do not think it is the lamp, as I have the cover off and the lamp lights up fine, and I have the Green image, so it must at least be putting out light. I can see that the Red, Green, and Blue LCDs are lit, but again, no image is projected other than the whole screen being green. When I set it to the HDMI/PC input via the remote, and then switch my computer to output, I can see the projected green screen flash like it is switching, but still nothing.

Any ideas what is causing this?

Any direction would be appreciated...

I've had my ae900 since they were first released and it still works well. It has about 1150 hours, all with the lamp on high, and doesn't seem as bright as it once was. Of course, this is hard to quantify and I don't have any way of being sure. I'm wondering if anyone has charted the brightness drop over time and could give me an idea of the improvement I might expect if I replaced the bulb.

Thanks

I'm pretty much in the same exact boat as you. I'm looking at buying a replacement lamp and am also concerned that the bulb dimmed much faster than I expected. Can anyone tell me of reputable places to buy the replacement lamp so I know I'm getting Panny (not 3rd party lamp) but also won't get gouged on price?

Are there any other tweaks to brighten the picture without washing it out? Are there any newer Panny lamps to sub in (probably not possible, but figured I'd ask) that perform better in the unit or is it better to just replace with the intended lamp?

If this is against board rules I apologize, it's been a while since I've been here and remember the "no price discussion" rule but forget the rest of the particulars.

OFF TOPIC:
My Panny is still running and looking great, thanks to this forum many moons ago. After I got the pana and my other home theater equipment, I faded away from these forums.
I came back about two months ago to start looking for a LED for another room and found the "no price discussion" what happended? That was one of the great things here when I was trying to determain which projector to get.
Just wondering..

Have a great Christmas!!!

I'm pretty much in the same exact boat as you. I'm looking at buying a replacement lamp and am also concerned that the bulb dimmed much faster than I expected. Can anyone tell me of reputable places to buy the replacement lamp so I know I'm getting Panny (not 3rd party lamp) but also won't get gouged on price?

Are there any other tweaks to brighten the picture without washing it out? Are there any newer Panny lamps to sub in (probably not possible, but figured I'd ask) that perform better in the unit or is it better to just replace with the intended lamp?

If this is against board rules I apologize, it's been a while since I've been here and remember the "no price discussion" rule but forget the rest of the particulars.

As a bit of a follow up, I got this response from one vendor when I asked if their replacement lamp was a true Panasonic product: "This lamp has the original brand bulb that Panasonic uses inside a compatible housing and does not come directly from Panasonic." Is this good enough or should I go for the full Panasonic product for about $90 more?

Hey fellow 900u owners. I have been a very happy owner of my 900u for 5 years now. I currently have ~3000 hours on the original lamp, and besides being obviously due for a replacement lamp, this projector has been perfect. I (like many others) am now faced with the decision of spending the $350 on a new OEM lamp, or $1199 for a good LCD like the 8350. I don't need help deciding what to do...basically my choice, but can anyone comment on going through a similar dilemma...basically sort of falling out of love with this great PJ because of a very dim lamp, then replacing the lamp? Was it worth it? Did if feel like a new projector all over again? Are the differences in the cheaper LCD's like the 8350 worth spending the extra $700 for?

I look forward to your comments.

Hey fellow 900u owners. I have been a very happy owner of my 900u for 5 years now. I currently have ~3000 hours on the original lamp, and besides being obviously due for a replacement lamp, this projector has been perfect. I (like many others) am now faced with the decision of spending the $350 on a new OEM lamp, or $1199 for a good LCD like the 8350. I don't need help deciding what to do...basically my choice, but can anyone comment on going through a similar dilemma...basically sort of falling out of love with this great PJ because of a very dim lamp, then replacing the lamp? Was it worth it? Did if feel like a new projector all over again? Are the differences in the cheaper LCD's like the 8350 worth spending the extra $700 for?

I look forward to your comments.

I got my 900u for about as long as you as well, i got about 1800 hours on original lamp, it still looks good, not too dim.
I am considering moving to a new 1080p projector, but not quite yet, in the mean time, I would definitively buy an new bulb for mine, it is a great projector and even if I buy another I will keep it for things like parties (projecting outside, taking it to a different location etc ), I am not parting with my 900u, it has been a great unit and still is, plus with a new bulb picture will be as good as new.
Like you said, it is your call but i would buy the bulb, the 900u is worth it, even if you buy a new primary projector you can always find a purpose for your panny...

Thanks BajaCapt....I would definately keep it as a spare or for an outdoor theater. Any comments on picture improvement on the 900u after replacing the lamp?

Thanks BajaCapt....I would definately keep it as a spare or for an outdoor theater. Any comments on picture improvement on the 900u after replacing the lamp?

I can't comment on that since like I said before, I am still on original lamp, but I am am sure you will love the lumens :)
I would make sure to recalibrate the unit, specially if you have tweak it to compensate for the dim picture on an older lamp, obviously your new lamp will be a lot brighter so adjust to your preference after installing lamp...
Good luck on that ;)

Jon:

I've owned my AE900 since 09/06 and absolutely love it. Although there are many newer projectors out there that will outperform this unit I'm very satisfied with it and will continue to use it for some time to come.

Last January I replaced the original lamp after 3200 hours. The improvement was like night and day, like having a new projector. The second lamp now has about 800 hours on it and has dimmed slightly but it's still a pleasure to watch. I'm glad I installed the new lamp and actually have another waiting in reserve. I expect to use this projector for at least another 2 or 3 years, until such time as reasonably priced LED units are release and proven.

My .02 cents for what it's worth.

Best regards
Ross

After lamp replacement (with a genuine Panasonic lamp) I was disappointed because the picture quality is not even close to orignal quality. It is dimmer, contrast seems to be way lower, back is way off, the picture is soft like being out of focus.

I certainly didnot expect to get the brandnew quality back, but was hoping it would get close. This is not even close.

Anyone witht he same experience and possible fix?

Thanks.

Well I went ahead and ordered an OEM lamp from B&H photo. Seemed to be the best deal from a reputable dealer for a genuine lamp. Hopefully I get my old image back.

Well I went ahead and ordered an OEM lamp from B&H photo. Seemed to be the best deal from a reputable dealer for a genuine lamp. Hopefully I get my old image back.

Yeah, B&H is a great business to shop from, I do a lot of my online shopping there, great prices on brand products, also, since I am in California I don't pay tax, nice!
Please let us know how you new bulb works out :)

Yeah, B&H is a great business to shop from, I do a lot of my online shopping there, great prices on brand products, also, since I am in California I don't pay tax, nice!
Please let us know how you new bulb works out :)

Will do. It should arrive Thursday....plenty of time for me to get it installed and watch the Packers advance to the Super Bowl by trouncing the Cubs....errr...Bears. Looking forward to seeing a brighter image.

I have had my 900U since new for about four years. At that time, I bought two Panasonic lamps with filters from Japan just to be sure as there was some speculation about a shortage of bulbs that never materialized. Well, after four years, I managed to put only 745 hours on the original bulb. I just sold one of the spare bulbs (at a loss) and will soon sell the other bulb and the 900U as I just bought a 4000U to upgrade. It seems to have better reds and improved detail (as it should being a 1080p projector), but I feel the 900U is still an amazing value.

I put my new lamp in and did a quick recalibration with my Avia disk. I feel like I have my new projector back. Picture looks fantastic once more. I'm glad i resisted the temptation to upgrade at this point. The 900u is still awesome!

I too still have my 5 yr/old 900U and love it! I've got 1250 hrs. on it and it still looks great. Origional bulb in low power (most of the time).

ISSUE: I noticed that I have a convergence issue with white text. It's about 4-5 pixels out with red on one side and blue on the other. When I first got the PJ it was out maybe 1 pixel which I considered pretty good.

When watching content you don't see it really except on like very white edges on dark backgrounds and then again you have to be looking for it and it's not distracting. Otherwise the PJ looks pretty darn good still, maybe a little dimmer.

QUESTION: Would this amount of mis-allignment affect the quality of the picture? Make it less crisp? I think it looks a bit less focused but maybe that's just me (and yes, I've adjusted the focus ring). I don' have anything to compare it to so alone it still looks ok but I don' t know what I'm missing since it's been 5 years since I've seen it new. I sit back about 14' from a 109" screen. Celing mounted...

I looked on projectordoctor.com and a preventative maintenance service claims it includes an LCD convergence allignment!! Is this possible on a 900U ????? It's $199 for this including a dozen other service checks.

I put my new lamp in and did a quick recalibration with my Avia disk. I feel like I have my new projector back. Picture looks fantastic once more. I'm glad i resisted the temptation to upgrade at this point. The 900u is still awesome!

It's really good to hear that, glad it worked out good for you.
It pays to spend the extra cash in a original replacement part, no doubt about it...
I will be buying from B&H when the time comes to replace mine as well, thanks for the update! ;)

I have had my 900 for about 4+ years and have got around 8000+hours on it. with a lamp replacement due I have a problem with mine that has been ongoing for about a year. When I power it on I have a growling sound (like a bad bearing) I power it off and on a few times and it will sometimes go away. anyone else had this issue and is it an easy (cheap) fix ? Or should I plan a replacemnt projector . I don't whant to spend the money on another lamp if it is on the way out.

Thanks

The grinding noise is either the Fan or the auto-iris, and to be honest I can't recall if the 900 has an IRIS or not......if it doesn't, its the fan.

Technically its a replaceable part, but with 1080p projectors now in the $600-700 range, and you needing a bulb to begin with.....you might want to think about an upgrade.

The grinding noise is either the Fan or the auto-iris, and to be honest I can't recall if the 900 has an IRIS or not......if it doesn't, its the fan.

Technically its a replaceable part, but with 1080p projectors now in the $600-700 range, and you needing a bulb to begin with.....you might want to think about an upgrade.

I believe the 900 has an auto iris..........but the growling sound is apparant before the screen even has a chance to turn blue or display a picture. sometimes I give up turning it on and off to get it to go away and just turn the volume up on the system. But I am concerned it may be aproblem that will cost me to fix and that with a lamp replacement due. I agree with you it may be better to put those funds to upgrade to 1080 projector instead.

Yeah, doesn't really matter what the cause is...something is amiss, and you have gotten quite a bit of life out of it.

I would suggest you sell it for parts (people with 900's would give you a few bucks if your panels or light block isn't damaged, because that is a $$$$ part from panasonic that is worth more than the cost of a new PJ).

The grinding noise is either the Fan or the auto-iris, and to be honest I can't recall if the 900 has an IRIS or not......if it doesn't, its the fan.

Technically its a replaceable part, but with 1080p projectors now in the $600-700 range, and you needing a bulb to begin with.....you might want to think about an upgrade.

It does have an iris. Mine started doing exactly this as well recently (naturally after I dropped $300 on a new lamp). It's pretty annoying, but you can't hear it if the volume is up a bit. I researched the heck out of this and found a post where a guy fixed his. He basically took off the top cover and powered up his projector. He was able to tell that the noise was coming from the iris and saw the two bearings that were making the noise. A shot of WD-40 he said fixed the issue. I may try this tonight in hopes I can quiet it up in time for my Super Bowl party. If I break it....well that give me a few days to get a new one up by Sunday :D. The only other option would be the fan, but mine doesn't sound like it is coming from the fan. Here is the link to the thread on this issue. Hope it helps:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors/730232-pt-ae900-question.html

It does have an iris. Mine started doing exactly this as well recently (naturally after I dropped $300 on a new lamp). It's pretty annoying, but you can't hear it if the volume is up a bit. I researched the heck out of this and found a post where a guy fixed his. He basically took off the top cover and powered up his projector. He was able to tell that the noise was coming from the iris and saw the two bearings that were making the noise. A shot of WD-40 he said fixed the issue. I may try this tonight in hopes I can quiet it up in time for my Super Bowl party. If I break it....well that give me a few days to get a new one up by Sunday :D. The only other option would be the fan, but mine doesn't sound like it is coming from the fan. Here is the link to the thread on this issue. Hope it helps:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/projectors/730232-pt-ae900-question.html

Thanks I'll give this a try. It sure will be better than buying a new Projector at this time.

Thanks I'll give this a try. It sure will be better than buying a new Projector at this time.

Victory!! I actually followed this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=967231

Basically I unplugged the ribbon cable that powers the iris.....noise GONE! I don't feel comfortable taking anything apart any further without a service manual. If anyone has the PDF for that PLEASE PM me and I would love to have it so I can actually fix the iris and have it. But for now I will enjoy my quite projector.

Victory!! I actually followed this post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=967231

Basically I unplugged the ribbon cable that powers the iris.....noise GONE! I don't feel comfortable taking anything apart any further without a service manual. If anyone has the PDF for that PLEASE PM me and I would love to have it so I can actually fix the iris and have it. But for now I will enjoy my quite projector.

I took mine aprt last night but was unable to power the unit with the cover off. Seen no bearings unless they meen fans so I didn't oil anything.

Jandawil , Did you notice a differance in in picture quality disabling the iris ?

Still willing to do soething to keep this a bit longer . I have juat added Twin girls to the family so buying a new projector will be stretching the budget.

I took mine aprt last night but was unable to power the unit with the cover off. Seen no bearings unless they meen fans so I didn't oil anything.

Jandawil , Did you notice a differance in in picture quality disabling the iris ?

Still willing to do soething to keep this a bit longer . I have juat added Twin girls to the family so buying a new projector will be stretching the budget.

I can't tell a discernible difference in black level with the iris off. Perhaps with the bad bearing it has not been working right anyhow. If you read up many people choose to leave it off because they find it distracting. It's a very simple to fix it. Just take the cover off, find the ribbon cable labeled A23 and unplug it (its the center of the cluster of three on the board). Noise went away. You also need to make sure you disable the iris in the menu options in the setup menu because the PJ won't know the iris is disconnected. The iris can be replaced for $63 if you want, but you would need a service manual to do the repairs. Also you can power on the PJ with the cover off, you just need to find the soft button on the circuit board labeled power and press it. It's there but tricky to find. Give it a shot and report back if you have any luck...or issues. This projector is worth keeping around and I plan on trying to get another couple of years out of it until I can afford 1080P 3D.

BTW...I was unable to see any bearings either even with my ear down there listening for the noise. Too much stuff in the way. Wouldn't start taking it apart further without service manual. The unplugging of the cable was the easy way to fix it and I don't see any picture difference really.

BINGO ! Unplugged A23 and noise went away . diabled the Iris in the settings menu and wisper quiet again . I'll order the new part and replace it in the near future . Glad this worked I didn't want to buy a new projector at this time .

Thanks for all the help !

BINGO ! Unplugged A23 and noise went away . diabled the Iris in the settings menu and wisper quiet again . I'll order the new part and replace it in the near future . Glad this worked I didn't want to buy a new projector at this time .

Thanks for all the help !

Congrats! Let us know how the iris replacement works out for you.

Can anyone tell me if the AE900 accepts the HDMI signal at 0-255 or 16-235?
Is it possible to set the projector to one or the other.

I thought the ae900 was 16-235, but am not sure.

I still think my projector looks pretty decent, but my second bulb is about to go. I purchased my ae900 around the end of 2005. I put almost 3000hrs (if I remember correctly) on one bulb and the other one is around 2650hrs now. I don't think its worth it to pay $200-300 for a new bulb, since the projector itself isn't the newest, but I didn't know if any one had any experience with just replacing the bulb itself and not the entire lamp.

I've seen some bulb only parts on ebay for around $80. Anyone try this? The other option is going for the epson 8350...

I thought I'd try to post on here, even though its a rather old thread.

thanks,

I thought the ae900 was 16-235, but am not sure.

I still think my projector looks pretty decent, but my second bulb is about to go. I purchased my ae900 around the end of 2005. I put almost 3000hrs (if I remember correctly) on one bulb and the other one is around 2650hrs now. I don't think its worth it to pay $200-300 for a new bulb, since the projector itself isn't the newest, but I didn't know if any one had any experience with just replacing the bulb itself and not the entire lamp.

I've seen some bulb only parts on ebay for around $80. Anyone try this? The other option is going for the epson 8350...

I thought I'd try to post on here, even though its a rather old thread.

thanks,

The cheaper bulbs you find on ebay and elsewhere are made in China and from what I have read on various review sites are lacking in quality control. They may arrive DOA or run a few hours to several hundred hours before popping or operate with quickly diminishing light output. I might go the Chinese bulb route if I were giving the projector away or keeping as a back-up. But if this is going to be your primary projector I would stick with the OEM Panasonic bulb.

I just replaced the bulb in my Panasonic 900 (purchased February 2006) on Saturday. The original bulb went 3000 hours in eco-mode, the second bulb I ran in HIGH mode for 2000 hours. The first replacement bulb was a genuine Panasonic as is the new third bulb. The OEM Panasonic bulbs are still produced in Japan. Using an inexpensive light meter I measured the light output at the center of my 120" screen, the reading before the change was 87 lux and after the change was 142 lux (actually the old bulb with 2000 hours didn't look that bad). The new bulb is producing a nice bright and clear picture and even though it is only a 720p projector the HDTV programs and Blu-rays are looking great.

The cheaper bulbs you find on ebay and elsewhere are made in China and from what I have read on various review sites are lacking in quality control. They may arrive DOA or run a few hours to several hundred hours before popping or operate with quickly diminishing light output. I might go the Chinese bulb route if I were giving the projector away or keeping as a back-up. But if this is going to be your primary projector I would stick with the OEM Panasonic bulb.

I just replaced the bulb in my Panasonic 900 (purchased February 2006) on Saturday. The original bulb went 3000 hours in eco-mode, the second bulb I ran in HIGH mode for 2000 hours. The first replacement bulb was a genuine Panasonic as is the new third bulb. The OEM Panasonic bulbs are still produced in Japan. Using an inexpensive light meter I measured the light output at the center of my 120" screen, the reading before the change was 87 lux and after the change was 142 lux (actually the old bulb with 2000 hours didn't look that bad). The new bulb is producing a nice bright and clear picture and even though it is only a 720p projector the HDTV programs and Blu-rays are looking great.

Excellent post, thanks you so much for this info.
I am still on my first bulb on my panny with about 1700 hours, it still looks great on a DIY screen. I been very lucky with this projector, not one problem at all, I do however keep that air filter very clean.
I think when the time comes to replace the lamp I will do it and get the original panny replacement, now, after that bulb goes then I will consider a projector upgrade, at this point, the 720p or 1080i picture from this projector is very good, looks awesome with Blu Rays, as well as my NFL Sunday games on 1080i. To sum it up, if you have a good working condition AE900U, it is definitively worth the $300 original panny bulb replacement, just my 2 cents.

Thanks Mr G. I appreciate the comments. I keep hearing about bad things happening to oem lamps, or original ones, but I've thus far been very lucky with bulbs. I've never had one break on me (knock on wood).

I think I'm trying to find an excuse to get a 1080p projector? But also wouldn't mind waiting until the fall to see what the new ones are going to be. Decisions.

Greetings, am new here to the thread.

Just coupla days ago picked up a used AE900E for $400 here in the Philippines from a fellow expat. Was manufactured in May '06 with 41 hours on the original bulb (apparently he hardly used it) so am thinking I got a pretty good deal. But even though it's hardly used, it's still over five years old which leads to my question:

For other owners of this model, does a fan-like "whooshing" noise increase noticeably during bright scenes and then get inaudible during dark scenes? I have Dynamic Iris on, set to low bulb power and normal fan control, and I notice an increase in noise coming from the projector in bright scenes (ones with no darkness). If I set the Iris off in options, I notice my picture goes immediately dimmer and the whooshing noise goes away. It's only in scenes with full brightness with the Iris on and after about one hour of use (I guess after it gets hot in the box) and no darkness anywhere in the picture that I hear the increase in the steady noise (not a rumble or clicking like others have described but an annoying increase in fan noise). Am trying to determine if this is normal behavior. With the cover off I really can't hear the noise, it gets amplified by the cover being on.

My first projector (BenQ W100) that I replaced with this one never had any change in noise whether dark or light scenes so I am just trying to determine if this is a characteristic of this Panasonic. Just seems when the bulb goes full open (?) during bright scenes, the unit makes more noise.

Thanks for any advice! Andy

It's normal and is the iris I think. Mine is the same and always has been. Sit back and enjoy!

The 900U is still a great PJ. Blu-ray, DVD look fantastic. I can't justify upgrading when the pic is so good. Unless the AE4000 has a ridiculous close out sale, then maybe.;)

Greetings, am new here to the thread.

Just coupla days ago picked up a used AE900E for $400 here in the Philippines from a fellow expat. Was manufactured in May '06 with 41 hours on the original bulb (apparently he hardly used it) so am thinking I got a pretty good deal. But even though it's hardly used, it's still over five years old which leads to my question:

For other owners of this model, does a fan-like "whooshing" noise increase noticeably during bright scenes and then get inaudible during dark scenes? I have Dynamic Iris on, set to low bulb power and normal fan control, and I notice an increase in noise coming from the projector in bright scenes (ones with no darkness). If I set the Iris off in options, I notice my picture goes immediately dimmer and the whooshing noise goes away. It's only in scenes with full brightness with the Iris on and after about one hour of use (I guess after it gets hot in the box) and no darkness anywhere in the picture that I hear the increase in the steady noise (not a rumble or clicking like others have described but an annoying increase in fan noise). Am trying to determine if this is normal behavior. With the cover off I really can't hear the noise, it gets amplified by the cover being on.

My first projector (BenQ W100) that I replaced with this one never had any change in noise whether dark or light scenes so I am just trying to determine if this is a characteristic of this Panasonic. Just seems when the bulb goes full open (?) during bright scenes, the unit makes more noise.

Thanks for any advice! Andy

To be honest, this howling/whooshing noise the Dynamic Iris starts to make during quiet bright scenes is driving me nuts. Is quite distracting to have the projector make this intermittent howling noise during movies and such. I do see a big picture difference with the iris off (is better with the iris on in dark scenes) so am curious if I will still be able to achieve 3000 hrs on the bulb with the iris off and with low bulb power set? Any one have a clue? Cheers..... Andy

To be honest, this howling/whooshing noise the Dynamic Iris starts to make during quiet bright scenes is driving me nuts. Is quite distracting to have the projector make this intermittent howling noise during movies and such. I do see a picture difference with the iris off (is better with the iris on but not thaaat much) so am curious if I will still be able to achieve 3000 hrs on the bulb with the iris off and with low bulb power set? Any one have a clue? Cheers..... Andy

Iris issues are discussed in this older thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15651902#post15651902

Iris issues are discussed in this older thread:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=15651902#post15651902

Ya, I had read that thread but it seemed to be more geared towards those that have a clicking or rattling noise while mine is more of a howling kind of noise after the projector heated up and only during light scenes.

So I decided to oil the two iris pivot point mechanisms anyway just for gee whiz purposes because the howling was getting on my nerves and I didn't want to disconnect the iris as I noticed that the picture in dark scenes is so much better with the iris on. And wouldn't you know it, it worked! I have no more howling noise after the oiling. The projector stayed quiet after performing multiple tests of dark and totally light scenes. So perhaps one of pivot points was stuck altering the airflow through the projector and making the howling noise.

For those interested, oiling is actually kind of easy, the hardest part about it was cleaning up the residue. The top pivot point is easiest, pull the cover off like the many posts have already described. Carefully pull off the two wire connectors above the pivot point so it's easier to reach your tube off oil close to the pivot point. Oil both sides off the pivot point and work the oil in by tilting the projector and manually working the iris back and forth, back and forth. Then oil it again and repeat. Wipe off residue. Then stick the two connectors back on.

The bottom one is a tad harder to reach but still doable. Remove the bulb and now you will have a small space to reach your tube of oil into the hole where the bottom mechanism sits. Drop some oil on both sides of the pivot point then immediately tilt the projector on its side so the oil can seep along the small rod. Work the iris back and forth, back and forth so the oil gets in there. Repeat. Then of course wipe off the residue. Put the bulb back in.

I know this is a very old projector but the one I got 2nd hand as described above is practically brand new. I guess it sitting in the guys closet for five years had froze one of the irisis so I am very pleased in solving this iris howling noise problem. Hope my post can help others :)

So my Harmony 880 died recently. I recall when I bought my AE900 that people often said the remote for the AE900 worked pretty well as a universal. I'm looking through the manual for the AE900 and can't find anything about programming the remote, the codes for it, etc. Can anyone here point me in the right direction? I'm looking to program a THX1015, Comcast HD DVR, Oppo DVD player, and monoprice HDMI switcher.

So my Harmony 880 died recently. I recall when I bought my AE900 that people often said the remote for the AE900 worked pretty well as a universal. I'm looking through the manual for the AE900 and can't find anything about programming the remote, the codes for it, etc. Can anyone here point me in the right direction? I'm looking to program a THX1015, Comcast HD DVR, Oppo DVD player, and monoprice HDMI switcher.

I don't remember this about the remote...It is backlit though.

When is the last time you got a remote/HDDVR Box from cable company. My older cable box died and the new box was the same but the remote was an upgrade. It knew many more codes than the old one...and was backlit! I use it when the batteries need recharging about every couple months for my Harmony...

PH:

What you're looking for is the separate "Remote Control Operating Guide", Panasonic publication number TQBJ 0187, which can be found here: ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/panasonic/drivers/PBTS/manuals/OM_PT-AE900URemote.pdf

Hope this helps.

Best regards
Ross

just di the lamp reset trick so i think i have 5000 hours on the lamp.

Where is good place to get a replacement Advanced, Apex or pureland? or somewhere else?

just di the lamp reset trick so i think i have 5000 hours on the lamp.

Where is good place to get a replacement Advanced, Apex or pureland? or somewhere else?

I've had good results with Ebay. You can save $50 or more, but don't get the chinese crap though. Only OEM.

I've had good results with Ebay. You can save $50 or more, but don't get the chinese crap though. Only OEM.

heard that