I noticed last night on my PT-AE1000U that any Black or Grey surface had a pretty visible scrolling in it. A completely Black screen would appear to have charcoal bars in it that would scroll up or down.

All settings are at Default, and Mode is Cinema 1, although changing to other modes did not seem to make a difference.

Is this something that can be resolved via calibration (I had not calibrated as I was told this projector was nearly perfectly calibrated out of the box), or am I looking at a defective pj?

Stephen G

Scrolling bars running across the screen are usually a ground loop problem. Try:

Disconnecting your cable TV input and see if it goes away using your DVD payer. If it does you know the grounding problem is in the cable line.

Plugging all your components into the same outlet. Use an extension cord if necessary.

It is not likely to be calibration or a defect in your projector.

Tom

Alternately you can try something like a Belkin battery back up/line conditioner/surge protector, I've got one and it works at filtering interference. Makes sure ALL you components are plugged into it (to alleviate the common grounding problem)

Hope it help...