But I have some questions:


1. Room description: There are only 3 windows in the room, it's a bay window so all three are in the same place. They have blinds on them so I can close them up, plus I'm going to buy some drapes to go over them.

2. I have not 100% decided on a screen size yet. I know I want a 16:9 aspect ratio, and that I am very much into high picture quality. I am leaning towards just putting the projector at the back of my room on a shelf, and whatever screen size that makes it, I will build a screen to match (I'm using Wilsonart DW). From one end of my room to the other it is about 23'. I figured this would put the projector lens at about 21.5', and according to this projection calculator (http://projectorcentral.com/Panasonic_Home-PT-AX100U-projection-calculator-pro.htm) on www.projectorcentral.com, with a gain of 1.2 (which Wilsonart DW provides), my screen would be about 106" diagonal at 21.5'. I know the calculator says this setup would be bright enough, but I know you can't always rely on little web calculators like that. So what do you guys think? Would this setup be bright enough for my room? The range of lumen output on the AX100U is exceptional. In optimized dark theater mode, our test unit measured 343 ANSI lumens. But in Vivid Cinema mode, which still retains exceptional color and contrast, brightness was boosted to over 800 lumens. And in Dynamic mode we were able to get over 1400 lumens without too much compromise in image quality. This would be ideal for a Super Bowl party where brightness in ambient light is all important, and small variances from color standards are not noticed by anyone. None of Panasonic's prior models in this line have anywhere near this range of lumen output flexibility. (The AX100U will actually generate lumen outputs higher than 1400, but we wouldn't use those settings for video viewing or gaming.)Most likely I will need to use one mode for day and another for night. If this setup will not suit the needs of my room, then I would be willing to buy a ceiling mount and mount it anywhere. Basically I'm just looking for the optimal screen size for my room. The wall where the screen is going is only about 113" wide, so obviously the screen can't be wider than that. Of course the bigger the screen the better, I just need to be able to see it during the day and during night. I do realize that it will not be optimal viewing during the day.

3. Is it best to avoid using the lens zoom? Am I correct when I say that if you turn up the zoom, it increases brightness and screen size, while decreasing picture quality slightly? Or does lens zoom decrease screen size? Also, is lens and physical zoom the same thing?

4. There is no quoted lamp life for this projector. Does anyone know how long this projectors lamp usually lasts? I will be purchasing it from www.projectorpeople.com along with the lamp warranty. Also, since projectorpeople is a forum sponsor, is there any way to get a discount?

5. Is lag a common problem with front projectors? Does this projector lag at all?

6. Does this projector accept 480i on its component and HDMI inputs? Also does it accept 1080p over component?

7. Does lens shift affect picture quality? If you use lens shift, it should not distort the image and you should not have to use keystone correction, right?

8. Which picture mode on this projector provides the highest picture quality? Can it be brought close to ISF standards using DVE? Are any of the picture modes somewhat accurate out of the box?

9. Do a lot of people get their projectors ISF calibrated? Does this make a significant difference in the projector world like it does in the TV world?

10. So I have learned that these projector lamps slowly dim over time, then one day burn out. When you first get your projector and set it up, how long should you wait before calibrating it? After you calibrate it, your lamp is slowly going to dim over time. Should you accomodate for this by increasing brightness every so often? When you increse brightness, does it throw off your other settings like contrast, colors, etc., so you have to re-calibrate those too?


Thanks alot.


EDIT>>I was thinking about using a little bit of zoom so I could have a bigger picture. How much will this effect my picture quality, just using a little bit of zoom? Will it be noticeable?

Come on. Anybody?

i guess this are just too much questions :( sorry

You have alot of questions for one post.I would just get the ax100 and you will love it.I have one.It will work in any room at pretty much any distance,I would keep the screen size less than 130.I use a 110in.Do not worry about ISF calibration,Waste of money,Get a setup disk and use it.BOB

Answers to some.


1. Ambient light bad. Shades/blinds good. Drapes much better.

3. Using zoom will affect brightness some, but I would doubt it'd be noticeable. Zoom if you must. I don't think it would disappoint you in the least.

4. The lamp is rated 2000/3000 (normal/eco) but I don't know if eco still exists with this projector after the recent troubles they had and the new firmware. Do some research on this.

5. Lag isn't a problem any more. Don't know if it used to be but I never noticed any with my panny.

7. Lens shift is great and makes this a great first projector. Ease of setup is wonderful. Pic quality shouldn't be an issue.

8. Cinema 1 & 2 are both very well calibrated. The panny is one of the best out of the box projectors. I calibrated mine with DVE, but not really sure if I actually made any adjustments.

9. I would say in the under 3k forum, most folks don't pay for calibration.
Do it yourself with DVE.

10. The rate of dimming is gradual and probably not noticable until it really starts to dim (1000 or more hours). I would probably recommend calibrating no more than once a year. But I've never had more than 250 hours on a projector (250 on my panny, 50 or so with my current sharp), so that's my best guess so far.

10. The rate of dimming is gradual and probably not noticable until it really starts to dim (1000 or more hours). I would probably recommend calibrating no more than once a year. But I've never had more than 250 hours on a projector (250 on my panny, 50 or so with my current sharp), so that's my best guess so far.you mean with 1000 hours left on the lamp or 1000 hours used?

I think he means 1000 hrs used, but on my Sanyo Z4 I found it had an initial "burst" that lasted a 100 hrs or so. It was almost plasma like. I had to re-calibrate my brightness and contrast to compensate...colors didn't seem to be affected.

I meant 1000 hrs used.
But again, never had a projector over 250 hours

My panny ax100 had 250 hours and the last thing I watched before returning it was the lost finale this year. Since I was returning it the next day, I switched from Eco to normal. It was too bright still.

The shorter throw you use...the brighter the image will be ---

You probably won't have to worry about this because this projector is a light cannon...but the closer the projector is to the screen....the brighter the image will be at any given size....

for example...

for a 98" image....you could have the projector anywhere from 10feet - 20 feet from the screen by using the 2.0x zoom lens....but using the shorter throw range at 10ft will yield a 20% brighter image (approximately)

Again....This isn't a problem you should worry about since this projector has plenty of light.....but i'm just trying to answer your second question.


Also....if you use the SHORTEST (10ft for the 98") of the zoom range...it can 'supposedly' tend to make light less uniform across the screen....not where you could really tell...but we are all 'videophiles' here right?

so if it were me....i'd place it somewhere between 12-14 ft (for a 98" screen) --- but thats just me....i'd also ceiling mount :)

My current set-up is a PT-AE700u projecting a 119" image and i have it as close as the screen as possible at the shortest throw (the 700 is also 2.0x) and don't notice any light uniformity issues....i have over 1600 hours....mine also is not nearly as bright as the ax100

The shorter throw you use...the brighter the image will be ---

You probably won't have to worry about this because this projector is a light cannon...but the closer the projector is to the screen....the brighter the image will be at any given size....

for example...

for a 98" image....you could have the projector anywhere from 10feet - 20 feet from the screen by using the 2.0x zoom lens....but using the shorter throw range at 10ft will yield a 20% brighter image (approximately)

Again....This isn't a problem you should worry about since this projector has plenty of light.....but i'm just trying to answer your second question.


Also....if you use the SHORTEST (10ft for the 98") of the zoom range...it can 'supposedly' tend to make light less uniform across the screen....not where you could really tell...but we are all 'videophiles' here right?

so if it were me....i'd place it somewhere between 12-14 ft (for a 98" screen) --- but thats just me....i'd also ceiling mount :)

My current set-up is a PT-AE700u projecting a 119" image and i have it as close as the screen as possible at the shortest throw (the 700 is also 2.0x) and don't notice any light uniformity issues....i have over 1600 hours....mine also is not nearly as bright as the ax100So at 10 ft for a 98" screen you would have to turn the zoom all the way up to 2.0x right?