So after ignoring all of the naysayers and rolling the dice, my trusty Panny AX100 has begun to show a color uniformity issue. At 130hrs, I have begun to see a reddish coloration to the lower half of the screen while the top half has a lovely bluish tint to it. I contacted PP and within 24 hours they had me on a conference call with Heartland and set up an RMA to send my unit back for service. I purchased it back on January 27, 2007 so I am well within the 1year/2000 hours limit. I am nervous as my unit had excellent convergence and was off by maybe 1/2 a pixel. I am worried after paying almost $100 to ship this unit back to them for repair that I will end up with a poorly converged unit that will have great color uniformity. Additionally, I fear that this issue is due to (warning: opinion/assumption follows)a poorly designed unit that does not dissipate enough heat. My thoughts are that this will occur again and next time it may not be under warranty. (opinion/assumption over)
So to recap, PP has handled this situation very well and I do not regret purchasing this from them and would highly recommend them to any and all. Heartland has also (so far) been very accommodating. Thoughts and experiences are welcomed as I would like to know what I am in for. I know there are at least 2 avsforum users who have had to send their units in for service and any advice is greatly appreciated.

Additionally, I fear that this issue is due to (warning: opinion/assumption follows)a poorly designed unit that does not dissipate enough heat. My thoughts are that this will occur again and next time it may not be under warranty. (opinion/assumption over)

Color uniformity isn't heat related, unless you've toasted the polarizers, but that would show up as something different. Every LCD PJ I have seen has this issue to some degree...some show a very minimal amount while others are horrendous.

My HS51A for instance had horrible uniformity. To the point where I could not watch it any longer...B&W movies/scenes magnified the problem..so watching the beginning of movies like Casino Royal was gut wrenching on the HS51A.

My new Epson on the other hand has very good uniformity...to the point where I can't even detect any shift in color.

I've seen a Sony Pearl that had issues, and I've seen a HS51 that is spot on...I've seen Ae700 that was spot on, and I've seen a Sanyo Z5 that was off.

Uniformity is the result of the mirror alignments...if they are off in the slightest you will see it as a gradient across the screen. Many PJ's (such as the 51A) have adjustments that allow for correction...but they are not for the faint of heart and would require HOURS and HOURS of tweaking.

Your best bet is to do just as you did...contact the manufacturer and work with them to get the issue resolved. Remember that you'll catch more bees with honey than you do vinegar...so keep your composure and deal with them politely...your chances of getting the issue fixed will be much higher. Sony eventually credited me the full price of the PJ as we could not come to a mutual agreement as to what was acceptable uniformity and what was not.

Be patient...my PJ made several trips to Laredo before it was all set and done.

As it just shipped yesterday and will reach them tomorrow. I am still hoping for the best. I am all for being personable and giving them the opportunity to make things right. I emailed my contact at heartland after posting this and he came back offering to check up on my unit once it gets there. Additionally, when I mentioned the fear of having to resend this back in another four months for a similar issue, he stated that heartland would cover shipping both ways. I still don't like the idea of being without my pj for any length of time as who can watch a 50 inch display after seeing a crisp clear image more than 2x that size. The rma form they wanted me to include with the unit also worried me as it stated that they will charge me $130 for a diagnostic fee if they find nothing wrong. I am sure they will see the uniformity issue as my wife was able to pick it out as well. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a business protecting it's interests. I am not looking to forward to having to argue for something I feel I am entitled to which is the properly functioning pj that I paid for.