Panasonic PT-AE4000 MSRP $1999 - Page 6

For those of you fighting upgrade fever - my unsolicited advice would be to chill out.

I'm in this thread because my ae700 just died. Won't start up at all. I've had the thing quite a few years now and until yesterday it was just fine.

Go back a few years and the ae900 was getting rave reviews about how much better it was, and now people diss it - that's the way it always goes around here (I've been here awhile...) and yet the picture is basically the same now as it was then.

Everyone has their own priorities, but personally I think buying a new projector more then necessary is just wasteful.

What will I get by going to this new projector from my ae700 -

More contrast (nice, but the 700 was fine with a filter on it)
More lumens (nice, but I was already lighting a 10 foot 2.35 screen adequately)
Quieter - nice, but the ae700 was already right over my head and was plenty quiet
1080p - this I'll probably appreciate, but again watching 720p was just fine.

Anyway you get the point - my advice, being a long time member here is don't get too uptight about the latest projectors, because in a year or two they will be talked about like trash around here, even though the picture will be the same as when it was the "greatest."

I am really pi$$ed off! Just got the AE3000U three days ago! Opened the box to test it, less than 30 mts on the bulb. Now the new one comes out. My HT will not be ready for another month, so it would have been perfect timing for the AE4000.

Now I have to return the AE3000 (doubt if the seller will take it back seeing the new model is coming), or sell it on ebay.

Anyone here interested in a brand spanking new AE3000U?

Here is a link to the PAnasonic page:

http://www.panasonic.net/avc/project...000/index.html

Also a link there to the manual.

http://www.panasonic.net/avc/project...AE4000E_En.pdf

Just a question....from what I read the Panasonic projectors will refuse to work once they reach 2000 hours on the bulb?! If they are run in low lamp mode will they reach 3000 hours?

On my z4 I am past the projected life of my bulb but it still works (now at 3800 hours).

Why can't Panasonic get 4000 hours out of a lamp like Epson?

Actually, looking back I've had my ae700 5 years now. Panasonic has a cool little page showing the evolution of their projectors here: http://www.panasonic.net/avc/project.../ae_projector/

I'm 6 generations behind at this point, but quite honestly I would have gone another year or two at least if mine hadn't stopped working. I actually have a brand new bulb ready to use, guess i'll have to ebay it.

Anyway, placed a preorder from projector people tonight. My home theater is out of commission until it ships

One question: I'm not quite understanding how the lens memory function works - does this projector and the ae3000 actually use the whole panel to display a 2.35 AR? I assume it's just dropping pixels, so I'll still need to use my anamorphic lens.

How many hours did you get before it died?

I'm not sure - probably around 1500 or so I'm guessing. (Original bulb).

I can't speak for the other models, but I've got about 3,500 hours on the original bulb (low mode) in my AE900 and have no problem firing it up and using it. Picture still looks fine, too. Maybe it'll go poof anytime now, but so far so good. And I still have a new spare bulb on hand!

As I posted earlier, I kind of wish I was having serious problems with my AE900 in order to justify an upgrade to the AE4000. However, if I'm not careful I'll be talking myself into waiting for any bugs to be worked out of the AE4000 introduction and purchasing it anyway...on the premise that my AE900 will make a fine back-up pj for any unexpected glitches with the AE4000 on Oscar night or Super Bowl Sunday, a luxury level second pj for the bedroom, or a "mobile" pj that I won't feel too nervous about taking on the road to a friend's house on special occasions.

Nice call Pap.

Yeah I can agree with you. In my case my panny ptl500 is not to bad 5 years or so into its use. But I want a new projector so I am kind of interested in what the new ones look like. After a few reviews I may get one. When it came out (the panny 500) it got fairly good reviews, but now some would laugh at it for its picture. I dont upgrade to often so I am kind of excited about the new ones.

LOL!!
viva el ptl500!
mine's into its 5th year also and holding its own.
for sure, one of these new ones sure would be nice. i have no complaints about my 500 tho. it's been a good pj.

TOTALLY! It's a crime how perfectly good projectors that got raves from all sides are suddenly complete dogs hardly better than watching an old B&W TV set. Well to hear some tell it, that B&W set was better even; with your old 1/2 burned out bulb and decaying LCD panels and yellowed polarizing filters - my god it's lucky you aren't electricuted just turning that clunker on.......

In fact, many 720p's give great and consistent results. Sure 1080p is a bit nicer, but not nearly to the extent imagined before you buy it. In truth, calibrating your existing machine with a colorimeter, and maybe adding a new bulb would do more for the movie than spending $2 or $3k on a 1080p.

When your machine dies, or your bulb explodes, then is the time to find a new toy. Before that is a waste for most.

The memory just changes the lens's zoom so that you can have a CIH setup without the anamorphic lens. All of the pixels are still used, but you'd blow the image up to display the black bars on the screen's masking.

Wrong again.You need to really get out of the Senior Citizen home more and see what a new Fp can do.

Agreed. But, I might have said it more politely . I went from a 720p DLP (Mits HC3000) to the Panny AE3000U and the difference was pretty dramatic. I'm using a 120" 2.35:1 Dalite HP screen. But, I'm probably not going to upgrade to the AE4000U, even though the price is very tempting.

I have no problem with your personal opinion being expressed - devoid of any useful information as it is.


I do have a problem with personal attacks which add nothing to the discussion and serve only to demean members and the forum.

You aren't understanding how the anamorphic scaling and a lens work. When the anamorphic scaling mode is engaged the entire 1920x1080 display is used, no black bars. Obviously this distorts the image. The anamorphic lens then takes this image and returns it to it's proper geometry. The advantage is that by using the entire panel, rather than simply zooming just the active pixels, brightness is increased. So PAP will want to use his lens for his 10' scope screen to increase the available lumens.

Anyone who already has an anamorphic lens might as well compare both methods to see which works best for them, but the additional brightness will be minimal once you take into account losses through the extra lens and the fact that the projector actually works more efficiently when zoomed.

I'm a newbie on this, but from what I've read, this makes sense.
A anamorphic lens would really only make sense to me if anamorphic blu-rays existed. I guess the only other advantage is you don't have to worry about masking top & bottom (if that bothers you) or sub-titles being off screen.

For the Canadians on this form (yes there are more than a few of us). I recently received an email from Panasonic Canada stating that the AE4000 might not even be carried by them. I don't know if this is real or not, but in the past Panny Canada hasn't cared to much about us. Ow well if I have to buy from the US then that is what I (and many others) will do. Panasonic.CA's loss is Panasonic.USA's gain.

I have to go now, I have to clean up the mess a moose made of my garbage cans last night.

Andrew from Ontario
----------------------------------
From: "Panasonic-Lumix_Concierge"
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:34:02
To:
Subject: Dm-RE: General Inquiry/Misc., Home Cinema Projector

Thank you for your email to Panasonic Canada Inc.

We apologies for the inconvenience. There are many factors that determine pricing; It is uncertain at this time that the PTAE4000 will be released in Canada and if so to what price.

New releases are launch generally during the fall and spring time. All new releases for the fall have been released. More information should be available late winter early spring.

Regards,

DM
Customer Care Center
Panasonic Canada Inc.
5770 Ambler Dr., Mississauga, ON, L4W 2T3
Off: 1-800-561-5505 Fax: 905-238-2360 E-Mail:
customercare@ca.panasonic.com

Dear Panasonic Canada

I have been a long time front projector fan and have had many Panasonic projectors (AE300 /700 / 900). I really wanted to buy a AX1000 but was put off by Panasonic Canada's unreal pricing and so I bought a Sanyo. When the AE3000 came out I wanted one of those as well; but again was so put off by the Panasonic Canada pricing (in comparison to the USA) that I bought a projector from the states. With the recent announcement of the AE4000 I am hoping that the Canadian price is very close to the US price. If not, that is it for Panasonic and me. Please don't respond with a form mail about Canadian / USA differences such as bi-lingual manuals and packaging...... We have heard it before and it is a bunch of BS (and you know it).

Hoping to a MSRP of 2500$

Andrew

For those of you that seem to be VERY confused on the Constant Image Height scenario, and exactly what the benefits are when using an external anamorphic lens, PLEASE go visit the CIH forum here on AVS and read the FAQs and learn.
It can me a bit confusing when you don't know the facts, but once you learn how it works, you'll be better off knowing... ESPECIALLY if you are considering using a Cinemascope (2.35:1) screen in your setup.

Quebec Acoustic is accepting pre-orders, so it definitely should be available in Canada. They don't yet have the price or a shipping date though (not sure who wants to pre-order without knowing those two things!).

i can watch my 1080p projector without getting tired, on a non hd signal it seem like my eyes are trying to focus the picture.

I see your PTL500 and raise you an 540p AE300u! It is no longer my main projector, however. After reaching 4000+ hours a few years back it was retired to our family's cabin where it only sees a few hours a year... still on the 1st bulb though! Its low res and dim, but damn if it still doesn't throw a great picture for outdoor movies!

Anyone out there still use the AE100? 480p resolution in all its glory...

It's true, once you have seen great HD it is very difficult to watch anything else.

I have noticed that many blurays still have that slightly blurry look to them as if they were not mastered from a good source. I have also read that given the degradation that takes place during copying from a master to intermediates to bluray that 1280x720 often is sufficient to show all details possible and that 1080p adds some sharpness but not additional details. I think Spyderman3 is like that; its not super sharp and definitely has a soft look to it during parts.

You also get increased vertical resolution with an anamorphic lens. If the projector is letterboxing your movie, you are not getting the full 1080 lines of vertical resolution.

So I'm assuming the 4000 just zooms the image up so that the black bars are off the screen? Is there an anamorphic mode on the 4000 that lets you use an anamorphic lens?

I actually believe it's the opposite. The panamorph mode will use all 1080 pixels and there will be no black bars either on screen or off.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

But surely it's not 'real' resolution (i.e. in the source material). You're just digitally processing the image to stretch it up and then optically stretching it out wide again?

Is so, for Blu-ray at least, that seems a lot of overhead for little benefit compared to the simple zoom feature of the Panasonics.

My 6 years old AE200 (480p) is still alive. My son has been using it since I gave it to him 4 years ago. Other than a bulb change, everything is still like brand new. It has a total of 6000 hours. The polarizers are still like new. It must have inorganic parts.

At far as PQ is concerned, people used to complain about 2 things in LCD. First is SDE and second is low ANSI CR. The last LCD I saw was the AE700. So how much have things improved? (My last two pjs are DLPs and I do appreciate the high ANSI CR.)

1. LCD - is smooth screen really still needed with 1080p? At 1x or more viewing distance I assume you don't see any SDE with ANY 1080p LCD. So is it just a matter of preference between a sharper picture and a smoother (more film like) picture?

2. ANSI CR - how's ANSI CR on current crop of LCDs compared to other technology?

Hooray for Projector People. They are going to take it back. I've placed my order for the AE4000. I am told it will be available last week of October or 1st week of November and there are already about 100 people ahead of me.

Excellent service, I must say.