Panasonic PT-AE4000 MSRP $1999 - Page 111

The only issue is that if you have the projector mounted behind you, you will cast shadows on the screen (if it is not mounted high). It can be remedied somewhat by standing off a little to the side. Also the signal is SD 480p, so don't expect much from the graphics. Other than that, it works great.

Why is it so hard to find the ANSI contrast for the AE4000? No reviews seem to have measured it?

The on/off seems to be around 5000:1. Does anyone know what the ANSI contrast is?

Well after reading through 110 pages of this forum and other reviews I felt good about making the Panasonic PT-AE4000U my first projector. Placed my order for it, as well as a Carrada Criterion 2.35 screen.

Thanks... I have it hung from the ceiling.

I Just checked out the geometry..she is 5'5", I'm 6'3' and can stand 3' in front of the PJ without casting a shadow.

Steve

You certainly made the right choice! I've had mine for a little more than a week and I'm enjoying it tremendously!

I just hooked my 4000 up over the weekend and love it but do have one issue. I have my 16x9 and 2.35 saved. When it auto processes and switches from 16x9 to 2.35 and then back to 16x9, the bottom is now raised a few inches from the bottom of my screen. I rezoomed and did the manual vertical shift again, centered the picture, watched some tv, and the next time it auto shifted and back to 16x9, it raised again. Any ideas?

Congrats good choice on both decisions.

I think your problem may be that you're using the manual dial to position the 2.35 image? Try these steps:

1. Use the manual shift dial to get the 16:9 picture positioned vertically on the screen. Adjust zoom/focus and save. Once this setting is saved, do not touch the manual shift dial again.

2. Now using only the electronic controls for zoom/focus and V-AREA POSITION in the LENS CONTROL menu, adjust the 2.35 image to fill the screen. Do not use V-POSITION in the POSITION menu, it should stay at 0. Save the 2.35 setting.

3. (deleted)

From your explanation, I was confused on how you set your AE4000 up. So let's start from the beginning.

1- Make SURE that the V-POSITION in the POSITION menu (pg 18 &32) is set to "0".

2- Zoom for the 16:9 size picture. Use the MANUAL vertical shift knob to center the picture. Focus, zoom and use the vertical position knob until you are satisfied. Store this setting under 16:9.

3- Get a 2.35:1 source displayed. Zoom the picture out to fill the screen Horizontally. Center the image horizontally by turning the projector. (If your projector is centered on the screen, this will give the best result.) Do the Zoom and Focus thing until you are satisfied. Now to center the picture vertically, us the V-AREA POSITION in the LENS CONTROL menu (pg 18 & 37). Check zoom and focus again. When you are satisfied, store these settings as2.35:1.

This procedure worked for me.

Bob, I believe that doing this will result in using cutting off a portion of the 16:9 image. A 16:9 image is 1080 pixels high. The display panel of the AE4000 is 1080 pixels high. The V-AREA POSITION function moves the image up and down on the display panel. It works for a 2.35:1 picture because that image is about 807 pixels high. When that image is shifted in the panel, we only lose a portion of the black bars. (And who cares about them!)

First of all, a special thanks to all who contributed to this thread. We all benefit from the information posted.

Here is a link to a few pics that I just uploaded: click here

Projector: Panasonic 4000u
Screen: Seymour AV XD retractable acoustically transparent, 120" wide 2.35 (~104" diagonal 1.78)
Throw: ~19ft
Room: 12ft wide Multi-use family room with seude-colored walls and white ceiling (far from ideal)
Speakers: Vandersteen setup with VSM-signatures mated to 2W subs in front, VCC-2 center, VSM-1 surrounds mated to another 2W, VSM-1 rears, and a PSB SubSonic sub for LFE

I still need to tweak the contrast a bit. I am sure I can get an improvement.

fteixeira

You're right of course Frank. Shifting a 16:9 image with V-AREA POSITION will lose pixels. I'll edit my previous post, not sure what I was thinking.

Hi, I've been having a minor issue for a while, and turning the projector off for the day reminds of asking about it:

Each time I turn off my projector with my remote, my Receiver (Pioneer Elite VSX03) and Blu-ray player (Panasonic DMP BD35AK) are turned off at the same time.

Does anybody know what is causing it, and how do I fix it? For most of the time, this doesn't even bother me. It's a bit annoying when I want to switch a music CD into the Blu-ray player after the movie.

BTW. Just finished watching Flyboys with friends. A fine movie with great sound track and decent action sequences. The blu uniforms looked fantastic on this projector. Thanks for you help.

It's the VIERA LINK SETTING in the OPTION menu. Set it to off and it will no longer transmit HDAVI Control signals over the HDMI cable.

Thanks very much, Bob, for the quick response. I just turned off VIERA LINK, and that fixed it.

So my wife comes to me the other day and says, "why don't we get a new projector?". Yes folks, you read that right! Her idea, unsolicited. I've got a heck of a woman.

We have a trusty AE900 that we got when it was first introduced and now has nearly 3000 hours on it (it spent a year in a box while building our new home).

A few months ago I was able to take our 900 to a friends house that had just gotten a 3000. We did a direct A/B comparison using a piece of cardboard to cover each lens and go from one to the other. My first impression was not how great the 3000 looked, but rather how terrible my 900 looked. It looked far worse than how I felt it looked at home. So immediately I started thinking it was time to upgrade. I got back home, hooked the 900 back into my theater and watched a movie...whada ya know, I'm pleased with the image once again. Sure, it was nothing to write home about, but certainly good enough to make my wallet tight.

I've read this entire thread and hear all the over the top comments about the performance increase from the 900 to the 4000. And I have personal experience that tells me that these comments are warranted. Yet, last night we watch a movie on the 900 and it makes me feel like I'm taking advantage of my wife if we upgrade now. Does that make any sense?

And, while technology moving quickly is wonderful, the flip side is that it is almost self deflating and robs you of the high you get from a new purchase. Upgrading instantly dates your theater rather than putting you on the cutting edge.

I'll likely still pull the trigger on this, just rambling a bit about some of the wrestling in my head. Heck, I remember when upgrading projectors was necessary because your old projector had pixels the size of nickels! Now, it's less and less necessary and more of a luxery.

Where's that phone number for ProjectorPeople ???

If you've read this entire thread, then you are already in too deep my friend.

Instead of buying a new bulb for your 900, sell it for $400.

Your wife will love your new AE4000. Sometimes women want to be taken advantage of.

1-888-248-0675

You're a big help Bob!

Hello;
This is most likely my first post here, so bare with me.

When it comes to acquiring a new projector, I have been on the fence for some time. After comparing and reading the reviews of the AE4000 and closest equivalent projectors, I have placed an order for the AE4000. Whether this was a good or bad decision, only time will tell.

Anyway, what steps would the owners group here recommend to check for possible issues with the projector when it arrives? I am most concerned about un-uniform focus, dead/stuck pixels, and panel misalignment issues. Dust had not been a problem on my 7 year old Panasonic projector, so I am assuming it will not be a big concern as long as I am using a ceiling mount again.

I have not decided on a final screen size or aspect as of yet, since my new primary theater is still in the design phase. Since this room will not be totally light controlled, I plan to limit the screen size to 110" (for 16x9 or the equivalent scope aspect). Closest seating will be 11' from the screen, which is closer then my last theater setup.

One last thing, I would love to see more pictures in this thread of peoples AE4000 theaters. My new "used" house has at least two large dedicated rooms which could be used for theaters, so I am interested in how the projector is working in different size rooms and ambient light levels. The other projector I was looking at seems to have more lumens and I am not sure I will be using a scope aspect screen, so I do have a concern that the AE4000 may not be the super perfect fit (but I like its features and have had a Panny before so I know their quality level, which somewhat makes up for the warranty).

With best regards,
FIN

This is sooooo similar to my experience. I jokingly commented to my wife while watching TV on our 42" set that we perhaps need a bigger one. My wife looked at me and made that "so-why-don't-we-get-a-new-and-bigger-one" smile" SHE EVEN WANTED A 65" UNIT!

Unfortunately that size was not available so we settled on a 58S1. She loved the unit so much, she wanted us to replace our Optoma projector with AE4000. Now, what did you say again ? "I've got a heck of a woman"

Hello, my screen wall is already built, and it is not moving.

I want to use the auto adjust lens features to go between 16:9 and 2.35:1.

However, the screen is centered in the room. unfortunately ceiling joist are layed out in such a manner that there not one in the middle of the room, infact they are spaced perfectly to create a 16" gap right in the center of the room.

I have a RiteMounts NPL that I would like to use to mount the AE4000, but I was hoping have at least one screw hit a joist.

If the projector is off center 5-6 inches will the auto adjust function not work correctly? any other ideas? Thanks!

I'd like to echo the earlier positive comments toward getting a UPS for your projector. The cost investment is not that great ($100) and it can save you a great deal of headaches. If you get a decent one (I got a nice system for $130 from BestBuy that has an LCD panel on it) you can run all of your equipment for 10-15 minutes (including surround sound, blu-ray player, projector etc) which gives you time to find a good stopping point :-)

Also, I don't think it is so much for the power outages but for the voltage drops that others have mentioned. Inevitably the power coming in will not be clean, so having a UPS/line-conditioner helps a ton with device longevity. I've worked with a lot of projectors in a corporate environment that have been damaged by bad power in the building.

If you want to use the auto zoom feature you will need the projector mounted dead centre. If its off to one side the image will not line up with the screen when it zooms between the two ratios.

I'm planning on mounting a 3/4" thick square of MDF to the ceiling first, screwing it into the joists on either side of the center (the center relative to the screen, of course). This will give me a surface into which I can screw the projector mount. I'll spray paint the MDF black so it matches the black ceiling.

This is a very easy way of compensating for ceiling joists that aren't exactly where you need them. Works for wall studs, too.

That sounds like a good idea... However, I'm curious why MDF? I was thinking a 1x12 peice of lumber or something would be stronger and cheaper...

I have to second what allroadCole said. Consider using plywood instead of MDF, it's much stiffer. MDF can sag badly, especially when mounted horizontally.

Im having fun with my 4000 now. Not bad for a Carada BW 110" fixed frame.

I just think that MDF looks a lot better when painted than plywood. I don't like the "rough" surface/texture of plywood, at least not the plywoods I've seen at the local big box home improvement stores. I think they'd look horrible once painted.

So far, I've used 1/2" MDF for my window plugs, and 3/4" MDF for my surround speaker mounts on the walls, which I spray-painted flat black and they look good. Now granted, all those panels are mounted vertical, not horizontal. I'll give 3/4" MDF a try first and if it does sag, then I'll replace with plywood - I just don't like the look of plywood is all.

Just happened to think of a question...

I'll be using my Panny in a fully light-controlled room, with flat black ceiling, and dark GOM-covered walls. So, a batcave. But, the room is only about 13 feet deep. Throw distance will be about 137 inches (11 feet, 5 inches) give or take.

I cannot mount the projector any farther back than that. I plan on getting a Carada Criterion 2.35:1 screen, in the 112" diagonal size. Based on the Panasonic throw distance calculator, that's a little larger than what the projector can display, but that's okay, I'd rather have the screen a little larger than smaller.

My question is...with this setup, would the "normal" screen or the Brilliant White be a better choice? My concern would be that the BW would have TOO much gain for such a short throw distance in a batcave. I was thinking I might have to run the PJ on low-power mode anyway to cut down on the light output. So I was leaning toward the 1.0 gain one.

BTW, I'm not a big fan of grey screens, so I probably wouldn't go with that one anyway. Just trying to decide between the 1.0 gain and the BW one.

Thanks!

Look for MDO -aka- Medium Density Over -aka- Sighn Board. It is plyoood with a smooth paper face on one side made for painting. Personally, if you have a sheetrock ceiling I would just use a toggle bolt, you would be surprised what a toggle bolt will hold through 5/8 sheetrock.

Or try and match the board to the rest of decor in your room. If you have oak trim use an oak board with a routered edge on it. If you have lots of fabric wrap the plywood in a fabric that matches the walls or just a black GOM.