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Panasonic PT-AE4000 MSRP $1999 - Page 269

post #8041 of 8336
3/27/12 at 11:31am
I have not posted here in awhile because I been to busy watching movies and playing around with my 4000 but here are a few pics from Thor I wanted to share taken from my iphone 4. Oh and sorry about the screen size, when I moved to my new place I had to place the projector closer to the screen so not it does not fill up the whole screen when playing a movie. My projector is about 11' from the screen I guess the minimum is 12" for a 110" screen.




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post #8042 of 8336
3/27/12 at 2:10pm
There's no value to any forum members here when you post screen shots. It does not convey any useful information to anyone, so please don't. This isn't a jab at your cellphone; what I've written would be true even if you had a multi-thousand dollar camera and were a professional photographer.

Doing so is like holding your cellphone up to your new stereo in an attempt to allow your friend on the other end to hear how good it is. [As some other poster here once cleverly remarked.]
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post #8043 of 8336
3/27/12 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by m. zillch View Post

There's no value to any forum members here when you post screen shots. It does not convey any useful information to anyone, so please don't. This isn't a jab at your cellphone; what I've written would be true even if you had a multi-thousand dollar camera and were a professional photographer.

Doing so is like holding your cellphone up to your new stereo in an attempt to allow your friend on the other end to hear how good it is. [As some other poster here once cleverly remarked.]

Oh well to late, I already did so and have done so in the past and will so again in the future unless a moderator tells me not to do so. Further, it does give a forum member useful information if they would like to see the PQ even if it is a cellphone camera. So go boss your children around, im not one of them, thank God. Thanks.
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post #8044 of 8336
3/27/12 at 6:22pm
I agree about the pictures, but here is one which shows the black level of the projector very nicely. See if you can tell where the black of the projected image ends and where the black of my wall starts. My wall is painted Steelers Black (by Glidden - the official black color of the Steelers as licensed by the NFL)



I find it amazing. If you look REALLY close to the top you can faintly see a line...but it is not the line where the wall and projected image meet, it is a line where the wall ends and the soffit begins - a corner.
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post #8045 of 8336
3/27/12 at 6:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cybrsage View Post

I agree about the pictures, but here is one which shows the black level of the projector very nicely. See if you can tell where the black of the projected image ends and where the black of my wall starts. My wall is painted Steelers Black (by Glidden - the official black color of the Steelers as licensed by the NFL)

I find it amazing. If you look REALLY close to the top you can faintly see a line...but it is not the line where the wall and projected image meet, it is a line where the wall ends and the soffit begins - a corner.

How are your black levels so black and on my 4000 I notice a big difference from my screen frame and the black level my 4000 produces as you can see in my pictures above?
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post #8046 of 8336
3/27/12 at 8:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by neverfaithful View Post

Oh well to late, I already did so and have done so in the past and will so again in the future unless a moderator tells me not to do so. Further, it does give a forum member useful information if they would like to see the PQ even if it is a cellphone camera. So go boss your children around, im not one of them, thank God.

Yes, I'm confident in defiance to me you will continue to post your low resolution, jpeg compressed, AWB, auto exposed, hand held, off axis, cellphone screen shots. It makes me chuckle each time you do so.

There's nothing I can do to stop you, true, just like there's nothing you can do to stop me from asking you to please stop wasting forum space and pointing out how worthless it is due to limitations of camera, lens, compression, forum resolution, scaling artifacts, dynamic range compression, "auto leveling", auto color correction/white balance, etc, etc...

[Thank goodness the vast majority of the 8,000 or so posters of this thread understand the folly in doing so and "get it", at least.]
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post #8047 of 8336
3/27/12 at 9:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by m. zillch View Post

Yes, I'm confident in defiance to me...

Hubris, they name is zillch! You think he is posting pics just to defy you and not actually to show the images contained in the pics!
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post #8048 of 8336
3/27/12 at 9:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by neverfaithful View Post

How are your black levels so black and on my 4000 I notice a big difference from my screen frame and the black level my 4000 produces as you can see in my pictures above?

I bought one of the demo units and it came already calibrated out of the box would be my guess (with a whopping 8 hours of use on it). Other than that, I have no idea.
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post #8049 of 8336
3/27/12 at 9:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by m. zillch View Post

Yes, I'm confident in defiance to me you will continue to post your low resolution, jpeg compressed, AWB, auto exposed, hand held, off axis, cellphone screen shots. It makes me chuckle each time you do so.

There's nothing I can do to stop you, true, just like there's nothing you can do to stop me from asking you to please stop wasting forum space and pointing out how worthless it is due to limitations of camera, lens, compression, forum resolution, scaling artifacts, dynamic range compression, "auto leveling", auto color correction/white balance, etc, etc...

[Thank goodness the vast majority of the 8,000 or so posters of this thread understand the folly in doing so and "get it", at least.]

I'm glad I made you chuckle therefore, I will post more later when I have time, you know what i changed my mind. I love my low resolution off axis, cellphone, hand held screen shots from my AE4000. In the future, send a person a PM and ask, don't order them to do something that will never work but only make me do the total opposite. You should know this by now in life.


A wise man once said do not worry about what others do just worry about yourself.
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post #8050 of 8336
3/27/12 at 9:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cybrsage View Post

I bought one of the demo units and it came already calibrated out of the box would be my guess (with a whopping 8 hours of use on it). Other than that, I have no idea.

Oh ok thanks.
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post #8051 of 8336
3/28/12 at 6:15am
How do I do vertical stretch? I want to stretch a cinemascope image to fit a 16:9 screen.

also when you clean the filter, do you take it apart (remove foam, paper filter) or do you just remove the entire filter and vaccume the whole thing?
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post #8052 of 8336
3/30/12 at 12:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

How do I do vertical stretch? I want to stretch a cinemascope image to fit a 16:9 screen.

also when you clean the filter, do you take it apart (remove foam, paper filter) or do you just remove the entire filter and vaccume the whole thing?

You don't want to do a vertical stretch, that will just stretch the image so it's distorted - really skinny faces on people. If you really want to fill a 16:9 screen you can try Zoom, under Lens Control in the projector menu - that will fill the screen's height, but the image will spill out over the vertical sides of the screen.

Do NOT take the filter apart! Just remove the entire filter and vacuum the outside - the side with foam and plastic. Don't vacuum the inside, the paper filter, as you can draw dust & particles in.
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post #8053 of 8336
3/30/12 at 9:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by CochiseGuy View Post

You don't want to do a vertical stretch, that will just stretch the image so it's distorted - really skinny faces on people. If you really want to fill a 16:9 screen you can try Zoom, under Lens Control in the projector menu - that will fill the screen's height, but the image will spill out over the vertical sides of the screen.

Do NOT take the filter apart! Just remove the entire filter and vacuum the outside - the side with foam and plastic. Don't vacuum the inside, the paper filter, as you can draw dust & particles in.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to zoom and then use the digital masks for the right and left. I like the results very much, I really hate the black bars and I don't have a good solution for masking right now. The best thing is I can use the lens memory to switch from this zoomed view to the native view.

This will make cleaning the filter really easy
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post #8054 of 8336
4/1/12 at 3:28pm
Hello,

I'm a happy owner of a Panasonic AE4000u. Right now, I have it set up for a 130-in 2.35:1 screen; very nice.

However, as we remodel our basement, we're trying to assess if there would be any possibility of reorienting our viewing 90-degrees off from how we're set up now. It has advantages for floor space (would open things up to one side), but we'd be projecting across the short end of the room.

Bottom line is that I don't see any way, as things are now, to get an image larger than about 105-in (2.35:1), from about 11 feet lens-to-screen. And, (gulp) it's kinda hard to imagine losing more than 2 feet (especially when I was hoping to go even bigger).

So, I just need to ask, since there seem to be threads on the lens, are there any aftermarket add-on lenses that would allow the AE4000u to project a larger picture from a closer distance (e.g. the 130-in we have now from a closer distance than we use now)?

Thanks!

Tiger
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post #8055 of 8336
4/1/12 at 5:15pm
Wow, I sit 13 feet from my 125" Scope screen (projector distance just over 13') and really any closer than 13 feet is too close (I.e. I have to shift my eyes to follow the action). Not sure about any lenses, but I would sit at that short distance with your current setup to see if you like it.
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post #8056 of 8336
4/2/12 at 6:43am
Use a mirror to increase the distance from projector to screen. There should be good information out there. I would search for "first surface mirror projector".

Mike
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post #8057 of 8336
4/2/12 at 9:39am
The notion that one must use a first surface mirror, instead of a conventional, run-of-the-mill, glass front mirror, is true in theory, however speaking from experience I can tell you all that in actual practice a large, conventional mirror works just fine, if kept clean, and will cost a tiny fraction of the price.


For those of you who are quick to cast doubt and argue that a conventional mirror will create a faint, secondary reflection off the glass surface, in addition to the intended one off the silver surface below the glass, (which I'm not arguing it doesn't), I ask you this: Are you bothered when you stand in front of your bathroom mirror (or full length wall mirror) and gaze down at your reflected belt buckle's image, being delivered to your eyes at a 45 degree angle and off a conventional glass surfaced mirror, complete with a faint "added ghost reflection" from the glass surface?
[Go try it.] Not me; I dont see ghosting or a loss of contrast at all!

In a previous home setup, I bought, and used for years, a Erias Home Designs 30 in. x 24 in. Beveled Wall Mirror, at Home Depot for only $19.99, fully thinking at the time I bought it that it would be my temporary test mirror to help me figure out the logistics and limitations of using a mirror with a home built reflection apparatus.

I was so floored by the completely distortion-free reflection it cast, I never even looked into replacing it with a first surface design which would have been hundreds of dollars for that size, hard to find/ship, and more easily scratched when cleaned.
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post #8058 of 8336
4/2/12 at 2:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sivartk View Post

Wow, I sit 13 feet from my 125" Scope screen (projector distance just over 13') and really any closer than 13 feet is too close (I.e. I have to shift my eyes to follow the action). Not sure about any lenses, but I would sit at that short distance with your current setup to see if you like it.

I sit 14.5' from a 153" screen and am still debating adding a closer row of seats
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post #8059 of 8336
4/2/12 at 3:01pm
m. zillch nailed it down,

1st Surface Mirrors were used because of their higher degree of reflectivity, not because they prevent any "double-imaging".

Most all "plastic" or "Glass" "Rear Surface" Mirrors have at most 1/8" space between the rear "aluminum" coating and the outside front. However....a 1st Surface mirror does also add the slightest degree of Magnification due to the surface's proximity to the viewer. This alone is what accounts for a 1st Surface having approx 97% reflectivity, and a 2nd Surface having 94-95%

As the originator of Light Fusion, the use of 2nd Surface Mirrors coated with DIY Screen paint, I can attest that there is no 'double-imaging". For quite a while, a few tried to foster that off as being the case...but time...and hundreds of comments to the contrary by end users dispelled any doubts that such was not the case.

A 1/8" x 4' x 8' 2nd Surface Plastic Mirror averages about $119.00 at outlets such a Piedmont Plastics / Laird Plastics.

1st Surface? $375-400.00
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post #8060 of 8336
4/2/12 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Expat444 View Post

I sit 14.5' from a 153" screen and am still debating adding a closer row of seats

You can do it, with 1080p content and the Panny's well balanced image.

In truth, the perception of width is related to distance. A 60"er viewed from 5' away looks exactly the same size as a 12'er viewed from 12'. In both instances, it's the tendency to shift the eyes during watching so closely that tends to distress some. What needs to happen is for one to "learn" how to watch such a large image. IMAX Theaters give "primers" to Attendees that state that the proper way to watch is to simply stare straight ahead and let things in the periphery come into your direct, forward line of sight. The image should fill your vision like a natural landscape.

"Ping-Ponging" syndrome occurs when you simply decide to try to glance about, and take every detail in at once. Do that in real life, like at a BBall Game or the Racetrack and you'll tire just as quickly.

The beauty of today's PJs with high Resolution and excellent Contrast is that images need not be overly bright to be vibrant, nor viewed from the old "1.75:1 - 2.0:1" seating distance ratios that older equipment and poorer quality signal sources...as well as poorer quality screen surfaces demanded.

All that being said...there are, and will be those who just don't care to sit so close to ay display that fills up most of their vision.

Expat444, if you add another row closer to the front, what you'll be doing is effectively giving yourself and others a choice. IMO...you won't be unhappy you did.

.....until you have to pay for the additional seating.
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post #8061 of 8336
4/2/12 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MississippiMan View Post

You can do it, with 1080p content and the Panny's well balanced image.

In truth, the perception of width is related to distance. A 60"er viewed from 5' away looks exactly the same size as a 12'er viewed from 12'. In both instances, it's the tendency to shift the eyes during watching so closely that tends to distress some. What needs to happen is for one to "learn" how to watch such a large image. IMAX Theaters give "primers" to Attendees that state that the proper way to watch is to simply stare straight ahead and let things in the periphery come into your direct, forward line of sight. The image should fill your vision like a natural landscape.

"Ping-Ponging" syndrome occurs when you simply decide to try to glance about, and take every detail in at once. Do that in real life, like at a BBall Game or the Racetrack and you'll tire just as quickly.

The beauty of today's PJs with high Resolution and excellent Contrast is that images need not be overly bright to be vibrant, nor viewed from the old "1.75:1 - 2.0:1" seating distance ratios that older equipment and poorer quality signal sources...as well as poorer quality screen surfaces demanded.

All that being said...there are, and will be those who just don't care to sit so close to ay display that fills up most of their vision.

Expat444, if you add another row closer to the front, what you'll be doing is effectively giving yourself and others a choice. IMO...you won't be unhappy you did.

.....until you have to pay for the additional seating.

That's why we're going to try out the additional row using beanbag chairs as in reality it will probably end up being used by the kids anyway
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post #8062 of 8336
4/2/12 at 6:16pm
Hello,

Thanks for this reply (and thanks to others who mentioned the same idea). One question, though: if I'm using my AE4000u's auto zoom adjust feature to switch between 16:9 and 2.35:1, my lens has to be within the frame of the screen, right?

And, if that's the case, won't my projector always be in the way of a reflected image?

(I'm hoping someone will tell me a way that the answer is "no".)

Thanks!

Tiger

Quote:
Originally Posted by MississippiMan View Post

m. zillch nailed it down,

1st Surface Mirrors were used because of their higher degree of reflectivity, not because they prevent any "double-imaging".

Most all "plastic" or "Glass" "Rear Surface" Mirrors have at most 1/8" space between the rear "aluminum" coating and the outside front. However....a 1st Surface mirror does also add the slightest degree of Magnification due to the surface's proximity to the viewer. This alone is what accounts for a 1st Surface having approx 97% reflectivity, and a 2nd Surface having 94-95%

As the originator of Light Fusion, the use of 2nd Surface Mirrors coated with DIY Screen paint, I can attest that there is no 'double-imaging". For quite a while, a few tried to foster that off as being the case...but time...and hundreds of comments to the contrary by end users dispelled any doubts that such was not the case.

A 1/8" x 4' x 8' 2nd Surface Plastic Mirror averages about $119.00 at outlets such a Piedmont Plastics / Laird Plastics.

1st Surface? $375-400.00
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post #8063 of 8336
4/2/12 at 10:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Expat444 View Post

That's why we're going to try out the additional row using beanbag chairs as in reality it will probably end up being used by the kids anyway

My scientific studies have found that beanbag chairs are equal to pink unicorns and battle robots in awesomeness level amongst kids.
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post #8064 of 8336
4/3/12 at 6:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerninety View Post

Hello,

Thanks for this reply (and thanks to others who mentioned the same idea). One question, though: if I'm using my AE4000u's auto zoom adjust feature to switch between 16:9 and 2.35:1, my lens has to be within the frame of the screen, right?

Correct. But see below.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerninety View Post

And, if that's the case, won't my projector always be in the way of a reflected image?

Well now that's an interesting question. Perhaps only the last mirror needs to be within the frame of the screen? I've never played around with using mirrors on the projected image but my intuition tells me that it should be possible to set up the reflections such that the lens itself does not need to be within the frame of the screen. This could be a fun experiment.
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post #8065 of 8336
4/3/12 at 8:16am
The simplest way to understand mirror bounced projection, without having to download costly software or anything else, is to imagine a side view of a normal, let's say ceiling mounted projector scheme. I mean a screen hanging down one foot from the ceiling and then a pj 18 feet away, also hanging one foot down from the ceiling, exactly centered to the mid-line of the front of the screen, i.e. "on axis L to R" if viewed from the pj's perspective.

Now imagine a side view's projection path diagram. Pretend the triangular projection path was a piece of paper. If that top 18 foot span wont fit your room, you can fold the paper at a right angle downward, so the pj is shooting straight up toward the ceiling (assuming its ventilation/cooling scheme allows for this). The fold in the paper represents the size, angle, and position of the needed mirror.


You can add additional mirror bounces by adding additional folds to this piece of paper, however as far as I can tell, with the limitation that the pj in a normal setup must be within the same height area as the screen for the auto zooming to work properly, so too must the mirror bounce which occurs just before striking the screen, i.e. the last bounce if there are multiple ones.
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post #8066 of 8336
4/4/12 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Expat444 View Post


I sit 14.5' from a 153" screen and am still debating adding a closer row of seats

I tried out a front row at 9.5', it might not be to everyone's tastes but I liked it!
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post #8067 of 8336
4/6/12 at 7:50pm
Pleasant surprise today - came home and found UPS had delivered a Bluray copy of Avatar. I purchased my 4000 on Jan. 04, 2012 and had totally forgotten about the Avatar bonus. Since I just got the PJ mounted this week (health issue - awful to just stare at that brown box for 3 months) I'll have a better than average viewing week. BTW - this thing is so good right out of the box that I may not bother with that mind numbing calibration routine. Now if I get a good price for my trusty AX200 on my eBay sale, it will be a GREAT week.
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post #8068 of 8336
4/8/12 at 9:12pm
a red warning is blinking that i have 1800 hours on my lamp. Do i have to change it? It looks fine and not dark at all.
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post #8069 of 8336
4/9/12 at 8:00am
You are getting close to the point where it will automatically shut down after a few minutes of use (~2000 minute mark ?) when you will have no other option but to replace the bulb. I don't think there is any real danger in continuing to use it until then, but now is a good time to start looking for a new bulb.
Bulbs must eventually be replaced not just due to dimming but also because they are likely to pop as they age, just like a normal house lighbulb, and the explosion potentially can be much more serious and damaging to the pj when they do.

Be sure to buy a genuine Panasonic brand ET-LAE4000 only, not an "equivalent". They are around $350, maybe a little less if you are lucky, but anyone selling "it" for less than $300 I would be suspicious of sneaking in a "clone" version which may have improper color balance, dimmer output, and shorter life span than the real deal Panasonic lamp.
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post #8070 of 8336
4/9/12 at 2:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vid53 View Post

a red warning is blinking that i have 1800 hours on my lamp. Do i have to change it? It looks fine and not dark at all.

You can do pretty much as you want. (You will probably want to reset the lamp hours if you decide to continue to use the lamp until it fails.)

What I did when I had about the same amount of hours on the lamp as you do now was to buy a new lamp. Since new lamps are warrantied for only three months, I put it in the projector immediately. I put the old lamp into the box and put it away. (The new lamp was considerably brighter when I first installed it. I suspect that it has now lost most of the 'new lamp' brightness...) Now, I have a spare which will allow me to decide when I get to the 1800+ hour point whether I want to continue using this current lamp until it fails or get another new lamp. The old lamp is serving as my 'spare' lamp so I have a minimum of down time should the current lamp fail.
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