Panasonic PT-AE4000 MSRP $1999 - Page 274

I sent mine in February. Are they suppose to send something?

I never received notice, I assume it is done on the back end. I did get my check.

i thought i read somewhere they were suppose to send us a warranty card that says 2 years

I called Panasonic over a year ago about this because I also thought I was supposed to get confirmation. I was told that they don't send anything out, but that they had received my submission and the extension was in their records. I recommend saving a copy of the paperwork that is submitted.

thanks, good info

hi
do you still have that non-working pj availible? if so drop me a line if not thanx for your time.

cheers

pentiction, if you're referring to me, it is no longer available.

I'm having problems with my PS3. When I turn it on I'm only getting a blue screen with the graphic of the inputs. Each time I need to go to my AVR and unplug the HDMI cable from the PS3 and plug it back in. Then the PS3 image shows up. What can i do so I don't need to unplug/plug the hdmi cable everytime I want to use my PS3? I also have a seperate HDMI cable that runs from my cable box to the AVR. But that signal never blanks out like the PS3, so I think its something to do with the PS3

Not sure it would work, but I'd try to power the devices in that order with a few seconds between each : Projector, Receiver, PS3.

Make sure all devices are set to output the same maximum resolution.  IOW don't mix and match resolutions from different devices to the AVR and Proj.  This can cause handshake issues.

 

Do full reset on PS3.  Push power button and hold until you hear second set of beeps, this should reset it and go through A/V setup again.

 

Good Luck, HDMI=Suck.

Couple of weird issues with my 4000 I've just encountered...

First, I wanted to save two settings for movie ratios, 1.85:1 and 2.35:1. I put on a movie with a 1.85:1 picture, centered it manually via the knobs on top while zooming and focusing, ok great, save! Now onto 2.35. I popped in a film with that ratio and used the digital v-area shift to move the picture up 25 or so clicks, great, now zoom and re-focus, ok save! The weird thing is that when going back and forth between ratios, it's never spot on with either the zoom setting or focus. I went back to the 2.35 film and zoomed right to the edge of my screen, saved and when it finished "calibrating" that save, it was one zoom click too small, weird or what? I did that two or three more times and all but one time, it saved them wrong (scratches head).

Today, I noticed something else. I went to put a movie in, 1.85 ratio, and even before I popped in the film, I noticed that my blu-ray player home screem was spilling off the top and bottom pf the screen about an inch each way... I was like, wft! I just centered that! But, the movie was spot on, just the home screen and everything leading up to the movie was operspilled, even the movie previews I think. What's up with that?

Also, and not really an issue, but more of my ignorance on setting this baby up, but is it a problem if my PJ isn't perfectly level? I ask because in one of the write-ups on setting it up says to make sure that your screen and PJ are level. I don't think it's an issue, just not sure but mine is a bit off level in order for me to align the picture with the screen.

Second to last thing, I can't seem to get the picture perfectly square either, one corner always seems smaller. I can move the PJ like a turntable and I can see the effect but when I get the bottom even all the way across (verifying with a tape measure) the top is off 1/8" - 3/16", it's kind of bothering me.

Last thing, speaking of spill over, why do two movies with the same 1.85:1 ratio fill my screen differently? I'm guessing it's because they're not perfectly mastered but it's a stinker to know that you might have to re-adjust your picture for every movie if you're that anal.

What are your thouhgts on my overloaded post?

Chris,

Real quick note here as I am off to bed...

16:9 aspect is actually 1.78:1, not 1.85:1, so for 16:9 screen alignment you'll probably want to use the internal green grid.

Jason

Having the PJ not level is not a big deal, provided you want it that way (which it sounds like you do).

If your screen and PJ are exactly perpendicular to each other, you should get a perfectly squared-off image. Since you've rotated your PJ and you're still getting (partial) horizontal keystoning, it's possible that your screen (or the wall it's on) is slightly off the perpendicular relative to your PJ.
Edited by eljaycanuck - 8/2/12 at 7:24am

The home screen is actually 1.78:1, as is all Blu-ray and anamorphic DVD. The 1.85:1 movie has a small amount of letterboxing top and bottom. When you adjusted your projector for 1.85:1, the letterboxing spilled over the top and bottom of the screen. You didn't notice until you took a close look at the home screen.

This won't be a problem for 1:85:1 content, but there are quite a few discs that are 1.78:1 (such as TV shows). 1.33:1 sources (such as "The Artist") will be pillarboxed and use the entire height, so you will have the same problem with those. You may want to create a third setting for 1.78:1 material, assuming you can figure out why your 4000 isn't saving your settings accurately (sorry, but I can't help with that issue).

I actually have four settings (although I use a Lumagen for the scaling and not the projector): 1.78:1 (which works for 1.33:1 content), 1.85:1, 2.20:1, and 2.35:1 (which is used for 2.40:1 as well). I have a few movies on DVD that need the 2.20:1: such as "The Sound of Music" and "Clear and Present Danger".

Those two are related. Not leveling the projector can lead to keystoning, or a distorted image as you describe. The 4000 does have vertical and horizontal optical adjustments. Try leveling the projector side-to-side and front-to-back. Then put up the home screen or the projector's test screen and use the manual adjustments on the top of the projector to center up the image. Unless your projector is way off centerline you should have enough play in those adjustments to get the picture exactly where you want it. Once that is done check to see if you still have distortion problems. Afterwards you will want to redo your lens memory settings for the various formats

Sadly not every movie wider than 1.78:1 is letterboxed the same way. This is even worse for Cinemascope movies. It drives me crazy too. You may have to settle for a little bit of overspill to ensure that most of the movies you watch do not fall short of the screen borders.

A similar topic was brought up a few weeks ago. Here is a few relevant things I said then :

1) About the imprecision of the lens memory, you may indeed have a defective projector, but most probably...

2) This is an entry level projector. There is certainly more plastic than precision machined steel in the optical mechanism of the Panny, so the memory settings may not be 100% precise each time! Having the memory plus or minus one notch seems to be within the intended precision. Make your size setting a notch bigger (overscan) and it should then fill the screen most of the time. You do have a black border around your screen?

3) Be sure to have the projector powered at least 30 minutes before setting and saving anything, as the passage from cold to warm will cause the opticals to drift. After a pre-heat period, it should have stabilized. Same thing when you later want to watch a movie : pre-heat 30 minutes before any serious viewing.

4) Overscan is a sad fact of life with front projection. You may have noticed it at the commercial theater, sometime to a considerable level. 1/2 inches of overscan should be about just right in a home theater and will conceal slight variations in the opticals and slight keystone or misalignment.

The memory zoom is a convenience feature and most people will find it satisfactory as is. For the demanding videophiles - I include myself - a manual focus recheck is needed at each viewing.


You'll better appreciate your Panny once you accept its limitations! Good luck!

I "test" mine every time I clean the filter with the same movies. It does "drift" a bit (maybe a 'notch' or so) during that time, but nothing horrendous. I rarely let my projector warm up the 30 minutes unless I plan to make adjustments. So far I've only had to adjust it 1 time out of the 3 times I've checked it.

Just an observation and wanted to get other opinions on the matter.

My wife and I see on average about 6 movies a year at the local theatre complex that was brand new around 1999. About 5 years ago, they installed digital projectors (Christie DLP models) and it was quite a noticeable improvement with the colors being more vivid colors and a lot crisper picture.

We normally sit in about the middle of the theatre which puts the screen in our direct line of sight without having to look up or down.

We occasionally will go to a different theatre and I have gotten to where I would rather pass on it that particular night so that we can see it at our local theatre instead because it always seems to be a bit better so I know that there can be differences between equipment, maintenance, etc. that will affect the experience.

The AE4000 is my first projector and we have been enjoying it for 2 years now. My room is a light controlled dedicated space in the basement and I have a budget motorized 100” 16:9 screen that claims to have a 1.2 gain, my throw distance 12’ and we sit about 13’ away from the screen.

Last weekend we went to see Dark Knight Rises and the week before we went, I watched the first two movies again. I would think that since Nolan did all three, that he would have shot them all in a similar fashion. So I think it would be a reasonable assumption that I could use them as an equal comparison.

I’m not sure if it is just a placebo effect, but it seems that my setup at home has a better picture than what I am currently experiencing at the theatre. I don’t have many friends that are into the A/V thing much and the few that I have that are, I don’t think are as critical as I am so I don’t have a good set of “second opinion” eyes to confirm my experience.

So I’m wondering if I am just a proud owner or if anyone else has noticed this as well.

We'll I've never been to a digital theater so I might not be the best judge of what is better. I've been to the theater about 6 times in the 6 years I've had my home theater here is what I found.

1. My floors aren't sticky
2. My seats are more comfortable
3. My audio seems better (even a 5.1 setup)
4. My video seems better (then I never go on opening night and the film at the theater is probably starting to wear)
5. I sometimes miss the laughter of the theater when watching a comedy.
6. I can pause for bathroom breaks.

All I'd like to say is this, if all the home theaters that I have done up to this time along with the projector and do it yourself screen projects I've done could not or would not have been superior to the multiplex experience, I would be having no fun at all doings now what I've been doing. I strongly believe it in what is called..."The Beyond the Theater Experience".

Brent, it would seem to appear you have made it to that point.

I just saw Dark knight rises at imax last week. The imax theater I went to is reportedly among the best in Canada. I found the picture dark and a tad soft. Of course the imax sequences offered that great immersive feeling but the scope parts were just OK. Of course, even seated in the middle, you are actually sitting so close to the screen...

It's incredible when a 10k home theater can beat even imax AV quality. The Panny is an amazing projector!

I'm not even talking about our regular local cineplex. I was dragged more of less against my will (!) to Avatar 3D and more recently to Tintin 3D. Both offered poor picture, dark, greenish and poorly resolved. What a sad experience the 3D cinema is!

I'd rather buy Blu-rays discs than going to the movies!

I only go to the theater once a year because I hate that my JVC throws a better picture. Plus some blu rays are so good that it's worth the wait for then to come out on a disc

Just about any well set-up HT system with decent gear should best most commercial theaters, there are exceptions however... http://www.cinetopia.com/


Jason

Man i wish we had one of those close to here!

I agree with the HT comment almost without exception. On the whole, well setup HTs can surpass commercial theaters on most performance criteria, but there are exceptions

After spending the past year in love with my PT-AE4000u, I've recently discovered a disturbing left-right color shift that I wonder if any of you have encountered. Specifically, the right half of my screen displays a subtle red tint, and the left half displays a subtle green tint. This is very difficult to notice when watching a color film, but it pretty much ruins black-and-white films, where the tints become obvious. What I'd like to know is, can this problem be solved through professional calibration, or is it an issue for the factory and/or Panasonic? (I believe I'm still under warranty, so I'd consider the latter route if absolutely necessary.) From the research I've done so far, 3-panel projectors such as ours are naturally susceptible to this kind of left-right color shift, which can even affect fancy professional models. (See the link below.) Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

http://www.tweaktv.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=230&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=1

Hi reedace
This is not a thing that (IMHO) can be fixed with a proffesional calibration.
How many hours has your PJ?
Have You cleaned often the filter?
Heat and dust could produce this color shift.
Also, do you see many movies with 4:3 aspect? Long-term fixed images can introduce a sort of retention in the LCD pannels (the black zones in your case).
If you are still under warranty, call them and tell them your problem.

Thanks ferbal. My projector is still under 300 hours and wears a makeshift dust cover when not in use. I do clean the filter periodically, although it never seems to get very dusty in the first place. You make an interesting point about potential overheating -- I noticed lately that the sound of my fan is pulsating rather than steady (though it's still extremely quiet), so maybe the cooling system doesn't work optimally. But I've never had the projector shut itself down due to heat, and I always run in Eco mode.

Are there any calibrators out there who disagree with ferbal and have succeeded in fixing this type of left-right color shift on a 3-panel projector?

That linked article was regarding LCoS, (or Sony's version they called XRCD) not LCD which the Panny uses.

In any event, pjs that have "poor color uniformity due to the technology" have it for their entire lives. I see it on my Panny 3000 and 4000 but only with specific test patterns and even then it is mild and of little concern to me. [Nothing like the Casablanca shots linked too] If this problem you have is new, it's not that.

When there are changes to the image on the 3000/4000 over time, it is usually related to dust blobs or burnt polarizers [which can occur with a power failure or if the pj is powered off with the master toggle switch, which kills the fan before it can properly cool down the innards, causing the polarizers to cook.]

Mr. Zillch is (always) right
Overheating burns polarizers, smoke and tiny dust particles in the LCD panel's edges could bring a change in color in that zone. But with only 300 hs I'm thinking that your problem is different.
Did you check the PJ's convergence?: try projecting a convergence pattern and see if green is off in the left side and red on the right side.
If you see the lack of uniformity with "Color" or "Cinema" Picture Modes (color filter ON), do you still see it with the "Normal" or "Dynamic" Pic. Modes?
Again. Do you see many movies with 4:3 aspect? Maybe a temporary image retention *could* be causing this.