Panasonic PTAE7000/ AT5000 - Page 45

FYI as side note i notice last week someone has posted that visions was selling the pt-ae 7000 for a great price with a free bulb, well the bulb there are selling it with was for the pt-ae4000 not the proper bulb (ETLAE4000) the proper bulb is ET-LAA310. just an FYI if anyone has purchased these units in a year or 2 whenevery your current bulb burns out the replacement one you have will not work.

viper, is this same as EPP ? I have access to EPP but I don't see the 7000 on there. I called Panasonic and they don't sell projectors for EPP.

Well I can tell you they do unless the US is different but we are getting this deal in Canada

Considering the 7000 - currently own the 3000.

The 3000 had trouble with bulb flicker and dust blobs, and I experienced both. Any similar issues on the 7000 so far?

I had similar with my 3000, will report if seen on the 7000.
I hoping to be dust blob free/or less as the unit is designed to be almost sealed but sadly not fully.
Compared to my 3000 it is so much brighter with really rich colour, makes the old unit look very washed out.

I just bought the 7000. My first impression un-calibrated out of the box was meh...

I did a little calibration, and got the black levels to look better. It was quite washed out at first. I have quite a bit more work to do, as the picture looks soft. I waited the requisite 30 min before I detail focused. My AE900 seemed more sharp and the colors better. However I had that projector well calibrated. I was hoping the 7000 would start in a better position.

Another issue to consider for me is that I use an HTPC for playback, and had made adjustments to its configuration based on the AE900. My screen is a 2.40:1 Seymore 4K, which I love BTW. It's a 1.0 screen so not all that bright. My room is totally light controlled, so no ambient light issues.

One thing that surprised me was the size of the projector! They've gotten a lot bigger since the AE900. I'll have to modify my PJ box to fit it!

Overall I'm impressed with the build quality, options, and am hoping the PQ will impress once I have it dialed in.

There is a purplish blotch on the upper right corner of my screen. It's pretty annoying when there is a white background. Is this something that will shake out over time (I have 70 or so hours on the projector so far)? Or should I return it under warranty? Not easy to see in the photo, but thought I would include anyway.

From what I recall, blotches are not a good thing. You may need to return it. You can try running the focus all the way in and out to see if the image gets any sharper or changes size. If not, it sounds like a bad area of the panel or filter/polarizer. May want to ask in the Owners thread.

FYI, Projector People has their Thanksgiving sale on this, and it's *cough* WONDERFUL.

Does anyone have experience with the Mits HC4000 who is also familiar with the AE7000? I'm thinking of going to the AE7000 but not sure if it actually is "better" in 2D compared to the HC4000? Any info is greatly appreciated!

Guys I just installed a PT AT5000 in my dedicated theater at home.

First impressions are good but I need some gurus to step up and help me with a few things.

1- My screen is 2 meters wide. 16:9 ratio. I had my Optoma HD73 setup with an addon Anamorphic lens so I had CIH. *this means I had wasted space on my screen obviously.
- How do I achieve 2.35:1 now? I mean, if I wanted to run it at that aspect ALL the time?

2- Focus! For the life of me I cannot get it to focus evenly. The bottom maybe 1/6th or so of the screen cannot focus as well as the rest.

- I am running with some tilt downwards on the horizontal. IN my setup I was able to get the lens of the Panny fairly centered. The Optoma was offset to the side as well so my ceiling mount worked well with the new Panny.

But I am trying for perfection and at least when using my Home theater PC the bottom task bar is obviously out of focus. It is all readable. But compared with the top which is crystal clear and sharp...

When I run 2.35:1 1080p source through my Bray player, the movies displays more centered, which gives me the picture above this last 1/6th of the screen and ending roughly 1/6th or more from the top. This is fine. It does not bother the display much at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

Have you called Tech support? I have been in contact with them about the same issue. I hope people having this issue call them so that it gets some recognition as a problem.

Here is what I've determined so far from my own experience.
I also have a focus issue. The projector is ceiling mounted and is 14' away from a 120 inch screen. The projector is lined up with the top of the screen and the lens is slightly to the left of center. This is where my old mount was for a Sony projector. (The Sony's offset has it set so you put the projector in line with the top of the screen and the lens is dead center anyway.) In order to get the image centered on the screen keeping the projector dead level, I need to use the lens shift and some zoom.

What I've found is this: If the zoom is all the way out at the largest setting and no lens shift is used the image is very focused. The lens shift seems to distort the picture and the zoom also seems to distort it. I've found that if I angle the projector down instead of using lens shift the image is better. What I plan on doing in the next couple days is taking it completely off the ceiling mount and setting it up at the optimal position where no lens shift or down angle is needed just to see if it is indeed the zoom and lens shift causing the problem.

The tech people at Panny insist it is a set up issue on my part though they have approved me to send it in for a tech to check out. I do not believe this is a set up issue. It's basically a projector issue because the zoom and lens shift should not be distorting the picture like that. Leaving the lens shift dead center, just the zoom alone distorts the focus enough making it impossible to get a 100 percent clear focus. I know what it should look like because when the zoom is full back making the largest image, it is a crisp sharp image.

The solution is to either get mine serviced, or drill some more holes in my ceiling, move the mound, and extend it down a bit as well so no lens shift or zoom is needed. Having owned 3 other projectors, I've never had one so picky with placement. The lens shift is completely useless since it creates distortion. The zoom is useless as well. I never has any such issue with zoom on my VPL-VW40. The zoom never distorted the picture in any way I noticed.

A couple things they told me that seem to help is to focus it with the zoom first then fine tune it with the focus. The problem is, when I do this and get a decent focus the image is larger than the screen size. Zooming to the proper screen size leaves me some issues no matter what I do in getting uniform focus. Right now I have the projector aimed down at about a 20 degree angle and a zoom that gives me a screen about 2 inches too larger on every side. I get a decent enough focus this way to not be completely annoyed reading a computer screen, but it isn't 100 percent. Not like a fully zoomed back, zero angle and zero lens shift focus.

I do plan on sending this in. It would be nice to hear what others have done with this issue and if anyone has sent the projector back yet based on this issue. I'd like to know Panny's response. All I have so far is that the tech staff think it's me not the projector.

Played around with it some more. With the stand I made I was able to shift it to get the Panny lens dead center on the screen and move it forward enough so I didn't need much zoom, or any left right lens shift. This made a significant improvement. Next step is to extend the pole from the ceiling so I can eliminate any tilt. The projector does seem very sensitive to placement despite all of the features built in to give it flexibility in placement.

Thanks for this MASH.

I am going to play with some settings first. And then if I really cannot get it to focus correctly I will have to consider moving the projector mount to a new position.

One thing that IS good, when I play 2.35:1 source the picture is situated in the middle section of my screen. This is in the 'sweet' spot for focus anyway, luckily. So the focus issue is really only affecting 16:9 full screen on websites etc. Anything that has text to be read.

Although I do use the internet on my theater setup, it is not all of the time, regardless not being able to get it to focus evenly bothers me.

My old Optoma used to go out of focus at the very lower left and right edges too. But nothing in comparison to the Panny now.

I am in some what a similiar position..... I had an old Sony VPL-400Q that was ceiling mounted and looked great for the way I had it mounted. Never really noticed a focus problem. Just bought a Panny 7000 and along with it received a pole mount with a 15" pole. When I add everything up that will put the bottom of the projector about 7' 2" or so from the floor, I have a 9' ceiling. Top of the screen is approx 18" from the 9' ceiling. Needless to say the wife is bustin my chops about how tacky that it's going to look hanging down that far....... I do some what agree with her. My initial thought was to hang a box to set the projector on from the ceiling and let it go but....... After reading some of your posts I am having second thoughts. I am assuming that there is a happy median somewhere in here but don't really know where to start. Any advice or comments would be great. And if a 15" drop pole is required then she'll just have to get use to it. Thanks ahead of time.

I'd try it as is first and see if it works out. The problems I'm having may be due to the unit I have in particular (maybe defective). You have the projector already so no harm in trying it with the current ceiling location other than the labor to set it. You may not have any issues at all. I'd be curious to know how that works out so I hope you post back if you do try it that way. People don't post when there isn't an issue, so it's hard to tell how many people are really having the issue. It's probably a small number of people, but that small number is posting about it.

Perhaps there is a way to test it by setting it on the floor. Might give you more confidence before you mount it way up there.

Got my room all set up now!

Thanks David Susilo for recommending the BLICK BT-304 universal glasses as the Panasonics were sold out everywhere.

My glasses just arrived today and they work great! The family and I will be sitting down to a 3d movie after dinner.

I have seen posts saying the AE7000 is bright enough at 120"+ wide. Has anyone at this size hit 1000 hours yet? Is it still bright enough? Does the image still pop???

Subjetively, I prefer the AE7000 even if it is a simple as the lack of SDE (Screen Door Effect) at 45-degree viewing angle.

How "light-controlled" is your room? how reflective (and what colour) are your walls and ceiling? how far are you sitting from the screen? what kind of screen gain you're using?

IF:

1. you have completely light controlled room
2. dark paints and non reflective walls amd ceiling
3. sit at 1.5x screen height
4. 1.0 screen gain

then the answer is: after 1,000 hours, it'll still be bright enough for 2D, but not sure about 3D (depending how often you play 3D within that first 1,000 hours). Best case scenario, it's borderline

IF:
1/2/3 same as above
4: 1.3 screen gain

then the answer is it'll still be bright enough for 2D AND 3D.

note: "bright enough" based on SMPTE light output requirement.

Gotcha. Thank you!

If I do not want 3D, is this worth the extra $1000 over the 4000?

David, Useful info above for me also, thanks. I have a similar issue, trying to decide between 120" vs 110 diag. screen. Totally dark and light controlled room, will be sitting just about 1.5 width for 120". Thinking about the Carada criterion 1.4 (measured at 1.3 gain in a review I saw) screen. Three questions:
1) Can one just replace the bulb at 1000 hrs then be back at square one?
2) If this screen strains my eyes at times in 2D, what quality is lost by projecting a 110 image on this 118 screen?
3) I see a throw range for where to mount as per the calculator at projector central, what is the disadvantage of not mounted in the middle of this range? thanks much everyone.

1.5x width is further away than SMPTE recommendation. I think 1.3 gain screen should be okay although I personally never liked screen beyond 1.1 gain.

If the projector is mounted closer than the sweet spot, then you'll get corner focus softness but you'll get brighter picture. If the projector is mounted further than the sweet spot, then you'll get sharper corner focus but you'll get dimmer picture.

as what's comfortable to your eyes, I can't answer that for you. As you know I sit very close to my screen.

Thanks a lot David, very helpful. I'll be throwing a little closer than the sweet spot, so do you think for those times I might want to project a 110 diag image on my 118 diag screen that there would be softness or light diffusion at the edges of the image? (I'm an audiophile more than a videophile mind you) Thanks for your time and knowledge.

it's not going to be THAT noticable but if you really look for it, it will be visible. However, since you will mostly concentrate in the centre of the screen, at least 90% of the time you won't see it. if you're not nitpicky like me, you may not even see it at all.

Those "480Hz" are just plain FRAUD to me. They just put in a Frame Interpolation hardware and call it "480Hz", but REAL REFESH RATE in HD is just 60Hz:



Besides that, Crosstalk is VERY noticeable in PS3 (Gran Turismo 5)

Before the Panasonic PT-AE5000E I had an ACER H5360BD, which DOES a 120Hz REAL refresh rate (very noticeable using HTPC) and it cost me $600 at launch date. With the Acer I used SVP ( www.svp-team.com ) as a Frame Interpolation solution, which is simply GREAT and its FREE.

I know its my fault for not going deep into the technical specs before I bought, but I'll say it again: I feel RIPPED OFF.

You're the one with the assumptions and you're blaming Panasonic? It's clearly stated that the 480Hz is 480Hz refresh panel, not once Panasonic ever claim anywhere that it will accept 480Hz input.

As crosstalk using PS3, it's a well known fact that you have to double your screen size in the PS3 setting to minimize crosstalk when playing PS3 games on ANY display/projector.

You are right. I assumed a $2500+ brand new projector from Panasonic should do at least 120Hz as a $600 Acer. Its totally my fault.

Thanks for the PS3 tip, didn't knew that. Going to try that and see if it works ok. Thanks again.

No I think you are confused. I believe that the chart you posted is a list of what signals can be feed into a Panny 7000, not what it is out putting. That is what David was saying I think.