Panasonic PT-AR100 MSRP$ 1,999 - 4000U replacement... kind of - Page 22

What color is the power cord? If its black where can i get a white one?

Black. It comes with a locking mechanism built in (so it can't be easily accidentally pulled out), but you can use a standard AC cord with it. Here is one at the Shack http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...uctId=3875424# It is the standard IEC cord that plugs into desktop computers. I used a right angle power cord (aftermarket) so I didn't have to bend the AC cord much to get it to clear the back wall (a great suggestion from Mr.G some pages back..... along with a right angle HDMI connector).

I'm considering buying the AR100 as an upgrade for my AX200. I had originally been looking at the Epsons. The 3010 has a slightly higher lumen output than my AX200 (which is one of the areas I'm looking to upgrade slightly, as I do have to deal with some ambient light during the day), but it won't work at my throw distance (19'-20' on a 114" screen). The Epson 8350 will work at that throw, but features the same lumen output as my current projector.

Enter the AR100. It offers the higher lumen output I'm looking for and will work at that distance. But I was hoping to avoid Panasonic because when I originally bought my AX100, I experienced the flicker problem and had to fight for a replacement (the AX200) after they wanted me to send it into Heartland for the second time in a few months. I was less than impressed with Panasonic's customer service. But it seems the AR100 is about my only option in that price range if I want a brighter picture.

Plus, it seems I just missed out on the $300 rebate (though the extended warranty is really more attractive than the money back). So that sucks. What say you? Is there any alternative to the AR100 that I'm overlooking? Something that offers comparable lumens and that will work at that throw distance? If not, are the flicker problems of the Panasonics in the past?

I feel the same way but now that I know they have $300 I'm waiting for some benefit to myself to the tune of at least $200 before I jump. I wanted the 3010e as it had the wifi hdmi so I figure I'll just buy that 3rd party. But for me lacking lens shift was the deal killer.

I only have about 200 hours on my AR100 at this point and I have not seen a flicker. I have not heard anyone else reporting flicker problems either. Just an observation.

As lolmaster has mentioned there have been no flicker problems with the AR100U that I'm aware of and certainly none with my unit after 247 hours of use. But it seems that you are reluctant to buy another Panasonic product after your service experience in spite of the fact that you eventually got a newer model replacement. I can't advise you on what to buy, do your homework and go from there.

Does anyone know if Panasonic offers rebates like this fairly often? I'd hate to buy the thing and then have them offer the same deal again right afterwards. But I also don't want to sit around and wait for a deal that will probably never be offered again.


Fair enough. I wasn't looking for anyone to make my decision for me. I just thought people with more knowledge might be aware of an option I had overlooked. And the only reason I got a replacement was because I threatened to take them to small claims court. Otherwise I probably would've been sending it into Heartland until the warranty expired. The flicker was a well-documented problem with that unit, yet all they did to rectify it was change the bulb.

I had the AX100U and it was my experience with it that kept me with Panasonic. I think the most common problems with the AX100U were the stuck iris problem (I never had that problem with almost 8000 hours on her) and brightness flicker. The flicker would go away if I ran the lamp on full power (non-eco) for a few ours. I believe they addressed the iris design on the AX200U. The flicker happened maybe 10 times in the 5 years I owned the AX100U. I haven't seen any flicker problems on the AR100U yet. Your experiences were different, but there were many that were happy with previous Panasonics. I considered the Epson 8350 and read about the bulb problems it was having (burned out very quickly for many people.... before 1000 hours). It sounds like Epson handled it very well and they sent people new bulbs without the need for threatening. I believe they have straightened out the problem.

Panasonic does seem to run rebates fairly often. With the price going up, it makes you wonder if they will do a rebate soon. They would probably make a lot more money selling it for $1200 with $200 rebate instead of $1000 flat since some people will skip the rebate or botch it.

When the AR100U pricing went from $1300 before $300 rebate to $1000 with no rebate, they canceled the rebate even though the dates were still valid on the rebate form. Just for kicks I sent in my rebate form even though I got it for $1000. Worst case I'm out a stamp and 15 minutes of time. I don't think they will send me $300, but maybe as a consolation they will extend the warranty..... it was worth a try.

Thanks. I was curious about that, because I asked about the rebate at projector people and was told the offer expired at the end of Feb. But when I googled the rebate, the form indicated that it expired at the end of March. Thanks for clearing that up. At least I know now I didn't miss out on the deal by a few days.

Hopefully they offer the rebate again soon. Like I said, I'd rather have the extended warranty than the money back. But both would be nice, too.

The extended warranty to 3 years is only significant if you are a light user of the projector because the real cut-off is the 2000 hours limit. I got the 'free' extended 3 year warranty when I purchased my AR100U but at my current usage rate (275 hours in 2 1/2 months) I'll blow through the 2000 hours in 18 months or less. Most major credit card companies double the manufacturer's warranty (when the total purchase price is paid for with the credit card) so I would have still been covered up to 24 months without the rebate warranty.

I purchased my projector at end of January for $1300 and less than a month later the price dropped to $1000. Win some and lose some. You can sit back and wait for another price reduction or rebate but according to the Projector People website the AR100U ($1200) has been their number one selling projector for the past 7 days so I don't see any reason for Panasonic to offer any incentive while sales are up.

Okay. I finally got the projector yesterday. I am very pleased with my purchase. I only have one problem. I feel the colors looked washed out a little. I didn't mess with any setting. Should i? Does anyone have any good calibrations to offer? Btw i have it ceiling mounted about 11 ft away with a 100 in fixed frame screen 1.5 gain white matte. I hope that helps y'all.

I just got mine aswell. My setup is pretty close to yours. Same distance and screen size. I put mine to eco mode on the lamp and then cinema1 for the picture setting. Thats what i've been seeing people do. looks good to me, wish the contrast was a little better, but can't complain when watching a screen that huge.

You don't really give many details. Is this with full sun coming in through the windows or with more subdued light? Are you using full or eco mode? What picture setting are you using? With a 100" screen at 11 feet your picture should not look washed out unless you're blasting it with ambient light.

I tried both eco and full. It looks the same. I have very little ambient light

If you've watched movies or HDTV cable shows in 'Vivid Cinema' and it looks washed out there is something wrong with your projector and I would immediately contact your seller.

EDIT: Aren't you the poster who wanted to use a lot of horizontal shift at one time? Where did you eventually end up setting up your projector?

Yes i am that poster. But i ended up not using that much lens shift. I find i get the brightest picture when i use dynamic mode. Thanks for quick responses mr.g

This is on dynamic mode. Could it be that i am comparing the picture to my lg 46 in lcd tv?

Attachment 244159

Dynamic mode is way too bright on my setup which is a 120" (1.1 gain) white screen at just under 14 feet throw distance. I have been using 'Vivid Cinema' for just about all of my HDTV and movie watching, try it and post a picture if you can. I have a 50" Panasonic plasma just off to the right of my projection screen and comparing the pictures side by side the AR100U comes close to the plasma in picture quality in a darkened room. The picture you posted does not look right.

This is vivd cinema. My camera makes it brighter than what it is. But the picture from from my lg is night and day compared to the projector

Attachment 244178

I have the same projector and am having to battle reflected light. Im wondering, since your ceiling appears to be white, if thats whats washing out your image. Just a thought

Is this your first projector? There is always going to be difference between direct view (transmitted light) HDTV and reflected light from a projector screen...but they can be close in the right setting. I'll see if I can take some comparative pictures of my setup tonight. In the meantime you may want to try the calibration settings in Art Feierman's review.

http://www.projectorreviews.com/pana...alibration.php

Yes this is my first projector. I watched a blueray movie on it earlier on it. That looked great. Just everything else just seems really dull.

If the Blu-ray looked great then it is your source, not the projector. I have Cox cable and the HDTV is never as saturated as a good Blu-ray. It is good but not as good. With the compression used in HDTV broadcast it can be all over the board.

Here are some photos I took last night, not the greatest quality. The older digital camera I used made the plasma screen appear blown out, must be something about two different light sources. To get both screens in the shot I had to shot on an angle from the side. Although it's probably not evident in the photos they are fairly close quality wise. I've got Time Warner HD cable.

Thats a nice picture. What setup you have? What kind of plasma is that? What setting are you using on the projector? Is it calibrated?

I have been using the eco-mode 'Vivid Cinema' setting almost exclusively since installing the projector and still have not gotten around to calibrating it. I've got a 120" screen with 1.1 gain material and a throw of just under 14 feet. I use 40 foot component cables to the projector for the Time Warner HD and the cable box is an old Pioneer model I've had for many years. I use a powered distribution amp/splitter to send the component signal directly (bypassing my Denon AVR) to the Panasonic plasma and the AR100U, that's how I manage to get the same image on both units. For Dolby Digital sound I use a coaxial cable from the box to the Denon and regular RCA cables for stereo into the Panasonic TC-50PX24 I purchased 2 years ago. The HDTV set is mainly for the news, etc. My home theater is located in the first floor family room so there is usually some ambient light.

As mentioned by others it's possible that the problem is with your HD cable provider or equipment and not the AR100U.

Thanks for all your input. Vivid cinema looks too dark on my setup. So last night i went and bought a calibration disc. Now my picture looks outstanding. I use normal mode with other tweaks added in. Mow my picture looks just like my 46 in. Lg i have right next to it. I will post pics later tonight when i get home.

How much of a change was there compared to default settings? I thought I read that the PT-AR100U is pretty well calibrated out of the box.

I ended up returning it. Because i will always wonder "what if i got a bad projector". So when i get my new one in i will report back. Thanks for all y'alls help!

I am currently using a Mitsubishi xd300u and have been looking at this Panasonic. I have no problems with the Mitsubishi other than it is only 1080i and looks a little pixelated at times. Is it worth it to spend $1000 to get a newer projector or wont I see much of a difference between what I have and what is out now. I realize that the one I have now is old but it still looks pretty good for what I paid for it a few years back.

Sorry if this is a dumb question but it isnt as easy to walk into Best Buy and see every projector like you can with TV's.

Let me know your thoughts.