Originally Posted by
sdittmar 
Hi guys,
I'm having the same debate between the 7000 now, the 8000 when it comes out, or the 7000 after the 8000 comes out. I'm leaning toward the 7000 either way since it doesn't seem they added much of importance, to me. The 400 lumens in my setup won't change anything while the extra $300+ (current 7000 price compared to the 8000's projected opening retail price) will afford me my screen (building it DIY) and the mounting hardware for my ceiling, at least. @JamesN, do you know exactly how much the price dropped on the 4000 when the 7000 came out? Do you think it's reasonable to expect it will at least be more than $160?
Here are the scenarios I'm weighing against one another in regards to cost for the projector & 2 pairs of 3D glasses:
A) get the 7000 right now ($2339) from non-authorized dealer and buy two pairs of 3d glasses on amazon ($120) =
$2459 total
B) get the 7000 right now ($2499) from an authorized dealer and get two pairs of 3d glasses free via panasonic rebate ($120 value) =
$2499 total
or wait for the 7000 to drop price in which case
C) if it drops in September, get it from an authorized dealer and still get the two free pairs of 3D glasses =
$2499 - [priceDrop] total
D) it it drops in October, get it from an authorized dealer but buy the glasses myself ($120) =
$2619 - [priceDrop] (The rebate expires 9/30)
E) regardless of when it drops, get it from an unauthorized dealer and buy the glasses on Amazon ($120) =
$2569 - [priceDrop] total (Guessing the regular price at the store in A was about $2449)
So the best deal right now is A...to break even in the future scenarios, the price drop in C has to be > $40, the priceDrop in D > $160, or the priceDrop in E >$110.
I had a similar situation in May with my Onkyo receiver...the MSRP and retail price for it at the time were basically $1000 less than those prices for the AE7000, and it dropped $400 when the new model hit the shelves, but I'm getting the feeling that I shouldn't expect a $400 price drop with this projector. I'm also noticing that even the AE4000 is still $1800 right now...was that dropped to $1800 recently or has it been $1800 ever since the AE7000 came out?
-Steve
FYI about the rebate on the glasses, you have to go through a Panasonic Authorized Dealer and buy the AE7000 before the end of September...figuring out who is an authorized dealer is NOT easy, you have to call the rebate support number and ask them. Panasonic sales couldnt tell me for certain who was/wasn't. He pointed me to the dealer search tool, but it only locates brick and mortar stores and that is not a guarantee that they sell the projector you want. Also, the AE7000U product page on Panasonic's website says "Visit a panasonic reseller to get yours today" and links to 4 web merchants, but only two of them were confirmed by the rebate support rep as authorized resellers. Visual Apex and AGI (AudioGeneral.com) are both authorized. She couldn't find anything for ProjectorPoint (so presumably not authorized) and ProjectorPeople.com USED to be, but as of February is no longer.
