Official Owners' Thread, Panasonic PT-AE8000U (US version) PT-AT6000E (European version) - Page 35

No 4k on the 8k. I believe Sony has the only native 4k projector for about 8k the price

I have just upgraded to this projector from a ptae900 which has served me well, after lurking on this thread & every PTAE thread between the 900 & the 8000 I figured it is time to post & give a little bit back.

This was purchased not because of the 3d but more for the benefits I thought that 3D technology will bring to a 2D picture, but have been hugely impressed by the quality of the 3D on this, I wasn't expecting the clarity & depth delivered.

Watching Titanic at times I felt a could walk around the rooms & reach through the screen, A Christmas Carol & Avatar both look fantastic the only film so far that I have experienced crosstalk on is Hugo (close up's of the inspectors head in particular) but not enough to ruin the movie fully.

My viewing room is also my living room with less than ideal white ceiling & sand coloured walls so blacks were not going to be great whatever projector I bought but I am a little disappointed on the black level that this closes down to for a total black image as every generation of the PTAE has had improved blacks I was expecting better.

On the other side of the scale though brightness/contrast is really good scenes with bright objects for example candles & car headlamps really dazzle.

I am now on 45h of lamp use have have noticed that light is leaking from the top right & bottom left corner of a projected image, on dark scenes they look a lot lighter grey than the rest of the image has anyone else had this problem ??

CR:

Here you go, I did a quick video for you. Forgive the setting a bit, I just have a huge sheet hanging on the wall as I am trying to determine what my next screen size is going to be and whether to go scope or not. I did put some blue tape down as a height reference. Again, seemed a bit annoying to me, but see what you think.

http://youtu.be/A_jvHOjkGJk

I also think I figured out what my problem was getting the 2 aspects correct. I was shifting my projector position around a bunch and using the manual shift lens quite a bit as I did this. What I wasn't doing was locking the manual shift after I got things where I wanted them. So, I think it was slipping as the auto switch zoomed in and out. Once I relocked the manual lever, everything seemed to work fine. So, jotting that down here in case anyone else makes a bonehead move like I did.

After watching that video, I would almost say we don't have the same AE8000. The time my projector detects a change to/from 16:9 is the same amount of time. Pretty much around 5 seconds till the "processing" message pops up.

The actual change is no where near as fast though. I do have mine change the vertical position and focus, but not zoom. I also have the issue with focus being noticeably different from top to bottom.

Perhaps different firmware versions?

Walt

You are the best!

Thanks a lot for sharing this video. Yeah, it does help me to have a better idea on how the ratio autoswitch works. Not as fast as I was expecting, but at least there is no signal interruption at all.

So, once again......thanks!

Here's an experiment to try. Pick up a pencil and hold it up vertically about 4" from your eyes. Now focus your eyes across the room. You will see two images of the pen, which are different for each eye. The distance between them is the parallax.

Next, move the pen away from you while keeping your gaze fixed across the room. Notice that the two images of the pen grow closer together. So, the farther away an object is from your eyes...the less parallax.

OK. When I look at some 3D movie scenes, there is more parallax in far-away objects than there is in objects that are closer to the viewer. That doesn't make any sense. In my experience it is these kinds of scenes where the crosstalk is most egregious...when there is more parallax in distant objects than there is in proximate objects.

I have to ask: if crosstalk is not caused by mastering, i.e. issues with the content, but rather by the projector's/glasses limitations...then why does crosstalk come and go from scene to scene? If the equipment was faulty, one would think it would never perform properly, ever, on any content. But in the main, there is almost no crosstalk...only in certain scenes. In my view, the equipment is the control and the content is the variable.
Edited by HMenke - 1/12/13 at 2:27pm

I would return it right away. It will bother you every time you will turn it on. It is amazing how it passes quality control. This problem repeats every year

looks like the glowing reviews have slowed down hey
do u guys still love your PT8000 or do you regret buying?

If you can't see from the viewing position then keep it. You'll eventually forget it's there! Otherwise you risk getting on the stressful "return replacement" cycle with no guarantee you will be better off in the end(as many others have reported). I think with both the new Epsons and Panasonics( I believe these both use the same LCD block) the alignment can be pot luck and really is reflective of poor quality control. You would expect it to be better particularly with the high end models.

The other problem that annoys me is that as others reported there i have a "flickering" noise, aside from the fan, coming from the projector. It's a bit of a problem for me.

I think i will try my luck, returns are guaranteed in 5 business days and shipment costs should be on Panasonic side.

I have the JVC RS10 IDLA projector, have owned for over 3 yrs....would this panny projector be considered an upgrade over the JVC picture wise? Can anyone that went from a similar JVC to the panny chime in? 3D is not a high priority to me. I love the auto lens cover the JVC has and wish all projectors had that feature to protect the lens.

I wish there is a dealer that will test for convergence, take a close up picture like cedivad did. They can sell the units with perfect convergence where white lines are white for a fee and the rest to people that don't care as long as they see white from their seating distance. I seat 9 feet away from 10 feet diag. screen and bad convergence bothers me.

I have a question about the vertical lens shift. I will need to install the projector approximately 2.5 feet ABOVE the top of my 110" screen. I will have to do a significant amount of vertical "downshift" to get the image aligned.

1. Can this be done?
2. Will this much shift degrade picture quality?

Thanks all.

If my math is correct... on a 110" screen (which is 54" high) you can be as high as 27" above the top of the edge of the screen.

downgrade

Thanks!

Amen! I'd pay a huge premium to get a projector with "guaranteed" good convergence.

Opinions, anyone?

Hi fgsouza
It takes a very expensive lens to achieve an uniform focus. Your PJ has good convergence, so IMO I would keep it. You could, once you have a perfect focus on the center, push one click in order to focus the uneven zone. If You can place the PJ farthest from the screen you will achieve better focus (but it will loose some brightness).

Hi ferbal,

Thank you very much for the feedback. I also think that the convergence is very good. I tried very hard but i could not get a better focus on the uneven area, but i will try your approach.

My room is small so the projetor is the furthest i can get it, 2.40m from the screen. I wiil try it in another larger room and see how the focus changes at a longer distance. The projector is ceiling mounted, i will try to lower it a bit, perhaps less lens shift could be better. But i did some experiments with the projector at desktop, it gets a little better, but not much. Perhaps the limitation is indeed the small distance from the screen.

What disturbs me is that my previous projector, Optoma HD20, has a much more uniform focus overall. Perhaps because it is a shorter throw projector, it can focus better at small distances.

Does the PJ have a builtin convergence test pattern? I didn't find any so any suggestions on where I can download a clip that displays those RGB vertical and horizontal patterns?

Since focus is a function of distance, it might be possible to fudge it a little by slight adjustments to the position of the projector. That is, try a very slight amount of angle to the screen. There's no guarantee that your current setup is 100% perfect with regard to perpendicularity between projector and screen. If not, you might be able to get some improvement.

Considering an upgrade from my JVC RS1. Fan noise is a big issue for me because the projector is on a shelf just a couple of feet from my head (can't change due to funky room). I have been putting up with it for years, but it is one of those things that I can't stop noticing now.

Projectors I am considering include the RS4810, 5020 and 8000U. The reviews say they are all 'quiet in eco mode' and 'would not be an issue for all but the most sensitive to fan noise'. But, unfortunately, I am that 'sensitive' guy. The reviews seem to suggest the 8000U is the quietest. Can anyone with experience verify this?

I have this projector just few inches above my head (temp position**). it is running in Eco mode and I can't complain about the fan noise. It is very quiet "for me". Of course, i do have a 7.2 sound system and therefore, that might help a lot.

I can try to measure sound levels at my MLP with all the other gear off, so I can give you an idea on how noisy it is. If that helps.

** Do you mind to share a pic of the shelf that you are using? I'm planning on installing my PJ on a shelf too and I'm looking for options.

I'm not the OP, but here is a picture of my mount. It is intended to be a shelf for a DVD player, etc., but it has a capacity of 20+ lbs and works fine. Do note that it needs to be installed directly into a stud, but will swing either right of left to line up with the center of the screen

http://www.amazon.com/OmniMount-ECSB-Component-Shelf-Accessories/dp/B000EGI7V4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358381684&sr=8-1&keywords=projector+shelf

Thanks for sharing it. I like the low profile of the shelf itself. Only issue in my case is the studs are way off center in relation of the screen. But, indeed a nice alternative that you offered me here.

Cheers!

My home theater is in a finished attic space. The curved ceiling joists start at about waist level. I cut a shelf in between the joists. One issue is that the shelf size was limited to the spacing of the joists and isn't large enough for some projectors. You can see my RS1 struggling to fit. 8000u should fit ok. I also need to do an hdmi cable run, but it might be easier to use wireless hdmi.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations on space requirements for proper ventilation. A hot projector will have a short life expectancy on the lamp and electronics.

Thanks for sharing that pic.

If you have an iPhone or Android phone, look for the app "Sound Meter". Sit right beneath your PJ (like 8" below) and measure the sound produced by your projector. In my case I had a read of 23 dB.

Not the most accurate or technical test I know, but I hope it will help you to compare how loud is your PJ vs. my read on the 8000U.

Now of course, I'm curious about your read, so please report back.

+1000

Thanks for the db reading!
I tried a few different apps on my iPhone and iPad, but I don't think it is very accurate. I am getting a 40-50db with the projector on and a 35db rating in the silent room. The house is silent, but I still read 35 db and I know the projector is louder than the 15db delta. It seems like the mic on the 'idevices' isn't very sensitive at the low end.

If I had to guess, the rs1 is in the 32db range even in eco mode.

Re: the space around the projector - I think that may be a good point for the 8000u and may be an issue for me. The JVC intake and vent are both on the front and has worked fine for years. The 8000 has a side vent that would only have a 1/4 inch clearance.
Edited by sunol - 1/16/13 at 10:08pm