Official Owners' Thread, Panasonic PT-AE8000U (US version) PT-AT6000E (European version) - Page 37

purbeast, what mount is that?

Hello,

I have 2 questions on this projector:
First, I was using the PC calculator and for my screen it says i should use a 18'7" throw with 1.5x zoom. Does zooming decrease my picture quality at all?


second, How often does the dust filter need to be replaced and where do you even get those? (really close to buying this projector)

It is this mount - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TXNS6G/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

With this ceiling plate - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BITSTA/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01

And I got my own steel pipe in the length I needed (10 inches) from a local plumbing store and spray painted it black.

I was wondering so if my convergence is off on the red from 1 pixel to 1.5 above and green maybe the same below the white is that pretty good for this unit? This is just looking at the letters/lines in the menu. My convergence seems pretty spot on when unit is first turned on but drifts a bit as it is warmed up, is this typical too? Uniformity is pretty good on greys/whites and primary colors so hoping this projector would be considered acceptable. Seem like a keeper considering how it is a crapshoot getting a perfect one? Thoughts? Thanks

Personally I don't get too worked up over 1-pixel misconvergence in one direction. Yes it is there, but you need special test patterns to determine that that is the case. On program material, I think it doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of the image at all. Although I am interested in knowing and learning about the projector's ultimate capabilities, my philosophy is relax and enjoy!
Edited by HMenke - 1/22/13 at 4:05am

Yes, that's correct. DLP do not have uniformity issues since they don't have panel alignment or convergence issues. They can display white single pixels and lines with no fringing outside of possible chromatic error in the glass. If you're going to be doing computer work, they're the best for perfect white fields and sharp-cornered pixels. For video I usually hate them due to rainbows, but the 8000's Epson disease is very distracting.

Cheers,
Chris

Does "epson disease" get worse or present itself over time or if you have it, it will be there from the start? So this is just non-uniform grey or white screens? Thanks

Hi, I think I may have a problem with my projector and wanted to see if any of you guys have had this issue. I bought my projector a few months ago and have about 50 hours on it now. I was watching the Lord of the Rings Blu-ray (Sony BDP-S590) last night and decided to try and see what the 2D > 3D conversion would look like since I just received my glasses. When I turned it on, I noticed a white line that was on top of the screen (2.35:1 Movie). I have only tried it on one movie so far. Have any of you guys noticed this before?


After I tried the 2D > 3D conversion, I then noticed two faint white lines on top of the screen (between the black bars and movie) when watching 2D movies now. I tired multiple movies and the lines are on all of them. The is more annoying since I could care less about the 2D > 3D conversion. They may have been there before but now I notice them pretty easily. Has any one had this issue too?

This is with the 2D > 3D Conversion "On".



This is a picture of the "two faint white lines" that are now noticeable from my viewing area 11' feet away.

Finally switched from the PT-AT5000 to the 6000 yesterday. Below my findings and reason to switch:

Findings:
2D - Don't see much difference
3D - Much brighter and no significant ghosting anymore at a room temperature of about 15 C. I played some movies which had lots of ghosting on the 5000, but it simply isn't there on the 6000:)

Reasons:
1. RS232 commands for 3D modes. Now I can finally automate which mode the projector should be in depending on the source coming from my PC.
2. Lens Memory Load while in 3D mode. I used to zoom in 2D before going into 3D, but now that just isn't an issue anymore.
3. No more Processing message while performing a Lens Memory Load.
4. More brightness in 3D

I don't see a big jump in contrast but I watch in a fully dark room. So the 5000 was more than bright enough already.
Still use Cinema 2 for 2D and Normal for 3D material.

The projector gave me a good scare already because it turned itself off while source switching my Onkyo from one input (Dreambox) to another (PC). After a while I figured that was due to the Viera Link being enabled. Turned it off and the problem went away.

So for me it's more about the features (automating using a PC) rather than about the performance and I must say I am very pleased with the upgrade. If features don't bother any of you and 3D is not your thing, I would stick to the 5000 (7000).

Don't let anyone else tell you where to sit. I sit 7' from my 120" screen. 15 feet is the back wall of my little theater room. You wouldn't want to sit 1.5 time the screen width at an iMax theater would you? That is probably the very back row.
What I did was go to a fabric store and got some blackout cloth and double stick taped to my wall. I tried a huge screen at first, like 150" and ended up going 120". I tried 2.35 and gave up on that too.
The nice thing with BO cloth is it only costs like 16 bucks to try whatever screen you want. I personally love my high gain Vutec Silverstar. That is the nice thing with the panny. It has low brightness modes that work with the high gain screen in 2D and bright modes for 3D that will look amazing on the high gain screen, even with a lot of hours on the lamp.

I'm really interested in this. Can you please elaborate a bit more on how to automate the projector using RS232?

My first reaction is that it is not the projector.

First rule of troubleshooting is to determine what is NOT causing the problem. Whatever remains after the process of elimination is suspect. You might want to take a look at some test patterns. Are you sure that those white lines are not coming from the source content? I would also suggest swapping out your HDMI cable and maybe trying a different source component.

It's there from the get-go. It's not just non-uniform grey or white screens. It's non-uniform ALL screens. It's just most easily noticeable on grey/white/light backgrounds. I also notice it in skin tones, but it just depends...

Mine should be ok then as it is pretty uniform on grey and white screens. Pretty good on other colors too so I think I am ok and don't seem to have the "Epson disease". Good to know. Thanks

They all have it. Never seen a Panasonic without. Whether you notice it is another thing! Nobody who watches on my projectors has ever noticed. I notice, though..,

Regarding the issue of color non-uniformity. Personally, given all of the strengths of this projector, I am not too caught up in it because I can only see it on uniform gray and white test material. On normal program material I have never seen it.

My previous projector was a PT-AE3000U. I had some reliability problems with it, and as a result I had purchased the Service Manual so I could look up and order replacement parts like fans and temperature sensors. Anyway, I was looking through the manual and found some interesting information with respect to "Color Unevenness". Apparently Panasonic tackles it in two ways: with a lookup table of correction data, and with mechanical adjustments of reflectors for R, G, and B. Fundamentally, the engineering challenge remains in the newer models...they are still 3-panel LCD projectors.

Under Fair Use Doctrine, here are some image captures from the PT-AE3000U manual as an FYI.











I have to wonder about the validity of the correction table once anyone has replaced any of the parts or made any adjustments to the reflectors.

The fact that there are mechanical components involved in the adjustment of color uniformity certainly speaks to how color uniformity could change with temperature and aging of components.

My system is controlled using HouseBot. That's a home automation software. Through HouseBot I can simply send and receive RS232 commands (listed in the owners manual) and control the projector through a touchscreen but also simple scripts that act like macro's. All my movies are played through Meedio on a PC. In Meedio's database my software does a query for the type of 3D (SBS or Top and Bottom) and sets the projector in the correct mode without ever having to touch a remote controller. Obviously my system does way more than that, but this is the simple version of how I use RS232 on all of my equipment.

Thanks Bumper, that's excellent info! Appears to be an affordable, fun way to automate your home and media experience! I am definitely liking the looks of MeediOS.

Well, I'm so happy my unit is performing pretty well. Of course, I have to be honest here too and say that I don't have all that technical knowledge, nor a trained eye to notice those things that you guys are talking about.

I just know the PQ of this projector versus my 2011 Samsung 3D Plasma is spectacular. Also keep in mind that I'm coming from a 51" HDTV to a this humongous 120" fixed screen. So, no regrets and no disappointments at my end, just pure joy and satisfaction with my purchase.

Hey William, sorry to hear bro that you notice those issues with your PJ. But, I hope the pluses out weight the negatives in this projector and that overall you are satisfied with the Panny. In other words, I hope it is a keeper!

I just had te exact same problem with my new 8000. i bought it from Projector People because of the great reviews from you guys.
When i saw the convergence issue i assumed that i was going to be able to adjust it to be perfect, WRONG..... No messing with mirrors....This is no longer CRT world............ZSo i called the tech at PP and they said to call Panny......Well you can imagine what I thought was going to happen..............To my surprise they asked for the photos and reviewed them with-in ONE (1) day....Yup just one day............They already called PP and a new one is on its way to me........ I LOVE Panny support..........and Proj People... Ill tell you guys if the new one is any better aligned then the first.......

best

john

I can "deal" with the uniformity issues with my projector, but I'm not thrilled about it. Neither am I thrilled with Panasonic's quality control. You put two PT-AE8000 or 7000 or 4000 units next to each other, and the differences are just astonishing... Sharpness, uniformity, and convergence varies far too much for a product costing the better part of $3k. I understand the work that goes into these machines, but really... it's not like this is a 1st generation display device. Panasonic has had plenty of time to address these issues. I'm not expecting perfection. I understand variances in panels (from my computer work), and I understand optics/glass/lenses a reasonable amount (photographer!). But out of all the display devices I've owned (including Epson and JVC projectors), none have driven me so mad as Panasonic's. And that's just sad.

That said, I do enjoy my 8000. I'd just be quite happy to pay a bit more for something that was essentially "Quality Assured," which it's quite clear these aren't (at least not to any reasonably critical eye).

Can you post the photos you mentioned above? Would be curious to see what Panny considers out of spec with regards to color uniformity.

johnnyjobber1, By how many pixels was your projector out at the worst? Did you have other uniformity issues besides the convergence?

Just installed my new projector. It was an upgrade from a 5-year-old Sony VW 50 Pearl and the difference is amazing. Just in terms of brightness, contrast, and colour it is like going from SD to HD.

One thing that is driving me crazy is that the image motion sometimes seems strange. It's almost like it is being sped up. Not sure if this has to do with the refresh rate versus how I'm used to seeing on my old projector and the rest of my LCDs. Can anyone clear this up for me? Is it just that I have to get used to it or can it be fixed?

Thanks!

The Frame Creation (frame interpolation) is sensitive to the input frequency. For 60i/p sources, I set Frame Creation to OFF. For 24p, I set it to MODE1. If you watch it in MODE1 at 60i/p, you will get the "speed up effect" which I think is the processor's inability to keep up with the job of frame interpolation at 60Hz. So the video comes out looking alternately delayed then sped up.

Try turning the frame creation to off. I dont use it on most material because it gives that soap opera effect that doesnt look natural to me

Thanks. Where in the menu are these options?

Thanks!

How would you guys rate the picture quality versus a good LCD TV?

More natural color in the right mode, less "digital" looking, more sense of depth in 2D. Panasonic has what they call "Smooth Screen" technology to prevent the "screen door effect"...it works very well and is one of my favorite features of Panny.