Official Owners' Thread, Panasonic PT-AE8000U (US version) PT-AT6000E (European version) - Page 42

I'm going to assume you mean 120" diagonal, not 120" wide. At 120" 2.35:1, the throw range is 12' to 25', so 15' is very near the short end. I believe that makes it more likely for you to encounter imperfections in the lens, as the projected image is larger as it passes through the glass.

You would assume wrong. 120" wide. However, the out of focus issue is just as noticeable when I dont have the image zoomed and I'm displaying a 93" diagonal image.

Ha ha ok then. Well if you try making your image as small as can go and there's still focus uniformity problems regardless of where you shift the lens, then it's probably not the lens and might be the panels.

Was it like this out of the box or did it develop over time? Like I said I experienced something similar but I returned it within my 30 days and got a new unit where focus attenuates only modestly from center to edge, and does so by the same amount to all four corners/edges. I get the best overall focus by focussing the center, then moving one click towards focussing the corners.

Perhaps you do not understand the actual issue here.

The point is there are inconsistencies in the quality of how good the sharpness is across the entire screen.
And it appears to more much more common on the new (Chinese built) 8000 models

I can vouch for this as I owned a 7000 (made in japan), and it had a beautifully crisp picture from edge to edge.

I now (downgraded in my opinion) to the new (now made in China) 8000 model, and it is sharp on the right side of the screen, yet out of focus on the left.

It is most noticeable when you shift the menu around various parts of the screen, and the text is noticeably sharper in certain parts.
I did not have any such issue with my 7000, which I sadly no longer own.

So at this price point it can and has been achieved.

Perhaps it's the poor (quality control) during the assembly process that we commonly see coming out of Chinese factories that I have witnessed in my line of work (electronic repairs) over the past 15 years.

And now unfortunately for all us consumers, Panasonic (like so many other manufacturers) has decided to switch from quality built Japanese projectors over to cheap Chinese production

65caddy,

While your "they don't make 'em like they used to" hypothesis is interesting and fits with a lot of people's preconceived notions of "Made in China", there are some problems with your reasoning and statistics.

1. The quality consistency you're ascribing to the AE7000 series (and in turn to Japan) is based on a single data point, the one projector you owned. How do you know you didn't just get lucky and get a great unit? I have had two AE8000's now, one had bad focus, and the other is virtually perfect. Does that mean the AE8000 series has a 50% defect rate? That is not a conclusion you can draw with single digit numbers of data points. Neither is your conclusion about how great or not great the AE7000 series was.

2. Remember also that forums like this will show reporting bias. People with problems are much more likely to a) visit the forum looking for answers, and b) speak up and complain or ask for help. You're not hearing from the people who've had no problems at all. Or at least not at the same rate, pro rata, that you're hearing from people with problems.

3. China has some of the most sophisticated manufacturing capabilities in the world now. Think about the level of precision, fit and finish that go into the hundreds of millions of Apple products that are made there. While there are no doubt still many "cheap" manufacturers in China, I don't think you can still say, in 2013, that a product manufactured in China is automatically of lower quality than one manufactured elsewhere. It depends on the standards expected and enforced by the product maker, in this case Panasonic.

Now you might be right. It could very well be that AE8000 units aren't as consistent as the AE7000, and it might also be because of a lower quality manufacturing process, and that might in fact be because it's in China now. All I'm saying is there's no statistically valid data to back up that chain of reasoning.

Off to enjoy my Chinese made projector now. Good luck with sorting out yours, I know it's frustrating to get a new toy and there's a problem with it right out of the box. Took me a month and a half of shipping 20lbs boxes back and forth, trying three different units from two different brands (also tried an Epson 5020) to be satisfied.

Hi Xank

This is a rather long winded answer to a simple (yet very important) point that I was attempting to provide potential new buyers.
A subject that I believe no one else had touched on....

Panasonic projectors were proudly advertised as made in Japan. They are not now proudly advertising them as made in China

There is no doubt that my post was fueled somewhat from receiving a faulty unit, however I believe I brought a point to this forum that had not been discussed as yet, and in my opinion forums such as this are here to (amongst other things) provide potential new buyers with as much knowledge about this product as possible... be it good or bad.

I am not attempting to make this a slinging match between a fellow projector enthusiasts such as yourself, so this will be my last word on the subject. I'm merely pointing out what I believe to be facts that someone like myself would have liked to have known prior to this purchase, and others have not mentioned... I live literally thousands of kilometers from the nearest store that sells this exact model, so I did not have the luxury (due to the cost) of inspecting it prior to purchase.

If I had the option put to me again that I could choose between 2 similar products from the same manufacturer, one built in Japan and the other built in China, the answer would be simple.

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have worked in the industry of repairing electronics for 15 years, so I am in a fairly good position to say that I have witnessed many companies make the switch from local manufacturing to (made in China), and more often than not the products have proven to be less reliable... And this applies to products in the market place almost right across the board.

So if we want to bring other brand names into this discussion like your apple for eg, my previous Japanese built receiver lasted 13 years, my current (high end) Chinese replacement lasted 2 weeks ! My Japanese built microwave lasted 9 years, my new expensive Chinese built inverter microwave lasted 3 months. My 65 inch plasma lasted 7 months, my front loader washer lasted 5 months. I always buy high up in the model range, and use suitable serge protection, so it's not cheap junk that I have. And I bet many (if not most) people could share similar stories now days, stories that were not frequently shared when the products were manufactured to a high standard....

This back and forth could go on for ever, but the whole point to my post was/is that I am trying to provide potential new buyers the fact that the Panasonic projector has now taken a different path of made in China, and the products could well suffer because of it.

I would be surprised if there would be any honest person out there apart from the people making the money (Panasonic) that would see this change as a good thing......

Completely Agree with you mate !
+1

lol

This thread is starting to worry me. I'm really close to pulling the trigger on the AE8000 but all of the comments about defective or miscalibrated units have me back on the fence.

I'm looking for a projector that has low gaming/input lag and is bright enough to handle a room with some ambient light. The gaming lag would rule out the Epson 5020 and the JVC's I believe. Does anyone have a recommendation for a projector similar to the AE8000 that has a higher build quality?

Or should I just roll the dice and hope I get a good unit?? Help me out guys...

See if you can get your hands on the AE7000.

I had one and sold it to upgrade to the 8000. My 8000 that I received last week was defective out of the box, and I've just done a deal with the supplier to swap it out for the AE7000.
They agree with our concerns about the quantity of failures in such a short time compared to the 7000, and are (claiming) to be using this forum as a tool in an attempt to get something done in Panasonic to improve what seems at this point to be a reduction in quality from the Japanese 7000 to the Chinese 8000.

This of course does not say that you will never have a failure, however no one could criticize the quality of workmanship of the small amount of higher end electronic products that are still manufactured in Japan

The only criticism I have with the performance of the 7000 is (in my opinion) that it is not really bright enough (for 3D content only) when there are dim seems.
There is a huge jump in brightness between 3D and 2D mode.
In 2D mode which is what I used it for 99 % of the time, I found that I run the bulb in eco mode (in a dark room), or the image was brighter than you really need.
Also in eco mode the fan is practically silent.
If there is a small amount of ambient lighting, it lights up nicely with the bulb set to normal mode.

So if your sole purpose is not to watch 3D content, then you will be very happy indeed, and it displays beautiful picture quality.

That may not have directly answered your question, but hopefully it helps.

Don't let the negative feedback get to you. People are more apt to speak up when something isn't right, than if they are satisfied (I fall into that trap too). Human nature. However, I would venture to bet that there are many more satisfied purchasers of this pj, than unsatisfied. I fall into the satisfied column. I only have 20 hours or so on the 8000, but I couldn't be happier. Haven't done any calibration to speak of, but everyone who has seen the image is blown away. Caveat that this is my first projector, and I haven't been looking for any convergence, color uniformity or other issues (blissfully ignorant I guess...). As long as you buy from a reputable dealer/reseller with a good return/replace policy, I wouldn't hesitate to pick this up.

Here you have the opinion of a current owner of the AE8000, out of the box this unit has been amazing! I have been using it mainly for movies, but a couple of weeks ago, I started using it to play games (PS3). And, no lag has been noticed (using the Game mode while playing).

Yes, people are more vocal when they are having issues, than the ones (like me) that are really happy with our units. My only recommendation is to make sure you are buying it from an authorized Panasonic's reseller. From time to time you will notice good prices from other online reseller, but due to the fact they are not authorized by Panasonic, then they (Panasonic) will not honor the warranty and you are not going to be entitled for the Rebates currently offered for this projector.

Look at the PT-AE7000 thread and you will see that things are not all great with that unit as well. I planned on buying that PJ originally, but I finally pulled the trigger for the 8000 and no regrets!

Sony HW50. If I was in the market for a single all around unit (including gaming) and did not need a motorized lens to do the zoom method on a 2.35 screen, the HW50 would be my first pick.

Hmmm...Obvious troll is being obvious. I'll play one time. Pretty sure I didn't say ignore negative feedback. Also didn't tell anyone not to leave negative feedback. Good job cherry picking one sentence of my reply though.

Carry on.

I'd encourage you to pull the trigger. But buy from a reputable vendor who has a stated 30 day guarantee and will allow you to refund or exchange without hassle if you get a bad unit. Plus. remember only an authorized reseller will qualify you for the rebate and free glasses. I used Projector People.

I actually did not start reading the forums here until after I rolled the dice on PT-AE8000U. And I'm glad I didn't otherwise I might have had an aneurysm trying to decide. Turns out, first roll came up with a focus problem. Then I tried an Epson 5020, and that unit was straight up DOA. Tried one more AE8000U, and now I'm happier than Dikembe Mutombo in a GEICO commercial. What made the process bearable was that I never had to worry about exchanging the whole time or losing any money.

The build quality issues do seem troubling. Some problems, though, are attributable to build, and some to design. If you care about noise, the Panasonic is one of the best choices. The Epson was deal-breaker noisy for me, even though after I got it working I did find it to have a slightly better picture quality than the Panasonic. But how can I enjoy picture quality when there's a dust buster in the back of the room annoying the hell out of me.

Same for me. I had a DLP which had a noisy fan and also, the color wheel would make a loud squealing sound when it would start. So noise was a big reason why I chose the Panasonic over the Epson. And wow, the Panasonic is sooo quiet on Eco that I can't hear it at all, and I sit right underneath it. On "Normal", I can hear the fans but it's still pretty quiet. I use Eco mostly though b/c the projector is still really bright with this setting.

I was given a number to call for Panasonic Canada but it turn out it was the wrong number from Panasonic Canada as it was support for Professional units only. I told the guy my convergence was off on my projector and he said the only way the convergence could be off is if it was dropped as the piece is glued in or something. I told him that I never dropped it but maybe Panasonic did as I didn't like his assumption that I had dropped it as it has never been even bumped. I think the convergence can go off or be off from factory besides someone having to drop it. Is this correct? It is frustrating here in Canada that you can't even speak to anyone that seems to have a clue about these projectors. They just say to send it off to a repair depot and see what happens. Well why would you send it off if they say all of the issues are in spec by Panasonic Canada? They keep saying that maybe your source is causing these issues but I can see the convergence problems on menu text and see the green glow in the projector patterns.

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone can help answer a few questions about the panny ae8000.
I currently own a ceiling mounted ae900 which has been fantastic for the last 6 years but clearly this should be a step up in quality. I have a very short throw distance because of the dimensions of my room which is long but narrow in width with no possibility of changing this arrangement. I currently have a throw distance of just 7.3ft which is fine for me because I sit near a nice big image (around 76 inch I think). Will I lose image size by changing this projector or should it be the same?
Second question, does anyone have any experience with square trade warranties which is being offered by an eBay seller with excellent feedback.
Last question, can anyone recommend an electric screen around the £250 mark to replace an ageing but perfectly adequate manual screen. How difficult are they to fit electronics wise - is it a case of wiring in to a mains? I've been thinking about this one http://www.projectorshop24.co.uk/electric-screen/celexon-screen-electric-economy-200-x-113-cm/

Cheers

Another question that's just popped into my mind - will I be able to use the existing power cord from the ae900 with the ae8000? Trying to avoid digging up carpet and going into the floor boards to replace a lead.

Beeko, projector manufactuers always publish tables of throw ratios for their products. Here is the one for AE80000:

http://panasonic.net/avc/projector/products/ae8000/positions.html

As for the power cord I've never seen an AE900 but power plugs for projectors, monitors, and TVs, at least in America, are usually the same shape. If there's retaining clips, they might not be the same shape, but worst case you can snap them off and secure it some other way.

My plan was to reuse the same power cord from my ae2000 for my 8000 also. However after a closer inspection I took note the new cord was wider in diameter. My initial thought was does this thing use that much more power than the older unit that it needs a bigger line? Nah. I know fatter extension cords are not always rated to handle more amps in some cases they just have thicker exterior around the wires. That being said I ran the new cord. Not a fan of the clip,but could see Panasonic not wanting the cord to fall out while unit is on!

They are not the same
AE900
AE8000
but you can try...

Gadzooks.

I recently picked up an AE8000 and have had an "interesting" time with it.

The first problem I had was focus uniformity. This was entirely my fault. I have a home-made ceiling mount and, oddly enough, the AE8000 hangs off it at a bit of an angle. I adjusted it so that it was perpendicular to the screen and focus was fixed!

The next problem turned out to be Panasonic's fault. Convergence... and something else. A one-pixel grid convergence test-pattern resulted in lines several pixels thick. The blue panel is more than two pixels off. What's bizarre is that green is oddly fuzzy, almost smeared, around the top edge. More focus issues? (I am clearly resolving the screen-door, and this problem is uniform across the whole screen.)

I called Panasonic and, I must say, they really need to get their support line organized. It took me 5 calls to successfully connect to an English speaking human. On the first call I got a french monoglot, and either he was clueless or my French is not up to snuff for troubleshooting projectors! The next three calls I was automatically routed to voice-mail boxes of specific people. On the fifth call I was connected to the wrong department, but they were able to forward me to an English speaking projector support person who knew absolutely nothing about projectors. I tried to explain what convergence was to him but he didn't even know what a LCD panel was! He referred me to a local TV repair center who have yet to see an AE8000 or service manual.

Fortunately, the store I bought it from has offered to swap me for a new one as soon as they get one in (It's been selling out rapidly and Panasonic is shipping them out very slowly here apparently). Hopefully I'll get one without this issue!

For the record, the image still looks surprisingly good when playing movies. A little fuzzy perhaps, but still good. It looks horrid if you try to display small fonts on it though. I wonder if Panasonic is having yield problems and is pushing sub-standard units out the door to meet demand in hopes that some people just won't notice... My brother-in-law was floored by the quality even with the problems I've mentioned. If I can get a unit with decent convergence I think I'll be very happy!

Hello all - Looking for a "Reality Check" here,

This is my first HT upgrade to a front projection system. Considering the zoom features of this projector, I want to install a 140" CIH AT screen (gain of .8). I used the Projector Central calculator Pro to check installation distances... everything fits with a throw distance of around 15'... except it looks like I will have only 13 - 14 Foot Lamberts. The app says it is "Recommended for low ambient light". But their website says...

http://www.projectorcentral.com/home_theater_projector_buyers_guide.htm?page=Brightness


I found conflicting information regarding brightness... in a totally dark room 12 - 22 FL is okay? I found a site quoting the SMPTE 16 - 32 FL (and Optimum 24 FL - per ISF std) and what really worries me is a few sentences down:


Really?? 30 - 50 FL

I have full light control, but the room would only be dark for movies. HDTV programming (especially sports) and gaming would have some ambient light. There are 3 dimmable 60w sconces in the room.

So after finding all of this info on "recommended" Foot Lamberts, I decided to do some calculations for all of the projector's settings. I found some information on several sites and using the calibrated lumens from this review:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/panasonic/pt-ae8000/performance.php

I calculated the following foot lamberts for this projector... using both 2.39 (using the width to get a 16:9 equivalent) and 16:9 for HDTV.
(I apologize now for the spacing... I cannot figure out why there are so many breaks ... there are no blank lines here in edit mode)

Mode	Lumens	2.39 FT Lamberts	16:9 FT Lamberts
Cinema 1	643	7.9	14.3
Cinema 2	1175	14.4	26.1
Game	1245	15.7	27.7
Normal	1285	15.7	28.6
Dynamic	1898	23.2	42.2
Rec. 709	622	7.6	13.8
D-Cinema	643	7.9	14.3

It looks like some settings would work for 2.39 FL's with a dark room... but what about the 16:9?... is 20-something FL enough for some ambient light... or will the image look washed out. Is 30 - 50 really the desired range for ambient light? This would mean Dynamic mode only for HDTV... and probably rule out any decent 3D viewing? Your thoughts and practical experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I have 12FL in a totally dark room using rec709 with a calibrated grayscale and it is plenty bright...

125" AT CIH screen 1.2 gain with a 17' throw...