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Panny AE900 Official Thread- Please post here! - Page 2

post #31 of 6443
9/30/05 at 9:45pm
sfb,
"I'm glad I upgraded, but would still like better on/off contrast-the black bars are still pretty grey"
My I ask what are the lighting, and room color conditions of your room?
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post #32 of 6443
9/30/05 at 11:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sfb View Post

I got mine today and watched the Longest Yard and some HDTV over component. It is replacing my AE300, which I was mostly happy with except for the on/off contrast. I did not see any VB (and never saw any on the AE300 either), but FPN is still there. Contrast is better and the 900 was of course much brighter than my AE300 with 3300 hrs on it. I did my viewing in cinema1 with lamp on low and the DI on. I never noticed the DI working. The DVD looked a bit more like HDTV than it did on the 300, but the increase in resolution did not make nearly as much an impression as the better contrast did. I'm glad I upgraded, but would still like better on/off contrast-the black bars are still pretty grey. I have not seen the AE500 or AE700, but from what I have read the 900 is an improvement over them. I'm certainly glad I did not upgrade sooner.

Congratulation for your new toy and Thank you for the review. Regarding FPN do you notice permanent streaks when there is a green background and movement like in football or movement on gray background? Is it that noticable or you have to realy look for it like on green test screen? I wish reviwers provide screenshots of any artifacts (if there is any) so we can see if it is tolerable. Up to 500KB pictures is allowed to be attached to posts here.
I have a 700 and I am very happy with it except FPN and looking to get 900.

DrA
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post #33 of 6443
10/1/05 at 12:25am
sfb -- Have you calibrated your new AE900 with AVIA or DVE? The gray (not black) bars sounds like your Brightness level (black level) is set too high.
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post #34 of 6443
10/1/05 at 5:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyR View Post

You guy's are amazing !!

Only two grand for this projector and some of you really expect 100% perfection ? Hell, we still don't have "perfect" for $30,000
Lot's of us in the other forum would have gladly paid $7-8,000 or more for this kind of perfomance and image quality for a digital pj just 2 years ago.

You don't realize how lucky you are.

I think many of us are looking for improvements over last years LCD's, and to see if the new ones still have the same flaws as the last ones.
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post #35 of 6443
10/1/05 at 6:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kodaly View Post

Could any of you lucky AE900 owners tell me how much a standard definition DVD video is cropped by this projector due to overscanning? And is the amount of overscanning adjustable on the AE900?

There appeared to be no cropping what so ever and the really nice thing is that there was no light over run beyond my screen. Beyond the picture it was dark unlike my last pj. As far as DVD's, I used five and all were at the 134" diag size and awesome.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DrA View Post

Congratulation for your new toy and Thank you for the review. Regarding FPN do you notice permanent streaks when there is a green background and movement like in football or movement on gray background? Is it that noticable or you have to realy look for it like on green test screen? I wish reviwers provide screenshots of any artifacts (if there is any) so we can see if it is tolerable. Up to 500KB pictures is allowed to be attached to posts here.
I have a 700 and I am very happy with it except FPN and looking to get 900.

DrA

I can honestly say that I did notice some gassy images when comparing a few MLB games last night but came to the conclusion that comparing it with my 57" Mitsu, it was a poor broadcast on those Dish channels. For example, Even a SD MLB game looked almost as good as the Yank's/Sox game on ESPNHD and another SD game looked like crap on everything in the house. Answer, yes to green depending on quality of picture being sent.
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post #36 of 6443
10/1/05 at 6:15am
I would like to add that I was a DLP guy and with months of research and some valued information from CT_Wiebe, I switched to the LCD market with this AE900 and glad I did.

I will try to get you guys some pic's later today, it's one of my boys birthdays and I'm sure he will want to watch a movie
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post #37 of 6443
10/1/05 at 6:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiTechGuy View Post

I can honestly say that I did notice some gassy images when comparing a few MLB games last night but came to the conclusion that comparing it with my 57" Mitsu, it was a poor broadcast on those Dish channels. For example, Even a SD MLB game looked almost as good as the Yank's/Sox game on ESPNHD and another SD game looked like crap on everything in the house. Answer, yes to green depending on quality of picture being sent.

The Yanks/Sox game on ESPN last night wasn't in HD.
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post #38 of 6443
10/1/05 at 6:36am
[quote=HiTechGuy]There appeared to be no cropping what so ever and the really nice thing is that there was no light over run beyond my screen. Beyond the picture it was dark unlike my last pj. As far as DVD's, I used five and all were at the 134" diag size and awesome.

What is the gain of your screen and what brightness mode are you in?

thanks
Paul
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post #39 of 6443
10/1/05 at 7:11am
[quote=Paul Klassen]
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiTechGuy View Post

There appeared to be no cropping what so ever and the really nice thing is that there was no light over run beyond my screen. Beyond the picture it was dark unlike my last pj. As far as DVD's, I used five and all were at the 134" diag size and awesome.

What is the gain of your screen and what brightness mode are you in?

thanks
Paul

Paul, I don't honestly remember the gain, that's what age does to you but I can tell you it is a Da-lite Hi-Def Grey screen.
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post #40 of 6443
10/1/05 at 8:13am
My update on checking for artifacts of any kind:

I put up all the primary and secondary full color screens last night and saw no artifacts. Same thing went for scenes with fog, as some had mentioned.
I also had difficulty seeing any brightness changes where the iris may have been tripped up by subtitles on a dark background. I believe the higher speed of the AE900's iris is making it undetectable, at least to my eyes.

The only time I noticed a difference was in direct side-by-side comparison with a DLP projector (H78) in a scene where most of it was dark with a bright spot near the center. There, the dark areas were not as dark as the DLP (which was equal in many other scenes), presumably because the iris was open. Never would have known it without the comparison.

This is all being used on a 92", 1.0 gain, matte white screen (although I also used a Greywolf as well). I'm sending it a 720p feed from an Oppo DVD player over HDMI. The settings are at Picture Mode: Normal, Lamp Power: Low, NR: Off and all other settings on default except for setting white and black level. I haven't even touched any color settings yet. I'll be calibrating it later today with OpticOne and post the before and after greyscale.
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post #41 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:12am
Thanks Mike for your great post. I am looking forward to see your results and settings after you calibrate. I had planned to wait for the shootout with the Z4 but after seeing what you and others have said I may take the plunge.
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post #42 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:29am
Mike,

I would be interested to hear your opinion on the 2 different screens that you have. I've got an AE900 coming on Wednesday and am thinking of getting the Greywolf to help enhance the blacks. Let me know how good the blacks are on the matte white screen you have.

I've been using an NEC XG CRT projector for the past 3 years with a Torus screen with Vutec 3.1 gain screen material. I'm just a bit worried that I won't like the grey screen since I'm used to the white screen.

Let me know what you think. Thanks.
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post #43 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:38am
Mike,

I am also interested in hearing about your results using the Greywolf screen. I have a 92" Graywolf & have the 900 U coming on Thursday. Any specific tweakings you can recommend for this combination will be very much appreciated.
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post #44 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:38am
I haven't been able to figure out how to get into the service menu. My unit has very slight VB that is visible in the greens (it is not nearly as bad as the AE700). If I could tweak this that would be great.

I noticed that the Z4 has a built in menu for doing this tweak...

Good news is that the smooth screen is now awesome! Zero screendoor and zero peek-a-boo scanlines which I could easily see on the AE700. Contrast also is very nice. Overall a nice improvement from the AE700.
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post #45 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeSRC View Post

My update on checking for artifacts of any kind:

I put up all the primary and secondary full color screens last night and saw no artifacts. Same thing went for scenes with fog, as some had mentioned.
I also had difficulty seeing any brightness changes where the iris may have been tripped up by subtitles on a dark background. I believe the higher speed of the AE900's iris is making it undetectable, at least to my eyes.

The only time I noticed a difference was in direct side-by-side comparison with a DLP projector (H78) in a scene where most of it was dark with a bright spot near the center. There, the dark areas were not as dark as the DLP (which was equal in many other scenes), presumably because the iris was open. Never would have known it without the comparison.

This is all being used on a 92", 1.0 gain, matte white screen (although I also used a Greywolf as well). I'm sending it a 720p feed from an Oppo DVD player over HDMI. The settings are at Picture Mode: Normal, Lamp Power: Low, NR: Off and all other settings on default except for setting white and black level. I haven't even touched any color settings yet. I'll be calibrating it later today with OpticOne and post the before and after greyscale.

Mike,

Thanks so much for your comments. Would appreciate after you have a chance to calibrate more comments against the H78, the AE700 and your preferences if at all possible.

Also, do you have HD sources available. The quality ones can really help these pjs distinguish themselves.
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post #46 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pultzar View Post

I haven't been able to figure out how to get into the service menu.

Yeah. The method mentioned for the AE700 doesn't work with the 900.
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post #47 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by romanesq View Post

Thanks so much for your comments. Would appreciate after you have a chance to calibrate more comments against the H78, the AE700 and your preferences if at all possible.

The H78 comparison was a one shot deal, but I do have a Toshiba MT700 for comparison. I don't have an AE700, nor have I ever spent much time with one, so I'll leave that comparison to those that have experience with it.

Quote:
Also, do you have HD sources available. The quality ones can really help these pjs distinguish themselves.

Yes, DirecTv and OTA HD programming, but I haven't got to it yet.
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post #48 of 6443
10/1/05 at 10:47am
Finally Sold my NEC 9PG CRT, speakers and components and am finially going digital and these reviews on the Panny AE900 are really pumping me up. Thank you for all your posts on this new projector. I'm new to this forum and I really appreciate the information. For those of you who are interested (and I'm excited to tell you) that I am going with a 6.1 inwall design:

6 x in-wall Paradigm Reference SA-35's
2 x Seismic 12 Subs
1 x Onkyo TX-NR803 Reciever (Will also drive back centre channel)
1 x Anthem Statement A5 5 Channel Amp
1 x 120" Screen Innovations CinePerf Screen
1 x Panasonic AE900 to kick it into gear

This Panny AE900 is going to be the centrepiece of my new entertainment room!

Giddy up!
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post #49 of 6443
10/1/05 at 11:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeSRC View Post

The H78 comparison was a one shot deal.

Any other detail on the overall PQ comparison between the H78 and the AE900?
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post #50 of 6443
10/1/05 at 11:24am
So far I'm hearing "no cropping" of images through HMDI. Awesome.
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post #51 of 6443
10/1/05 at 11:57am
In a early review it was stated that there is a setting for 1x1 mapping with no cropping.

I guess Panasonic listened to the complaints about the 700
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post #52 of 6443
10/1/05 at 1:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwestley View Post

In a early review it was stated that there is a setting for 1x1 mapping with no cropping.

I guess Panasonic listened to the complaints about the 700

I have owned my 700 for 1year and had no complaints except that I really expected an obvious and clear improvement over the 700 especially in the lumen area, being that lcd tech is without ? the one with the brightest pj's; regarding the contrast I'm sure many will agree that "individual perception" will have lots to do with how different or improved it seems. one thing for sure is I find no reason to even consider an upgrade at this time and will wait for the 1100U OR 1300U when they finally add some more lumens...
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post #53 of 6443
10/1/05 at 2:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForzaMilan View Post

I have owned my 700 for 1year and had no complaints except that I really expected an obvious and clear improvement over the 700 especially in the lumen area, being that lcd tech is without ? the one with the brightest pj's; regarding the contrast I'm sure many will agree that "individual perception" will have lots to do with how different or improved it seems. one thing for sure is I find no reason to even consider an upgrade at this time and will wait for the 1100U OR 1300U when they finally add some more lumens...

I want to make sure I understand your post. You say you've had a 700 for a year. Do you now have a 900 that you're doing a side by side comparison with? Or, are your comments based on information gathered here on the forum? Thanks
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post #54 of 6443
10/1/05 at 4:37pm
Mike,

"I also had difficulty seeing any brightness changes where the iris may have been tripped up by subtitles on a dark background. I believe the higher speed of the AE900's iris is making it undetectable, at least to my eyes."

I'm a little confused. It seems that the problem would show up when there's less than full brightness in the program, and at transitions between subtitles and no subtitles.

Then it would seem that the faster the DI is, the easier to notice the change in black level.

Thanks
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post #55 of 6443
10/1/05 at 4:47pm
I don't think there will be a great difference for many between the 700 & 900. I don't know if it will be worth an upgrade. This does not mean that the 900 will not be better than the 700 in several area including less vb, better blacks, and 1x1 mapping. It seems that things are getting slightly better each year. I am sure that when we get 1080p projectors they will be even better. Some of us must have the latest toys others can wait. That's what makes things interesting.
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post #56 of 6443
10/1/05 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by noah katz View Post

It seems that the problem would show up when there's less than full brightness in the program, and at transitions between subtitles and no subtitles.

I don't really see any change in the background or subtitle brightness as the subtitles appear and disappear, which tells me that the DI is not easily fooled. That's probably part of its extensive scene recognition though, so maybe its better described as speed of recognition rather than open/close speed.
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post #57 of 6443
10/1/05 at 5:47pm
Mike and others with the early reviews....thanks so much for taking the time to post your thoughts. I appreciate it.

Mike, I'm particularly looking forward to seeing what setting adjustments you made after calibration.

Ron
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post #58 of 6443
10/1/05 at 6:29pm
I owned an AE500 and the only problem I had was dust. The damn thing was a dust magnet and the filters supplied (worthless foam) did nothing to stop dust. Soon the colors started getting "pinkish" and in the end I just sold it to a friend who could care less.

Does the AE900 have a better filter system than the 700 and the 500?

Since the Panasonics and the "Z" models for Sanyo are relatively the same in the past generations, I can say it's safe to surmise that this trend will continue with the Z4.

The only reason I am considering the Z4 is that it has been the counterpart to the Pansonic projectors for a few years now (I'm a big panasonic fan) and that the Z4 not only has an automatic lens cover, but it also has a "hepa-like" filter system AND a way to blow the dust off of the LCD's without sending it into service.

I was considering a BenQ 7700, with it's sealed light path, but I really don't want to get a BenQ with the crappy lamp that blows out prematurely and have to wait two weeks for a replacement
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post #59 of 6443
10/2/05 at 2:18am
At EBAY Australia some bloke is trying to sell a PT-AE900U which he says he has owned for 3 months. All I have to say is "Interesting".
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post #60 of 6443
10/2/05 at 2:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by widseth View Post

At EBAY Australia some bloke is trying to sell a PT-AE900U which he says he has owned for 3 months. All I have to say is "Interesting".



My thoughts as well. how can he have had it for 3 months. the final code or product or firmware wouldnt have been finished back then............
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