Panasonic PT-AE2000u review - Page 6  

LOL, real informative. My experience has shown that dust will find it's way in over time and it's really annoying once it's noticed in the picture. You'd think these guys could solve this fundamental problem...

Agree, LCD units need a sealed light path. It must be more complex to do this though with a 3-chip LCD vs. a 1-chip DLP.

I really don't like Evan's comments on the AX200 vs. AE2000. The AX200 has a 1080p like picture? Either the AX200 is the best LCD unit ever delveloped or the AE2000 falls short on delivering image detail.

That's true, and good to see we can agree on something . Anyway, I am very curious to see ALL the reviews as fast as possible because right now I'm projectorless and going nuts.

My ISF calibrator, Eliab Alvarez de la Campa, found that it was significantly "off" enough to warrant a good calibration. He's an expert in the field, and did an amazing job. I can totally see the difference, and would recommend it to anyone. I don't think there's many displays that come out of the box "perfect". Most everything could benefit from a good calibration.

This just in over at PJ Central. http://www.projectorcentral.com/proj...news092407.htm Sorry if this has been posted:

First, the AE2000 is showing as a magnificent projector, clearly the best home theater projector Panasonic has ever made. It is performing extremely well against the other 1080p models we have in house, and will be one of the strongest 1080p products of the fall season. Now, when we set it up against the AX200, here is what we find. First, in terms of resolution, the AX200 displays 1080p source material almost as cleanly as does the AE2000. In many scenes viewed side by side, especially those with lower inherent contrast, it is virtually impossible to tell which picture is coming from a 720p projector and which is from the 1080p model. In short, the compression of the 1080p signal into the 720p native pixel matrix on the AX200 is accomplished with surprisingly little loss of detail. This runs contrary to what you might expect, since the 1080p models are selling for several times the price of the 720p's. So you get the impression that loads of extra picture detail is what you are paying for when you buy a 1080p projector. This is not really the case. You do get a little bit more detail, but it is not nearly as significant as you might expect.

So, why pay the extra money? The truth is that the AE2000 smokes the AX200 in dynamic range. The black levels and contrast of the AE2000 are much better than those of the AX200. And the extra contrast gives the picture better definition, color saturation, and elegance, especially with material that is inherently high in contrast that pushes the limits of the projectors. Ultimately the AE2000 is head and shoulders above the AX200, in a completely different performance class. For the true videophile, it is no contest, and there is a clear reason to spend the bigger bucks for the genuine 1080p model.

Nevertheless, if you are on a smaller budget and want a picture that looks almost like full 1080p resolution, the AX200 does a truly astounding job at delivering the image detail from Blu-ray, HD DVD and HDTV. In buying the AX200 instead of the AE2000, you are primarily sacrificing contrast, deeper black levels, and the corollary effects of apparent image sharpness and improved three-dimensionality that come with higher contrast. But for the money, it is a bargain--you get almost 1080p resolution at a fraction of the price.

See the previous page, post 146 from yesterday.

Was this a paradigm?.....

Any problem using a 50 foot HDMI with the AX-200??? I need 35 feet minimum but I have a 50 footer now...Anyone??? Al

Wrong thread.

Yes, yes, yes!!!

Greg

The problem with the $1000 rebate is you really sweat the whole time you're waiting for it, and there's always that very slight chance you'll never see it. Plus it wasn't avaialable here in Canada last time around. I absolutely hate the big-rebate policy.

Greg

yap, i am not a big fan of BS. rebate, not $1, not $100 and I will not buy Panny if they are pulling the $1000 scam again. But if they selling for $3k plus $1k rebate then i won't have problem with that....LOL

First you wait after 30 days to decide if the pj is worth keeping or malfunction before sending out the rebate, then you waste hours of calling, turn around and reissue proof of purchase after month of waiting... then you hope they will get it right the next month around. I prefer to douledown the $1000 on blackjack than the rebate scam. Yeah, it's scam to me.

You're absolutely right about the lack of rebate in Canada, which is total B.S.

But I dont understand about not getting the rebate...were some people not able to recieve them?

I'm using two PJ's currently, a (six year old LCD) Sharp XV-ZW99U and a (three year old DLP) InFocus SP-7205. Dust in the light path has plagued the Sharp projector since new although I followed the filter cleaning instructions. I shipped the PJ twice under warranty 1500 miles to get cleaned by factory authorized service-- factory cleaning helped somewhat (the specks were never completely gone) briefly, then dust specks appeared again uniformly across the image shortly thereafter. Now, out of warranty, I spray canned air as much as I can without major disassembly; this is to little effect and dust is an extremely annoying factor. By contrast, and used in the same environments, the InFocus DLP has never shown any signs of specks or dust in the projected image.

I want to get a 1080p PJ, and people are raving about this AE-2000u and it's hard to dispute the quality for the price. But the "dust in the lightpath" issue is of major concern to me and I'm wondering if this will be an issue with AE-2000u and if so, if it can be cleaned at home. If DLP is inherently less susceptible to dust intrusion, for example, I might lean (for more money) towards new InFocus IN82 instead. Thoughts? Thanks.

Wheeler,

Most DLP units have a sealed light path/optics. Most LCD units do not. So yes, dust is a real issue with LCD and very seldom an issue with DLP. Those who haven't had an LCD with this problem wouldn't think dust would be such a big deal, until it starts attacking your image...


I'm pretty much sold on this PJ, but the dust issue is still a MAJOR concern for me. My last LCD (a Sharp) had a lot of dust issues, despite the fact that I keep the filter very clean. It's been a long time since I've dealt with the dust issues, but I remember it being a major PITA. If this PJ comes in at around $2000-$2200 I'll probably buy at least one (if I like it, two). If it costs $3000 and has a possibility of dust issues, forget it.

There's a lot to like about this PJ (from what I'm hearing), but all the greatest specs and features aren't worth poop if the PJ has to be sent out/disassembled for internal cleaning ever month or two.

There's always that chance, no matter how small. I got burned with smaller items, like $10 off a keyboard or $50 off a router - send it in, don't hear back, call and told they don't have it, then it's too late, etc. I'd sure keep after them for $1000 of course and I've never heard of anyone not getting the money from Panasonic this year but... I just hate the whole concept of the mail-in rebate, which is based on hoping people will forget to send it in or that you can avoid sending the cheque until people forget, etc. Staples, for example, had all kinds of problems with these programs in the past (though again on much smaller amounts).

I'm with many others here... if it's $3000 straight up I'll buy it, if it's $4000 minus a $1000 rebate I just won't.

Greg

Same here.If panny pull's the $1k rebate scam,I will go another fp route,Hope they are listening.

Come on guys, I don't particularly want to create a point of contention here, but the poor English language gets abused enough without calling the rebate a scam. You don't like them...fine. Is there a tiny chance you might not get it.....sure. Is it a scam.........absolutely positively NOT. Scam implies that Panasonic has no intention of paying up, and while I, too, would prefer a lower price up front and no rebate, they are a legitimate marketing tool used by many companies in many different fields. Whew, I feel better now..................!

Dick Fogg

I'll bow out gracefuly now so this doesn't get even more out of hand. Just for fun, why don't you look up scam in the dictionary (if you have one). That was the only point I was trying to make. And now, back to the Panny 2000.......I hope.

Dick Fogg

This thread is becomig a scam

Chillax.

I am talking about the "scam" debate that has thrown what was an excellent and informative thread way off course.

If the pj is as great as you are saying, then it should sell fine at their MSRP. The competition is only a handful of pjs and some of those are more expensive. It may take a hit from the AVS crowd, but how many of their overall sales are from here?

reio,
How did you measure the color of the Panny?

By the way, i pre-ordered this from projector people based on your review and other things i have read so far

Well, the Pearl is last years model. The BP is the new model and has a MSRP of $5495. That is a $1500 difference in favor of the Panny. I thought the Sanyo MSRP was around $2700. Yes the Panny is more expensive than the Sanyo, but according to Cine4home it has better color accuracy. There are a lot of reasons why people buy different products. Price may be the biggest, but it isn't the only one.

As for the color chart on the Cine4home review, I can't tell if that is HD or SD. I am glad you referenced this review, because while I appreciate your review judging accuracy by eye is very difficult.