[m. zillch]

. . . but for me if I would be able to fix the 8000 for around or less than $500, it would be more than worth it... for me anyway.

Sorry I might have missed it. Where did this "$500" figure come from? Have you or others had repairs by them for that little or have beem quoted that amount? Seems like a good price

 

[deano86]

Sorry I might have missed it. Where did this "$500" figure come from? Have you or others had repairs by them for that little or have beem quoted that amount? Seems like a good price

Sorry, the $500 figure wasn't anything concrete... just kind of a guideline of what I would feel is defnitely worth considering for my 8000 before I would start to try and consider replacement instead... honestly I would probably easily go up to around $600... but any higher for me would start to be pretty tough to justify putting into a model this old at this point... in spite of its fantastic performance for me.... I did chat with one of their techs and he was pretty confident that they can repair the Panny 8000s for very good prices. I also talked with a guy last year that was selling his 8000 (moving up to 4K) after he had it repaired by this same company and he was really happy with the job they did.

 

[m. zillch]

^Oh, OK.

The number that sticks in my murky memory banks (brain) is "$600 minimum charge from Panasonic". I agree that $500 is worth it but things get sketchy much above that.
---

How does one search a specific thread and not the whole forum? I can't figure it out.

 

[deano86]

^Oh, OK.

The number that sticks in my murky memory banks (brain) is "$600 minimum charge from Panasonic". I agree that $500 is worth it but things get sketchy much above that.
---

How does one search a specific thread and not the whole forum? I can't figure it out.

As you start typing in the Search Community box at the top, you will be presented with 3 options... across entire site, in this forum and what you looking for "in this discussion"

 

[m. zillch]

^Thanks.

 

[purbeast]

Sorry, the $500 figure wasn't anything concrete... just kind of a guideline of what I would feel is defnitely worth considering for my 8000 before I would start to try and consider replacement instead... honestly I would probably easily go up to around $600... but any higher for me would start to be pretty tough to justify putting into a model this old at this point... in spite of its fantastic performance for me.... I did chat with one of their techs and he was pretty confident that they can repair the Panny 8000s for very good prices. I also talked with a guy last year that was selling his 8000 (moving up to 4K) after he had it repaired by this same company and he was really happy with the job they did.

Yeah I am kind of in the same boat you are talking about in this post.

Like I kind of want to upgrade to 4K myself but I know nothing about current 4K projectors. I really only know that there are "true" 4K projectors and then some that aren't. Then I see the prices are all over the place, many way below the price I paid for my AE8000 back in 2012, which was $2700.

If I can't fix this yellow line, then this may be what pushes me to get a 4K one if I have to get a new one. Even with this one yellow line, I still use my projector and can live with it, but to be honest I haven't sat down and watched a movie since my son was born in August, so maybe sitting in a movie it would bother me more than I realize. I've gamed with it a bit and it didn't bother me. And sometimes it's not noticeable, depends on what colors are on the screen under the line area.

But if I do upgrade to 4K, then I also have to upgrade my AVR. So it's not just the projector lol.

With that said, does anyone have a true 4K projector they could say is around the same level of picture/performance as the AE8000? I've loved everything about this projector. Also, input lag is a huge reason I picked this projector back then because I game a lot on it, so I'm only interested in projectors with input lag on par or lower than AE8000 in game mode.

 

[Gradenko]

Hi everyone,

I've created some software to allow you control the PT-AE8000 over serial port. I'm using this in conjunction with JRiver and MadVR to handle lens memory zoom for me. The benefit of using this over the Panasonics built in switcher:

• Able to zoom any aspect ratio you have set up rather than just 16x9 and 2.35:1.
• Buffers any aspect changes while a zoom is happening and zooms to the last changed aspect ratio.

The software supports the projectors full serial command set if you wish to tie it into any other automation systems you have.

It's available here: dineshpannu/panasonic-projector-serial

 

[Karl Drews]

Hi purbeast. I'm in the very same boat. I LOVE my PT-AE8000U, and most of the 4K projectors I've installed don't cut the mustard, at least in my price range. (Just saw the LG Cinebeam dual laser 4K from CES show. 2,700 lumens. Could it be good?)

I've got an issue with dust in the optical path somewhere, which is very evident on an all-white picture. I opened up my projector, using the Service Manual (like you), only to get stuck at the 3 ribbon cables for the LCD panels. How do those suckers come off? Messed with it a little, but didn't want to break anything permanently. Used the occasion to clean out as much dust as I could with some soft brushes and a can of compressed air. Unfortunately, it didn't really improve the picture, maybe made it slightly worse.

Are there any techs out there that know how to disconnect the ribbon cables on this unit? Like purbeast, I'm pretty handy with electronics, despite not having a clean room.

Thanks. Any input would be helpful.

Karl

 

[purbeast]

Hi purbeast. I'm in the very same boat. I LOVE my PT-AE8000U, and most of the 4K projectors I've installed don't cut the mustard, at least in my price range. (Just saw the LG Cinebeam dual laser 4K from CES show. 2,700 lumens. Could it be good?)

I've got an issue with dust in the optical path somewhere, which is very evident on an all-white picture. I opened up my projector, using the Service Manual (like you), only to get stuck at the 3 ribbon cables for the LCD panels. How do those suckers come off? Messed with it a little, but didn't want to break anything permanently. Used the occasion to clean out as much dust as I could with some soft brushes and a can of compressed air. Unfortunately, it didn't really improve the picture, maybe made it slightly worse.

Are there any techs out there that know how to disconnect the ribbon cables on this unit? Like purbeast, I'm pretty handy with electronics, despite not having a clean room.

Thanks. Any input would be helpful.

Karl

It's easy to disconnect them. Just use your fingernail to flip the edge up 90 degrees and they slide right out. Just be super careful with it. You flip up from the side the ribbon cable plugs in and it will flip up 90 degrees. Just be gentle and careful and they pop right up. I disconnected all 3 of them and reseated em all and had no problem putting them back down.

But I will say, the first 1 or 2 times I reseated them, I was getting very weird colors on my projector and I thought I broke it. But then i reseated them again and it was fine. It scared the crap out of me though.

On a somewhat related note...

Has anyone who has an AE8000 had any experience with any Optoma, specifically the UD50 or UD30 models?

My AE8000 has that issue with the yellow line. I got an esimate from those guys that if the problem is replacing the whole part they think it may be, it's $575 + shipping. And I need a new bulb too. So I'm looking at like $1k+ to get my projector back to standards.

So I'm thinking of getting a stop gap possibly until the real 4K projectors come down a bit, and I also don't have a 4k capable AVR yet. But for that price I figure might as well get one that is "4K" kind of so that if I do upgrade my AVR I will be able to take advantage of it, and then in the future when I do get a real 4K one it will work with the AVR.

I game a lot on mine and watch movies/sports on it too.

Those Optoma's seem to have a very good reputation for gaming and in general have good reviews.

However, they seem like budget priced compared to the AE8000 and I just don't understand why they are so much cheaper, but supposedly do much more.

So does anyone have any experience with them and able to compare them to the AE8000 and could drop some knowledge on me about it?

If I do get one of those I will get it from Amazon and be sure I can return it just in case I don't like it. I also hate how they are white and not black but I could live with that if it's going to work well for me.

 

[Michael Sargent]

I'm in a similar situation. I have less than 400 hours left on my bulb. A new bulb is going to be > $500 and will last me another 2-ish years.

So the question is:

• buy a new bulb (> $500)
• buy a new projector (> $2K)
• buy the biggest flat screen I can afford (> $2K)

I love the 8000, especially watching it "magically" adapt to Scope images. I'd sure hate to loose that.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[deano86]

I love the 8000, especially watching it "magically" adapt to Scope images. I'd sure hate to loose that.
Thanks,
Mike

I just wanted to chime in on one of fantastic selling points of the 8000, the flawless performance of the lens memory position switching. I recently had an opportunity to evaluate a friends Epson, in which lately their models have been offering fully automatic lens memory switching as well. The big difference is that the Epsons also have to mechanically move the lens position instead of just zoom and focus like the Panasonic. The Panasonic version of lens memory is much smoother, faster and quieter because it uses an electronic offset for the vertical positioning. Not to mention, it offers the detectable scope image and can make the switch automatically if you wish. The Epson can not do this. And when you do select one of its preset lens positions, the process is slow and quite noisy. Probably no big deal for someone who hadn't had this option before, but when compared to the 8000's version, the difference is huge...

 

[Karl Drews]

Yes. I’ve installed the 8000 with CinemaScope screens, and it’s the bomb. Works great every time. Smooth and accurate.

purbeast, thanks for the tip. I’ll try those cables again.

I’ve installed the Optoma UHD50. The picture on the Optoma’s is not real great (in my opinion), especially in comparison to the 8000 which I consider to be very natural and “cinematic”. Color fidelity is just okay and the picture looks “digital” to me. You get what you pay for. If you’re just looking for an interim projectors, it will get you by.

I’m an installer, and I’ve been looking for that 8000 4K equivalent in the $2,500 range for a long time, and haven’t found it yet. I’ve installed the older Benq HT8050 THX projector from a few years ago, and it was really great! If you can find one used or refurb, I recommend. But beware: it’s really big.

 

[purbeast]

Yes. I’ve installed the 8000 with CinemaScope screens, and it’s the bomb. Works great every time. Smooth and accurate.

purbeast, thanks for the tip. I’ll try those cables again.

I’ve installed the Optoma UHD50. The picture on the Optoma’s is not real great (in my opinion), especially in comparison to the 8000 which I consider to be very natural and “cinematic”. Color fidelity is just okay and the picture looks “digital” to me. You get what you pay for. If you’re just looking for an interim projectors, it will get you by.

I’m an installer, and I’ve been looking for that 8000 4K equivalent in the $2,500 range for a long time, and haven’t found it yet. I’ve installed the older Benq HT8050 THX projector from a few years ago, and it was really great! If you can find one used or refurb, I recommend. But beware: it’s really big.

Thanks for that brief comparison. That is the kind of thing I am concerned about. The 8000 is the only projector I've ever owned and I figured there is a reason one that is half the price that is touted as 4K, is half the price.

I just really wish I could figure out what is up with that yellow line. If I knew I could fix it myself I wouldn't even consider a new projector. I still don't want to get a new one. But the fact I don't know the issue just has me scratching my head. And sometimes that yellow line is gone and sometimes it's there. Sometimes it's in a different spot too so I don't know what that means. I've never seen 2 yellow lines on the screen at once though it's always one or none.

EDIT:

Anyone know where the best place to purchase OEM lamps are? Is Focused Technology legit OEM parts? It's $370 there which is exactly what I paid for my other lamp from B&H.

 

[m. zillch]

But the fact I don't know the issue just has me scratching my head. And sometimes that yellow line is gone and sometimes it's there. Sometimes it's in a different spot too so I don't know what that means.

It moves?! That is bizarre.

You never told us how wide it is, BTW. One pixel or is it more than that? Is it a "yellowish cast of the correct image for that part of the screen" or is it dead solid, pure yellow stripe, regardless of image content? Does it stay when you bring up the menus and temporarily lose the incoming movie image and instead see a menu page like "zoom/focus" or does that extinguish the problem, at least while on the menu page?

 

[purbeast]

It moves?! That is bizarre.

You never told us how wide it is, BTW. One pixel or is it more than that? Is it a "yellowish cast of the correct image for that part of the screen" or is it dead solid, pure yellow stripe, regardless of image content? Does it stay when you bring up the menus and temporarily lose the incoming movie image and instead see a menu page like "zoom/focus" or does that extinguish the problem, at least while on the menu page?

Here is a picture of it from earlier in this thread.

The one time it showed up in another spot we were watching football last weekend for like 2 hours then all of a sudden I noticed it on the left side of the screen, closer to the edge, and then like 10 minutes later I noticed it was just gone.

I also do need a new lamp though - there is no way a lamp going dead could cause something like this right?

I'm also pretty sure that it overlays the menus and stuff but I am not 100%. I'd have to double check that.

 

[Technology3456]

Can anyone tell me, does putting an anamorphic lens make the image brighter, or less bright? Im trying to figure out, basically depending what projector I get, let's say my projector says it has enough brightness for a 100 inch 16:9 screen (not saying this Panasonic can't do more, Im getting way more, but just an example), but I want to use an anamorphic lens for a 2.4:1 screen instead. If I get a 120 inch wide 2.4:1 screen, the height is less than the height of a 100 inch 16:9 screen, but the overall square footage is about 25% more, so Im wondering if I need to not exceed the square footage of a 100 inch 16:9 when choosing a 2.4:1 screen with use of anamorphic lens, or if that lens will add brightness?

 

[m. zillch]

Here is a picture of it from earlier in this thread.

The one time it showed up in another spot we were watching football last weekend for like 2 hours then all of a sudden I noticed it on the left side of the screen, closer to the edge, and then like 10 minutes later I noticed it was just gone.

I also do need a new lamp though - there is no way a lamp going dead could cause something like this right?

I'm also pretty sure that it overlays the menus and stuff but I am not 100%. I'd have to double check that.

It is not the lamp. Considering how expensive repairs are it might be hard to justify buying a new replacement lamp, if you ask me. If you buy a new pj you get a new lamp for free!

 

[m. zillch]

Can anyone tell me, does putting an anamorphic lens make the image brighter, or less bright? Im trying to figure out, basically depending what projector I get, let's say my projector says it has enough brightness for a 100 inch 16:9 screen (not saying this Panasonic can't do more, Im getting way more, but just an example), but I want to use an anamorphic lens for a 2.4:1 screen instead. If I get a 120 inch wide 2.4:1 screen, the height is less than the height of a 100 inch 16:9 screen, but the overall square footage is about 25% more, so Im wondering if I need to not exceed the square footage of a 100 inch 16:9 when choosing a 2.4:1 screen with use of anamorphic lens, or if that lens will add brightness?

There are pros and cons to anamorphic lenses but the problem is nearly all the web sources discussing it either are selling them or have bought them for their own use so they "have skin in the game" (to make money or justify their buying decision) and often paint an overly rosy picture while glossing over the cons. I'd stay away.

They also use a clever marketing trick convincing newbs it's not a big deal to have to walk over to move the sled into and out of position, depending on the content, and "Heck if you find it inconvenient down the road you can always invest in the auto/robotic sled mechanism." So newbs buy the manual method at a somewhat affordable price, get it up and running but grow frustrated a month later from having to constantly get up to change the sled, look into the auto/robotic method, and then realize it's the price of a new pj with higher rez from the get go.