Panasonic PTAE700 - General Impressions and Tips?

[Scotty Boy]

Ok, hopefully going to be a first time projector owner. May be swapping my PW6 plasma for this projector, screen and ceiling mount soon.

So I was just wondering, what's the general impression of the projector? Will I be dissapointed going from a 42" Plasma to this? Will the detail be equally be as impressive?

I've only got a little Denon 1910 DVD player, but it does have a DVI out, and will upscale 720p and 1080i. So will this do for the time being untill I get a proper DVD player and system when i come out of Uni? Or should I invest in a small HDMI player now?

I'm quite looking forward to this, but would appreciate any tips or guidence for a first time user.

Also.. What kind of price are these projectors going for these days?

Thanks a lot, look forward to reading a bit from you guys.

[paulmcp2403]

mate I have the ae700...and after a debate between that and the various models, 4805 dlp ,themescene, optoma, sony hs50 etc....the panasonic ae700 won hands down...you can get it for £999....it's a steal and its high def - so it will last a fair while as it meets industry standards...

you wont regret it....I took 6 months to choose my projector....

[Scotty Boy]

Excellent. I'll be taking it to Uni too, so it'll be easier then taking a plasma.

How long do the bulbs last? Expensive to replace?

I'll be doing a straight swap for my PW6, so I won't be out of pocket at all.

Any other impressions, tips for setting it up or anything would be muchly appreciated.

[zAndy1]

"Will I be disappointed going from a 42" plasma to this?". Scotty mate, you're gonna wonder why you ever bothered getting a plasma! The moment you see a 6ft (or more) wide image you'll have a grin like a cheshire cat! The only tips I can give you are a) Keep the room you're using it in as dust free as possible! I even invested in an air purifier with a hoya filter in it, it didn't cost much but helps keep the air clean. b) When you switch it off let it cool down properly and don't turn it back on again too soon after switching it off, helps preserve the life of the bulb. And on the same score if you're prone to power cuts get an Uninterruptable power supply so if the electric does go off you'll have a chance to switch the projector off to the projector properly and cool the bulb down.
You'll love it, only reason I didn't go for it was cos it wasn't a Sanyo Z3 he was trading.

Cheers,
Andy.

[zAndy1]

It will be worth finding out if the bulb has been used on low power (economy) mode. If not make sure you do cos it extends the life of the bulb a great deal. Should get 3000 hrs out of a bulb in eco mode. Bulbs should cost £250 ish. You're best off feeding it a 720p signal if possible then it won't have to do any scaling (in theory).

Andy.

[Scotty Boy]

Thanks for the tips Andy, I can't wait now. Hope the deal all goes through.

What should I do, DVD player wise? Is it worth getting another one, or will be Denon 1910 with 720p over DVI be ok?

Man, I can't wait. Mum will wonder why i'm dusting my room every day now.

[zAndy1]

You could do a lot worse than get a Momitsu V880DX or Yamakawa 365/375 or the Oppo OPDV971H (which seems to be flavour of the month). I'd say any of those will be a worthwhile improvement over the Denon 1910 to be honest. Try your 1910 first and see what you think though, you might be happy with it.

Cheers
Andy

[phillfyspoon]

I think I can be of help here as I have the PW6 and ae700 lol. the ae700 is a outstanding piece of kit for the money and looks fantastic if with a good source. sky or cable looks ok. Viewing distance is important sit to close and u notice how bad the source is. but there is nothing like having a 6ft wide image. it isnt suitible for replacing a tv for normal viewing as it has to be dark.

[mickey]

prepare to be GOBSMACKED

[Scotty Boy]

Originally Posted by phillfyspoon

I think I can be of help here as I have the PW6 and ae700 lol. the ae700 is a outstanding piece of kit for the money and looks fantastic if with a good source. sky or cable looks ok. Viewing distance is important sit to close and u notice how bad the source is. but there is nothing like having a 6ft wide image. it isnt suitible for replacing a tv for normal viewing as it has to be dark.

I'll probably just be using it for DVDs and Video games anyway.

Haven't heard of that oppo piece of kit, how much is that? Any good?

[zAndy1]

Oppo Digital OPDV971H

https://www.oppodigital.com/opdv971h.html

Cheers,
Andy.

[sbowler]

Lofty heres a few screenshots ot the ae700

[DEANO-B]

The bulb lasts 5000 hours in low mode. I've 3500 hours on my first bulb, and managed to pick up a replacement lamp for £92 of ebay!

[Scotty Boy]

5000 hours, sounds good to me!

What's this projector like, with regards to how dark the room needs to be? I know it's 1000 ansi lumens, which is 200 more than the Z3... But how does that compare to others?

Cheers

[bcopping]

I just took the plunge myself and ordered from digital direct (£950)

Cant wait Should be here in a couple of days!!