Panasonic PT-AE700 Reviews

bentleg · 30-09-2004, 4:54 PM

Reviews or Comments

30-09-2004, 5:25 PM

Hello, I saw the AE 700 yesterday after visiting ben's store with the intention of buying one. Not having had a projector before I relied heavily on the info on this forum, and it seemed that the panasonic was the one to go for.

Originally had a demo of a Themescene H30, but found the rainbow effect too noticeable (the wife noticed it too). Ben then let us compare the AE 700 and the Sony HS20 (which I had previously seen compared with an AE 500).

I'm not sure if its fair to compare the two projectors, but the PQ was significantly better on the HS20. We may still have gone for the 700 were it not for the vertical bands that we noticed, particularly on daytime scenes. I have never seen this band effect before, and perhaps was only looking out for it after it was mentioned by people on the forum, but it was certainly present. Apart from this detail it seemed a great projector, and the lens shift function was very cool.

We ended up buying the HS20 which was £200 dearer, but it had everyone go 'wow' last night when watching the digi remastered star wars dvd.

I am looking forward to hearing a critique of the AE 700 from an experienced A/V forum bod, to see whether I am talking garbage or not about the VB.

Anyway, now that the projector is sorted it is time to move to the Speaker forum!

Cheers

P.S: I would feel very confident in recommending Ben and his store to get your A/V stuff from. Top bloke, who seemed genuinely interested in what the individual customer was looking for. Thanks Ben

Tempest · 30-09-2004, 5:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chilli

We may still have gone for the 700 were it not for the vertical bands that we noticed, particularly on daytime scenes. I have never seen this band effect before, and perhaps was only looking out for it after it was mentioned by people on the forum, but it was certainly present. :

Oh Dear, here we go again.
Perhaps the AE500 Mk 2 (sorry I mean the AE700) is going to suffer from the effects of these dam panels again.

When are the new panels coming out (this year?)

30-09-2004, 8:43 PM

Although to be fair, Ben did say that the 700 was a massive improvement on the 500, with regards to VB.
I probably wouldn't have worried about it too much if I didn't have the HS20 to compare it with. Also, by choosing the HS, we had to forego the superior flexibility of the 700. In our case, we had to accept a smaller screen size due to the long throw distance of the Sony.
Whilst we were in the shop, two other customers joined our demo, and also saw the HS20 comparison. They both walked out with 700s, seemingly very satisfied with their purchase.

It would be nice to hear Ben's informed opinion on the AE700, but I think he mentioned it's his day off today.

**zAndy1** · 30-09-2004, 8:54 PM

** reposting this in this thread as it's probably more relevant here ***

Ok, got mine up and running, will post some pics soon. Very quick first impressions... previously had a Z2 so will do a lot of comparing against that.... The first thing I noticed when I switched it on was that my Panny plasma switched on as well! Will do some more checking but it could well be that the power on/off has the same codes for the plasma and the projector which frankly is going to be bloody annoying and perhaps a show stopper! Anyway onto performance, colours are excellent, skin tones very realistic, in this respect a lot better out of the box than the Z2 was and I haven't done any tweaking yet. Fan noise about the same as the Z2 in low lamp mode i.e. not a problem whatsoever. Dynamic iris works in low lamp mode, haven't really seen what effect it has yet but will do some more testing. The lens shift isn't as flexible as the Z2 was as I can't get the picture as low as I could with the Z2. Fortunately I can move my screen up to compensate but the image is now a little higher than I'd like but perhaps I'll be able to use the mount to move it down, that might necessitate the use of keystone though which I'd rather avoid. VB is present, I have noticed it but I'll reserve further comment until I've done more viewing with more sources. Going to try and get the Crystalio 1:1 pixel mapped with it now and see how that looks and try some dvds. I've taken some pics off Euro1080 and I'll take some Sky and dvd pics and post em a little later.

Cheers,
Andy.

**zAndy1** · 30-09-2004, 8:59 PM

explicitlyrics · 30-09-2004, 9:21 PM

what size screen do you have?
I cant see vertical banding on those pictures... does that mean I might not notice it or do you only see it in moving images?
thanks

30-09-2004, 9:29 PM

What is that pinkish dot that appears in almost all the pics? Middle-left.

**zAndy1** · 30-09-2004, 9:29 PM

It's a duff pixel on my digital camera!

**zAndy1** · 30-09-2004, 9:31 PM

Screen is 72" diagonal. VB doesn't show up at all well on photos for some reason...

Cheers,
Andy.

PRINCEGRINCH · 30-09-2004, 9:33 PM

Thanks for the reviews and comments guys, I really wanna be sure about this Projector before purchasing it. Regarding Vertical Banding, we all know it exists, but how bad is it? Thanks for the great pictures zAndy1. Could you please also take a picture of the Vertical banding and post it so we know how bad it is. Below I have posted a link for the Vertical banding on ae500. How does it compare, and when does it occur most (ie what connections HDMI, Component, Scart, S-Video etc) Thanx once again.

VERTICAL BANDING ON THE AE500
http://www.romabio.dk/media%5Cdownlo...screenshot.zip

explicitlyrics · 30-09-2004, 9:37 PM

whats the difference between uden_vb and med_vb?
The uden looks fine to me but if the picture was like med it would drive me mad!!!!

30-09-2004, 9:46 PM

I think the uden one is the tweaked picture. I also couldn't live with the med picture. That's like watching through a prison cell!

Was it possible to tweak the AE500? For VB?

**zAndy1** · 30-09-2004, 9:49 PM

Really annoying the fact that when I turn on the projector it switches on the plasma and visa versa. Can't believe Panasonic have been that dumb! That in itself means I can't have both in my living room I'm afraid. Looks like the H77 then.....

Andy.

PRINCEGRINCH · 30-09-2004, 9:49 PM

Sorry I don't know what it means. I got the Screenshots from a Dutch site. I think "Uden" Most likley means "Less/Little". The other Screenshot would drive me mad n all. That is why I wanted to know how the Vertical Banding on the AE700 compares to that of the AE500.

01-10-2004, 8:21 AM

Uden means without, med means with.

01-10-2004, 10:12 AM

I've got it up & running last night and the picuture looks fantastic. The only thing I'm not sure is what aspect ratio to use when watching 2.35:1?
Just? 16:9? or zoom1?
what is "JUST" anyway? sorry it's my 1st pj

and is there ways to darken the top & bottom when watching 2.35:1 (i.e. letter box) because I can see there is very slight of light come through at the top & bottom of the picture. (or may be this is just something i have to put up with for watching 2.35:1 on a 16:9 pj)

Thanks in advance

Jeremy

01-10-2004, 10:54 AM

Just curious if anyone can make a comparison between the AE700 and Hitachi's PJ-TX100..the TX100 was top of my list until I saw the AE700 and HS51 on the horizon, so I'm very very interested to see how the new Panny compares. I'm guessing it should be better, but with mention of VB etc. I'm beginning to wonder..

Thanks

Jonny1973 · 01-10-2004, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerab

I've got it up & running last night and the picuture looks fantastic. The only thing I'm not sure is what aspect ratio to use when watching 2.35:1?
Just? 16:9? or zoom1?
what is "JUST" anyway? sorry it's my 1st pj

Zoom is for watching non-anamorphic widescreen. Some old DVDs are in this as well as widescreen films shown on analogue TV.

16:9 is for watching anamorphic DVD (also called "enhanced for 16:9") and Digital Telly.

Just mode is for converting a 4:3 picture to fill the widescreen panel. It does it by leaving the centre of the image alone and stretching the edges.

I use 16:9 for most things.

Wij · 01-10-2004, 11:57 AM

That picture of the AE500 vertical banding is not a good indication of what its like on all the 500's,thats rediculously bad,bad enough to warrant return in my opinion.
Vb on mine was pretty much non-existant so dont expect them all to suffer like that,its just a particularly bad case there.

I'm planning on getting a 700,gonna go buy in the flesh from avland though rather than risk net buying,least that way i may be able to get them to check it for bad vb/dead pixels etc before purchase.I will be "upgrading" from the 500,it sounds like a step up frm the specs/early reviews,albeit a small one,worthwhile? I dont know i'll post when I get it

Regards

Sean

01-10-2004, 12:16 PM

Phillfyspoon reckoned his was about as bad as the example in the pic however... I'm really not keen on this lottery aspect in that every PJ has it to varying degrees. That pretty much means I'd definitely want to buy a machine I'd demoed but that is not really an option for me (as I can't drive!)

**zAndy1** · 02-10-2004, 5:25 PM

Going to try the flicker tweak tonight and take some more photos? Any requests? Will post them later tonight

Cheers,
Andy.

02-10-2004, 5:30 PM

If you can do that scene from A Bugs Life it would be great, if you own the DVD. Thanks.

**zAndy1** · 02-10-2004, 5:33 PM

mmm Don't think I've got Bugs Life, I'll check though, always finding dvds I didn't know I had! lol

Andy

02-10-2004, 5:34 PM

Gladiator and/or The Fifth Element would be cool too...

I was watching The Others on TV the other day, and it struck me that it'd be a great movie for checking for VB and and testing the "blackness" of a PJ's blacks..lots of very dark scenes, and very foggy bits too

**zAndy1** · 02-10-2004, 5:38 PM

Can do Gladiator and Fifth Element no probs

Cheers
Andy

mattwakeman · 02-10-2004, 6:11 PM

Any screen shot where the VB is at its worst would be great so we can see what the quality is like. Cheers.

Cool-hand · 02-10-2004, 9:18 PM

zAndy1

hey mate you don't have to take this crap from everyone

All making you the guinea pig and asking to see your pj in the worst possible light......

your all bang outa order!!!

Dude, go watcha hidef film and enjoy it

keep those pics coming in, mind

CH

*ukp* · 02-10-2004, 9:19 PM

Well I picked up my AE700 earlier today from discounttv, and wow!

I did have an AE100 which has been fab for the past 2 years, but felt the time was to upgrade.

Biggest problem I had with the AE100 was the being able to see the pixels that make up the image, screendoor I think you call it; but now... cant spot a single one. Watched Star Wars ANH, Lord of the Rings 1, and Kill Bill, never have they looked so fantastic on my 90" (diagnal) screen; using R2 dvd via progressive scan.

The projector is larger than the AE100 but also better laid out at the back, cleaner design, much quieter and there's more zoom on the lens, so I can move the projector to where I really wanted it.

I've not noticed any vertical banding, but then I never did on the AE100 either. Setting are all default except for keystone turned back to 0 from +5.

So a big thumbs up from me for whats its worth

Fatbob1080 · 03-10-2004, 9:54 AM

I received my ae700 on thursday and Im having terrible VB problems with it! Ive got it connected to an xbox which i use to watch movies and play games. With progressive scan turned off on the xbox I get no VB whatsoever but the picture quality isnt too impressive, also with games running in around 720p i dont see any VB just a really nice sharp image. Problem is that movies on the xbox run in 525p and the majority of xbox games do aswell and this is where the VB is really bad. Ive tried tweaking the filter settings and adjusting various picture settings but cant seem to reduce it at all (im a complete newbie and this is my first projector by the way). I havent given up yet but heres a screenshot that shows what im experiencing (its a low res shot as i took it with my cheap mobile phone!).

http://www.webthingy.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/image1.jpg

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! (Can someone confirm that this is the vertical banding youre speaking of and im not confusing my problem with something else entirely?)

(I should point out that the xbox is a uk model modified to run in ntsc mode to allow progressive scan as the standard pal unit is interlaced only)

[edit]
Im happy enough sticking to interlaced mode and not using progressive scan apart from the 720 games i mentioned that display fine. Turning sharpness down slightly in interlaced or just reducing the screen size (from 12' to 5 or 6) makes it look pretty good anyway.

01-10-2004, 10:54 AM	#18
meoq Guest Posts: n/a	AE700 & Hitachi PJ-TX100? Just curious if anyone can make a comparison between the AE700 and Hitachi's PJ-TX100..the TX100 was top of my list until I saw the AE700 and HS51 on the horizon, so I'm very very interested to see how the new Panny compares. I'm guessing it should be better, but with mention of VB etc. I'm beginning to wonder.. Thanks
	Quote

30-09-2004, 5:25 PM	#2
chilli Guest Posts: n/a	Hello, I saw the AE 700 yesterday after visiting ben's store with the intention of buying one. Not having had a projector before I relied heavily on the info on this forum, and it seemed that the panasonic was the one to go for. Originally had a demo of a Themescene H30, but found the rainbow effect too noticeable (the wife noticed it too). Ben then let us compare the AE 700 and the Sony HS20 (which I had previously seen compared with an AE 500). I'm not sure if its fair to compare the two projectors, but the PQ was significantly better on the HS20. We may still have gone for the 700 were it not for the vertical bands that we noticed, particularly on daytime scenes. I have never seen this band effect before, and perhaps was only looking out for it after it was mentioned by people on the forum, but it was certainly present. Apart from this detail it seemed a great projector, and the lens shift function was very cool. We ended up buying the HS20 which was £200 dearer, but it had everyone go 'wow' last night when watching the digi remastered star wars dvd. I am looking forward to hearing a critique of the AE 700 from an experienced A/V forum bod, to see whether I am talking garbage or not about the VB. Anyway, now that the projector is sorted it is time to move to the Speaker forum! Cheers P.S: I would feel very confident in recommending Ben and his store to get your A/V stuff from. Top bloke, who seemed genuinely interested in what the individual customer was looking for. Thanks Ben
	Quote

30-09-2004, 8:43 PM	#4
chilli Guest Posts: n/a	Although to be fair, Ben did say that the 700 was a massive improvement on the 500, with regards to VB. I probably wouldn't have worried about it too much if I didn't have the HS20 to compare it with. Also, by choosing the HS, we had to forego the superior flexibility of the 700. In our case, we had to accept a smaller screen size due to the long throw distance of the Sony. Whilst we were in the shop, two other customers joined our demo, and also saw the HS20 comparison. They both walked out with 700s, seemingly very satisfied with their purchase. It would be nice to hear Ben's informed opinion on the AE700, but I think he mentioned it's his day off today.
	Quote

30-09-2004, 9:29 PM	#8
nelius Guest Posts: n/a	What is that pinkish dot that appears in almost all the pics? Middle-left.
	Quote

30-09-2004, 9:46 PM	#13
nelius Guest Posts: n/a	I think the uden one is the tweaked picture. I also couldn't live with the med picture. That's like watching through a prison cell! Was it possible to tweak the AE500? For VB?
	Quote

01-10-2004, 8:21 AM	#16
Skg Guest Posts: n/a	Uden means without, med means with.
	Quote

01-10-2004, 10:12 AM	#17
jerab Guest Posts: n/a	I've got it up & running last night and the picuture looks fantastic. The only thing I'm not sure is what aspect ratio to use when watching 2.35:1? Just? 16:9? or zoom1? what is "JUST" anyway? sorry it's my 1st pj and is there ways to darken the top & bottom when watching 2.35:1 (i.e. letter box) because I can see there is very slight of light come through at the top & bottom of the picture. (or may be this is just something i have to put up with for watching 2.35:1 on a 16:9 pj) Thanks in advance Jeremy
	Quote

01-10-2004, 12:16 PM	#21
Darwock Guest Posts: n/a	Phillfyspoon reckoned his was about as bad as the example in the pic however... I'm really not keen on this lottery aspect in that every PJ has it to varying degrees. That pretty much means I'd definitely want to buy a machine I'd demoed but that is not really an option for me (as I can't drive!)
	Quote

02-10-2004, 5:30 PM	#23
nelius Guest Posts: n/a	If you can do that scene from A Bugs Life it would be great, if you own the DVD. Thanks.
	Quote

02-10-2004, 5:34 PM	#25
meoq Guest Posts: n/a	Gladiator and/or The Fifth Element would be cool too... I was watching The Others on TV the other day, and it struck me that it'd be a great movie for checking for VB and and testing the "blackness" of a PJ's blacks..lots of very dark scenes, and very foggy bits too
	Quote