Hello all.
This is my first post, yay !

Anyway, I will be buying a projector this week and have narrowed it down to one of the above mentioned....

I have seen the Pana in a proper home theatre setup (mates old man just got it) and have seen the hitachi at a shop.

Now Ive spent hours reading reviews on both, and on paper the only difference I can see is the 1200ANSI/1200 CR of the hitachi compared to the 1000ANSI/2000 CR of the pana.

Now I'm just curious as to what ppl here have to say about these two.
Lamp hours isnt a biggie for me, as I work away a fair bit so they are going to both last longer than the average user.

Anyway, all comments welcome, look forward to reading them.

Thanks,

Allan

[PJTX100]

Both great machines by all accounts, very similar specs, not seen a Panny 700 in action myself but people rate them highly. Everyone who has seen my TX100 has been gobsmacked and is saving up... of course they'd have to save up a fair bit more for the Panny, may be a factor worth considering...PJ

The main difference is, of course, the contrast. The Panny achieves a better contrast by use of an automatic iris.
Also, the screendoor on the Panny is supposed to be better.
I have a TX100 and am very satisfied.
It boils down to whether the above improvments justify the price difference.

[WonkyEwok]

Is there supposed to be any difference on "vertical banding" between the AE700 and the TX100? From what I've read, the Hitachi is a bit better, but I believe that they use the same lcd panels..

Thanks

[shortneck]

Hello shado,

I think the Panasonic AE700U is a very popular pj, more so than the TX-100. But, personally I couldn't justify the extra 500euros for the Panasonic (which I auditioned), so I got the Hitachi (blind!) and I'm totally satisfied with it after nearly 30hrs of use. The picture quality is great, the colours are stunning, chicken-wire is not visible from where I sit, I haven¢t noticed any VB, etc. By the way, VB was obvious on the Panasonic I auditioned.

I believe that you'll get similar responses from everyone else. Owners of either a TX100 or an AE700 will confirm how happy they are with their pj and this will not be a lie. The rapid advancements in technology have made it possible to transform our living room in a cinema with a relatively small cost. It¢s quite amazing!

Good luck with your choice.
Y

[markbingo]

I agree with Shortneck, I personally own a Panny, and am 100% satisfied. No VB on mine either, although others apparently do.

My advice to you is to think about your installation, and make sure you get the right lens for the job. Try to avoid a setup that has the lens running at a maximum length, so you can adjust for different aspect ratio's.

I haven't seen the TX, but it would seem a good value PJ.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Mark

[Whyshirley]

I'm another very satisfied TX100 user - lovely picture for the money. I occasionally notice brief flashes of screendoor, but it doesn't bother me. I've noticed VB once from freeview and never from DVD in 300 ish hours use.

Certainly, I'm sure blacks will be better on the AE700, but the TX100 isn't bad in terms of black levels / shadow details, if it is a big thing for you the extra cash for the Panny might be worth it.

The only other thing I'd say is - either Panny owners are a lot more vocal about VB on their machines than TX100 owners, or maybe the AE700 suffers a little worse than the TX100, judging by the numbers of posts about the issue. Maybe Hitachi's Quality Control is better than Panasonic's? Only my opinion of course and hardly a scientific study....

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

I've noticed VB once from freeview and never from DVD in 300 ish hours use.

Have you watched King Arthur DVD on it yet? First DVD I've seen where VB was more than fleetingly evident. Seems to be smoke against plain background where it reveals itself most. Not intrusive, just evident...PJ

[Whyshirley]

No, not seen that yet - I wonder if smoke makes it particularly obvious? I've not noticed it on clouds and always thought that lots of blue sky was supposed to be bad for VB, but didn't notice anything on 'Open Range' - there are certainly some big skies in that.

I might try Last Samurai; if I remember rightly there's quite a lot of gunsmoke in the big battle in that. Although, I'm not sure I should be going looking for VB....perhaps I might start to notice it all the time. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

No, not seen that yet - I wonder if smoke makes it particularly obvious?

yes, think so in my experience

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

I've not noticed it on clouds and always thought that lots of blue sky was supposed to be bad for VB,

Ditto, and no I never see it on sky scenes

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

Although, I'm not sure I should be going looking for VB...

from what I've seen they are very thin, faint, vertical lines a few inches apart - I don't see any difference in colour uniformity

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

.perhaps I might start to notice it all the time. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that

Very wise, just enjoy! I do!...PJ

[texass44]

GDay Shado,

Well this is my first post also......I have just gone through this exact decision myself.....tx100 or ae700 ???

I decided on the AE700.

I had the opportunity to have the tx100 in my home for 3 days to demo it. I liked it very much and really wanted to like it for a number of reasons

1. Supposedly less Vertical banding
2. Able to have 1:1 pixel mapping at 50hz on DVI & PC inputs.
3. Adjustable overscan.
4. No real reported problems with this projector to speak of.

The issues I had with the tx100 were as follows

The fan on the tx100 I found to be noisy, It really distracted me during a movie (and not just quiet scenes) This may have been a problem with the unit I had as I haven't heard of this as being a problem with this projector in general. May not be an issue for you if you are ceiling mounting it.

I really noticed the screendoor on the tx100, It really bothered me from about 1.8 screen widths seating distance.

My DVD player does not do progressive......I kept seeing deinterlacing artefacts on the tx100. This may not be an issue for you if you can feed it a progressive signal.

Anyways....I happened to see an AE700 set up for demo and immediately knew that for my requirements it was a much better choice.

1. Fan is much quieter. I am sitting about 1 metre away from it and yes, I can JUST hear it but it is not the rumbling sound of the tx100....more of a whisper sound.

2. Better screendoor.....yes, I still see a LITTLE screendoor on the AE700 SOMETIMES but it is a LOT less than the TX100.

3. I think the deinterlacer on the AE700 is better than the tx100 (still not perfect) but suits me at this time till I can upgrade my DVD player.

Overall........I am thrilled with the AE700, it's like chalk and cheese to my untrained eyes......the image just seems better some how......it's hard to explain.

The place I got the AE700 from gave me a 14 day no questions asked money back deal.

I strongly urge you to demo BOTH of these projectors in your own environment so you can make a critical informed choice...it's the only way to be sure.

I just hope some of the reported problems with the AE700 don't come out to bite me but at the end of the day....its all about the image quality.

Good luck on your quest !!

(phew....first post over !!!)

Firstly, Thanks heaps to everyone who has given me input

I went back to my mate's parents' place last night and I did find that I could notice some sde in smokey/cloudy pictures. I am off again tomorrow to play the same dvd on the tx100.

Originally Posted by texass44

I strongly urge you to demo BOTH of these projectors in your own environment so you can make a critical informed choice...it's the only way to be sure.

I would really love to do so, and have even been offered both units (from the same place) to take home and tryout for a week. Unfortunately im at my parents place whilst im on holiday, and I need to buy one (can get wholesale prices here) before I go back east for work.

I guess it is going to depend on what the final prices are and how the TX100 goes tomorrow.

Thanks again everyone, i'll let you know how I go

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by texass44

The issues I had with the tx100 were as follows

The fan on the tx100 I found to be noisy, It really distracted me during a movie (and not just quiet scenes) This may have been a problem with the unit I had as I haven't heard of this as being a problem with this projector in general. May not be an issue for you if you are ceiling mounting it.

My TX100 is ceiling mounted, about 1m above my head, and I mainly play DVD's at very low volumes. I find the TX100 to be very quiet and never distracting. May be that the unit was a particularly noisy one.

Originally Posted by texass44

I really noticed the screendoor on the tx100, It really bothered me from about 1.8 screen widths seating distance.

This is very interesting, having watched over 70 hrs of DVD's on the TX100 I've never seen any artifacts I'd describe as "very noticable". I see occasional VB, mainly on smokey scenes. Do you recall how many hours were on the bulb? Perhaps this is a feature which emerges after time, akin to similar reports for the 700.

Originally Posted by texass44

My DVD player does not do progressive......I kept seeing deinterlacing artefacts on the tx100. This may not be an issue for you if you can feed it a progressive signal.

I do feed progressive, but coincidentally before reading this I was fiddling and fed an interlaced signal to the TX100 and found the pictures very impressive, albeit I only watched them for 20 mins or so. The different progressive modes on the TX100 seemed to do a fine job.

Main thing is that you got the unit which was right for you, as you say these machines are close, best to try them both. The TX100 is not perfect by any means, but fan noise and VB/screendoor are not particular weaknesses I've witnessed myself or read many reports of. Think you may have been unlucky with the unit you demo'd...PJ

[Whyshirley]

PJ - I'd have to say you've been lucky with the fan noise on your TX100 - mine is also about 1m above my head and the noise is very definitely there, its really the only thing about it I'm not totally happy with. Its not loud enough to make me want to return the projector, but it is loud enough to annoy at times!

It seems that some TX100s are better than others in this respect. I'd also say the de-interlacer is OK in the TX100, but wouldn't put it better than that. I use prog scan via DVI from a DCDi equipped player, with the picture scaled up to 720p - it really shows the level of detail the projector is capable of. If you get the chance to go to DVI in the future, I'd go for it.

Screen door wise, I sit about 13ft from a 7ft screen and do see it sometimes - but it is mostly fleeting and doesn't bother me. On the whole, I prefer to see it sometimes to the slightly 'soft' picture that Panny projectors seem to me to give, but maybe that's just me.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

PJ - I'd have to say you've been lucky with the fan noise on your TX100 - mine is also about 1m above my head and the noise is very definitely there, its really the only thing about it I'm not totally happy with. Its not loud enough to make me want to return the projector, but it is loud enough to annoy at times!

Perhaps it's expectations. Yes, I can hear the fan but only just, compared to the units in work it's very quiet, so I was presently surprised and in terms of the quoted noise (20 odd DB?) I think it's no louder.

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

I'd also say the de-interlacer is OK in the TX100, but wouldn't put it better than that. I use prog scan via DVI from a DCDi equipped player, with the picture scaled up to 720p - it really shows the level of detail the projector is capable of. If you get the chance to go to DVI in the future, I'd go for it.

Yes, I nearly went DVI route but I have concerns about 15m cable run. I'll probably wait until the HD thing takes off before going this route.

Originally Posted by Whyshirley

Screen door wise, I sit about 13ft from a 7ft screen and do see it sometimes - but it is mostly fleeting and doesn't bother me. On the whole, I prefer to see it sometimes to the slightly 'soft' picture that Panny projectors seem to me to give, but maybe that's just me.

I like detailed pics too, and like you am willing to trade off against this. I have sharpness set to 4 on the TX.

Cheers...PJ

[texass44]

Howdy PJ, I've read all (i think) your posts on the tx100, they were VERY informative and got me looking at it in the first place so thanks for all the info you give, it's great.

I really do think the unit I demo'd had a dud fan so I wouldn't discount the tx100 on that issue alone. Hopefully one could return it if the unit you get turns out to unacceptably noisy.

The unit I demo'd had 3 hrs on the lamp when I got it, 13hrs when returned.

I still see screendoor on the ae700, just not as often and the picture is still razor sharp. Mine is a Dec2004 build with the latest V1.05 firmware.

The deinterlacer is still not great on the ae700, only marginally better to my untrained eyes than the tx100. As I say, the tx100 has a LOT going for it if you do the research and demands to be considered.

Tex.

Originally Posted by PJTX100

I like detailed pics too, and like you am willing to trade off against this. I have sharpness set to 4 on the TX.

Cheers...PJ

Sharpness is another issue. It is sort of an edge enhancer algorithm.
It affects the image displayed on the LCD panels. Screendoor results from the physical properties of the LCD panels themselves. For better or worse, the sharpness setting has no effect on the screendoor.

[PJTX100]

Originally Posted by texass44

Howdy PJ, I've read all (i think) your posts on the tx100, they were VERY informative and got me looking at it in the first place so thanks for all the info you give, it's great.

No probs, by all accounts the 700 looks a great machine, you did extremely well to get such an extensive demo of both! Sounds like some of the TX's may have noisey fans. Generally though PJ's like the 700/TX etc offer great value for money when you consider the size and quality of image on offer...PJ

[mavice]

check ebay at the mo

£725 INC VAT - seems a bargain - if genuine ?

Hi again,
well I just went down to the store where a mate of mine works and he managed to get hold of a 700 for me and set it up in the room with the TX100.

After about an hour of looking at different dvds (using hdmi/hdmi>dvdi cables) from the latest Denon dvd player I have bought the TX100.

I was definately releived I had the chance to view both pj's on equal terms in quite a nice room.

The main difference that I noticed (the only diff really) was that I seemed to notice the VB more on the 700 then the TX100. Given that fact, and that the TX100 was ~200 cheaper I decided to go that way.

I'm sure others have different opinions, but as most ppl have said, it's personal preference when chosing between these 2.

Once again, thanks to everyone who gae me input on both the projectors, I definately took all opinions on board.

Now I only have to wait untill I fly back home for workso I can get it setup properly with the rest of my system

Ta,

Allan