[rorrie]

Hi,
so i went out to look for a new projector (my current one is a cheap sanyo jobbie), looking around the 1000 mark...but then i come across the reviews for the Panasonic PT-AE2000, is it worth the extra 1000!!!!????

basically, i have a ps3, but most of the watching come from my xbox (XBMC - has component output on the xbox as well), but my thoughts are, when i move il get freesat or sky hd

i could strech to the ae2000....but im wondering if its going to be worth it and maybe spend 800, wait a year then buy another full hd pj?

all coments welcome!!!

Thanks

[Kent Home Cinema]

Originally Posted by rorrie

Hi,
so i went out to look for a new projector (my current one is a cheap sanyo jobbie), looking around the 1000 mark...but then i come across the reviews for the Panasonic PT-AE2000, is it worth the extra 1000!!!!????

basically, i have a ps3, but most of the watching come from my xbox (XBMC - has component output on the xbox as well), but my thoughts are, when i move il get freesat or sky hd

i could strech to the ae2000....but im wondering if its going to be worth it and maybe spend 800, wait a year then buy another full hd pj?

all coments welcome!!!

Thanks

Morning

Certainly I would recommend having a demo of this projector before purchasing.

What I can say, based on our experience, is that everyone who has demo'd it here has gone onto purchase a unit barr one or two clients. It certainly offers excellent quality for the money and it would be worth reading the AE2000 owners thread to get some idea of what other purchasers think.

Regards

Alastair

[sapper]

Originally Posted by Alastair Collie

Morning

Certainly I would recommend having a demo of this projector before purchasing.

What I can say, based on our experience, is that everyone who has demo'd it here has gone onto purchase a unit barr one or two clients. It certainly offers excellent quality for the money and it would be worth reading the AE2000 owners thread to get some idea of what other purchasers think.

Regards

Alastair

Hi Alastair,

I was just looking this morning about when I am fre for that audition we discuissed the other week....

Anyway, how does it compare to DLP projectors or even the JVC units interms of of black shades and detail?

Adrian

[dUnKle]

Originally Posted by Alastair Collie

Morning

Certainly I would recommend having a demo of this projector before purchasing.

What I can say, based on our experience, is that everyone who has demo'd it here has gone onto purchase a unit barr one or two clients. It certainly offers excellent quality for the money and it would be worth reading the AE2000 owners thread to get some idea of what other purchasers think.

Regards

Alastair

Well I dont know if this will convince the OP but ....

I have just ordered one from AVSales this morning

[sdb123]

Originally Posted by rorrie

Hi,
so i went out to look for a new projector (my current one is a cheap sanyo jobbie), looking around the 1000 mark...but then i come across the reviews for the Panasonic PT-AE2000, is it worth the extra 1000!!!!????

basically, i have a ps3, but most of the watching come from my xbox (XBMC - has component output on the xbox as well), but my thoughts are, when i move il get freesat or sky hd

i could strech to the ae2000....but im wondering if its going to be worth it and maybe spend 800, wait a year then buy another full hd pj?

all coments welcome!!!

Thanks

Only you can convince yourself. Get a demo.

[jah]

Well, I think mine is fantastic so it gets a big thumbs up from me.

The big advantage from my perspective is that the colours were so good straight out of the box so no need to arrange for a professional calibration. I think spending more would've been overkill too as I have a far from ideal room)my living room) which is Barratt Beige and won't help contrast. As far as I'm concerned, the contrast and blacks in general are very good even in my environment. I won't be going to audition any more projectors until it's time to retire this one just in case though.

I use a PS3 via HDMI and a 360 HD DVD via VGA in with no complaints. The picture is particularly good from the PS3.

Cheers,

jah

[Kent Home Cinema]

Originally Posted by sapper

Hi Alastair,

I was just looking this morning about when I am fre for that audition we discuissed the other week....

Anyway, how does it compare to DLP projectors or even the JVC units interms of of black shades and detail?

Adrian

Hi Adrian

In terms of the difference between the JVC HD100 and the PT AE2000 it is certainly worth looking at them side by side. We have had some clients preferring the JVC and some the Panasonic for different reasons. The JVC has a greater dynamic range whereas a number of clients have found the natural filmic look of material shown on the Panasonic gives it the edge.

Both the JVC and Panasonic have been fully ISF calibrated and are in the same demo room so do pop down and have a look. Either Chris or Richard who will do the demo will be able to give their thoughts on how these units compare to DLP projectors.

Regards

Alastair

[crimsoneagle]

For me it comes to VFM..
And the 2000 has it in spades!!!
I think everything else that I have seen doenst justify the price difference!!
Im not looking to retire the unit until it or I die me thinks..
(is trying not too check forums too often these days)
But in terms of quality im using it with an anamorphic lense and from 3m away
Im getting a 2.4m wide screen!!!
Long live HD!!!! (WHATEVER FORM ITS IN)

[BISHI]

You might want to see if you can get hold of a Panasonic ae 1000 ( the precurser to the 2000) As it has recently been discontinued in favour of the new model you might pick one up at a bargain price. I have the AE1000 and am very very pleased with it.The AE 2000 is slightly brighter with improved contrast but the AE1000 still produces an excellent HD image.

[dUnKle]

Originally Posted by crimsoneagle

For me it comes to VFM..
And the 2000 has it in spades!!!
I think everything else that I have seen doenst justify the price difference!!
Im not looking to retire the unit until it or I die me thinks..
(is trying not too check forums too often these days)
But in terms of quality im using it with an anamorphic lense and from 3m away
Im getting a 2.4m wide screen!!!
Long live HD!!!! (WHATEVER FORM ITS IN)

Whats the "anamorphic lense" all about ?

[crimsoneagle]

Originally Posted by dUnKle

Whats the "anamorphic lense" all about ?

you know the black bars in 2.35:1 films like star wars - lordy of the rings etc...

gets rid of those!!
like a real widescreed.. or scope image..


proper widescreen

google it the only way to fly!!!

[dUnKle]

Originally Posted by crimsoneagle

you know the black bars in 2.35:1 films like star wars - lordy of the rings etc...

gets rid of those!!
like a real widescreed.. or scope image..


proper widescreen

google it the only way to fly!!!

googled and just got myself even more lost

any pics of yours in action ?
oh and how much ?

[xSequentialx]

im going for a ae2000e and scope screen but not buying a lense as i will use the zoom method then if i feel i need 1 i will buy 1 later. my carada 2.40 screen should be with me on Thursday now all i need is a projector, amp, speakers... lol

avsforum have a section on 2.35 take a look

[crimsoneagle]

I havent any pics just yet ( too lazy )

But I will...

Ther are a few members on here that have them
prices range from
280ish for the aussiemorphic DIY lense
to
5k for the king of the hill ISCO 3

[rorrie]

the thing is that my av reciver doesn't have hdmi, i rearly use my ps3 (only for playing dvds and occasional game, but that may change when better games come out)

the other parts i have are a standard xbox, and a freeview box (thinking about getting a mini mac to replace the xbox (xbmc on it)).

Just not sure if i should fork out for the 2000 with limited hd material, or should i get a second hand older projector and wait to go for a full hd projector in a while.....?

BTW to get an idea of what of an upgrade it will be, its from a sanyo plc xe-30 (no idea if its any good?!?!?)

any more hint, ideas tips welcome!!!

[choccy]

I've just gone from a Panasonic ae900 to an ax200 and there is a difference.

I was thinking of going for the 2000 but decided on a more short term stop gap before I do and am not disappointed. I'm sure if I had seen the 2000 in action I would have wanted one but I am very happy with what I have.

[rorrie]

anyone else?

[RamonD]

I would also consider the Epson EMP TW2000, its the same model as the pro cinema 1080ub (ultra black), I chose this over the Panny having viewed them both. Im a noob and this is my first PJ. I was offered both at the same price and the Epson did it for me.

http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...80ub/index.php

Morte from professional above.

[sdb123]

Originally Posted by RamonD

I would also consider the Epson EMP TW2000, its the same model as the pro cinema 1080ub (ultra black), I chose this over the Panny having viewed them both. Im a noob and this is my first PJ. I was offered both at the same price and the Epson did it for me.

http://www.projectorreviews.com/epso...80ub/index.php

Morte from professional above.

To the OP - remember there is currently a considerable price difference between the two projectors. Just to make you aware.

[DanHorse]

Originally Posted by dUnKle

googled and just got myself even more lost

any pics of yours in action ?
oh and how much ?

dude, the anamorphic lense, used with a pj that can stretch the image to fill all its pixels, will compress the image back down to normal, so that you view a 2.35:1 image using ALL of the pj pixels........ that make sense?

[rorrie]

ok....now thinking down the hd65 hd70 or hd73 line (not overly sure on the differences)...then spend the other money on say new source (eg mini mac)

what do you guys think?

[TurquoiseShark]

Sorry for hijacking this thread. I have a Panny AX100 and to be honest the High Def output has not been as good as I would've liked. I'm comparing the quality of my 720p projector to the Sony 50" rear pro we have which outputs at 1080i, the Sony picture is far superior.

If I upgrade to an AE2000, is there a noteable difference in terms of PQ between the AX100 and the AE2000 to make it worthwhile upgrading. I realise this is down to personal preference, but if anyone has taken this upgrade path I would appreciate your thoughts.

If not, I have one eye on popping down the motorway for a demo with Roy Jowetts.

[sapper]

My advice is to go down to a dealer and see for yourself, certainly that is my aim next week.

Adrian

[sdb123]

Originally Posted by rorrie

ok....now thinking down the hd65 hd70 or hd73 line (not overly sure on the differences)...then spend the other money on say new source (eg mini mac)

what do you guys think?

Demo...

Originally Posted by TurquoiseShark

Sorry for hijacking this thread. I have a Panny AX100 and to be honest the High Def output has not been as good as I would've liked. I'm comparing the quality of my 720p projector to the Sony 50" rear pro we have which outputs at 1080i, the Sony picture is far superior.

If I upgrade to an AE2000, is there a noteable difference in terms of PQ between the AX100 and the AE2000 to make it worthwhile upgrading. I realise this is down to personal preference, but if anyone has taken this upgrade path I would appreciate your thoughts.

If not, I have one eye on popping down the motorway for a demo with Roy Jowetts.

Demo...

[DanHorse]

Originally Posted by sdb123

Demo...



Demo...

hehe, wise man speaks few words.......

[u02ai]

Hi Alasdair,

I Bought the PTAE1000 back in october from the staff at AV sales back in October. Was very impressed with the level of service offered by the staff. I am sure this has probably been covered elsewhere, but wondered what your opinion is on the degree of difference from the new model as I am tempted to upgrade to the ptae2000. Downside is that I would of course lose a lot of money and wonder if it would be better to wait a bit longer and buy a new model in another year or so. Quite happy with the ptae1000 but the blacks could be better and I find it quite dull on anything other than the normal, dyanmic and cinema 3 settlings. Saying that I havent calibrated yet as I was planning an ISF calibration when my room is finished and I get a screen.

the upside of upgrading would be that It seems that I could easily swap the projector with the existing mount with minimum hassle. Do you think that there is enough of a difference between the 2 models to warrant a swap?

Originally Posted by Alastair Collie

Hi Adrian

In terms of the difference between the JVC HD100 and the PT AE2000 it is certainly worth looking at them side by side. We have had some clients preferring the JVC and some the Panasonic for different reasons. The JVC has a greater dynamic range whereas a number of clients have found the natural filmic look of material shown on the Panasonic gives it the edge.

Both the JVC and Panasonic have been fully ISF calibrated and are in the same demo room so do pop down and have a look. Either Chris or Richard who will do the demo will be able to give their thoughts on how these units compare to DLP projectors.

Regards

Alastair

[Zag]

Originally Posted by choccy

I've just gone from a Panasonic ae900 to an ax200 and there is a difference.

I was thinking of going for the 2000 but decided on a more short term stop gap before I do and am not disappointed. I'm sure if I had seen the 2000 in action I would have wanted one but I am very happy with what I have.

I did the same thing and went from a Sony HS60 to AX100 and was happy with that upgrade. Its almost too good a stop gap.

Thankfully I haven't really got the time to demo and upgrade my ax100 yet, however I'm sure towards the end of the year when I get the time to do it, I'll have saved myself many hundreds of pounds.

However if you've got the time and cash to do it now, make the leap and I'm sure you won't look back.

[KelvinS1965]

Originally Posted by u02ai

Quite happy with the ptae1000 but the blacks could be better and I find it quite dull on anything other than the normal, dyanmic and cinema 3 settlings. Saying that I havent calibrated yet as I was planning an ISF calibration when my room is finished and I get a screen.

the upside of upgrading would be that It seems that I could easily swap the projector with the existing mount with minimum hassle. Do you think that there is enough of a difference between the 2 models to warrant a swap?

I've just got my AE2000 today, but it's been some time since I saw my AE1000 in operation, so memory might be playing tricks (plus placebo effect possibly). I reckon the 2K is brighter (not just because of the new lamp either), sharper and has a couple of nice operational tweaks like the split screen mode for seeing what the adjustments are doing to the picture. I don't think the black level is any lower, but I use an ND2 filter anyway which brings it down to a level I am happy with, the brighter whites of the 2K give an overall boost to the contrast compared to the 1K.

When you get a screen, it might be worth looking for one with positive gain (mine is 1.8) as I'm guessing you are using a wall at the moment? When you have the picture framed with the black border I think it makes the contrast appear better too. Also try using the waveform monitor in single line mode (the top option IIRC) to set the brightness and contrast correctly...it makes all the difference.

Only you can deceide if the cost is worth it. I was lucky in that the change cost me about £650 as I bought mine in the Audio T sale for £1900. I've been without a PJ for a while too so that wasn't fun. I don't know how much you'd get for your AE1000 now that the AE2000 is out and reviews in What Hifi, etc are praising it so much...doesn't help the resale. My approach was to convince a friend to spend a little more than the AX200 and to get a hardly used 1080p machine....he definately wasn't going to spring for the whole £1,900 a new AE2000 would cost so it was a good deal for him (and me).

[Kent Home Cinema]

Originally Posted by u02ai

Hi Alasdair,

I Bought the PTAE1000 back in october from the staff at AV sales back in October. Was very impressed with the level of service offered by the staff. I am sure this has probably been covered elsewhere, but wondered what your opinion is on the degree of difference from the new model as I am tempted to upgrade to the ptae2000. Downside is that I would of course lose a lot of money and wonder if it would be better to wait a bit longer and buy a new model in another year or so. Quite happy with the ptae1000 but the blacks could be better and I find it quite dull on anything other than the normal, dyanmic and cinema 3 settlings. Saying that I havent calibrated yet as I was planning an ISF calibration when my room is finished and I get a screen.

the upside of upgrading would be that It seems that I could easily swap the projector with the existing mount with minimum hassle. Do you think that there is enough of a difference between the 2 models to warrant a swap?

Morning

We were fortunate to see the PTAE1000 and PTAE2000 running side by side at the Panasonic launch of the new model and the contrast ration is certainly higher on the AE2000 giving richer colours and better black levels. Also each lens on the AE2000 is now manually aligned during production which does mean the sharpness is better without losing the filmic look.

Whether you would feel these gains are worth spending the extra money on is a question difficult to answer however you would see a difference in the areas you would like improvements on. If you can get to see a demo of the AE2000 I would certainly recommend it so you can make a considered decision. The AE1000 is still a very good projector and ensuring it is calibrated correctly may well take the current picture quality up another level.

Regards

Alastair

[u02ai]

Thanks kelvin and alasdair- your responses were very useful. I might ask around to see how much I could get for the PTAE1000 and see if I can see the PTAE2000 in action in a demo room.