I love my Panasonic PT-AE300

C

ChrisNightingal

Guest
Hi there everyone,

I have just recently purchased a Panasonic PT-AE300 projector from NexNix and wanted to share my current experiences of it with the world.

I have produced a little webpage detailing the installation and also some piccies of the AE300 in action.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.nightingale1/ftvtp/ftvtpmainpage.htm

I would be interested to hear what other people have thought of it.

Thanks,

Chris Nightingale
 
Hi Chris,

Welcome to the forums (as a member !) :hiya:

Very neat site, good homework done, good installation, what more can one say ??

Glad you're happy with the PJ, from the screenshots it looks smashing.

All the best,

Sean G.
 
Thanks sean,

Yeap I'm very impressed with it and most of my homework came from reading these superb forums. In fact your name has appeared in a lot of the ones I have been reading, so thanks are in order again!!!

What I didn't show on the page was any shots of videos games being shown on the pj. I tried "Ferrari 355" on the Dreamcast and boy did it look good.

So far it is worth every penny I have spent on it!!!
 
Good effort matey, I'm sold!!!

How much, and from where did you get the screen/roller blind material?

Regards
Gaz
 
Chris,

Appreciate the words of thanks......:blush: , given the job you've just done, you'll be a welcome addition here to answer questions and dispense advice !!

I'd also be interested in the source of the roller-blind - it looks like it's a light grey colour form the pictures on your website - is this right, or are my eyes playing tricks on me ?

Screenshot from Clockwork Orange looks esp. nice, most pjs look good with saturated colours, CGI stuff like Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, it's the monotones that really show up a performance.

All the best,

Sean G.
 
Hi Gaz,

Well the roller blind was pre-made and I got it from John Lewis in Milton Keynes. It's a 183cm wide blind and I think it's their own brand. As mentioned on the webpage, it's made using "Black Out" material.

As far as I remember it cost about £57 but you might be able to make one cheaper, although whether the hassle saves anymore money I'm not sure. It's not to bad for me cos it doubles as a blind as well!!!

Note: I have just posted some more piccies on site of Ferrari 355 Challenge for the Dreamcast which looks very impressive at that size!!!
 
Sean,

Just to clarify, the roller blind is pure white but I think the camera struggles cos I don't always use the flash cos it just wreaks the image.

I was a bit concerned at first that the blind would make the image look flat and dull because so many retailers go on about how "a proper screen is the only answer".

I was very surprised how well "A Clockwork Orange" turned out considering the age of the film and all. Even the now humble laserDisc didn't look so bad although I'm sure I have a few laserDiscs that will make me cringe when I view them.

And yeap, always happy to answer any questions, that's what that little webpage was for.
 
Hey there Chris,

that looks like a damn fine picture.

I have a John Lewis not far from me, do you know if they sell (or can make) a slightly bigger blind?

Cheers.

CC
 
Hi Captain and Mark,

With regard to John Lewis making custom blinds, I think they might do but I guess the price will probably go up a bit for that. I bought the biggest one they had there and it was 1.83m wide which was absolutely spot on. Can't remember how long but it was long enough I can assure you.

And Mark, thanks for the comments and I'm glad the webpage was of some use.

While I'm here is there anything that people want extra photos of such as the screen, pj or clips from films cos I will update the website with any new piccies.

Thanks

Chris.
 
Yeah....post some more movie pic's....

especially dark scenes !
 
Hi Chris,

Have you checked out Kwaggers thread on this site?

I love the 300 but have noticed a slight anomaly on at least 3 300`s. Love to hear your veiws.

Jack
 
Hey Jack and Fjorko

Jack, I have seen that thread and have posted some comments although cos I'm a bit of a newbie with projectors I'm not sure they're worth much, but I did comment on this "star-field" effect if I understand it correctly.

Fjorko, I have posted some darker images of what sprang instantly to mind on the webpage. Again cos they are dark the poor old digital camera suffered and some might be slightly blurred due to long exposure times. But see for yourself:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/chris.nightingale1/ftvtp/ftvtpmainpage.htm
 
Chris,
Nice setup and useful tips. I'm having a purpose built home cinema room done in the house we're building. I was thinking of getting the builder to make enclosure from the roof that would take the AE300 (decided on this PJ) so you wouldn't actually see the projector. The only thing is having an open hole at the back to let air pass through for cooling. Does the AE300 runn very hot and do you think this sort of mounting could work.
Cheers
:rolleyes:


I like beer, on occassions I will even drink to celebrate a major event such as the fall of communism or the fact the refrigerator's still working.
 
Hi Muzz,

I am in the same position as you (renovating a barn). The 300 runs very hot, personally I would (am) going to get a ceiling mount from LMP. They look good and are very cheap. Having the 300 on show wouldnt be too obtrusive, they are very small. If my set up is finnished before yours I will post pix here (mid August-ish).

Jack
 
Hi Muzz,

Thanks for the kind words. Yeap the AE300 does run pretty hot and I think obstructing it would be bad. I take it the pj will be in the enclosure while it's running and not a panel that lowers revealing the pj when in use.

I remember when I was testing/installing the pj and was doing some work right behind it, that it really does chuck out some heat. I'm not looking forward to watching films in the summer cos it will get really hot in that room what with the pj and the DSP-A1 amp!!

But you might be able to produce some sort of exhaust vent that could vent the hot air outside. Just a thought.

Thanks,

Chris
 
I have replumbed the central heating system by using the AE300 fan outlet connected to the water pipes. I can now heat my 3 bedroomed house without the need for a boiler!!!

Seriously tho I was surprised how hot it runs. I left my remote controls on top of the unit. When I picked one of them up the plastic was red hot and almost burned my hand!
 
Hey that's a good way to save on heating costs!!

Yeap it does run very hot but thankfully, the fan is ever so quite. I can only really hear it when there is a pause in the audio soundtrack, otherwise I can never hear it.

Thanks,

Chris.
 
yep I agree about the fan. Its very quiet. To be honest even when there is little audio on the film I can't hear it. As a quick side note by default my Ae300 was set on high bulb mode which was quite audible but switching to low mode its virtually silent. My girlfriend actally prefered the picture on the low mode as well :)

Have you tweaked the default picture settings>? The settings mine was set on had far too much colour and tint and was easily improved.

I have rented 8 legged freaks (I know its supposed to be crap) for tomorrow so hopefully the girlfriend will be wanting big hugs on the sofa whilst watching it due to the shear size of the spiders on screen. (she hates spiders!) (eek so do I come to think of it!)

Muhahaahaha
 
May have to rethink the PJ housing to keep it cool. Jack, you mentioned the LMP mounts are good. I'll search the forum for more details of these. House in design phase at the moment but getting all the gadgets ready for the build.
 
I have an LMP mount and think it's perfect - works a treat, fantastic looking and very good price. Great customer service too.

I've got pictures of mine in this thread.

Cheers,
Cal.
 
Hey that LMP mount looks good.

How much are they roughly, cos I know I paid a fair amount for my Unicol PSU although it's the design I most like cos there isn't actually anything attached to the ceiling. Also you can actually pass the wires up through the tube without any extra holes having to be made.

Thanks,

Chris Nightingale.
 
That LMP mount does look good and actually rather similar to the Unicol PSU that I have except that it costs a fraction of the price. And it does allows for the cables to be routed up through the tube (very important!)

(It's a small world actually cos a mate of mine is actually looking to buy one of their HCPC cases!!)
 
And it does allows for the cables to be routed up through the tube (very important!)

Yes, it does that very nicely.

I just haven't got round to doing it yet as it means lifting the upstairs carpet, cutting bits out of the floorboards and chasing down the plaster walls.

I'm not the best DIY'er so I've been putting it off till my brother next visits as he's more experienced at that sort of stuff.

Cheers,
Cal.
 

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