The highs and lows of LCD projectors (PTAE100 upgrade)

[hermand]

I am very depressed today.

My beloved 3 year old Panny PTAE100 is no more

It went pop a few weeks ago, so I took it into the local service centre. They want £230 to fix it. Which is about how much it is probably worth now. I guess if it was car it would be a write off.

So...what do I want to get now? I was happy with the performance of the Panny, so I don't think I need something massively better, but it would be nice to get improved performance from the newer technology for my money.

But above all else it needs to be reliable! 3 years use for £1000 (plus a £250 new bulb in that time!) is hardly good value.

Also I need something with a similar throw distance so I can use it in my living room.

Anyway, has anyone got a good suggestion for a replacement? A quick look possibly suggests a Sanyo Z3 - but some real life advice would be welcomed

 

[sbowler]

you could get a panny 700 second hand, now that the 900 is being released there will be a lot of members upgrading. Its a cracking picture.

 

[MikeRJ]

But above all else it needs to be reliable! 3 years use for £1000 (plus a £250 new bulb in that time!) is hardly good value.

I think your expectations are perhaps not realistic. LCD Projectors are not really comparable to e.g. CRT televisions in terms of reliability and certainly not in running costs. Lamps do have a finite (and compared to a CRT, short) life. The LCD panels themselves also degrade with use, and most of all technology marches on at a rapid pace. No-one can guarantee that whatever you buy for £1000 now will last longer than 3 years with no failures, by which time it will likely be as obsolete as your current projector anyway.

 

[hermand]

I think your expectations are perhaps not realistic. LCD Projectors are not really comparable to e.g. CRT televisions in terms of reliability and certainly not in running costs.

I agree they're not (in my experience anyway) - but I don't see any reason why they shouldn't be

Lamps do have a finite (and compared to a CRT, short) life.

I know, but I think it should have lasted more than the 500 hours it did, when the manufacturer quoted 2000+

The LCD panels themselves also degrade with use, and most of all technology marches on at a rapid pace. No-one can guarantee that whatever you buy for £1000 now will last longer than 3 years with no failures, by which time it will likely be as obsolete as your current projector anyway.

I understand that technology marches on - but I didn't have upgrade-itis about my ptae100 - if it hadn't popped I would have been happy to use it for many years to come.

I still think that 3 years is a very short lifetime for a piece of kit that costs £1000+, whatever it is.

 

[Kramer]

I'd get on to Panasonic TBH. There was/is a known issue with the AE100's PSU & I would demand a free repair. Consumer law covers this........forget the exact terminology but it should be "covered" for up to seven years IIRC. 3yrs/500 hours isn't reasonable IMO, given this unit's "history".

 

[azzo]

I went from an AE100 to Z3, massive difference in everything really, very please and I paid full price for them almost a year ago. Biggest improvements are
1) Contrast
2) pixel structure
3) quiteness
4) colour rendition
IMO It's a no brainer.
azzo

 

[PJTX100]

I went from an AE100 to Z3, massive difference in everything really...

I think that's the crux of the matter. In another 2 yrs I'll be gagging for a new PJ such will be the advancement over what I've got now.

To be honest if I get 3 years out of mine I'll be happy. That's less than £30 per month. Think of what you can rent for £30 per month, or how much you'd spend at the cinema...PJ

 

[mariegriffiths]

Mine has just gone what were the symptons?

 

[hermand]

Mine has just gone what were the symptons?

It was just completely dead; no red light of doom, nothing.

 

[jamiev]

go for the z2/3/4!
stll the z2 is the best pq on the market, ***** in HCC!