The next Big thing?

It seems to me that that Panasonic AE100 has broken a price point in the market, a little like the Samsung 807 DVD player did(1st DVD Player below 200 quid).

Other manufacturers are no doubt envious of the rate in which its sold so it follows that they will soon follow suit with cheap, well featured projectors.

So what's going to be an AE100 beater?

Sony would be my best bet for displacing the AE100 as best value for money. The HS1 has been out for a while and is probably due for replacement in the next 6 months. Although in 6 months the AE100 will also be over a year old.

I know there's always the next model just around the corner, but IMHO we are on the brink of a flood of sub £1500 Widescreen projectors.

 

Well, apparently an AE200 will be out in Japan in october (if you believe the rumour mill) and there is a sony HS2 as well planned for october I think. These two will be slugging it out for the budget market. We`ll have to wait and see I guess

Chris

 

I think a lot of the rumours are just that, however it makes the forums more interesting . Whatever you buy today will be bettered tomorrow, and perhaps cheaper. Its great to see a projector like the AE100 come to market though, and shake up the whole idea of having a home cinema projector in a lot more homes than most people would think possible say a year or so ago.

I suppose the next battle is the plasma display, I wonder when we will see a £1500 40" plasma display...

 

Just because there may be an AE200 (Allegedly) on its way in Japan, there is a very real possibility because of the stock shortages in the UK earlier on in the year of us 'bypassing' the AE200 completely and only replacing the 100 for the 300. It only feels like five minutes since the AE100 was released and things take a long time to filter through to the UK! Panasonic tend to keep things very close to their chest with things like new products, after all if you were them would you tell the market half way through a model year that they were going to replace a product! (Hardly good sales sense!)

 

Great forum!

In Japan there is a HS1 called the HS1-FP (770 Pounds) it was discribed in a Japanese HT mag (I read last night) as being a tweeked HS1. Interestingly, it uses a filter attachment (to solve contrast problems?), just like the new Epson ELP-30 model (788 Pounds). Filters seem to be in fashion!

No news of the TH-AE100 (730 Pounds) replacement though. However the Epson ELP-TW100 (2,090 Pounds) is a good buy. The prices exclude the 5% VAT you have to pay in Japan.

 

This is what I found on the AE200 on AVS Forum.

Now for the news: I saw a prototype of the AE-200, actually called AE-200H. No word if it is final spec version and a US production unit could be different from the one I saw but either way, here's the specs as shown to me:

MSRP: 240.000 YEN
Brightness (Lumens): 1400 ANSI
Contrast: ANSI: 900:1
MicroLens Array!!!
Weight: 6.4 lbs.
Size (inches) (HxWxD) : 3.4 x 11.0 x 9.6
Image Size (inches) : 40.0 - 350.0
Lens: Focus: Manual
Zoom: Manual, 1.2:1
Compatibility: HDTV1080i,720p EDTV/480p, SDTV/480i - NTSC, PAL, SECAM
Inputs: Component, S-Video, RCA Video, PC- XVGA
NO DVI!!!
Lamp: 150WUHM
Life: 2000/5000 hours
Display Type: 0.7" PolySi LCD (3) 1366x768 Pixels
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (WVGA)
Max Power: 210W
Voltage: 100V
Fan Noise: 29db
First Ship: around November 2002 (Japan)

Now I saw this thing working using a Samsung XT1000 Pro-End DVD Player (the most incredible DVD player I have seen) and the impage quality is very similar to the Sanyo PL-70 I own. I have no info on the quality of the internal line doubler and de-interlacer on the AE-200 as it was fed with a true HD progressive scan input from the Samsung XT1000. This said, image quality ios nothing short of superb and I belive we will be able to get it here in the states for under $2000 which basically is fantastic. The image was shown on a massive 250" diagonal screen (dark grey screen... have no idea on the material or maker) and blacks were pitch black, colors incredibly real and light output more than adequate. Very quite, darker grey box, otherwise looks similar to the AE100.

As for rumours of AE300 and other things I read on these forum, no one I talk to there had anything on that.

Now, will Panasonic USA finally have this model widely available here? That, no one has any idea of.

I do have one question for all of you AE100 users though. Mine of course is 100V voltage rated. I plugged-in and it worked fine but.. will I burn it or what should I do?

I may get a brochure of the AE200H in a few days as I was promised one in PDF format. Once I do, I'll post it here.

Cheers.

Michael

Best Regards
Amelia