Upgrade Panasonic AE100 to AE900

Brindek

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Hi all. I have an AE100 which I have been really pleased with for the money over the last couple of years, 1800 hours on the lamp now. On paper the AE900 has such hugely better specs i.e. Lumens, contrast etc that I would imagine the PQ step up is good, but just HOW good is it?

I run component from an ARCAM DV27 for DVD and the PQ is good but contrast is very wish washy in darker scenes. Will this improve a lot with an AE900?

Also I do a lot of computer work on the PJ using both a Mac & PC. The native resolution of the AE100 gives a good picture but at any usuable resolution i.e. 1024x768 or more it makes text very blurry and difficult to read. The native resolution of 1280x720 on the AE900 would be great if it was as clear as the AE100 at 852x568. Is it?

My preference is to keep with the PANNY's as I have a nice ceiling mount which I believe will fit the same on the AE900 as AE100 and to be fair, the AE100 has done me proud!!

Any input would be greatly appreciated.:thumbsup:
 
On the assumption that you have a light controlled room, then the difference that you notice will be staggering. I would say that it'll be like having a PJ for the first time all over again. The upgrade from a Panny 100 (I know, I've done it) is one of the biggest you'll ever make. You're going to lose that chicken wire, lose a whole lot of grey, get some proper contrast levels, and see colours at a level a whole lot closer to those you're seeing now. Enjoy:thumbsup:
 
That's interesting... I have a reallllllyyy dark room. I have black out blinds, backed up by black out curtains and the whole room is painted black!!! This is what comes from having a wife who loves the Projector as much as me (well almost ;) ) so light levels are definately not a problem.

Has anyone any experience of the AE900 with a PC signal? Is it good at native 1280x720?
 
Hi...
I did the extact same thing as you, but was forced into it as my 100 died (PSU).
The 900 is bigger (slightly deeper, wider and longer), but the ceiling mounting holes are just the same so like you say it just fits straight in. The throw is exactly the same so the screen will fit just as before, but I used quite a bit of keystone which shrunk the sides a little, so after using the 900's optical lens adjustor, the keystone is reduced and the sides got a bit wider and the image nearly overlapped my screen sides (just a minor point and not an issue if u dont use keystone)
The 100 was a great projector and although the 900 is much better for a 1000 quid it stills does the same thing only better... so dont get too excited. However, yes ambient light can now be increased and contract ratios are through the roof, blacks are mega black and whites are mega white (almost too much ratio if u ask me) and the pixel structure is all but gone... smooth screen to me is awesome. Quieter as well, with more adjustments available.
So if u wanna spend the cash u wont be dissappointed, but remember u aint gettin anything u havent already got if u know what i mean!
 
Brindek said:
That's interesting... I have a reallllllyyy dark room. I have black out blinds, backed up by black out curtains and the whole room is painted black!!!

I can't believe it. I'm suffering from room envy :eek:

:)

I should also say that I've had a Panny AE100 and am finally on a TX100 (very similar spec to AE900) and the move in contrast/colour/clarity is amazing. Especially if you have any hidef material on hand.
 
pc signal is awsome... I turned on my laptop to try it.. switched off the lcd, and did not want to take it down...

not to mention when going to see my pictures...

:) really lovely :)
 
Thanks to all of you for your input. :clap:
The clincher for me is the PC resolution and quality so I took the plunge and ordered it today from Digital Direct and it should come on Thursday!

I will post again and let you know what I think of it.:thumbsup:
 
Hello again. I received the 900 on Friday and put it straight up into the existing fixings of my old AE100 (which will now be up for sale, 1800 hours low power BTW). The picture is great! :thumbsup:

Colours are sooo much more vivid and the difference in contrast is huge. The real biggy though is the quality off the PC. Before in any resolution other than native (852x568 from memory) the text was difficult to read in web pages and it was generally quite fuzzy. You couldn't use it for too long. Now it is pin sharp and clear as you like. Strangely it seems really clear in resolutions other than the native 1280x720.

A couple of questions if I may........:lease:
The PJ is ceiling mounted on the Unicol mount which allows for movement in all directions pretty much. On the AE100 I would just point the PJ at the screen and make a little Keystone adjustment. With the lens shift of the AE900 should I set the PJ horizontal and make the positional changes with the lens shift or is it better to point the PJ and make minor adjustments with the lens shift?
I used to run my Ae100 in low power all of the time as it would greatly enhance the lamp life from 2000 to 5000 hours, is that the same with the AE900?

Thanks for you advise as it has been £1000 well spent :clap: Also thanks to Digital Direct for a great service.
 
For the best picture you are supposed to centre line the lens to the projected image (ideally the lens not the projector) that way you shouldnt need to adjust lens shift from its factory neutral position. But any small lens shift movements shouldnt affect picture quality. Lets put it this way I have full down lens shift with keystone on 6!!! Still a great picture :thumbsup:
 
Further to my previous reply... I just read your question again... Correct me if Im wrong but I believe you should point your projector horizontally (thus keystone is prefect - no need to adjust) and align the image with the lens shift (apparently image quality only reduces when using near maximum lens shift - but still this would be better than using keystone, me thinks!)
 
As for the lamp life... good question bcos it doesnt say this time about extendind lamp life, but I just presume the same ideology stands. Anywho lumens are only reduced by 15% allegedly:lesson:
 
k38fmc said:
As for the lamp life... good question bcos it doesnt say this time about extendind lamp life, but I just presume the same ideology stands. Anywho lumens are only reduced by 15% allegedly:lesson:
I will have a play around with the lamp power later. When I first got my AE100 I was paranoid about lamp life as the bulbs are expensive and didn't really know how much I would be using it. Now that I have done a couple of years which equated to 1800 hours I am not so worried. If I have to buy a new bulb after 3000 hours so be it. It will be money well spent IMHO.
 
Just to add to what the other guys have alreay said, I would say avoid keystone like the plague Brin if you possibly can! lol. When you've got your PC hooked up and text on the screen, have a go at changing between 0 and 1 on the keystone. The difference is unbelievable in terms of sharpness.

I have a 900 and use a good bit of lens shift, but have to say there's no noticable change in picture quality. To me at least. But there certainly is with keystone.
 
The_MP said:
Just to add to what the other guys have alreay said, I would say avoid keystone like the plague Brin if you possibly can! lol. When you've got your PC hooked up and text on the screen, have a go at changing between 0 and 1 on the keystone. The difference is unbelievable in terms of sharpness.

I have a 900 and use a good bit of lens shift, but have to say there's no noticable change in picture quality. To me at least. But there certainly is with keystone.

.....that is because lens shift, physically shifts the lens accembly, and keystone reduces (uses less) ammount of pixels to provide you with correct lines.
 

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