New Panasonic AE4000 projector

cool
I have not seen it yet.
Hopefully this will have a better color decoder and also better color uniformity.

Gregg, were there issues with the 3000? I'm considering the 4000 as my first FP purchase.

both are very big issues.

Brian, if you want a Ka$$ PJ, I was able to get a great deal on some JVC RS2 units. Email for info...it would be very similar budget to the 3000 - 4000 panny models.

I'm thinking of upgrading my Sanyo z4.  3800 hours on the original bulb.

I was thinking Epson 8500 or Panasonic AE4000.

3800 is way too many hours on the bulb....your light output is most likely less than 50% of the original amount.

At least change out the bulb.

Actually, It's amazing how good the projector looks.  Sure it is probably quite dim compared with a new projector but I have very good light control and in the dark all is good.

I can sell it as is to someone and buy a new projector.  Question is, what new projector?

if you want a Ka$$ PJ, I was able to get a great deal on some JVC RS2 units. Email for info...it would be very similar budget to the 3000 - 4000 panny models.

this unit is far above the other PJs mentioned in this thread in EVERY regard (except possibly price).

Call me if interested....201 232 3380.... i currently have 2 units left.

JVC's are the benchmark for sure!  Buget wise and size wise they are too much for my setup.

you can add all the features you want...but if the picture looks like crap then what does it matter?

Objectively or subjectively? My clients want accurate...and it is easily quantified by objective criteria.  

Or if the feature doesnt work well, like doesnt hold focus in the zoom range...or the zoom / focus setting isn't accurate each time...or the zoom causes (or the lense in general) causes alot of convergence errors.  

Who on god's green earth would what frame interpolation on a front projector?

I've been very happy with my 900, blown away by demos of the 3000 and closely follow the 4000 in hopes that it and the 3000 get down into the range where they are affordable to someone like me in the way the 900 quickly did.  I understand Greg has both a commitment to quality and product to move, but I disagree entirely with his lumping any of the Panny line in with so called 'crap'... 

One thing that people often fail to compensate for is zoom range in their projectors and I stand by my assessment that in the room where I have my PJ set up no other solution would work for me as well as the Panny's highly flexible lens system does. 

Sam

I guess we will have to agree to disagree and only 1 of us is an expert.

 I haven't visited this forum for several years and I can see I haven't missed a thing. Back to...

I have to step in and also defend the Panny line.

They are certainly not crap.  In fact, if I were going
to buy a new projector tomorrow my first choice would
be the Panny 4000.

Quote:
LMAO touche!  Post of the week right there.  If you need more ammunition I'm red/green and blue/brown color blind too.

rotflmao

Guys, Im not saying that the Panny is that bad...(well I am...but not really). It is good for what it is at the 2000 price point. At the same price point I would also look at the Epson PJs, they do not seem to have some of the issues that I see with the Pannys.

My other part to the discussion, was that the PJs that I had (RS2) were MUCH better than the Panny (but yes more expensive). Given that the RS2 had a MSRP of 8000 and I had them for 2900....to me it seemed like a no brainer (if your budget would allow for it). Please note that I am sold out of the RS2s and no more stock is available.

Gregg

As a new member to the forum & ISF member, am I the only one troubled by the fact that the moderator is using this forum for personal gain. This thread is supposed to be related to the topic at hand, a discussion of the merits of the new AE projector, not as a substitute for Ebay. If the moderator is unable or unwilling to restrain himself, I suggest someone else be appointed. Hopefully this post will not be deleted this time.

Bill,

Your comments are noted.  Thank You. 

Quote:
It does seem like a fine line, doesn't it?  On one hand I know Gregg personally and I understand where he is coming from.  He is passionate about his projectors and he had an opportunity that perhaps some of our members, myself included, who were considering the Panny and he thought he had a better option for us and I totally appreciate that, even if I didn't take advantage of it and even if Gregg did good-naturedly bust my chops over our dissenting opinion.  I'm not bothered by Gregg making a profit (if he even was in this situation, which I partially doubt!), because he is a member here first and a businessman second.  It's a slippery slope but I would hope that the membership realizes that this was an unusual situation from a trusted member, not a fly by night advertiser or someone whose whole purpose is to use the forum as eyeballs and not be an active participant like Gregg is.  So I think that side of it is covered.

On the other hand I do agree with you, w2w, that being both a Mod and a businessman in the industry it seemed over the line to call the Panasonic line, which is enthusiastically used by many of our members (and a LONG-standing, huge, supporter of the forum itself), by the pejoratives used.  I'm all for free speech (my record here on my own free speech issues here at HTF is a matter of public record), but I would have expected a little more professionalism from Gregg because he is in the positions he is in.

Respectfully,
Sam

Well, if Gregg Loewen is going to be taken to task for his comments then maybe the fellow who made the backhanded comment about rainbows and judder should be too. I picked up one of Gregg's RS2s and I'm not seeing any rainbows. I don't see a lot of judder either, but maybe I'm just not seeing it or don't care. Admittedly, I haven't really properly set up the unit; I just had it temporarily set up to make sure that everything functioned properly. Still, even out of the box, I was impressed with the picture quality.  

Getting back on track, there is no perfect projector.  What works best for you might not work for me and what works best for me might not work for you.  I know people with JVCs who are very happy with them.  Up to this point they have had just about the best blacks in the business (I haven't checked out the latest offerings from Epson yet), but they like most three chips have a softer picture due to panel alignment errors and depending on the model colors have been way off as well.  I opted for a Samsung SPA-800B DLP PJ.  For me personally the super sharp picture and accurate color and greater light output were more important than having the better contrast from the JVC.  Since its a single chip DLP it won't work for people who see rainbows.  I don't have that problem.  I went with the PJ that fit my budget and had the strengths that were important to me.  For people who like deep blacks or see rainbows its not the projector for them.  Someday there will be an affordable kick butt projector that excels in every category.  Until then there is no perfect projector and its up to the individual users to get a projector in their price range that has the strengths that are important to them and weaknesses in areas that don't really concern them. 

^^^^
Good post. In my case, I felt good contrast was more important than the absolutely sharpest picture. To me, projected film never looks particularly sharp. I can live with a slightly softer picture and, at least to me, good black level and shadow detail goes a long way in compensating for absolute sharpness.

I can see where some people might think that the softer picture may make it look more film like.  This is the perfect example of what I was saying where there are different PJs for different tastes.  The important thing is at the end of the day you are happy with what you bought.  Since we both are, we both ended up with the best projector .  Same could be said for someone who is really happy with their Panasonic 4000.

I have been looking at the pany 3000 for awhile, & it looks like the few concerns people had about LCD have been taken into account. My biggest knock on LCD came from my first experience with videkron projectors in the late 90s. Poor blacks leading to pastel colors & general poor red rendition. I came from the concert & large AV world were a big screen tv was 15'x20' & you setup several CRT projector aligned atop each other to get a decent picture, so I was somewhat spoiled. Fast forward to 2009. I live in Maine in a house I built & at the time I designed it I set aside a 15'x26' space with 10' high ceilings. I have have continued to collect speakers & equipment to outfit the room & this winter construction starts. Ideally I would install a $10,000 projector, but reality in the form of construction cost & wife enter the equation. The panny 4000 appears to fit many of my needs.
1) budget
2) flexibility. I will watch mainly movies & being able to move from blockbuster 2.35 to old black & white 4:3 was a major concern.
3) accuracy & adjust-ability. Given the work panny has done with Hollywood production types, this projector comes out of the box looking quite good for even the entry level HT owner. The range & ease of adjustment controls really caught my eye as a ISF member.
In my opinion, a good theater is a balance. A balance between, great picture, sound, & presentation (room). Setting a great projector on a card table & shooting on a wall in the garage because you spent your bundle all on the projector & the wife just doesn't understand, just isn't the same. I am a big believer in upgrade ability, so by going with this projector, I can get the room dressed the way I want, I can always sneak in a fancier projector later.

As far as my earlier posting in regard to Greg, I have found him to be quite helpful in the past in regards to a spydertv program I was rolling out thru a national retailer at the time. I just felt that push towards a particular unit that he happened to be selling should have been not been a part of this particular discussion & should have resided in the equipment sales portion of the forum. People come to this forum to get answers about a particular problem or piece of equipment. We are the helpful experts. There are too many other forums out there that either don't answer the question, push only one viewpoint, constantly scream at each other, or are just a ego stroke. A informed, unbiased opinion biased on real world experience is what will set this site apart.

Bill,

I think this situation with Gregg has been discussed ad nauseum.

I think it's time for everyone to move forward.

As for your comments about the Panny, I am in total agreement.
I am a huge fan of Panasonic projectors.  Since we are fairly close
to the people at Panasonic I have the opportunity to look at their
plasma displays and front projectors numerous times every year.
I never fail to be be impressed by the quality I see.  If I was going
to purchase a front projector it would certainly be the 3000 or 4000.

 ^^^^^
True that. Right there.



I've haven't been able to see any of their projectors but I have seen the PQ on one of their 65" commercial grade Plasma monitors. It is killer. Very nice. Of course, it had a U.S 10,000+ price tag, but that doesn't take anything away from the PQ. Now, if I could only convince the owners to have it calibrated. Problem is is they aren't really videophiles, so I doubt they would think it was worthwhile to spend the cash.