Thoughts on Panasonic projectors: PT-AR100U and PT-AE8000 (1 Viewer)

Hello,

Decided to pull the trigger on a projector setup. This is go in the basement when I arrive back stateside from a deployment. However, I am at quite the dilemma. Let me explain:

I would like to know if anyone has experience with the Panasonic PT-AR100U and the PT-AE8000. Either or will decide what all I can play around with after the fact (lighting, screen, accessories, etc). Throw distance and whatnot is not a variable. The basement is fairly large and I am mounting to the ceiling.

My main use for the projector will be for gaming. The second purpose will be for movies/netflix/etc. I asked a store online and they said for gaming the AR100U is the best bang for the buck. But better picture quality for movies will come from the AE8000. Will the AE8000 be able to hold its own playing PS4 games and will the AR100U make gaming solid and still provide a great picture for both games and movies?

My biggest concern is wasting money on an investment. I want to do this right. If I can spend a little extra and get a better bang for my buck with the 8000 I would like to do that but if there really isnt a difference (comparing picture and gaming quality aka LAG!) then I might as well just get the 100U.

I would like the experts to please bestow upon me their tutelage and expertise in this situation.

TL;DR: my main goal is to have a device that can keep up with my online gaming without sacrificing picture quality. Just looking for the lesser of two evils at this point.

Any other recommendations please feel free to advise

Thank you.

Corey

From the review on projectorcentral

"Input Lag. The AE8000 has slightly less input lag than its predecessor. On the AE7000, Game mode measured 41 milliseconds of delay, whereas Game mode on the AE8000 is improved to 34 milliseconds. That improvement works out to half a frame at 60 frames per second. It's not quite as fast as Panasonic's AR100U, which at 25 milliseconds is their fastest projector for gaming.As it turns out, Frame Creation does not have much of an effect on input lag in the AE8000's Cinema or Rec. 709 modes. With Frame Creation set to Mode 1, Mode 2, or Off, Cinema 1 mode measured 67 milliseconds of delay -- the setting made no difference. Mode 3 did increase delay slightly to 73 milliseconds. So if you are going to be playing games on the AE8000 and are concerned at all about input lag, stick with Game mode."

You also could consider the Sony HW40, the thing about these LCD projectors like the Panasonic is i find they get dust blobs and you have to open them up and clean the panels all the time, that is what i had to do when i used my Panasonic AE4000.

I now have an Optoma HD131XE because i love 3D and it's not only perfect for 3D but also for gaming because the lag time is ridiculously low, of course with the Optoma there is no lens adjustments, not a problem if you can move it anywhere in your basement and line things up spot on, also the Optoma is dirt cheap and i find the dynamic black feature actually works very well, there is some mild pumping artifacts due to the dynamic black being switched on, this is only visible when viewing scenes with bright blue sky scenes in movies but only in 2D, it's perfect when viewing in 3D, zero crosstalk with the RF glasses.

Don't buy a Benq W7500, the lag for gaming is bad on that one, remember DLP have sealed engines so do not suffer from LCD dust blobs, the shops will never tell you these things and dust is really bad after just a few months of using an LCD, also screen uniformity on a DLP is vastly superior to LCD, having owned both types of projector i can never go back to LCD.

i forgot to mention, i am immune to rainbows, you may not be, a DLP like the Optoma is not for you if you aren't immune as it's a 2x speed wheel.

Whatever you do make sure the walls, ceiling and floors are dark, it really helps your contrast levels and improves image quality.

Thanks guys!

Sounds like the AR100U is more suited to my needs. Especially for gaming. I didnt see the breakdown on Projector Central but I did see the side by side comparison between the two. There are some differences here or there but what I want to know is it really noticable between contrast ratios of these two units?

What would I miss out on if I got the 8000 and what am I leaving to be desired if I got the 100U?

Another quick question:

Comparing these two units there is some slight variances on several of its features. I am primarily concerned with Input Lag. Where the AR100U is the lowest at sub 25ms and the AE8000 is sub 35ms. This is pretty much the deal breaker for me when it comes to getting a device like this. I can sacrifice picture for gameplay but not gameplay for picture. I do however desire an above average picture so the AE8000 would be welcomed in open arms.

My question is: would the difference 25ms and 35ms be noticeable at all? Even a small irritating difference is all it can take to ruin gaming for me. But if both units can run with the wolves and keep up... I would take the AE8000 with the better picture all day. But if the 8000 cannot... I would definitely sacrifice the picture for the ability to run all my games.

I am trying to make the best informed decision for my intended purpose of this machine. Thanks for all the help.

I'm going for a used unit in good shape. now going for about $700 on E-Bay The AE-8000U has always been my dream projector, and new lamps are now $75. A dream come true, and being a Panasonic projector it will outlive me, so I should be good.

Perfect 3D, and 2D to 3D conversion that is better than it should be.

I'm a little nervous about going LCD, as DLP has always been my preferred choice of projector image. But I have heard so many good things about the Panasonic that I thought I would try it. I am going strictly by extremely positive reviews, and glowing recommendations from others about it.

I hope that everything works out alright.