Panasonic AE2000U Keep or Replace? (1 Viewer)

Hello,
I'm fairly new to home theater and just bought a house with a home theater installed by the prior owners. The projector needs a new bulb - its a Panasonic AE2000U (from 2007). The picture is ok (doesn't look HD) but doesn't look as bad as standard TV either.

The question - should I replace the bulb at about $200 or is it time to upgrade?

Thanks
Kevin

Kevin Forsberg said:

Hello,
I'm fairly new to home theater and just bought a house with a home theater installed by the prior owners. The projector needs a new bulb - its a Panasonic AE2000U (from 2007). The picture is ok (doesn't look HD) but doesn't look as bad as standard TV either.

The question - should I replace the bulb at about $200 or is it time to upgrade?

Thanks
Kevin

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It was a good projector back in the day.

It's certainly full HD and although you state it doesn't look HD there could be several reasons for that, the dimming bulb being one of them, the settings another and the content you are playing being yet another, what is your budget for upgrading. ?

I would upgrade if you can afford to. Even a $1,000 projector today will look better. A great budget choice is the Benq W1070, if it will work in your room of course.

Thank you all for responding. I am leaning towards upgrading - I'd like something in the 2000-3000 range; its a large room and the current system was professionally installed so I'm hoping a swap out would be too difficult. What kind of models would I look at in that kind of money range? Thanks again,
Kevin

For up to $2000-3000, you're going to have a huge range of choices!

I just got an Epson 5030ub projector in July, and I'm loving it. It's 1080p, does 3D really well, and I'm really happy with the image quality on it. Like your Panasonic, it's an LCD projector. If you have any questions about my specific model or why I went with that one or anything like that, I'm happy to try to answer any questions I can.

There are a lot of users on this board that prefer the look of a projector that uses DLP instead of LCD. (The BenQ projector that Jim517 mentioned above is a DLP.) There are pros and cons to each technology, but in your price range, whichever you choose should be pretty high quality. Other people can probably speak to why they like DLP better than I can.

I'm going to sound like I know nothing, but what is the main difference(s) between DLP and LCD? Why choose one over the other?

Thanks!
Kevin

I personally wouldn't spend very much today to -replace- ANY set while waiting for 4K prices to come down. If you have to buy new, that's different, I'd buy a budget set to tide over then put real money into 4K in 2015/16... That's just me tho.

I'm going to sound like I know nothing, but what is the main difference(s) between DLP and LCD? Why choose one over the other? Thanks!Kevin

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They have a different look to them. LCD's usually have more zoom range and more lens shift, making them easier to fit most rooms. If you have somewhere to view each, you should do that. Also read the articles at Projectorcentral.com and Projectorreviews.com.Also make sure any projector will work with your room(Throw distance and screen size). If you give us that info, we can recommend some projectors.

Kevin Forsberg said:

I'm going to sound like I know nothing, but what is the main difference(s) between DLP and LCD? Why choose one over the other?

Click to expand...

Jim517 said:

They have a different look to them.

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I wouldn't really phrase it like that, Jim. They are two different display technologies that take different approaches to producing an image. Yes, LCD-based displays generally have greater lens shift capability and thus placement flexibility, but that has nothing to do with the image quality.

Kevin, for an overview of the various front projection display technologies (LCD, DLP, and LCoS) check out this article from projectorreviews.com. It's several pages long, but well worth the read. It would take way too long to detail the differences in the various display technologies in a post here.

Each technology has its pros and cons. I won't pepper you with my opinions until you have a chance to read up yourself and perhaps even sample a few models with your own eyes - after all, you're the one that really needs to be happy with the decision.

Another wrinkle, though, is that with front projection setups, the projector, screen, and the room itself all have an effect on the resulting image. A screen is often chosen to accentuate the positives of the projector, and maybe even lessen its weaknesses. As for the room itself, light control and careful consideration of colors as well as careful projector placement will all impact the image, too.

It's a complex equation but the results are totally worth it.

Listen to this man, he is pre-med!

Sam Posten said:

Listen to this man, he is pre-med!

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LOL, Sam, I think you mis-typed "mad"...

... but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.