OFFICIAL HTF REVIEW: PANASONIC PT-AX100U 720p FRONT PROJECTOR (1 Viewer)

[Ben_Williams]

Probably because Deep Color will prove to be amost completely useless in either of the formats. One of the things NOT lacking in either format is color fidelity. I seriusly doubt that one could even tell the difference with deep color. Video games, however, will probably really benefit from it.

 

[Karynak]

Have you tried to play video games on the AX100? I may add a PS3 later and I was wondering how it looked. I read that Blu-ray on the PS3 looks great on the AX100.

 

[Ben_Williams]

I'm really not much of a gamer, unfortunately. I'd actually love to be able to spend some time playing video games, but I just can't seem to find the time. Oh well, it's probably good that I'm not spending more money on yet another expensive item for my home theater. So, to answer your question, I didn't check out any video games on the Panny Projector. I can't imagine that they would look any less than great, though!

 

[Karynak]

I just received the AX100 today. The screen will ship in the next day or two, so I should have it next week. I can't wait to get it up and running.

 

[Ben_Williams]

congrats, Matthew! Did you get the screen from Carada?

 

[Karynak]

No, the screen will arrive next week. I set the unit up in my living room and projected against the wall to make sure it works ok. I was absolutely stunned. I watched the first half of the WVU-Providence BB game in HD ( GO MOUNTAINEERS!!!!) and the picture was flawless out of the box. The colors were bright and vivid. I couldn't see the picture getting any better. If the unit needs calibrated, the picture would be crazy! Maybe I was lucky. When the screen arrives I will test it out again.

On a side note, Standard def TV looked outstanding to me as well (I use DirecTV) It wasn't as good as HDTV, but still nice. I have heard horror stories that SD looks like crap but I was actually impressed.

I will write more when I get the whole ensemble set up.

 

[blobula]

Matthew I look forward to hearing more about this projector!

 

[Tim Glover]

Yeah, look forward to reading about your adventures. Can't remember if this is your first front projector or not, but if so, get ready to re-discover your movie library.

Yes, it will be that fun.

 

[Karynak]

It is the first projector I have owned, yes. I have wanted one for many years and now that I have finished my basement and media room I am stoked. I will probably try DVD's tonight. I want to see the darker movies ( Star Wars, LoTR, etc...) and how the AX100 performs on the black levels. I will post whatever I find and my opinions.

 

[Karynak]

Well, I watched Star Wars tonight (Episode IV) and it was great! The darks were dark and the lights were light...Just where they needed to be. I have seen the move around a million times, so I know the colors. I could tell that the reds and blues need a slight calibration. In all, I think the images are outstanding. My screen is slated for a Monday delivery, so I hope to have everything mounted and calibrated soon for the big test. Already though, I would recommend this projector #1 for any first time buyers or for anyone looking for a great projector under $2k.

 

[Tim Glover]

Always good to start off a new projector with Star Wars my friend. Yeah, for sure, fine tune the colors. Grab an AVIA disc if you can.

 

[Karynak]

I have an Avia DVD a friend let me borrow. If I have time this evening I will calibrate it and replay the movie to see the differences. It looks great the way it is so I can't wait. It makes me realize I also need a new DVD player. Mine is on the older side.

 

[Ben_Williams]

So, Matthew... how did that Avia disc work out? Did you get your Carada screen yet?

 

[Karynak]

The Avia disc worked great, but the screen I bought ended up being too big for the area due to an unforseen issue with projector placement. I had to return the 96" for an 80". I will get that screen Wed or so. But, The images looked great. I didn't know how to take pics of the images except with my digital camera. I have some pics of the images but they don't look that great because I took them with a camera. Great projector.

 

[ZroCold]

Hi,
I'm new to projection systems and I'm looking to install one in our new family room. I've read a couple of reviews on the AX100U and I think I'm pretty much sold! But let me ask you guys a couple of questions before I make a purchase; because I'm a little hesitant, this being my first such project. And, I hope these aren't stupid questions. lol.

The room is 17' front to back, and we have a ceiling fan which is going to require that we install the projector on a shelf on the back wall. (The AX100U's reported flexibility is one of the big selling points for me.) So, someone said something about getting the projector first to determine what size screen to get. My question is, if I use the projector on my wall, which is a light blue-gray color, will I really be able to judge what size screen to get? What I really mean is, if you set up a projector using a wall, and set it up for the best picture you can get on that wall, will that really be the correct size for ordering a screen? Because if the picture is fuzzy at first, you could (I assume) adjust the size of the picture down to make the picture appear sharper, but the wall wouldn't be giving the same results as a screen, so it seems the screen would not require you to adjust the picture size down that far to get the same apparent picture quality. So, is it really necessary to buy the projector first, or is there some other method for picking a screen size?

Also, Ben and Parker, you really sold me on Carada for a screen. (Oh, by the way, Parker, your post from Jan. 28 has a link you intended to be for Carada, but the link is actually to a Carda.com just thought I'd let you know, so people won't go to Carda and ask for Dave. lol.) Anyway, would I be able to go ask for Dave and give him my room dimensions and tell him I'm planning on getting the AX100U and let him just pick out a screen for me? Or would I need other information to give him?

I have so many questions I want to ask, but I kinda don't know where to start, or what I really need to ask. This project has me excited and apprehensive all at the same time. lol.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
David

 

[Karynak]

Several questions:

1) What is the distance from the projector to the wall/screen?

2) What is your lighting like? Do you have control over the lights? Is thre a large amount of ambient light?

3) How close are you going to be sitting to the wall/screen?

4) What are the main uses going to be for the projector ( ie DVD, HDTV, Video games.)

 

[ZroCold]

Yeah, I don't know why I didn't give that info on my first post; I knew those questions get asked often, and yet I forgot when I posted.

1) The room is 17', front to back, and I saw the AX100U has a depth of 11.8", so call it 1'; then I figured maybe 6" for the wiring at the back and the backing of the cabinet it will be installed in. So, with the screen on the wall, and unless I'm overlooking some detail, about 15.5' throw distance. Oh, and I'm thinking I'm going to get a Criterion Series screen, so there's about .25". I don't know if I need to be that precise, but I figure it can't hurt to give as much info as I can think to give.

2) The lighting will be handled if it becomes a problem. There are windows to deal with, which will be receiving blackout curtains; right now they only have blinds, BUT we do pretty much all of our movie watching at night, because we're kinda a third shift family. We really don't watch much during the daylight hours, mostly only on our nights off. And we can install after dark, so I don't think it will be an immediate problem for us. Like I say, though, the windows are definitely going to get blackout curtains as soon as we can do it, and any other sources of light will be handled, wherever they rear their ugly head.

3) We don't have the furniture in yet, but I'm expecting to have the seats about 12' away from the screen. And, just to help draw the picture a little better: What we're planning is to build a DVD cabinet at the back, which will have the components down the middle, with the projector placed at whatever height it will need to be, and the two rear speakers housed to the sides. The room is actually 17' wide as well, but there are two doors taking up 7' of the back wall, leaving us with 10' for the DVD/component cabinet. And straight out from the two doorways, at the front wall you turn to the right to the stairway leading downstairs. So, we plan to have another, obviously shorter cabinet built below the screen to house the two front speakers and center channel, matching the look of the back cabinet. So, with the cabinet at the back being 10' in length, from the wall to the doorway, we planned on building the cabinet up front to be the same 10' in length, which would give three or four feet of clear space for the stairway. So, we are hoping to get a screen a bit shorter than 10' in frame length, so it will not stretch past the length of the cabinet, which would just look bad. And actually I had my eye on something in the area of 110" diagonally, because that would be shorter than the cabinet by nearly 10 inches on each side, which I think would look better -- so that it doesn't practically touch the wall on the left side. Now again, back to the seating: While the target width for the cabinets and screen, and basically the theater itself is 10', the seating will probably stretch just slightly out of that 10' on the right side. I wish we could have things more perfectly symmetrical, but this is the room we have, and I don't expect to get all the seating inside of that 10'. So anyway, one seat is probably going to be at more of an angle than the others; so I'd like to avoid a screen that would kill the image for that seat. So, I'm expecting seats at about 12' back, with one seat maybe 3' outside of a straight viewing angle.

and 4) You pretty much named them in the right order: DVD, HDTV, video games. Our big thing around here is movies! We love movies and have a pretty good sized DVD collection. And I expect that we'll get something for upconverting, before long. I'd like to have all our movies in Blu-ray or HD DVD, but we've invested a lot of money in DVDs. So DVD is where I expect to stay for a while. I do plan to get HDTV via DirecTV added shortly. And yes, there will be some video gaming, but just every now and then. The primary use will be DVD.

So, does anybody know of a reason that I shouldn't go ahead and order the AX100U, or expect that it may not work for my room? It sounds great, and I'm about ready to take the plunge. Just wondering if anybody has spotted a red flag that my inexperience might have caused me to miss.

Oh, and one other question, to a moderator: Am I posting in the right place? I know this is the official review section, and I also know I've kinda gone in depth into my whole room layout and such. I'm not trying to hijack the thread or anything. lol. So if I need to move it somewhere else, let me know.

Oh and Matthew, it's so cool to hear that you started out your new projector with Star Wars; my brother and I have christened many a new component with Star Wars. We never got to see any of the original trilogy in the theater, so I'm super eager to see them on the big screen. I'm excited to see a lot of the classics on the big screen. Speaking of which, does anyone know about the capabilities of the AX100U for black and white movies? On one guy's comments for an earlier model in this Panasonic series, he said he had an issue with its handling of black and white movies. I'm not real worried, but would just like to know if anyone has reported any trouble with this one.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Thanks again, everyone,
David

 

[Karynak]

Judging by the answers you provided, the AX100U would be an excellent choice. At the throw distance you have, you should be able to fill a 110" screen easily using the projector's zoom. Keep in mind that the image will be huge sitting 12' away from a 110" screen. I bought the Criterion 1.78:1 screen due to the HDTV use. All HDTV broadcasts (save for a few) will be 1.78:1. This way you can focus the image to fill the screen and just deal with the little black bars on 2.35:1 and such. If you go with the 2.35:1 screens you will have to continually adjust the images or find an anamorphic lens.

I spent several hours last night watching portions of different movies and the AX100U/Carada combo performs like Ferrari. The Empire Strikes Back (my favorite of all 6) looked stunning from all areas - bright Hoth to dark space. I love the projector and the screen!

 

[ZroCold]

Thanks, Matthew.

Well, I just ordered from VisualApex.com (which I must also thank you for naming in your earlier post -- great deal on the warranties.) It took me a while to get the order processed though, because of my bank. But the folks at VisualApex worked beyond what I expected to get me taken care of, and get my order shipped. So, I'm really glad that you mentioned them; I feel really good about my order.

Now, I just have to contact Carada, and see about getting a screen. Anyway, I'll write more later, when the projector gets here. Thanks again for the advice.

David

 

[Yumbo]

Hi,

Am looking at this to replace my 500 model.
Is Visual Apex the best price shipped?

Thanks