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(More customer reviews)This is only the second video projector I have ever purchased since I built my home theater 17 years ago but I have to say that it is an amazing product. I am certain that any purchaser will be extremely pleased with it. I am!
I own a SharpVision XV-S250ZU Video Projector which I purchased in 1992. It was "state-of-the-art" in its day and it could still produce a satisfactory image except for the fact that the LCD panels (organic) have deteriorated. While they could be replaced (and I may have this done some day), the cost would be high and I would still basically have a 1992 projector.
Knowing that I would want to replace the SharpVision, I began doing research on projectors, starting in 2007. I quickly eliminated single-chip DLP projectors as, having seen quite a few of them, I have found that both my wife and I are unusually sensitive to the "rainbow" effect noticeable with this kind of projector. We primarily watch older black-and-white movies and this "rainbow" effect is especially apparent with this type of programming.
I also quickly eliminated 3-chip DLP projectors due to their frightfully high cost.
Concentrating on 3-panel LCD projectors, I got down to two models: the Epson Powerlite V11H337020 Home Cinema 8500 LCD Home Theater Projector and this one, the Panasonic PT AE4000U - LCD projector - 1600 ANSI lumens - 1920 x 1080 - widescreen - High Definition 1080p. Both of these use inorganic panels and so should last even longer than my SharpVision.
The choice was difficult - I had no opportunity to see either "in the flesh" but, from what I have read (and I have read quite a bit), it seemed that, for our kind of viewing (older as well as newer movies, no television or games) and our venue (a fully darkened [with less than 5% ambient lighting] home theater), this one would be the better of the two. Almost all of the reviewers stated that this Panasonic produces much more "film-like" images than does the Epson (though, according to those reviews, they are fairly close).
I should mention that we do not watch current television shows in our home theater nor do we own a Blu-ray player. (We do watch the Academy Awards every year in our theater.) At this point, we still view only standard definition sources (DVD, LaserDisc, and, believe it or not, S-VHS and VHS tapes!). Thus I cannot comment at this time on 1080i or 1080p images (our home theater amplifier, a Yamaha RX-Z9 purchased in 2004, has no HDMI inputs so I will not be using the ones on the projector, at least at this time; I connect the video output from the amplifier to the projector via an S-video cable). I do not know if, or when, we'll be getting an HD source or sources: standard definition looks spectacular in our theater so we see no pressing need to "upgrade."
I have to state that I did not buy it from Amazon's partner which, as of this writing, is selling the projector ABOVE list price - and adds insult to injury by tacking on an inordinately high shipping charge; there are several online retailers who sell it for no more than list price and also do not charge shipping [see the first Comment for the name of the dealer from whom I bought this projector]. (I could not find anyone discounting it at this time.) Frankly, I wish Amazon themselves sold it (and at list price or less). If they had, I definitely would have purchased it from them although I must say that the dealer from whom I actually bought mine gave exemplary service, certainly as good as what you get from Amazon.
Now to the projector itself. It arrived yesterday so I have had limited (about five hours total) experience with it thus far but I can tell you that setting it up is quick and easy and the image it produces literally runs rings around any LCD (or DLP) projector I have ever seen.
The contrast is excellent and the black levels, in color movies' scenes or in black-and-white movies, are really fine with deep blacks yet good detail. I have not yet watched a newer movie with end credits (white lettering over a black background) so I can't comment on that - but, frankly, the black levels there, important to some reviewers, are not at all important to us.
The color is breathtaking!
And the overall picture is breathtaking too - FAR superior to any LCD or Plasma "flat-panel" television I have seen (and I've seen quite a few of them in "Home Theater Salons" as well as in peoples' homes). Only a few older "high-end" CRT televisions can produce as vibrant a color palette as can this projector, at least in my experience.
I effected some rudimentary changes in the color - I compared several options (and I have found that Cinema 1, really liked by some reviewers, is not satisfactory to me at least at this time; the colors are not saturated - they are not "colorful"). I am currently using Color 1 for color films [but see my first update below]. For black-and-white, Cinema 3 looks really good. (I watched THE WAR OF THE WORLDS [1953] which has particularly vibrant color and one of the episodes of THE UNTOUCHABLES television shows which has excellent black-and-white cinematography and has many dark scenes.) But I have a lot more experimentation to try before I decide positively on the permanent settings (though I'm fairly certain I'll keep on using Color 1 for color pictures - it produces really beautiful images). (We also watched a bit of the following features: WHOOPEE [1930], an early two-color Technicolor feature, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK [1981], widescreen 2.35:1 and beautiful color - and spectacular sound, and MY FAVORITE YEAR [1982], 1.85:1 likewise with beautiful color.)
I left the format Autodetect feature On (the default) so the projector will recognize 4:3 and 16:9 programs and set the screen format automatically on my 16:9 screen. I also placed into the lens memory a setting for CinemaScope [Panavision] 2.35:1 to accommodate for my screen and this works perfectly.
By the way, I was able to effect these and several more changes WITHOUT READING THE OPERATING MANUAL. This projector is that easy to use! (I will read the manual and will view the included CD-ROM today.)
I might mention that I can see NO pixels even when I'm just two or three feet away from my screen. The screen is a Da-lite Pearlescent, purchased in 1992, and is 110" diagonal. The "throw" is 19 feet.
Some reviewers have commented that this projector is not as bright as some others, including the Epson I mentioned. But, in my venue, the brightness of the Panasonic is so much more than adequate I am able to use the Eco setting which reduces brightness and affords a 3000 hour average life to the bulb as opposed to operating it in Normal setting which gives only 2000 hours. I will be using that Eco setting; should the brightness become inadequate due to bulb aging, I can always switch to Normal. Of course I won't know about that for a good long time. (I also purchased a spare bulb which I recommend every purchaser do as well.)
According to virtually all the reviews I have read, if you are using a video projector in several venues, dark rooms as well as bright rooms (say, a living room during the daytime), the Epson, as well as a number of other projectors MIGHT be a better choice. (I cannot comment on this from personal experience however.)
But if you plan to use a projector exclusively in a fully darkened room (a home theater), as I do, it is my opinion that, when you figure in performance and price, you can do no better than this one.
I give it my highest recommendation and I thank you for reading this.
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Update - December 19, 2009
The adjustment ("tweak") possibilities of this projector seem to be almost endless. For the past several days, I have been "tweaking" the color adjustments to get the kind of color I like (which may or may not be the kind of color YOU like). I prefer saturated and vivid color. This may not be "accurate" but it is what I personally like to see on screen.
This projector has sixteen memories in which you can store color settings. Each memory can be named if you choose to do so and I did name the ones I'm using. After staying up until 1:00 AM last night, I now have two color settings which seem to work well for me. I have labeled one "Eastman Color" and the other one "Technicolor."
"Eastman Color" adds vividness to modern color films; my "templates" were FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) and HOW THE WEST WAS WON (1962). Over the next few days I'll be watching other modern color films to see of any changes need to be made to this setting or if any other memories need to be created. Technicolor films are already quite vivid so my "Technicolor" setting is less extreme (for want of a better term) in adjustments than my "Eastman Color" setting; my "templates" for this setting was THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) and GOLDFINGER (1964). I'll want to watch THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) and GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) to see if any adjustments are necessary to this memory. (I should mention that the "base" setting from which I have made my adjustments is Panasonic's Cinema 2 default which itself features a wide color range.)
A fantastic feature of this projector is the split-screen adjustment by which you can see, on half of the screen, the setting you currently have and, on the other half, the same scene which you can adjust. You can instantly see, side by side, what adjustments you are making and, when you are satisfied,...Read more›
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