Panasonic PT-AE900U Home Theater Projector
Great projector for the price.
This is not a technical review:  I can't do justice to some of the excellent reviews on this product from sites like projectorcentral.com, ultimateavmag.com, and audioholics.com.  Unfortunately, those sites didn't fully answer the question I wanted to know:  Should I buy THIS projector, and is it a good fit for how I want to use it? <br /> <br />I can't answer that question here, but what I can try to do is give you an impression of what it's like to really own and use this projector.   <br /> <br />I've had it for about a month, and I'm very happy with my choice.  I have it set up in a book shelf, throwing a 104\\" wide 16:9 image with a throw distance of ~12 feet.  I'm using the projector in my basement rec room.  There are several windows in the room, but I have heavy drapes which we can close to block most of the ambient light in the room.  So, I usually run the projector bulb at low power.  For a video source, I'm using an old Toshiba DVD player - nothing special - that I bought for $99 about 5 years ago.  I haven't tried the HDTV format yet because I don't watch TV much.  I'll probably give this a shot when football season starts again. <br /> <br />Until this weekend, I'd been projecting on a blank, white wall.  I found the the overall picture quality to be good, but the colors weren't quite as strong as I wanted them, and there was a lack of sharpness from time to time (the wall was kind of lumpy.  Your results may vary.)  Yesterday, I installed a DA-LITE Tensioned Advantage Electrol with the High Contrast Da-Mat screen.  This dramatically improved the image quality and color saturation.  I'm not saying you HAVE to install a screen to enjoy the projector; just that the PT-AE900U is good enough that it might be worth the investment.  You will see a difference. <br /> <br />I've just moved into a new house, and the Rec Room (where I'm using the projector) is doing double-duty as the \\"junk room\\".  As a result, I've rearranged the layout of the room 4 times sincethe projector arrived (and before I installed the screen).  I've grown extremely fond of the ease with which I can adjust the image size, and I have grown to LOVE the lens shift feature (a little joystick you can use to reposition the image.  You've got to see this to believe it!)  At one point, I had the projector in the corner of the room, throwing a 96\\" image on the center of a wall about 17 feet away (image center ~3.5' lower than the center of the projector lens), with NO KEYSTONE adjustment required! <br /> <br />Another thing I like about the projector is how quietly it runs.  In a previous house, I had a cheap DLP projector from Dell.  It did a decent job (within its limits), but it was LOUD.  Not quite \\"OHMIGOD, there's a 747 taking off in my Basement!\\" - but close.  I don't have that problem with the PT-AE900U.  One of my configurations involved setting the projector up on a coffee table.  Other than the fact that I had to make some keystone adjustments, the arrangement worked fine.  With the bulb set to low, I didn't hear a thing.  Even with the bulb set on high, the fan noise (which came on after ~45 minutes) didn't distract from the movie. <br /> <br />There projectors which throw a better image out there.  I made a lot of trips to high-end consumer A/V shops in the DC Metro area, and I've seen some images that put the PT-AE900U to shame.  It would also be nice if the projector had a 12V trigger so I could lower the screen automatically when the projector came on.  Ultmately, it's a question of price for quality.  To get a better image, you need to plan on spending $5,000 or higher for the projector - but it doesn't stop there.  To really see the improvement in the image, you'd better plan on spending at least $2500 (plus installation) for a screen, and ~$800 or so for a DVD player that can send a signal to take advantage of all the whiz-bang features of a high-end projector.  Unless you have money to burn, or you recite the strengths and weaknesses ofFaroudja versus HQV chipsets as a hobby, save your money.  Get the PT-AE900U.  You'll like it, and you'll find a way to configure it for what YOU want to do. <br /> <br />Finally, kudos to Amazon on my product order.  Great price; great service.