Panasonic PT-AE1000U User Reviews

My experience with the AE1000U has been good, when its' working properly. The picture and colours are nice and vivid- however the projector itself has proven to be a little bit "unstable" over time.

Any Problems: The projector has started to exhibit colour issues on one of the panels, creating a purple spot on the screen... In addition, some sort of board inside the projector is failing as I have to power cycle the projector multiple multiple times(I put it in there twice intentionally) in order to get it to stay on. (with a delay in between each cycle of about 3 minutes.) I actually gave up on trying to use this projector and started using an older 720p projector... The image quality isn't as good, but at least it's reliable.

I loved it until it became non-responsive to IR control. Now my "$6000" projector needs a $1300 repair after two years of use (1100 hours).

Any Problems: The "A Circuit Board" and Iris need to be replaced after two years and only 1100 hours?

This is my first projector, and I'm very impressed, especially with Blu-ray content. Impressed the crap out of me and my family projecting onto a 120" about 15 feet away.

Any Problems: I bought the unit refurbished for about 2200 in Oct 2007...and noticed a yellow mark at the upper left of the screen. Took it in to get fixed, runs perfectly now ($165)

An outstanding projector. I have mine set up in a home theater wich has no outside light. Screen goo screen with a 14 foot diag. This is the maximum allowable for this projector while still being in the ideal distance/screen size. I am using a Sony Playstation 3 with HDMI out into an Onkio 7000 series Audo/video receiver to output HDMI to the projector. Also have Dishnetwork HD DVR into the Onkyo. Both Dishnet and BluRay look absolutly OUTSTANDING.

Any Problems: no problems, however, now at almost 500 hours on the lamp, and I believe it will need replacement as it seems to shift up/down a few shades randomly.

I've been through several projectors over the years. I did a TON of research before I decided on the AE1000U. I'm proude to say that I made the right choice. The details of the picture is nothing short of phnomenal. Best choice/best projector on the market.

Any Problems: No problems. Easy to set up and use.

I'm assuming you have researched all of the reviews on this projector and I can say they are all accurate and more. I used the same reviews to make my decision and buy it. I have a slight twist on this projector that you will not see in any other reviews though. This thing is built like a truck or I'm just really lucky, or both probably. While installing my proud new purchase on the ceiling, with a mount purchased from a 3rd party , to my horror the mount connection let go and my projector fell almost 7 feet then bounced on my carpet covered concrete floor!!! I stood there in shock and anger looking at my (what I assumed) trashed projector laying there. I fully expected to hear hundreds of broken glass, and what-not, shards rattle around inside as I picked it back up. The usual thoughts went through my mind, yeah...I'll take it back and say it came this way and get a new one. Be it a good or bad trait of mine, I'm just not wired that way and beside, the box it came in was in perfect condition so no rational person would believe me anyway. Well, as I picked it back up, to my amazement, nothing was loose inside. I checked the lense, no cracks or misalignment. Upon inspecting the case, there was a small amout of damage with some minor cracks but they are located were it will never show when installed. I took the case apart to see what must have broken inside...nothing! So, long story short, I installed it, fired it up and it works beautifully! I'm not sure how many projectors would have lived through that one but mine did. I'm shooting on to a Stewart GreyHawk screen and don't regret spending the extra money. Picture quality with some ambient light is still good. Dark room viewing is stunning. I'm upgrading from an old CRT projector & A/V system so I decided to rewire for HDMI and buy a new BluRay player & HDMI Onkyo receiver...whew, what a change from the old setup!

Any Problems: Temporary heart stoppage.

I am floored at the quality of this projector. Absolutely amazed. I purchased this unit in June while Panny was having a $1000 rebate. I paid $2700. I received the rebate check within 6 weeks. I spent months on this site analyzing its position and running the calculators to be perfect as I was building my HT. My panny now sits in my HT which is a light controlled space. The Panny sits back 13.5' from a 133" Screen Innovations 1.1 gain screen. I only run 1 HDMI cable to it from several sources connected to an Onkyo 805 such has HD cable, PS3 and an HTPC. This unit operates flawlessly. It fits perfectly into my screen. Its controls are amazing. The menu options are easy to use. I read nothing but good things about this projector for a good 6 months and actually running it has far exceeded my expectations. There’s not a dam nothing I can complain about. $2700 for this thing (I paid $4000 for my 60" Sony SXRD TV) is amazing.

I've had this projector for about a month now. I purchased used for about 2k and I couldn't be happier with my purchase!! I use a Dalite screen made for digital projectors, while it is gray and low gain, I still am very happy with the image I have. I tried the white wall thing and the image was just to bright for me. I am lucky enough to have a nice sized room for a dedicated home theater, this does help with a low output unit like this Panasonic. Man. I had a Sanyo with 2300 lumens and you could watch that thing in broad day light. The contrast, black level, shadow detail are all top notch, IMHO. I came up from the Panny 900 and I thought it was nice running through my scaler. This projector is just awesome. I have had several digital and non digital projectors and I have always been a little unhappy with contrast and shadow detail w/ a digital. But, I feel digital units are getting to a place where they render the old CRT type as a thing of the past. I just love this projector and will be adding a Blu Ray player when it gets in. I'm matching the Panny DMP-BD10AK to the system. Maybe I can do a follow up to let everyone know how it looks then. We shall see!! For now though I am thrilled with the purchase!!

Any Problems: One evening the entire picture went kind of greenish!! I was like " Oh Shit, what now!!". But, I turned the unit off and it cooled down and I restarted, never had this occur again!!!

I went from the Sony HS51 to this projector and what a jump it was. The picture is perfectly clear, the colors jump off of the screen. Truthfully, this projector puts commercial theaters to shame. The images just pop and have you watching every movie again, just to see the detail you missed. I suggest watching Shrek 2 in HD to get the full effect. The installation was easy and the price point perfect for the performance that this projector offers. I bought this for $2799(minus the $1000 rebate) with an extended 3 year warranty, plus another year warranty and 2 year bulb warranty from &(**)()_. I dont think you will get more bang for your buck with another projector. The blacks are black and the whites, white. Even in the same scene. There are many picture customization options in the menu and advanced menu. Dont wait for the next best thing, buy this projector and enjoy the most detailed picture you have ever seen for many years to come.

Any Problems: You will want a higher gain screen with this projector. A 1.0 gain is adequate in light controlled situations, but more gain will give you greater options.

professional Projector.... unbelievable. i test the Panasonic PT-AE1000U with the PS3 1080P blue-ray dvd the result...unbelievable!!!!! the black is unbelievable strong,the picture sharp like a knife, the white is very sharp. the color is so real again unbelievable. the second test is the TV again unbelievable... like 1080P i am a junky..... Panasonic,good job!!!!!!

Any Problems: you joking? no Problems at all.....

I have been using this projector for six months now and I only have positive opinions.I use the projector ceiling mounted at 15.5 feet from a 110 inch diagonal Greywolf II screen with 1.8 gain.I use a Toshiba HD-A2 player for HD-dvd and standard dvd.The images are oustanding with either source material.The projector is very quiet and operation is a cinch, right out of the box.Lumen output is insignificant with this setup(I have a light controlled media room)and even with the doors opened to the room, the background light from my gameroom/bar doesn't degrade the image quality.I'm very satisfied with this projector.

Any Problems: None.

I bought that unit last month and it's perfect i got it now mostly because your review of that machine no regret at all . Better than my old 500 Panasonic way to go I got a free lamp of panasonic

Any Problems: nothing that the way it should be i like that

The unit is exactly what the reviewers at projector central said it would be. Set up was a breeze. The picture quality is really very good. I didn't rate it excellent because I don't really know what excellent could be. Not as sharp as the 1080p 61" DLP I replaced, but then this is what the review led me to believe would be the case. There were a lot of comments in the reviews about lumen output. I have it mounted 12' from a 92" screen and the picture brightness is not a problem even if the room lights are on. Much thanks to projector central for helping choose a product I'm really happy with.

Any Problems: None.

The performance of this projector can be summed up with one word..."WOW!" When it is fed a 1080I or 1080p signal, it produces one of the most vibrant, breathtaking pictures that you will ever see. This is my second Panasonic projector (this one is a replacement for the PT-AE700 that I sold to enable this upgrade) Even my old Xbox games look better. If you can bear the expense, you will be making one of the best purchases of your life.

Any Problems: I would have liked the ability to sharpen the picture a few most ticks. Don't get me wrong, the picture is sharp, but I am a gamer that has become spoiled by the ultra sharp resolutions provided by high end videocards. I am overjoyed with this projector.

I got the AE-1000 about 2 weeks ago. It replaced my Panny AE-700. I was happy with the 700 but it was an early production unit and had a few bugs (scan lines and HDMI flash). The AE-1000 was perfect out of the box! I am using an Elite Home 106” Matte White screen. Great color and scaling, 1080i HD from DirecTV looks great and the reviews were right, this thing makes SD DVDs look almost as good as HD. The image has a lot more depth than the AE-700, most likely due to the increased contrast. I can't wait to get a Blu-Ray player to see what true 1080p looks like.

Any Problems: The power zoom—focus is a bit coarse and the lens shifts when you switch directions. Not a big problem, but it requires some back-and-forth to get the size and focus just right. This is why I gave the construction a 4. The VGA in did not synch to the 1080p video signal when I first plugged it in. This may be a problem with my HTPC, but I had to do some very technical adjustments in my video driver to get the image right on VGA. HDMI from the DVI output was fine. No screen trigger, but my Elite has IR control so it is not a big deal.

I choose the AE-1000U over the Sony VPL-VW50 because of the better resolution and video image due to the superior compatibility with my A/V & DVD system (Denon AVR-4306, DVD-3930CI) via HDMI. Do yourself a favor and do your own comparisons....

This projector is absolutely awesome. It is better than any review we read. We had a Benq PE 8700 prior to this and it stayed in repair with Benq all the time. Infact it had to be repaired 5 times two years. We are very happy with the Panasonic. The color is vivid and the picture very precise. Would highly advise the Panasonic for anyone who wants the best. Allen Blakemore, Asheville, N.C.

I just retired a Runco three gun projector. Before taking down the Runco I set the Pan 1000 on my center chair and did a AB test with the Runco. It blew the Runco away at everything. It's hard to believe that a 16 LB box can outperform a 140 LB box. Even my wife saw the difference. You can have it set up and watch a movie within about 15 minutes. It's setup is like an old fashioned slide projector. I have over $125,000 invested in my home theater and this is the biggest bang for the buck.

I search around for a 1080P projector for a long time. this one beats the other for the money and quality of picture. I compared the Mitsubishi 5000 and the optoma HD81 I think the colors were better on the Panasonic. I looked at screen for pixels and I was only able to see it at 2 feet away, that's great. my screen is: FXH120UP-104X58 Pearl. that's 120" diagonal. I bought it at ebay for $500. it is a white screen. the gain on the screen is 1.3. my room has control lighting. So I was able to make the room totally dark. I decided with white not gray like the other post because I wanted a 120" screen. and gray would be too dark for the size. the proctor only has 1400 luminance. gray screens are better for projectors with 2200+ Luminance. also the colors are perfect with out any professional settings. initially my room was bright because of white ceilings and walls. so it reflected too much on the screen even with total darkness. even then the picture was great. I painted the ceiling with home depot flat black ceiling paint and the walls with a eggshell medium brown paint. that gave it an even bigger picture Quality comparable to the Sony $10,000. projector.

Any Problems: not any so far.....

This is my first projector. Have a 10 foot Elite screen that will be replaced with a permanent screen later. The projector is 19 foot from the screen and mounted on a bookshelf even with the screen. Setup was a snap. The remote is easy to navigate. The picture on 1080i (the signal i get on Directv) is more than I ever dreamed it would be. Light control is very important with this projector. You dont have it as dark as a movie theater but close. I am sitting 17 foot from the screen and the experience is better than a movie theather in mho. If you get one of these amasing things you will soon find out not all HD is equal. Football games on CBS are so clear they look 3D and on the Fox they are good but you can tell the difference. Gave the Panasonic an average in the Reliability slot because I have only had it for about 3 weeks. I would reccomend this too anyone

Any Problems: none