Panasonic Projector PT-AE300E or Epson TW-10

dwayneburke

Panasonic Projector PT-AE300E or Epson TW-10

Any suggestions welcome

robbie1876

I'd vote for the Panasonic, cos I've used that model myself and have been very impressed with the results. On one occasion I was running a comparison between the AE300 and a Yamaha projector nearly 3 times its price. The AE300 blew the Yamaha away!

Unfortunaltely I've never seen the Epson model, but it seems to be getting reviewed favourably at the moment.

Bear in mind that the AE300 is €1209 from komplett.ie, whereas you can get the AE500 for just €1694. Although more expensive, the AE500 is much better value for money at this price. Plus it's quieter too, another excuse for your list!!

Robbie

dwayneburke

Robbie....

decided to opt for the Epson as im getting it for €1140 inc vat so couldnt refuse it....Hopefully the reviews are right ....hate buying something like this and never having seen the bleedin thing work

robbie1876

Thats an unbelievably good price for the Epson. Good luck with it, let us know what you think when you have it all hooked up!

dwayneburke

No probs at all....will do

CivilServant

Robbie what projector do you have?

robbie1876

lol, I actaully don't have one myself! But my business is installing home cinema/multi-room audio kit, so I've had the pleasure to see first hand many different home cinema setups. Most of which have been med-high end systems. I've installed a good few dozen projectors in my time, so I've a good bit of experience with them.

If I was to buy a projector for myself (I'm toying with the idea), I'd probably get the Panasonic AE500. If I could stretch to a Sim2, I'd take any of their models. But I'm happy with my Pioneer PDP433 plasma at the moment!! [/end of gloat]

CivilServant

You lucky divil! Wouldn't mind being in the kind of work myself. That plasma you have is fantastic. I think it's the one with the black trim. Very nice.

I've a Sony [gloat]HS20[/gloat] myself. Absolutely stunning 84" wide picture. Blows me away everytime. Whereabouts r u located, I might need some handywork done.

robbie1876

The plasma I have is not the new one with the unbelievably sexy black trim, that's the PDP434. Mine's the 433MXE, the slightly older (although still current) version of the 434.

Nice projector, the Sony HS20. I never installed one myself but have heard good things about them. I'm based out of Malahide if there's anything I can do for you, just holler!

dwayneburke

wowwwwwwww = Epson TW-10

Very impressed....

muffen

I would have gone for the panasonic for three reasons:

1, It's a widescreen projector, the epson is not. This is the main reason.
2, The fan makes less noice from the panasonic.
3, The lamp lasts longer, and its cheaper.

However, I don't understand why you were looking at the AE-300, when you can get the AE-500 for the same price.

You can get the AE-500 for E1549 here: http://www.hificomponents.de/dyndata/Versand_eng/features/Irland_50024380.html

This is the same place where I bought my AE-100 (although in my house we currently use an AE-300) and my Harman Kardon DVD-25 , so I know its a good and serious site.

dwayneburke

Hi Muffen

The epson tw-10 is widescreen i.e. 16X9 and 4X3....

The sound is totally livable 29 db's....

3000 hours of lamp life if u use the theatre black setting...

Best of all got it for €1000...and lamp replacments are €150..cant go wrong €1500 to €1600 was a bit outta my reach but what i have will do me fine (for now)

muffen

The epson tw-10 is widescreen i.e. 16X9 and 4X3....

It can only be one of them, not both
I know it can display both (would be strange otherwise), but if it's a 4x3 projector you get black lines when watching 16x9.

However, after some more research I realized that it is infact a 16x9 projector (the first page I found said it was not for some reason), so you will get black lines when watching 4x3.

As most movies are recorded in 16x9 or anamorphic, I prefer the widescreen projectors. It's also easier to make a bigger screen in widescreen as you normalliy have more space horizontal than vertical.

Anyways, I did some comparisons just on technical data, and the panasonic seems to be a bit better, but it's probably not worth the extra 500. Although, most people wouldn't find the epson for 1000 (I've only managed to see it for 700GBP cheapest) so in most cases I would still recommend the panasonic.

What are you using as a screen btw?
Did you make your own or buy one (I made my own)?

dwayneburke

Hi Muffen..

I got the epson as an ex demo model (with a new lamp put in)

At the moment i am using a Bare wall for the screen i know it is not the best option by a long way but the missus would have a coniption if i put a 13 ft screen in there at the minute (easing her gently into it....i will have to sneak a screen in one of the days)

The wall itself is magnolia (very original) and its not bad for now but I am looking at getting a pull down ceiling mounted screen in the near future but i cant seem to find a place that will sell a 13ft X 7ft screen.....

There is absoulutly no option of me painting the wall it def staying as is so screen is only option....any ideas where i can get one and is the difference that noticable??

MoosemaN

DwayneBurke...

An easy and good solution is to get a MDF board and paint it.

There are faq's on how to do this on the internet, me and Muffen has it at home and it works nice.

-MoosemaN

robbie1876

A 13ft screen?? You're room must be massive. I've only ever done one screen this big. Most screens for regular homes are 7ft, up to 10ft if its a large period room. I'm a fan of using the smallest screen possible rather than the largest. Problems with pixellation etc are less noticable on smaller screens. You should try reducing the size using the zoom wheel to as small as it will go and see if you can spot any difference.

Using a good projection screen will improve your picture quality by a massive amount, in my experience. Remember though, that projection screens are highly reflective, much more so than a magnolia wall, so the room really needs to be as dark as possible to achieve the best contrast.

Ok, where to get a 13ft screen. This size screen is not a standard size, so the screen will be custom made. In Ireland, you could try System Video but they are expensive. In the UK, the best value for good quality screens is Owl Video , but you are still looking at a spend of at least the price of your projector to get a screen that big.

Robbie

CivilServant

And a 13ft image would produce a notably dull picture. Lumens per square foot wise you'll need a very bright projector or total light control and even then it won't have the same vibrancy and snap as a smaller screen.

Screendoor will be more pronouced as well as vertical banding. And you'll have to sit a fair distance away before the issues disappear. A slight defocus might help but a sitting at least 1.5 lengths away will be better.

With a screen that size you could buy some screen material yourself and build one to your exact specification. Name brand screens of that size are ridiculously expensive that you could buy a better projector with the money.

dwayneburke

well 13ft is a bit excessive....really impresses the mates when they call around but i did wonder was i missing out on quality for the sake of the massive size....

At the moment im sitting underneath the PJ...brought it down to around 7 1/2 ft which does seem better....

Will probably stick somewhere in between these 2 sizes....

muffen

The MDF is your best bet if you want to get away with under 300 eruos.

MDF should cost between 40 - 60 with the paint, a screen of 50 inches goes for around 350.
You can get the stuff at B&Q in liffey valley (thats where I bought the stuff).

In regards to the quality, you will not believe your eyes once you get a screen.. the difference is just amazing (I thought it looked good on my wall too before I got a screen).

As Moose said, you can find guides on how to create the screen on the web (the one I used came from a Swedish forum, and I'm guessing you don't speak swedish or I would have given in to you)