# Considering PT-AE7000U. Input needed



## ovillegas (Jan 30, 2012)

Hello,

I am building my first dedicated home theater. I am considering the Panasonic PT-AE7000U projector. 

My room will be roughly 15 by 20 ft. And I am contemplatin on leaving the wall open for more space for family room, which would make it 15 by about 40 ft. 

I understand that this is a very nice projector, but what I am asking, is to give me some input to see if this projector is worth the $3000, or if I'm better off with a different projector on that price range or maybe a little cheaper than that.

I mainly watch 2D (I don't have 3d players), but I'm kinda interested on 3d too.


Also, any pointers on DIY screens? Or even better, pros and cons of Manufactured Screens VS DIY screens.

I would really appreciate any inputs. 

Thank you in advance.


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## mechman (Feb 8, 2007)

I have yet to see this projector in person, but I do know that most everyone who buys a Panasonic projector is happy with them. I really don;t think that you can go wrong with the 7000 given Panasonic's track record.

With regards to a screen, you may want to put your question in the screen forum under 'General'. I'm sure you will get a lot of responses there. A brief rundown of the differences though would be cost, setup, and overall look. Cost - nothing beats a diy screen. Setup - there is no diy option that will take as little time as a commercial product to set up. Overall look - this one's a wash but it really depends upon your skill level in getting it to look good.


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## ovillegas (Jan 30, 2012)

Thanks for the thought. I am probably going for it. I just wanted to see if there was anything about it that I should know before buying. It has happened to me before that I buy something because of the big hype, only to realize that I could have got something better or more reliable for a comparable price. But I agree with Panasonic's track record.

About the screen question, after I posted it I realized there was a whole forum section for it :doh:


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

The big plus with the AE4000 and 7000 is the auto aspect ratio zoom. If your using a 2,35:1 screen (highly recommended) the projector will automatically zoom out so that you fill the entire screen with video as most movies are shot using 2,35:1 aspect ratio (black bars on top and bottom of image)


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

After a whole lot of research, I decided to splurge and go with the AE7000U back in November. As this is my 1st projector, unfortunately I cannot provide a comparison for you to another projector.

To best explain why I think this is a great projector, bear with me. :R 

I am currently in the process of building my dedicated HT. To ensure that purchases made prior to the room being ready worked, I have an impromptu set-up in the finished portion of my basement. Now, this is not a space meant for projector viewing - white walls all over with that sand grit texture and little control of ambient light. The wall I am shooting to even still has nails in it! :rofl2:

The first time I fired up the projector, I put in Kung Fu Panda for the family to watch. I was astounded by the picture quality - vibrant colors, black levels were excellent - and this was straight out of the box shot in a room that has no business being called a HT to a sand grit white wall.

To best sum it up, my wife has no interest in video quality at all - or anything else HT technical (so depressing when I get excited talking about it and her eyes glaze over). Her comment while we were watching it - "I cannot believe how good the picture is - there are things I saw that I do not remember seeing at the theater or on the TV".

I have not used it in 3D mode yet as I am more partial to 2D, but I do not regret the purchase at all.


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## ovillegas (Jan 30, 2012)

This will also be my first projector. The more I read and hear about it, the more I want to get it.  But I must wait until I finish the dry wall in my basement first, otherwise I will have a projector in my hands that I cannot use because of space, and I think that would be worse than not having it yet.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Let's hope it drops in price before you need to get it! :bigsmile:

On the other hand, I have noticed that seeing it sitting in my impromptu set-up keeps me going on the HT build - soooooo looking forward to seeing it in it's permanent home!


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

Consider the AE7000 a deal. When I purchased my AE2000, it was $2700. For $300 more you get 3D and a number of improvements over what I got. I've been extremely pleased with my AE2000 and it, too, "knocked my socks off" when I watched Kung Fu Panda with all the fantastic graphics in that animated feature. I don't think you'll go wrong with the AE7000.


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