# Mounting a Panasonic PT-AE4000U



## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

Hello All,

I haven't posted in a while because we had to get some things in order before marching forward with our new home theater. Now that we've finally got our ducks in a row, I desperately need some advice.

We purchased a new house back in October 2009 that has a dedicated media room. It's 15 x 20 with a domed ceiling (close to 11ft in height). The dome part is flat. I just purchased a new Panasonic PT-AE4000U projector from Visual Apex (sked to ship on 2 April). During checkout, I had the option to buy a ceiling mount for it, but I hesitated because I don't know which is the best one for this projector. I know a few of you have the PT-AE4000U projector. What ceiling mount do you recommend for this projector? I'm not 100% sure how far down I need to drop the projector either, which has to be mounted on the highest elevation in the room (10'10").

I've not decided on a screen size yet. I'll determine that when I get the projector mounted. According to Projector Central, the optimal distance from the screen is 14'9". 

I'm sure I'll have a thousand more questions before this is over but this is the one that needs the most attention right now. I'll need to order a mount before my projector gets here.

Thanks for any help.

Jester


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Well, ideally you want the projector to be level with the top of the screen so you may need a custom mount. That said the Panasonic's lens shift its very good and you can get away with it higher but it will suffer some image quality loss the farther up you go away from that point.


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## spartanstew (May 7, 2009)

With a depth of 20', you should also be fine shelf mounting it on the back wall. That's how I have my Panny 700 and it works great.


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## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

I'm a little hesitant to shelf mount it on the back wall. The recommended throw distance for the AE4000U is 14'9". I don't want the screen size too big. I think it will look more professional if I ceiling mount it. Plus, a ceiling mount will also give me the most airflow around the projector. Thanks for the response.

Jester


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## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

I think I found what I'm looking for. Somebody please yell at me if I'm making a mistake here.

http://www.perfectmounts.com/Universal-Projector-Mount-Everest-Universal-mount-p/everest.htm

Jester


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

That mount will work but it does not give you the option of extending it down from the ceiling.


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## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

I believe they offer a wide range of extensions for the Everest Mount. I think the 25" to 45" is just what the doctor ordered.

Thanks for all the help.

Jester


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## spartanstew (May 7, 2009)

Jester said:


> The recommended throw distance for the AE4000U is 14'9".


Recommended for what? How big of a screen do you want?



Jester said:


> I don't want the screen size too big.


From 19' (about where the lens would be on a 20' wall), you can throw an image from between 95" - 191" (diagonal). 

I certainly hope you don't think 95" is too big. In a room that size, I'd be shooting for 120" - 130"



Jester said:


> I think it will look more professional if I ceiling mount it.


Well, everyone's opinion is different I guess, but to me, I've always preferred a projector that was virtually invisible on the back wall (similar to real theaters), as opposed to a PJ on a pole right in the middle of the room or above someone's head. 

In a 20' room, 14.9' would be right between the two rows of seating, so don't forget that the riser will make it that much closer to peoples heads. Assuming a riser height of around 12" and a lens height of around 7' from the floor (top of screen), that means that the bottom of the projector will be less than 6' high from the riser, right where people will be walking.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> I've always preferred a projector that was virtually invisible on the back wall (similar to real theaters), as opposed to a PJ on a pole right in the middle of the room or above someone's head.


The big issue with that is the farther away from the screen you go the dimmer the image will be. Ideally you want the projector as close to the screen as possible with the projector set on its largest image size.


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## patchesj (Jun 17, 2009)

I'm not sure I agree with the farther = dimmer if the screen size is the same. Maybe a little bit dimmer, but I can't imagine it would be THAT much dimmer.


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## spartanstew (May 7, 2009)

tonyvdb said:


> The big issue with that is the farther away from the screen you go the dimmer the image will be. Ideally you want the projector as close to the screen as possible with the projector set on its largest image size.


While this is true, it doesn't come into play with many projectors, including the Panny 4000. Having the Panny 19' back from the screen will allow for up to a 191" screen. Now, that 191" screen, will be dimmer than a 95" screen (the minimum from that distance). However, the brightness will have to be decreased on the 95" size and any size less than about 140" will be plenty bright enough.


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## kkj072146 (Mar 31, 2010)

spartanstew said:


> While this is true, it doesn't come into play with many projectors, including the Panny 4000. Having the Panny 19' back from the screen will allow for up to a 191" screen. Now, that 191" screen, will be dimmer than a 95" screen (the minimum from that distance). However, the brightness will have to be decreased on the 95" size and any size less than about 140" will be plenty bright enough.


I kinda disagree...my company uses the AE4000 at work for conference rooms using Draper white screens (about 6' wide 16:9 screens, I don't know the diagonal), and we have an AE4000 at home in a media/entertaining room using a grey screen. The distance at home is 14', but we went through the effort of ceiling mounting over the shelf-mounting at 19' away, because the zoom on the Panny definitely reduces the brightness and it was very noticeable on the grey screen. At work, the conference rooms are ~12' in one, ~18' in another, and the large room has about 25'. They're interior rooms with doors, so they all can get *dark*. The distance (12' to 25') is very dramatic, and the 18' from either end is also significant.

The other consideration is that a projector that's closer to the screen is also less likely to have people walking between it and the screen, which is a real consideration when watching movies with teenage kids with ants in their pants.


Kate


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## spartanstew (May 7, 2009)

kkj072146 said:


> I kinda disagree...my company uses the AE4000 at work for conference rooms using Draper white screens (about 6' wide 16:9 screens, I don't know the diagonal), and we have an AE4000 at home in a media/entertaining room using a grey screen. The distance at home is 14', but we went through the effort of ceiling mounting over the shelf-mounting at 19' away, because the zoom on the Panny definitely reduces the brightness and it was very noticeable on the grey screen. At work, the conference rooms are ~12' in one, ~18' in another, and the large room has about 25'. They're interior rooms with doors, so they all can get *dark*. The distance (12' to 25') is very dramatic, and the 18' from either end is also significant.
> 
> The other consideration is that a projector that's closer to the screen is also less likely to have people walking between it and the screen, which is a real consideration when watching movies with teenage kids with ants in their pants.
> 
> ...


The big thing that strikes me in reading your circumstances is that you're using a grey screen, which will definitely make brightness more noticeable. If using a 1.3 gain white screen, the 4000 should be plenty bright even when shelf mounted from 20' or so back.

And yes, if traffic is a problem, moving the screen closer reduces that likelihood (although doesn't eliminate it).

The bottom line is to use whatever works best in each circumstance, but I wouldn't discount shelf mounting because it might not be as bright. The headlights on my car are not as bright from 10' away as opposed to when I have my eyeball right up to it. Either way though, they're plenty bright and would surely burn my retina.


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## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

kkj072146 said:


> At work, the conference rooms are ~12' in one, ~18' in another, and the large room has about 25'. They're interior rooms with doors, so they all can get *dark*. The distance (12' to 25') is very dramatic, and the 18' from either end is also significant.



Hey Kate,

Of the three different setups you have at your work (12', 18', and 25'), which one looks the best?

Tks in advance,

Jester


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## kkj072146 (Mar 31, 2010)

Jester said:


> Hey Kate,
> 
> Of the three different setups you have at your work (12', 18', and 25'), which one looks the best?
> 
> ...


That is an unqualified "it depends". :bigsmile:

My company works with media...recordings from events and classrooms. Lots of the content originates from SD sources, sometimes the quality of the video feed that we get it pretty marginal. When we are working with videos, then ANY of the rooms looks fine, but the people closest to the screen in the smallest room will notice a lot of graininess, whereas the largest room doesn't seem to suffer that quite as much (but still does, a bit).

However, for any sort of computer display, the Panny are wonderfully clear, but the detail is so small that it's hard to read in ANY of the rooms...we often end up expanding to 150%-200% so that everyone in the room can read.

Our boardroom uses another Panasonic projector...I don't recall which model right now...a big monster-sized high-lumen DLP-based one that's designed for large venues...it seems to handle text a bit more graciously than the PT-AE4000s, but it's also projecting on a much larger screen. (It's also ceiling mounted, and only ~12'-14' from the screen.)


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## Jester (Oct 10, 2009)

Hello again all. Just an update from Jester.

I recently received my Panasonic PT-AE4000U from Visual Apex. Their customer service was excellent. In addition, I finally ordered and received the "Everest Mount w/25-45" extension" from Perfectmounts in Ontario. Their customer service was also outstanding.

I was a little worried about ceiling mounting this projector in our theater because I was unsure what the ceiling joists looked like above the domed ceiling. I was afraid I was going to have to install additional wood for reinforcement. Luckily for me, at the exact place I needed to mount the ceiling bracket, I hit a full-length 2" x 8" (dead center) that the builders installed for just this purpose. The installation couldn't have went any smoother. 

Just as a quick input test, I ran downstairs and grabbed the PS3, popped in "Avatar" on Blu-ray, and was literally amazed! This projector is nothing short of awesome. The picture quality and features far exceeded my expectations. Set-up was effortless. Right now, I'm just projecting the image on a blank textured wall. Once I get the screen size exactly where I want it, I'll install the screen. 

These three companies are getting two big thumbs up from Jester:
*Panasonic *for creating such an incredible projector at an affordable price.
*Visual Apex* for outstanding customer service.
*Perfectmounts* for outstanding customer service and for creating the "Perfect Mount".​I could not be any more pleased. :T

Jester

P.S. I'd be glad to share any information I've gained during this experience.


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## sepman1 (May 6, 2010)

Jester - What was the final distance you mounted the projector at? how far down did you telescope it? I am in the process of buying the same projector and am looking to get a mount as well. Sounds like you are pretty happy with the purchase.


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