Panasonic PT-AE1000U Projector

Review: Panasonic PT-AE1000U Projector New highs in 1080p performance

June 2007 By Greg Robinson

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For several years, Panasonic has been leading the charge to make high performance front projection technology affordable and accessible to the masses. Speaking as a prior owner of the PT-AE300 and a current owner of the PT-AE900, I was just as eager as everyone else to see what Panasonic could do with 1080p. Well friends, the wait is over. The PT-AE1000U is Panasonic’s first native 1080p LCD front projector and it’s a stunner.

When FedEx delivered my review sample, my first thought upon seeing the driver exit the truck was, “Why is that box so big?” The past few models in the series have been roughly the same size: 12-13 inches wide, less than 4 inches tall and weighing no more than 7 or 8 pounds. When I finished unpacking, I realized this was an entirely different animal. Boasting a new all-black housing, the PT-AE1000U is monstrous, measuring more than 18 inches wide and over 5 inches tall while weighing in at a hefty 16 pounds. Thankfully, my Vogel’s universal ceiling mount is rated for 20 pounds.

Once I had the projector mounted on the ceiling, I set about making my connections. As expected, the PT-AE1000U offers component video, RGB and HDMI as a means for inputting your video signals; most impressive is the fact that you get not one but two HDMI ports. Other inputs include composite and S-video, but if you’re using one of those as your primary connection to this projector you should really consider having your head examined.

Three features work together to make the PT-AE1000U a snap to install. The first is lens shift—the ability to shift the projected image without physically moving the projector. On the projector’s underside (when ceiling-mounted), you’ll find two dials that control lens shift—one for vertical and the other for horizontal. The dials work great and they’re a huge improvement over the front-mounted joystick on last year’s model. The second feature to note here is the PT-AE1000U’s generous 2.0x zoom lens. Most projectors offer a zoom of less than 1.5x. With a 2.0x zoom, you can create a 100-inch diagonal image from anywhere between 9.7-19.6 feet; this provides tremendous flexibility when choosing your mount location. The third and final installer-friendly feature is the unit’s ventilation system. On the PT-AE1000U, the air exhaust is located on the front of the projector. Front venting coupled with the 2.0x zoom and lens shift means that, in most rooms, you could place the PT-AE1000U on a shelf on the rear wall of your theater, potentially eliminating the need for a ceiling mount.

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