If you're trying to reproduce a true theatrical experience at home, you'll have to skip the flat panel TV and go right for a projector. Sure there are 84-inch and 90-inch LED TVs and even a 152-inch plasma, but the cost of admission of these uber-large HDTVs is excessive, particularly when you consider that a good front projector can easily light up screens that are even larger than any of the above options for well under $5,000.
Panasonic is no stranger to home theater projectors, with several models that are popular among videophiles and home theater hobbyists. I myself use the PT-AE4000U as my current reference projector. The latest entry into their projector family is the new PT-AE8000U 3D-capable 3LCD projector, announced today. Building on its predecessor, the PT-AE7000U, and at the same price point ($3,499) the new PT-AE8000U enhances the brightness and contrast while also minimizing crosstalk and motion artifacts in 3D mode. It also claims a whopping 500,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (up from 300,000:1 on the 7000) and a rated light output of 2,400 Lumens (up from 2,000). This brightness increase is particularly helpful in 3D mode, where much of the light is lost by the active 3D glasses and transmission system.
Although the projector was only announced today, it has already received a 5-star rating on Projector Central - apparently the only publication that is allowed to review Panasonic projectors (speaking from experience, here - believe me, we've tried). The reviewer is most effusive about the projector, saying it handily beats its predecessor in several respects and offers clear improvements in perceived contrast as well as numerous improvements in 3D mode. The popular zoom memory feature, which allows you to switch from 16:9 mode to 2.35:1 CinemaScope projection mode without the need for an expensive anamorphic lens, has now been extended to 3D mode as well (on the AE7000, it was available in 2D mode only).
The PT-AE8000U comes equipped with a new 220W "Red Rich" Lamp for increased red intensity and improved brightness. Red saturation on projectors (and on LCD products in general) has always been a weak point so any improvement here is welcome. The PT-AE8000U uses Panasonic's Pure Contrast Plates to minimize light leakage around and through the LCD panel, thereby improving contrast.
In order to improve the reproduction of motion in 3D mode, the new 3D Motion Remaster feature does custom image interpolation in 3D mode to assure that moving images appear fluid, even in 3D mode where there are slight but perceptible delays between the display of the left eye image and right eye image. Interestingly, the PT-AE8000U still uses IR (Infrared) glasses as opposed to the new universal RF glasses standard that we find on Panasonic's 2012 VIERA TV line. The projector's built-in IR 3D transmitter has a range of about 20 feet, and an optional external IR transmitter can reach up to about 33 feet. That should be compatible with even the largest living room or home theater
In terms of installation flexibility, the PT-AE8000U includes a 2x zoom lens and wide range of lens shift (+/- 100 percent vertical adjustment and +/- 26% for horizontal adjustment). The unit can project onto a 120-inch diagonal screen from as close as 11.8 feet or as far away as 23.6 feet. As on the PT-AE4000 and 7000, the 8000 supports Panasonic's Intelligent Lens Memory. This can be set to automatically detect the black bars at the top and bottom of 2.35:1 Cinemascope content (e.g., on a Blu-ray or DVD movie) and adjust the lens to automatically fill a 2.35:1 screen. This is a feature we've seen only on Panasonic projectors and more recently on JVC's home projection line and something we'd like to see more often. As mentioned above, the 8000U is the first Panasonic projector to support the Intelligent Lens Memory feature in 3D mode.
Panasonic's PT-AE8000U is expected to begin shipping to authorized Panasonic resellers in late September or early October 2012 at a suggested retail price of $3499.99.
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