New 2011 Panasonic 50VT30 Plasma or 2010 AE4000E Projector?

[TnA200]

Hi all,

Appreciate any words from anyone that has either of these highly regarded Panasonic devices: Panasonic TX-P50VT30 Plasma or Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector. They would probably be paired with a Panasonic DMP-BDT310 (instead of the dream Oppo-93). Or should I wait for the 2011 Panasonic projectors as the AE4000 is already down to 4 stars...?

At 4.5m X 5.0m approx. our room should be large enough to accommodate either. Once the thick curtains are installed light intrusion should not be a factor either. Due to the 3D aspect and new VieraCast apps etc I was a bit biased towards the Plasma, but a 92inch image sounds enticing too, so am trying to figure out what fellow readers here have and what your experiences have been.

My wife did ask if we could watch regular TV on the projector and for once I was not sure... How does one do this? Sorry if it is an obviously silly question.

Which 16:9 screen would be recommendable? What do you guys use? I did look at a motorized Optoma DE-9092EGA online last night as one option... no that I know how good or bad it is. Just the company is reputable and the 16:9 screen size and the fact that it is motorized are two things I would want.

Hopefully June/July will bring some Panasonic goodies our way.. 🙂 Currently still moving in and decorating/renovationg so mounting options are easier to build in at this stage. Again, ceiling mount or cabinet???

Appreciate your knowledgeable feedback.

 

[TnA200]

No one?

I would have thought that many other AV enthusiasts here would have had a similar dilemma of new HD LCD/Plasma vs. HD projector at some point and decided one way or the other.

Perhaps my one posting had too many questions!!!

 

[Clare Newsome]

Hi all,

Appreciate any words from anyone that has either of these highly regarded Panasonic devices: Panasonic TX-P50VT30 Plasma or Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector. They would probably be paired with a Panasonic DMP-BDT310 (instead of the dream Oppo-93). Or should I wait for the 2011 Panasonic projectors as the AE4000 is already down to 4 stars...?

At 4.5m X 5.0m approx. our room should be large enough to accommodate either. Once the thick curtains are installed light intrusion should not be a factor either. Due to the 3D aspect and new VieraCast apps etc I was a bit biased towards the Plasma, but a 92inch image sounds enticing too, so am trying to figure out what fellow readers here have and what your experiences have been.

My wife did ask if we could watch regular TV on the projector and for once I was not sure... How does one do this? Sorry if it is an obviously silly question.

Which 16:9 screen would be recommendable? What do you guys use? I did look at a motorized Optoma DE-9092EGA online last night as one option... no that I know how good or bad it is. Just the company is reputable and the 16:9 screen size and the fact that it is motorized are two things I would want.

Hopefully June/July will bring some Panasonic goodies our way.. 🙂 Currently still moving in and decorating/renovationg so mounting options are easier to build in at this stage. Again, ceiling mount or cabinet???

Appreciate your knowledgeable feedback.

Hello - sorry, somehow missed this thread.

BigBoss gives good advice above.

I'd add that you need to consider viewing distance from your new screen, too - the nearer you are, the more you're going to notice less-than-perfect pictures (and some SD becomes unwatchable). If you think you're going to be too close to a 90in+ screen, considering dropping down to a 80-85in - still much larger than a flatscreen but slightly more forgiving of poorer pictures.

Blackout curtains should do the trick - certainly for evening viewing - but if you're planning a lot of daytime viewing (eg sports) then opting for a higher-gain screen may be wise: you lose some of the ultimate contrast on offer, but benefit from being able to enjoy your projector in less-than-blacked-out conditions.

Re projector choice: the Panasonics are excellent models - the '4000 only went down to four stars because of an Epson price cut. It remains a marvellous machine for the money. This year's models aren't due until late summer, and i'd be surprised if 3D wasn't on the menu - something you may wish to consider, as 3D is way more convincing on the big screen.

I'd urge you go out and see some projectors - and types of screen - in action to decide what's best for you. Just beware sneaking a peek at the new JVCs - once you've seen them, it's hard to consider anything else, and suddenly your budget will be doubling!

Finally, re worrying about lack of 'goodies' on projector (eg Viera Connect) compared to TV - remember that your new Blu-ray player will offer those services anyway, so you're sorted on that front.

 

[bigboss]

How much of your viewing is SD? I know some members here who exclusively use a projector, including Clare Newsome.

Bear these points in mind:

1) You will need a relatively dark room for all your viewing.

2) SD pictures can be too soft when stretched to such large screen sizes.

3) For HD viewing, nothing can beat the experience of a projector.

4) You don't have to stick to Panasonic. There are other brands who make brilliant projectors as well, some better than Panasonic.

 

[TnA200]

Just wanted thank everyone for their comments. I ended up buying the Panasonic TX-P50VT30 Plasma[/b] and the Panasonic DMP-BDT310[/b]. Finally installed them into my AV setup and enjoyed our first movie last night - Toy Story 3 on BluRay. The TV is wall mounted with a Sanus VisionMount VLT15 HDpro Super Slim. So far so good.

I haven't had a chance to play with all the advanced TV settings yet, but watching the Grand Prix today sure was fun, in surround sound no less.

Regards, TnA

 

[VoodooDoctor]

I'm having the same dilemma at the moment. One of the concerns I have is about using a projector with the Xbox Kinect. I'll have to mount it on the ceiling directly over the sofa to avoid shadows I think. That seems like a fair bit of hassle! A plasma and a couple of HDMI cables seems so much easier...

 

[Garth Man]

I'm having the same dilemma at the moment. One of the concerns I have is about using a projector with the Xbox Kinect. I'll have to mount it on the ceiling directly over the sofa to avoid shadows I think. That seems like a fair bit of hassle! A plasma and a couple of HDMI cables seems so much easier...

yeah but a projector just makes watching movies adn game playing a lot more fun :rockout: