TOYBOX: Panasonic PT-AE8000 3D home theatre projector
A bump in brightness over its predecessor makes daylight viewing possible.
A bump in brightness over its predecessor makes daylight viewing possible.
TOYBOX
Panasonic PT-AE8000 3D home theatre projector
Hot: Stunning 2D and 3D performance, super bright, tons of image customisation options
Not: The remote is a little fiddly for my big hands
Tech specs: 1080P HD, 2400 lumens, 4000-5000 hours lamp life, remote control, two pairs active 3D glasses supplied, 3xHDMI, VGA, component, S-Video, composite, 12-volt triggers
Price: $4699
More: Panasonic NZ
The Panasonic PT-AE8000 is the latest in a long line of outstanding home theatre projectors from the Japanese technology giant.
While this new model doesn’t provide any monumental upgrades over last year’s AE7000 model, the enhancements and additions that have found their way into this machine will make it a tempting upgrade nevertheless.
First up, Panasonic has bumped up brightness levels to 2400 lumens. The difference this makes over the AE7000’s 2000 lumens is immediately noticeable, very welcome and the image really pops as a result. There are practical benefits also; a brighter image allows for a larger screen with no loss of image fidelity and daytime viewing, while not ideal for any projected image, becomes viable.
For lovers of 3D content, Panasonic introduce 3D Motion Remaster technology; a trick that compensates for time lag problems with moving images when watching 3D. Without delving into the wizardry behind it, NBR can vouch for the end result being more natural looking 3D with less of those suspension of disbelief-killing 3D artefacts ruining your fun.
Whether or not you enjoy 3D, you can’t help but be impressed by the image quality this thing produces in either 2D or 3D modes. Contrast is excellent, colours rich and detail superb. It’s also fully customisable thanks to a raft of user-definable tweaks, lens shift controls and a motorised zoom lens.
Scott Bartley is a former reviews editor for NZ PC World magazine and home theatre title >>FFWD.
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