General Screen Recommendations: 16:9 Diagonal Posted on October 1, 2013 By Art Feierman 1. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Overview - DLA-PT-AE4000 Projector Highlights - DLA-PT-AE4000 Projector - Special Features - Color Management System (CMS) - Dynamic Features: Sharpening, CFI - CFI - Creative Frame Interpolation - PT-AE4000 Split Screen and Waveform Monitor2. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector – Warranty3. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Physical Tour - Appearance - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Control Panel - Input/Output - PT-AE4000 Menus - PT-AE4000 Remote Control - Lens Throw - Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens4. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - Image Quality - PT-AE4000 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones - PT-AE4000 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail Performance - Overall Color & Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE4000U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports5. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Performance - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - Uncalibrated6. Sharpness - Panasonic PT-AE4000: Bottom Line Sharpness7. Light Leakage - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Image Noise - PT-AE4000 Audible Noise8. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Color Temperature - Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom): - Color Temp over IRE Range (Pre calibration):9. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Basic Settings - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Post Calibration Grayscale - Color Temp over IRE Range (Post calibration)10. Panasonic PT-AE4000 RGB Settings - Calibration settings for Memory 111. General Screen Recommendations: 16:9 Diagonal - Cinemascope Projector Screens12. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Competitors - PT-AE4000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8500UB, Pro 9500UB - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Mitsubishi HC6800 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. BenQ W600013. Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. BenQ W6000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z3000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Planar PD815014. PT-AE4000 vs. InFocus IN83 and SP8602 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Panasonic PT-AE3000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. JVC DLA-RS25, DLA-RS15 older models - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Sony VPL-HW1515. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - The Bottom Line16. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Specifications The PT-AE4000 with its really good black levels, has the performance to work with a variety of screen surfaces. For the most part, you’ll be matching the characteristics of the screen to your room. The Panasonic PT-AE4000U, thanks to the blacks, still keeps black levels very nicely low, even with a white surfaced screen with some gain. If you are a black level fanatic, you may still want to go with a high contrast gray, like the Firehawk G3, Grayhawk RS, Elite HC Gray, or Da-Lite HC CinemaVision. That is especially true if you are going with 16:9 screen sizes under 100 inch diagon From my extensive viewing, for a typical gray surface screen, I would recommend a maximum screen size of 110 unless ceiling mounting close, in which case you can go a bit larger. I have really enjoyed the PT-AE4000U’s performance on my Firehawk G3, and I’ve done just about all of my viewing at about 110″ diagonal, in the calibrated Color 1 mode. That presumes the projector is placed not far past the mid-point, which me If you choose a white surfaced screen, with moderate gain in the 1.3 to 1.4 range (such as the Stewart Filmscreen Studiotek 130 or the Carada Brilliant White), you can push the screen size a little larger, say to a maximum of 116 inches to 120 inches (depending on what the manufacturer offers). I also viewed the PT-AE3000U in my testing room, filling all of my 106 inch diagonal Carada Brilliant White screen. The Carada, thanks to gain, white surface, and being about 4-5 inches diagonally smaller, appeared much brighter than viewing on the Firehawk. I would say that 110″ diagonal is the critical size for transitioning from a high contrast gray to a plus gain white. Translated, that means that when watching movies on the PT-AE3000U at 110 inch diagonal on the Firehawk, I found brightness to be acceptable, but little to spare. On the Carada, there was simply more pop and wow factor due to the brightness. At the 110 inch size with the white surface, black levels will still nice and dark, though not as dark as with the gray surfaces. Let’s put it this way. You’ll still have noticeably blacker blacks on a typical white surface screen with the PT-AE4000, then you would get with a HC gray surface with almost any projector that isn’t “ultra-high contrast” (which is basically just about everything that costs less). Another trade-off to consider, relates to dealing with room ambient light. The HC gray surface screens can really make a difference there, so for those with some side ambient light, I’d say stick to the gray screens. f you don’t mind that narrow viewing cone (how far to the left or right of center you can sit), of course you can go with much higher gain screens – 1.8 to 2.5, and select a larger screen size. Personally I’m not a big fan of the higher gain screens (over 2.0 gain), as even in the center, I can see a bit of roll off in the corners, when you are looking at a relatively even large area such as sky. When watching sports and HDTV at 110″ diagonal on the Firehawk, I had no problem at all, with the brightness in Dynamic mode. Plenty of sizzle, and good performance with enough ambient light to properly watch sports. Consider: Who wants to watch with friends, in a pitch black room? Ultimately, because the PT-AE3000U is average in brightness in both best and brightest modes, that roughly 110″ maximum viewing size recommendation (excluding really high gain screens), should hold well whether you are strictly a movie person, or a sports fanatic that also likes movies. Cinemascope Projector ScreensTime to open up a new can of worms. Thanks to the pseudo anamorphic lens emulation abilities of the PT-AE4000, you have the option of purchasing a 2.35:1 screen, instead of a 16:9. This will make sense to most movie only viewers, and some that primarily watch movies, as it gets rid of those pesky letterboxes on all those Cinemascope shaped movies (the vast majority of movies). Oh, you’ll have those letterboxes back for HDTV and regular TV, but at least the choice of screen shape is yours to make, with the PT-AE3000. First, if you go with a 2.35:1 screen, I’d say forget those really high gain screens (1.8 to 2.5). Since the screen is wider, there would be even more roll-off of brightness in the corners and far left and right sides of the image in general. 1. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Overview - DLA-PT-AE4000 Projector Highlights - DLA-PT-AE4000 Projector - Special Features - Color Management System (CMS) - Dynamic Features: Sharpening, CFI - CFI - Creative Frame Interpolation - PT-AE4000 Split Screen and Waveform Monitor2. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector – Warranty3. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Physical Tour - Appearance - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Control Panel - Input/Output - PT-AE4000 Menus - PT-AE4000 Remote Control - Lens Throw - Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens4. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - Image Quality - PT-AE4000 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Flesh Tones - PT-AE4000 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail Performance - Overall Color & Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE4000U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports5. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Performance - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - Uncalibrated6. Sharpness - Panasonic PT-AE4000: Bottom Line Sharpness7. Light Leakage - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Image Noise - PT-AE4000 Audible Noise8. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Color Temperature - Lumen Output and Color Temp at 100 IRE (mid zoom): - Color Temp over IRE Range (Pre calibration):9. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Basic Settings - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Post Calibration Grayscale - Color Temp over IRE Range (Post calibration)10. Panasonic PT-AE4000 RGB Settings - Calibration settings for Memory 111. General Screen Recommendations: 16:9 Diagonal - Cinemascope Projector Screens12. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Competitors - PT-AE4000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8500UB, Pro 9500UB - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Mitsubishi HC6800 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. BenQ W600013. Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. BenQ W6000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Sanyo PLV-Z3000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Planar PD815014. PT-AE4000 vs. InFocus IN83 and SP8602 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Panasonic PT-AE3000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. JVC DLA-RS25, DLA-RS15 older models - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Sony VPL-HW1515. Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector - The Bottom Line16. Panasonic PT-AE4000 Projector Specifications Panasonic PT-AE4000 RGB Settings Panasonic PT-AE4000 – Competitors