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Home Theater Projector Review: Panasonic PT-AE2000U LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons

Posted on October 17, 2013 By Art Feierman

Check out how the Panasonic PT-AE2000U fared in our comparison report.
Click to read the head-to-head Panasonic PT-AE2000U vs. Epson Home Cinema 1080 UB projector.
Click to read the head-to-head Panasonic PT-AE2000U vs. Mitsubishi HC4900 projector.
Click to read the head-to-head Panasonic PT-AE2000U vs. Sanyo PLV-Z2000 projector.

I had this pre-production PT-AE2000U for a week, and about 30 hours of viewing and measuring… Definitely a bit less time than I normally spend with home theater projectors I review. Still, that includes at least 15 hours of movie viewing and probably 10 hours of HDTV/TV (it’s college football season).

The Panasonic PT-AE2000U is simply a notably better product than it’s predecessor. Whereas I felt the PT-AE1000U came up short in a number of areas, notably brightness and sharpness, it was a good projector. By comparison the PT-AE2000U is a significantly better projector, and, I would say, easily worth the extra $400 – $500 it commands as dealers are closing out their inventory of the PT-AE1000Us. If you’ve got the extra bucks, buy the AE2000U.

You will be able to buy a better 1080p projector, but not for the same money. There is nothing really, for example that the Panasonic can do, that the JVC RS1 can’t do as well or better, and the JVC excels, by comparison in black levels, shadow detail and brightness in best modes. Yet, after living with the JVC for about 7 months, I could easily learn to live with the PT-AE2000U, and thoroughly enjoy just about everything I choose to watch. Then again, the JVC is twice the price. And that is a lot of extra money for most people.

Unlike its predecssor, this new Panasonic is at least average in brightness. Since pre-production projectors like this one, typically aren’t as bright as regular production projectors, I’m expecting the production version to have anywhere from another 30 to 75 lumens, in Cinema 1 mode. We’ll see how good my prediction is.

The Panasonic PT-AE2000U creates a truly excellent viewing experience, on both movies (especially hi-def.) That said, HDTV viewing was most impressive as well. You really must see Planet Earth, and DiscoveryHD channel content, not to mention HD football).

The Panasonic PT-AE2000U Projector Warranty
Home Theater Projector Review: Panasonic PT-AE2000U LCD Projector: Summary, Pros, Cons-2