Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Physical Tour Posted on September 27, 2013 By Art Feierman 1. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Home Theater Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Highlights - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Overview - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Special Features2. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Special Features - PT-AE7000 Lens Memory and Lens Features - How Lens Memory sets up3. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Competitors - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Competitors - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8700UB - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Optoma HD8300 - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Sony VPL-HW30ES - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Panasonic PT-AE70004. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Physical Tour - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Appearance - PT-AE7000 Control Panel - PT-AE7000 Projector - Input/Output - PT-AE7000 Menus5. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Projector Screens - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Screen Recommendations - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Projector Screen - Cave / Home Theater - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Projector Screen - Family Room6. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Flesh Tones - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail Performance7. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Warranty - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Warranty8. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Color Temperature - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Color Temperature - PT-AE7000 Greyscale Calibration - PT-AE7000 RGB Settings9. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - The Bottom Line - The Very Bottom Line on the PT-AE7000 projector: - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector: Pros - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector: Cons10. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Overall Color & Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Overall Color & Picture Quality - Post Calibration: Best Mode = REC 709 - Post Calibration: Brightest Mode = Dynamic - 3D Brightness of the Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Dynamic mode): - PT-AE7000 Eco-Mode vs. Full Power - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Pre-Calibration Color temp, Cinema Mode: - PT-AE7000, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709) - PT-AE7000, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709) - Panasonic PT-AE7000 3D Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Bottom Line Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise11. Panasonic PT-AE7000U Projector Specifications Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - AppearanceTime to take a tour of the PT-AE7000 projector’s physical features, including lens, control panel, and inputs. In addition, Projector Reviews discusses the remote control and the menu system. 11/8/11 -art The PT-AE7000 is a medium sized home theater projector. It’s got clean lines and a dark gray flat finish. The lens is located to the right (if facing the PT-AE7000). It weighs a little less than 20 pounds, and can be operated when ceiling mounted, on table top, or on a rear shelf, in most rooms. The PT-AE7000 has excellent placement flexibility, and it could be argued, the most, thanks to the Lens Memory feature. The 2:1 zoom lens provides lots of front to back placement, and the lens shift has plenty of range as well. More on that below. Also on the front is a covered joystick for that lens shift, as seen in this image. The control is a bit course and tricky to get exactly where you want it, on this demo unit, but eventually I got it just right. (In other words, a minor nuisance, nothing more.) Other PT-AE7000, may, perhaps may have joysticks not as stiff? Heat vents out the front, making the PT-AE7000 suitable for rear shelf mounting. There’s an infra-red sensor on the front, as well (note, there is no rear IR sensor, unusual), and below are two screw thread adjustable front feet. (There’s a single center rear foot as well – non-adjustable.) Moving to the right side, you’ll find the Panasonic’s control panel at the front. The top of the PT-AE7000 is empty but for three indicator lights: Power, Temp and Lamp, and the Panasonic name. The inputs and other connectors are on the back. Let’s start getting into some details, starting with the control panel. Click Image to EnlargePT-AE7000 Control PanelThe Panasonic control panel, at the front right side, is compact, and is laid out very nicely. Buttons are easy to “find” and feel good. At the top left of the panel is the power switch (once for on, twice for off), and to its right, is the Input Select button which brings up your input choices. The navigation controls are right below, the four arrows in a round formation with the Enter button in the center. Slightly below to the outsides are the Menu and Return button (called back or escape on some other projectors). Finally, at the bottom of the panel are two buttons each to control the motorized focus and zoom. Click Image to EnlargePT-AE7000 Projector - Input/OutputLocated on the back, is a healthy selection of inputs and connectors. Starting from the left, are three HDMI 1.4a inputs (consider HDMI 1.4a necessary for Blu-ray 3D). I’ve always asked manufacturers for a third connector, for those who don’t want to rely on AV receivers or external switch boxes to handle the load. Today, having 3 HDMI sources is common among users (ex: cable/satellite, Blu-ray/DVD, game machine). Kudos to Panasonic for that 3rd one. Three is pretty rare, except on more expensive projectors with expensive external processor boxes. Moving to the right, next comes a pair of HD15 connectors. The top one is your standard analog computer input, and below it, a Serial port for command and control. Next over is component video (with three color coded RCA connectors). S-video (DIN connector) and composite video (yellow RCA jack) come next. Then come two small jacks for screen trigger, and for 3D shutter out, (for an external, and optional IR transmitter should you need more coverage for the 3D glasses, such as in a large room). That’s all for the back, folks, except of course, for the power receptacle, Kensington lock slot, and master power switch. Click Image to EnlargePT-AE7000 MenusAt the top, is the all important Picture Mode, almost all the controls affecting picture quality are found: Below are the all important color controls for adjusting the grayscale balance, as well as control for CFI (Frame Creation), dynamic sharpening (Detail Clarity), and the full CMS (color management system). Here’s a sub-menu from Picture, showing the extensive, and sophisticated gamma control options: Lens Memory controls let you save settings for one button operation to go from an anamorphic widescreen (ie. 2.35:1), to displaying conventional HDTV (16:9). A great feature for the hard core movie fans that want to elimate letter boxing when movie watching (but get letterboxing with HDTV), by using Lens Memory and a “Cinemascope” shaped screen: Below, the main 3D menu, with the appropriate options, which include converting 2D to 3D, selecting the type of 3D format (or auto), and more. Positioning the On Screen Display menu: Onscreen Display, Lamp Power, and many other features are controlled by this Options menu: You can control other Panasonic HDMI devices, using Viera-Link, from this Panasonic’s remote control; 1. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Home Theater Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Highlights - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Overview - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Special Features2. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Special Features - PT-AE7000 Lens Memory and Lens Features - How Lens Memory sets up3. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Competitors - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Competitors - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Epson Home Cinema 8700UB - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Optoma HD8300 - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Sony VPL-HW30ES - Panasonic PT-AE7000 vs. Sharp XV-Z17000 - Panasonic PT-AE4000 vs. Panasonic PT-AE70004. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Physical Tour - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Appearance - PT-AE7000 Control Panel - PT-AE7000 Projector - Input/Output - PT-AE7000 Menus5. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Projector Screens - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Screen Recommendations - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Projector Screen - Cave / Home Theater - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Projector Screen - Family Room6. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Out of the Box Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Flesh Tones - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Black Levels & Shadow Detail - Shadow Detail Performance - Shadow Detail Performance7. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector – Warranty - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - Warranty8. Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Color Temperature - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Color Temperature - PT-AE7000 Greyscale Calibration - PT-AE7000 RGB Settings9. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector - The Bottom Line - The Very Bottom Line on the PT-AE7000 projector: - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector: Pros - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Projector: Cons10. Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Overall Color & Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Overall Color & Picture Quality - Post Calibration: Best Mode = REC 709 - Post Calibration: Brightest Mode = Dynamic - 3D Brightness of the Panasonic PT-AE7000 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Dynamic mode): - PT-AE7000 Eco-Mode vs. Full Power - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Pre-Calibration Color temp, Cinema Mode: - PT-AE7000, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709) - PT-AE7000, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709) - Panasonic PT-AE7000 3D Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Bottom Line Brightness - Panasonic PT-AE7000 Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise11. Panasonic PT-AE7000U Projector Specifications Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Competitors Panasonic PT-AE7000 – Projector Screens