Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality 2 Posted on July 27, 2013 By Art Feierman 1. Panasonic PT-AR100U Home Theater Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Highlights - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Overview2. Panasonic PT-AR100U Special Features - PT-AR100U Projector - Typical Street Price, MSRP, and Value - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Game Mode and Gaming - PT-AR100U Dynamic Iris - PT-AR100U Projector 3D - Rather, The Lack of 3D3. Panasonic PT-AR100U Special Features 2 - PT-AR100U Frame Interpolation - FI - not CFI - Viera-Link - PT-AR100U Lamp Life - PT-AR100U Gaming Abilities4. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Physical Tour - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - Appearance - PT-AR100U Control Panel - PT-AR100U Projector - Input/Output5. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Physical Tour 2 - PT-AR100U Menus - Panasonic PT-AR100U Remote Control - Panasonic PT-AR100U Lens Throw - PT-AR100U Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens - Wide Screen6. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AR100U Out of the Box Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - Flesh Tones7. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality 2 - PT-AR100U Projector Black Level Peformance - Black Levels Comparison - Shadow Detail Comparison - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: PT-AR100U Projector - Bottom Line8. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality9. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality 2 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports, including 3D - General HDTV images10. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality 3 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports, and also 3D HDTV content11. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance - Panasonic PT-AR100U Brightness - Post Calibration: Best Mode = REC 709 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Dynamic mode):12. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 2 - PT-AR100U Eco-Mode vs. Full Power - Panasonic PT-AR100U Pre-Calibration Color temp, REC 709 Mode: - PT-AR100U, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709)13. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 3 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Sharpness - Sharpness Comparison Images - Detail Clarity Control14. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 4 - Panasonic PT-AR100U: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise15. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AR100U Color Temperature - Panasonic PT-AR100U Basic Settings - Panasonic PT-AR100U Post Calibration Grayscale - PT-AR100U Greyscale Calibration - PT-AR100U RGB Settings16. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Projector Screens - Panasonic PT-AR100U - projector screen - cave / home theater - Panasonic PT-AR100U - projector screen - family room17. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Competitors - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Mitsubishi HC4000 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. HD33 Projector - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Acer H9500BD18. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Competitors 2 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Epson Home Cinema 3010 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Epson Home Cinema 8350 - The Panny Compared to the Optoma HD20, Vivitek H1080D, and BenQ W120019. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Warranty20. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - The Bottom Line21. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Review Summary 2 - The Very Bottom Line on the PT-AR100U projector - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Pros - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Cons22. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Full Specifications PT-AR100U Projector Black Level PeformanceBlack levels are nothing to write home about on the Panasonic PT-AR100U, but then, that’s not surprising, on a just above “entry level” priced projector. If you do want really excellent black levels – consider finding one of last year’s Panasonic PT‑AE4000 projectors (it sold for about $2,000), or, the more expensive and new PT-AE7000, Panasonic’s top-of-the-line home theater projector which isn’t quite as bright, but has far superior black level performance, and by the way, is also 3D capable. I do not believe that at $999 you can find another projector that has substantially better blacks. Panasonic PT-AR100U: You can already see the letter box, and the blacks of space getting lighter. The dark black at top and bottom is screen, not screen frame, so that’s how much ambient light is hitting the screen. It is obviously not a factor in the raised blacks (dark grey) of the PT-AR100U projector. Black Levels ComparisonPT-AR100U ProjectorEpson Home Cinema 3010Epson Home Cinema 5010Panasonic PT-AE7000Sony HW-30ESOptoma HD8300Epson Home Cinema 8700UBOptoma HD33JVC DLA-HD250Runco LS10d BenQ W6000PreviousNext Epson Home Cinema 3010: Image is a good bit darker so letterboxes do not tell you much: Epson Home Cinema 5010: Dramatically better, look at “outer space”, and note how much darker it is on this much more expensive Epson. That’s OK, though, we use the 5010 as our reference for mid and lower priced projectors because of its blacks. Panasonic PT-AE7000: Sony HW-30ES: Optoma HD8300: Very nice, better than the Panasonic, about half way to the Epson Epson Home Cinema 8700UB ($2199), last year’s black level champ under $3,000: Optoma HD33 (lower cost, $1499 3D capable projector): Blacks are no match. JVC DLA-HD250: Now discontinued – No dynamic iris, but blacks roughly comparable to the Epson 5010 and 8700UB. Otherwise though, limited in features compared to the Epson (no 3D, no CFI, and half the brightness). Runco LS10d projector ($27,000+): This one is included to make the point, that a lot more money doesn’t mean any significant improvement in black levels. Think, instead that other things become more important. BenQ W6000, a “perennial favorite” now roughly $1500 DLP: Shadow Detail ComparisonPanasonic PT-AR100UEpson Home Cinema 3010Epson Home Cinema 5010Panasonic PT-AE7000Optoma HD33Epson Home Cinema 8700UBMitsubishi HC4000BenQ W6000Sony VPL-HW30ESPreviousNext Epson Home Cinema 3010: Epson’s lowest priced 3D projector, $1599, has better dark shadow detail, and also a slight advantage in blacks (note the woods on the right): Epson Home Cinema 5010: With the best blacks under $3000, the Epson really “pops” on this scene while the Panasonic seems flat. (And it easily does better than the Epson 3010 above.) Panasonic PT-AE7000: Far better at blacks, and even slightly better at shadow detail than its little brother, the PT-AR100U Optoma HD33: A bit more money, but a good 2D/3D, DLP projector, seems about comparable at both blacks and details Epson Home Cinema 8700UB: Still the black level champ of the projectors selling for around the Panasonic’s price or less, though only $2000. The better blacks definitely add some extra “pop and wow”, on these really dark scenes. Mitsubishi HC4000: Excellent lower cost DLP projector, but no dynamic iris for improving blacks, yet comparable to the Panasonic. BenQ W6000 (ultra high contrast, 2D): A direct competitor, and a very good DLP for a bit less. No 3D. Sony VPL-HW30ES: Really nice blacks, but like the Optoma HD8300, not quite up to the Epson, nor is its shadow detail Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: PT-AR100U Projector - Bottom LineTo summarize: Black level performance is fairly typical of lower cost entertainment projectors. Remember this projector is really destined for a family room, a living room, any kind of room you can throw at it that probably doesn’t have dark walls, dark ceilings, dark floors and full lighting control. This is a projector built to slug it out with some ambient sunlight sneaking into the room or having some lights on and so on. That means you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the darkest blacks as much as if the projector were in a dedicated home theater. That ambient light is going to dilute the blacks, raise all the levels up with those better projectors. Even though they would still have the slight advantage with some ambient light present, it really negates much of the reason for having an ultra high contrast projector, if the room can’t be property darkened. With that in mind, Panasonic passed our tests here in that there are no issues with either the black levels or the shadow detail performance. This projector performs in terms of those items exactly as one would expect it to in a partially lit family room, which is to say, “very nicely”. 1. Panasonic PT-AR100U Home Theater Projector Review - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Highlights - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Overview2. Panasonic PT-AR100U Special Features - PT-AR100U Projector - Typical Street Price, MSRP, and Value - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Game Mode and Gaming - PT-AR100U Dynamic Iris - PT-AR100U Projector 3D - Rather, The Lack of 3D3. Panasonic PT-AR100U Special Features 2 - PT-AR100U Frame Interpolation - FI - not CFI - Viera-Link - PT-AR100U Lamp Life - PT-AR100U Gaming Abilities4. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Physical Tour - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - Appearance - PT-AR100U Control Panel - PT-AR100U Projector - Input/Output5. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Physical Tour 2 - PT-AR100U Menus - Panasonic PT-AR100U Remote Control - Panasonic PT-AR100U Lens Throw - PT-AR100U Lens Shift - Anamorphic Lens - Wide Screen6. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality - Panasonic PT-AR100U Out of the Box Picture Quality - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - Flesh Tones7. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality 2 - PT-AR100U Projector Black Level Peformance - Black Levels Comparison - Shadow Detail Comparison - Black Level and Shadow Detail Performance: PT-AR100U Projector - Bottom Line8. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality9. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality 2 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Performance, HDTV and Sports, including 3D - General HDTV images10. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality 3 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Bottom Line on HDTV Sports, and also 3D HDTV content11. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance - Panasonic PT-AR100U Brightness - Post Calibration: Best Mode = REC 709 - Effect of zoom on lumen output (Dynamic mode):12. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 2 - PT-AR100U Eco-Mode vs. Full Power - Panasonic PT-AR100U Pre-Calibration Color temp, REC 709 Mode: - PT-AR100U, Post Calibration, Best Mode (REC 709)13. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 3 - Panasonic PT-AR100U Sharpness - Sharpness Comparison Images - Detail Clarity Control14. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Performance 4 - Panasonic PT-AR100U: Bottom Line Sharpness - Light Leakage - Image Noise - Audible Noise15. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector Calibration and Settings - Panasonic PT-AR100U Color Temperature - Panasonic PT-AR100U Basic Settings - Panasonic PT-AR100U Post Calibration Grayscale - PT-AR100U Greyscale Calibration - PT-AR100U RGB Settings16. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Projector Screens - Panasonic PT-AR100U - projector screen - cave / home theater - Panasonic PT-AR100U - projector screen - family room17. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Competitors - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Mitsubishi HC4000 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. HD33 Projector - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Acer H9500BD18. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Competitors 2 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Epson Home Cinema 3010 - Panasonic PT-AR100U vs. Epson Home Cinema 8350 - The Panny Compared to the Optoma HD20, Vivitek H1080D, and BenQ W120019. Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Warranty20. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Review Summary - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector - The Bottom Line21. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Review Summary 2 - The Very Bottom Line on the PT-AR100U projector - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Pros - Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector: Cons22. Panasonic PT-AR100U – Full Specifications Panasonic PT-AR100U Projector – Image Quality Panasonic PT-AR100U – Overall Color & Picture Quality