Panasonic PT-AX200U projector, Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities

Posted on October 27, 2007 By Art Feierman

Panasonic PT-AX200U projector, Pros, Cons, and Typical Capabilities

Panasonic PT-AX200U Projector: Pros

Brightest home theater projector around, over 2000 lumens at brightest
Very bright in best movie mode, as well
Very good at revealing shadow details
Significantly lower starting price ($1299) than its predecessor, the PT-AX100U
Vertical and Horizontal lens shift for placement flexibility
2:1 zoom lens for great placement flexibility
Film-like picture quality and excellent skin tone handling
No screendoor effect or visible pixels, thanks to Smooth Screen technology
Great little remote control
Good documentation overall
Eight user savable memory settings
Gaming mode truly optimized for today’s games and game machines
Multiple movie modes, multiple modes for TV, HDTV, and Sports
Light Harmonizer will adjust projector image based on room lighting
Two HDMI inputs
Overall good color management
Only minor adjustments needed to produce excellent color accuracy
Excellent Price/Performance and Value

Panasonic PT-AX200U Projector: Cons

A slightly soft image (sharpness)
Needs minor color adjustments, out of the box
Black levels could be a bit better
Warranty is only 1 year parts and labor
Although quieter than average, not as quiet as the quietest LCD projectors in its class

Panasonic PT-AX200U Projector: Typical Capabilities

About average noise levels (or a little quieter) than most 720p projectors
Menu layout
Physical styling (or lack thereof – it’s a white box, with only small concessions to styling)
Lamp life, in full power mode (2000 hours)

Panasonic PT-AX200U Summary

Perfectionists may choose another projector in the general price range, especially those focused heavily on black level performance, but for the rest of us, the PT-AX200U, is going to be a serious contender. Of course, a number of competitors cost less, with 720p projectors these days, starting under $700 street price, and with several under $1000. Still, unless your budget is tight enough that you are uncomfortable with the PT-AX200U’s price, it will be hard to pass on.

Few will object to having the brightest projector in its class. Picture quality is overall, very good, and “unobtrusive”. Movies, general HDTV (and TV), and sports programming (especially HDTV), all are a pleasure to watch.

I have no doubt that I will end up recommending the PT-AX200U to more people than any other 720p projector, even though, I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist. The Panasonic PT-AX200U home theater projector, may be a bit of a compromise in a few areas, but it excels in others, and the bottom line is an excellent price performance proposition.

Translating that into English, the PT-AX200U is a great deal.