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Author
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Topic: Of Panny's and GS1200'S
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted May 24, 2006 09:52 AM
We have all heard the saying 'absence makes the heart grow fonder', well I'm kind of in that sitaution right now. You see, my Panny AE700 VP crapped out about 3 weeks ago, and I have had to send it to Kansas City for repair, as there is only one place in the whole of the USA that can service it! Fortunately the GS1200 has been able to fill the 'Big Screen' bill, but I really miss that Panny and being able to watch great movies almost every night of the week on that big 106 ins screen. Going back to watching DVD's on my 36 ins Sony just does not hack it at all.
Of course this situation is the bane of modern electronics. You can't fix them yourself, and unless you are still under warranty, you are probably better off throwing out anything more than 3 years old rather than getting it repaired ( in fact the latest issue of 'Consumers Reports' recommends doing just that). So in the VP world there are no Kev's or Bill Parsons around to help you fix that machine- you are on your own. You either pay through the nose to get it repaired or throw it away and buy a new one. This experience gives me new respect for my trusty Eumigs and Elmo's which will probably still be running like new 50 years from now, when my plastic VP has long been dead and buried! But I also realize that I can't live without my Panny either!
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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj
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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted May 25, 2006 05:37 AM
Paul, bad news indeed; hope it gets sorted soon.
At the risk of taking this thread a bit off topic, I have been using a DLP projector for about six years now and it has performed very well indeed.
I'm thinking about a new projector like the Panasonic as the price and performance seems so attractive, but the reason I went for DLP is that I tried an LCD projector and it had so many picture problems it drove me nuts and I couldn't live with it (at the time it was meant to be one of the best ![[Frown]](frown.gif) ).
In all honesty, Paul, although the Panny will certainly give me much better resolution, contrast and colour than my older machine, does it suffer from any pixel failure, or more annoying "dust ingression", where dust gets inside and stuck to the LCD panels, causing slight shadows or marks on white images and light grey marks on deep blacks. My first LCD was a nighmare in this respect and it really put me off LCD.
I'd like to know your opinion because I'm sure a brand new projector looks great if I was to go and see a demo of one, but you have the benefit of having used it for some time which is the real test (erm, aside from the fact it has packed up altogether ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) which we'll ignore for now!).
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted May 25, 2006 09:18 AM
Hi Rob,
I agree totally with Jean-Marc. I have had my Panny 700 for 18 months and it has performed flawlessly during that time. No vertical banding, no dead pixels, no dust, and zero screen door effect even 6ins away from the screen. The performance of the Panny 700 is awesome, stunningly sharp picture, great contrast, and deep rich color saturation. It really looks like your local cinema. Mine failed suddenly at 1000 hrs, and I do not believe it is the lamp, which is the most common failure mode. Right now I'm looking on the bright side and hoping Panasonic will be able to fix the unit like new, although I certainly would not object to John's thought about getting a new AE900 unit back instead! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Bottom line, I have nothing but the utmost praise for the Panasonic PT-AE700, it is a movie lovers dream machine at a very reasonable price. If you get it , you will love it. Remember, todays LCD projectors are light years ahead of those made just 3 or 4 years ago, and are every bit as good or better than current DLP machines, with no risk of the dreaded DLP 'Rainbow' effect on you and your audience.
Panasonic Rules!!
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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj
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Graham Ritchie
Film God
Posts: 4001
From: New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted May 26, 2006 08:24 PM
Hi Paul
Sorry to read about your projector, it certainly highlights the life expectancy of V/P, as we are so used to film projectors that will last a lifetime. Its sometimes hard to adapt to the thinking that our latest plastic fantastic is worth little as soon as you walk out the store, and as you say 5yrs if you are lucky. I myself have a plastic fantastic, and cringe at the thought, that although 5yrs seems a way off when you buy it those years can pass so quickly. One positive thing though ,that due to the fall in sales of V/P in place of plasma T/V etc ,the price should fall further, so to write one off in the future wont be so expensive ,at least you have been wise enough to keep your film projectors, well all the best hope they manage to fix it soon.
Graham.
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Paul Adsett
Film God
Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted May 27, 2006 08:41 AM
Hi Rob,
Let me see, 1000 pounds is about $1,900 . The going rate for a brand new Panny AE900 in the USA IS $1,899.00, so that sounds about right, except you are talking about an AE700 which should be a lot less- I would think about $1,200.00 or 700 pounds. Another thing. Anything 'out of the box' should entitle you to a 25% discount, I don't care if it has only 6 hours on the lamp, it means a lot of people have been handling it and messing around with it. Second, Panasonic in the USA are giving a $400.00 mail in rebate, which brings the price of a NEW AE900 down to $1,499.00 or about 800 pounds. I would definately ask up front about a rebate from Panasonic and see if they are offering something similar in the UK, and also demand 25% off the new price for any open shelf item. Otherwise, tell the guy to get lost.
Incidentally, my AE700 came back from servicing yesterday and is running like new, and it was not a lamp failure.
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The best of all worlds- 8mm, super 8mm, 9.5mm, and HD Digital Projection,
Elmo GS1200 f1.0 2-blade
Eumig S938 Stereo f1.0 Ektar
Panasonic PT-AE4000U digital pj
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Rob Young.
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1633
From: Cheshire, U.K.
Registered: Dec 2003
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posted May 27, 2006 03:37 PM
Paul, glad to hear the problem is sorted.
The shop told me that the retail price here on the 900 was £1500, so £1000 seemed kind of reasonable at the time (just to clarify - the £1000 was the price for the ex-demo 900, I think I might have made it sound a bit confusing in my last post ).
They did also tell me that they could sell me a brand new one for £1200, so if you look at it like that then yes, you are right, the ex-demo one should really be a lot less.
Many thanks for your (and everyone's) comments, you have persuaded me that when the time comes I will probably go for the Panasonic 900 as opposed to another make, but I'm also glad I didn't rush into it as I think you are right, I can probably get one much cheaper.
It is good to know that there is such a good projector out there for sensible money and if I can pick one up for say, around £800 in the future, I would consider that an absolute bargain for the quality on offer.
I'll keep you posted as and when I replace my current DLP!
Thanks again ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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