The Panasonic PT-AE4000U is a $1,999 projector which was announced a few months ago. The system doesn’t come with new and interesting technologies, but it contains some of the best features which already exist, in an affordable package. The imagine quality is above average and the build quality of the projector will please even the most demanding customer. At a native resolution of 1920×1080, this HD projector offers high quality images and a lot of features which can enhance the experience even more.

Design
There isn’t much to say about the design of this projector. The unit is a simple black rectangular box and the lens is placed in the middle of the chassis. You won’t notice any curves or special design elements, except the protruding lines from the front panel.

Setting up the Panasonic PT-AE4000U and features
The unit weights 16.1 pounds, so finding a shelf which can sustain it shouldn’t be difficult. You can place it anywhere between 11 and 24 feet from the screen if you want to get a 120” image. As for the height, you can choose between placing it close to the floor and use the 100% vertical adjustment feature or close to your ceiling and take advantage of the 40% horizontal adjustment capability. If you plan on placing the projector in a place which isn’t accessible, you should plug in the connections first. There are three HDMI inputs, so you can connect all of your sources at once. When you turn on the projector, it will detect the working source automatically through the auto input search feature. A remote control will be provided in the package. It has some adjustable buttons so you can personalize it in any way you wish.

Red elements are usually a problem with most lamps, but this isn’t the case for the Panasonic PT-AE4000U. Panasonic managed to create a lamp which can increase the red levels up to 50% and the effect is more than noticeable. When compared to most projectors on the market, the colors offered by this system seem to stand out just enough to grab your attention, but not in a disturbing way.

The high 100,000:1 contrast is definitely a plus and only a handful or projectors can offer better performance in this department. The contrast is perfect for those night scenes which are usually hard to understand. The technology used for offering perfect contrast is called Pure Contrast Plate and it comes with the side effect of increasing image sharpness. Deeper blacks are present thanks to the vertically aligned liquid crystals contained by the inorganic panels.

The maximum lumen rating is 1600, which isn’t great compared to other system. However, there are some improvements in Cinema mode. While most projectors revolve around 400 lumens when watching a movie, this one can reach 600 in certain situations. This improvement is also present in any other viewing mode, but it is most obvious in Cinema 1 mode.

If you want to use this system in eco-mode, you should know that the light output will be reduced by up to 32%. This shouldn’t be a problem if the viewing room is completely dark. The eco mode will reduce the noise to 22dB, which is perfect because it won’t distract your attention during those silent, dramatic scenes.

The improved color accuracy is perfect in Cinema 1 mode since it offers great balance, at 6500K. Improving the image quality even more is possible thanks to the Detail Clarity Processor 3. This technology comes with 7 adjustable levels. Switching between these levels can improve the imagine quality drastically.

The PT-AE4000U will offer clear imagine straight out of the box. More experienced users will want to adjust some of the settings themselves and there are many adjustments that can be made. The R, G, B and Y levels can be independently adjusted, you can connect the system to your curtains or screen through the programmable 12 volt triggers or you can take a look at different clarity levels.

Some projectors can be affected by dust. This is not the case with the PT-AE4000U, since the LCD panels are sealed, so no dust particle should get anywhere near them. The air filter needs to be cleaned every 100 hours, but this is a simple task and it shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.

This projector is also recommended for gaming. Not many systems can deliver the frame rate necessary for most of today’s games, but this one can. The frame response can be switched between normal and fast and the latter option will set a frame delay of only 1.5 frames, which is great for a projector.

Pros and Cons
One of the best additions to the Panasonic PT-AE4000U is the on-board wave form monitor. This feature is usually available on expensive projectors and it can be a great tool for calibration. If you combine this with Split screen calibration, you will definitely get the best out of this system. This second feature will show you exactly what happens when you make some adjustments by separating the screen in two, like a before and after picture. When you see an improvement, you just have to confirm your changes and enjoy the result. In ideal conditions, the PT- AE4000U can offer great image on a 150” screen.

On the downside, you will have some problems with focusing the image. If you have a clear place for the projector and you don’t plan on adjusting the distance between it and the screen, you will only have to deal with focusing once. The lack of fine tuning in this department is a problem and it will take you some time to find just the right setting. After you do, you won’t have to worry about it.

The two year warranty is a good deal for most users, but if you plan on using the projector more than 5 hours per day, you will reach the 2000 hour limit in just one year and your warranty will be void after this period. This will be a disadvantage to some.

Conclusion
The PT-AE4000U doesn’t come with impressive new technologies, but it contains most of the features which are usually present on high end projectors. Various features were implemented for the calibration alone, native 1080p resolution will ensure high video quality and the powerful lamp will offer a large screen size. This impressive package comes at the price of $1,999, which might be a great deal for those who want a versatile home cinema system. There are some features which could have been improved, but most people will be satisfied with this product.