Panasonic PT-AX200U First Look

[admin]

Panasonic unveiled its new PT-AX200U LCD 720p home theater projector which is designed to target gamers. Tom Taylor, or Tsquared as he's known in the Major League Gaming community, was on-hand to demonstrate just how the PT-AX200U aids in removing game lack associated with online play. The system boosts speed by 3x (though it wasn't expressed exactly how this functioned) in an effort to lower game lag - something Tom is very familiar with. According to him, the lag was all but gone and the system made gaming much more enjoyable. An Xbox 360 was on hand to allow attendees to play him head-to-head... Taylor was gracious and only made a partial fool out of us as he gave us tips to avoid having him walk up behind us, tap us on the shoulder, and frag us...

Discuss "Panasonic PT-AX200U First Look" here. Read the article.

 

[Wafflesomd]

If they wanted it marketed towards gamers, they would've made it cheaper.

 

[chas_w]

If they wanted it marketed towards gamers, they would've made it cheaper.

It looks like it's coming in a little cheaper than estimated in the article.

 

[TVJon]

Release details?

Okay, it's almost October. Anyone heard any details about release date, etc? I'd also like to learn how this compares to the Mits 1500. (I'd say 3100, but we're never going to see that one in the states, apparently.)

TVJon

 

[Audioholics]

We're getting ready to receive a unit for review...

 

[naisphoo]

Please what's with that xbox free promotion....33% failure rate isn't enough?! this is supposed to be an article about the panny not the fried box!

 

[chas_w]

Okay, it's almost October. Anyone heard any details about release date, etc?

I believe it was released last Thursday.

 

[TVJon]

Really. I can hardly wait to read Clint's review.

 

[chas_w]

There are several AX-200 threads going at the AVS Forum.

 

[TVJon]

Thanks. I checked those out and read an absolutely glowing review of this PJ on a site focused on projectors. Sounds like a winner.

TVJon

 

[Audioholics]

The unit is in - starting the review now...

 

[gbenfield]

I'm counting on a positive review... since it is the projector I'll be installing in the owner of my companies theater in his new house!

 

[fountboy]

I am looking for a projector to put into my living room HT to compliment a 50" plasma. Ambient light will be an issue during the day if I am not using the plasma so I have looked at the AX200. What is the difference between the 100 and 200, they both have the same lumens and contrast.

Gaming will probably be 10% of use, the majority will be TV, HDTV, and DVD's. Are there any other projectors at $1200 or less?

 

[Tarub]

What is the difference between the 100 and 200, they both have the same lumens and contrast.

From PC Review of the AX200::
_________________________-
The AX200U incorporates several improvements over the AX100U. One more HDMI input has been added to the connection panel, so the AX200 has two HDMI inputs in addition to the complement of traditional VGA, component, S-video, and composite video jacks. The auto iris has been redesigned for longer life and faster action. And the Light Harmonizer has been improved, and is being promoted as the Light Harmonizer 2. In the AX100, the Light Harmonizer adjusted gamma to compensate for changing ambient light conditions. In this system, not only is gamma adjusted when ambient light conditions change, but lamp output and sharpness settings are automatically adjusted as well.

In addition, the AX200 has a preprogrammed Game Mode, which adjusts gamma and brightness to open up shadow details in video games that would otherwise be too dark. So with the AX200U, it is easy to switch back and forth from the Cinema to Game Modes based on the material you are watching, without having to go into the menus to do brightness and gamma recalibrations. An additional feature of Game Mode is that it reduces buffer time to give the gamer an almost instantaneous video image and thus better control.

The price of 100 was $1999 when it first came out, the 200 is $1299.

 

[majorloser]

The unit is in - starting the review now...

And the verdict is...............

 

[chrisw1]

I just received mine, but won't get around to hooking it up until next week. Just wanted to let people know about the 2 year warrantee. The one included in the box is still the standard 1 year. You must go to Panasonic's web site and print out and complete a claim form to get the additional year. Also, while you may get another year the projector time still must be under 2,000 hours (same as the one year).

Here's the link for the claim form:

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vRebateDetail?storeId=15001&catalogId=13151&collateralId=335888

Updated:
The claim form at PP has the life time at 4,000 hours:
http://www.projectorpeople.com/SLIS/downloads/rebates/Panasonic/PANPTAX200U_warranty_103107.pdf

 

[Tarub]

And the verdict is...............

I'm think we will have a hung jury.

 

[TVJon]

I'll still be interested in the review, but I've seen enough good ones to give it a shot. I figure seeing this PJ hanging in my unfinished media room will be good incentive to keep going. Kind of like a carrot on a stick.

For now, I'm watching dvds on a green/gray wall. Surprisingly, they look pretty good. On the plus side, I can experiment with screen size now before I make my choice. I have a feeling "as big as possible" will be my answer!

TVJon