Panasonic PT-AE500

Throwing down the gauntlet

By Tony Davey

January 2004

Panasonic PT-AE500 LCD projector. $4999

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away there was a... wait, it wasn't that long ago and it was in my home theatre that I first demod a Panasonic projector, the PT-AE300. Fast forward only a few months and we have this new projector released from Panasonic, who continue to exert their dominance in this section of the home theatre projector market with the release of the PT-AE500.

Spicks and specs

The AE300 set a fairly high benchmark for home theatre projectors, it utilised Panasonic's "smooth screen" technology had a healthy 800:1 contrast ratio and was widely regarded as a great "budget" projector. The AE500 has (at least according to the specs) improved markedly on the AE300.

There are numerous similarities between the AE300 and AE500, aesthetically they are similar, with the same silver/mirrored look on the front (although the AE500 proudly boasts its Hi Def badge) and they have the same array of connections on the back (S Video, Composite Video, 15 pin VGA, RGB scart, Component video and DVI connector) and even the on screen display menu is similar. Replacement lamp cost is $599.

Resolution has increased from 960 x 540 pixels to 1280 x 720 to match 720P HDTV signals, if we ever get the chance to see it here (the AE300 had to down scale the signal). This increase in resolution is obvious in two areas.

First, screen door effect. The AE300 was all but absent from screen door unless you were specifically looking (hard) for it, with the AE500 it is even harder to spot and really is a non-issue for "normal" viewing. The second area to benefit from the increased resolution is with picture detail. The AE500 is able to portray copious amounts of picture detail on screen, including all the fine detail contained in Maximus's armor in Gladiator to the hieroglyphics inside the ancient tombs in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Contrast ratio is another area to get tweaked, up from a respectable 800:1 to a whopping 1300:1. Contrast ratio doesn't only mean "how black is black"; instead it is what gives pictures their life, their vibrancy and what helps bring the picture seemingly off the screen creating the holy grail of home theatre, 3D.

The increased contrast ratio is immediately obvious on the AE500, from the opening credits in Daredevil, with the camera panning through the city landscape, the buildings looked near black and had a real 3D effect to them through to the opening scenes in Raiders, where we are first introduced to Indiana Jones, there is a real sense of separation between Indy and the background scenery.

One tough scene for LCD projectors to display well is in Gladiator, where the Romans are celebrating after their victory in Germania, the tent is full of shadows and little light is provided by the fires. The AE500 did an admirable job at portraying the overall subdued atmosphere without losing any of the detail and character from within the tent and the grey murkiness present with my own projector was gone.

Through the R&D phase of the AE500, Panasonic employed the services of one of Hollywood's top colourists to fine tune the colour fidelity. My own memories of the AE300 are fond, but the AE500 was awesome with the visual dynamics bursting off the screen.

The desert scenes in Raiders were captured well, the sands of the desert were a light tinge of brown, not mud brown or Mars red, but a natural sand colour and the sky a vibrant light blue. When these were combined together with some shrubbery from the nearby river the AE500 seemingly had you actually in the desert rather than in a home theatre and immersed you further into the film.

Just when you thought that projectors had reached their peak "bang for the buck" level, Panasonic go and do this on us.

With its small and stylish finish, the Panasonic would suit most decors, from being ceiling mounted in a dedicated home theatre to being tucked away on a shelf in a modern apartment where the only sign of a home theatre is when the screen drops down from the ceiling and the AE500 bursts into life.

Without having an AE300 to do an A/B comparison, it is difficult to gauge "in real terms" how much the AE500 has improved over the already proven AE300. My gut feel is that the AE500 certainly has more visual impact than the AE300 and that picture details have increased further.

At a RRP of $4999, one thousand dollars less than the AE300 and now within close proximity to other projectors targeted at the same consumers, Panasonic have well and truly thrown down the gauntlet.