Panasonic FullHD Projector

FullHD has gone mainstream. So it has been just about time to find a partner for the Sony PlayStation 3. I have to admit the PS3 does not show any signs of physical or mental fatigue. It is still as beautiful and as jaw-dropping as on the day one in May 2007. The idea of setting a living room multimedia hub around the PS3 proved to be right. In tandem with the ReadyNAS, the PS3 is used very frequently to play and replay digital photos and DVDs. It also perfectly serves time-shifted recordings originating from the Drambox, the Linux - based satellite receiver. And it upscales standard movies to HD resolution. And yes, it plays Blue-Ray discs too. And... it is a game console.

So, the perfect multimedia hub needs a perfect display. I was looking for something of a decent size (say 80 inch diagonal), that does not clutter the wall. So a projector was the default choice. And FullHD (1920x1080 native resolution) was the key requirement, as I did not want to lose any detail from the pin - sharp pictures I have stored on the NAS server. Therefore I passed by several very interesting offerings, namely the Hitachi CPA-100 ultra-short-throw gizmo and the Nikko R2D2. Both of them are brilliant and both offer excellent alternatives to hanging an ugly box in the middle of the ceiling. But they are "just" XGA (1024x768) and therefore have not passed my criteria.

Restricting my list of potential targets to true FullHD devices, the Panasonic PT-AE2000 made it to the top, because of several unique features:

• Incredible contrast ratio of 1:16000 delivering real black darkness (even on a white pearl silver screen)
• 22db of fan silence. You can even hear a ticking clock when the projector is turned on.
• Very wide range of lens shift. Lens shifting allows setting the projector away from the central axis of the projected image. Like in a room corner or high on the ceiling, while the projected image may be just where you expect it to be. For details on this feature please see the Panasonic throw distance calculator.

After several days it really seems the Panasonic (PT-AE2000) is the perfect party for the Sony (PlayStation 3). It may sound strange at first glance, but... you know... opposites attract :). And if you feel 1:16000 contrast ratio is not enough, watch the PT-AE3000 coming out next month...