Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Front projector question...

Is there a way to tell by the specs of a particular front projector whether it does or does not work better with ambient lighting?

Seems like I've been told the Panasonic projectors do better in darker room whereas the Epsons will work a little better in rooms with a little more ambient lighting. True or false?

Take paper specs with a grain of salt, especially contrast and brightness ratings. No way to tell IMO other than waiting for tests & reviews where actual measurements are taken.

Yes, typically the Epsons are capable of higher max output but contrast and colour will suffer. This is not unique to Epson though.

Yeah sure is see link depending on the throw distance, fl, screen gain, and zoom used as well as the PJ's over all ANSI lumens. Plug what you are looking for in the link and see what it gives you. The ultimate test is in your own room with the amount of light you wish to have on while viewing.

Projector Pro Calculator

Later
Phil

What panasonic and epson were you lookign at?

Phil I've been comparing the Panasonic PT-AE400U and the Epson PowerLite 8500UB.

Ohh the 8500UB is said to be a very nice unit I read the review here not too long ago I am sure you have too but here it is again.

8500UB Review

Shoot out between the two
Epson 8500UB vs Panny AE4000

I've pretty much narrowed it down between the 4000 and the 8500UB and right now I'm more and more leaning towards the Epson although it will be another month or so before I ultimately decide, I need to do an AVR upgrade as well.

Where would we be without the help of Projector Central!

Epson has a two year warranty Panasonic only warranties the projector for a total of 2000 hours (or two years, whichever comes first). As a result most fairly heavy users - all of us who watch TV, sports, and movies (gaming too), will run out of warranty before two years is up.

The Epson also supports anamorphic lens and has a lamp life of 4000hrs compared to no anamorphic lens support and a lamp life of 2000 hrs.

I've been checking that out Phil, also an acquaintance owns an older Epson and really likes it .... he was the person telling me that the Epson works a little better in a room with more ambient light. The room I'll be installing the projector in isn't a dedicated theater so at times a *little* ambient light may come into play, not much though.