Best Bang for Your Buck Projector: Panasonic AE-1000U

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Home theaters are becoming more popular as they come closer to mimicking the experience that you get in a real movie theatre. There are now 1080p high definition projectors out in the market that produce excellent images, today, we’re taking a look at the Panasonic AE-1000U.

The Panasonic AE-1000U is a 1080p LCD projector that has “full HD Hollywood quality” according to Panasonic. The AE-1000U can project on to screens as large as 200″ or as small as 40″. You also have a slew of ports: two Component, one composite video, one S-video, and two HDMI ports.

We tested the AE-1000U using a variety of components: Comcast high-definition TV, an Oppo DV-981HD upconverting DVD player, and an Apple MacBook with high-definition content loaded on the hard drive. Colors were vibrant, bright; image quality and black levels were superb as would be expected for a high-end home theater oriented projector. Be aware though, that you need to stay away from a high level of lighting as it will wash out the image. Low to medium lighting is okay.

The projector was also relatively quiet when in use. Overall, the AE-1000U is a great choice for a dedicated home theater room with low mood lighting. It isn’t cheap but it isn’t too expensive compared to other 1080p offerings. The Panasonic AE-1000U is available for $6000.

Pro

• Excellent image quality.
• Good color reproduction.
• Quiet operation.
• Lots of inputs.

Cons

• Shouldn’t be used in rooms with lots of lighting.

Final Verdict
5 out of 5 stars.