Panasonic PT-AE2000U Specifications page 7

side, our eyes kept gravitating toward the Z2000's remarkably filmlike picture. Standard definition
DVD clarity is one of the Z2000's most impressive attributes.
5. The AE2000 has powered zoom/focus, whereas on the Z2000 it is manual. Both have manual
lens shift. For those setting up their projectors in a fixed location and fitting the image to a 16:9
screen, the powered zoom/focus is handy, but it will not be used much after the projector is set up
and installed. So in this case it is a feature of marginal value. On the other hand, if you are setting
up a 4:3 screen and intend to zoom back and forth to fill both 16:9 and 4:3 material to the
maximum size the screen will allow, the powered zoom/focus is extremely helpful. Similarly, if you
plan to install a 2.35 Cinemascope screen, you can use the AE2000's powered zoom to increase
the size of a 2.35 movie to fill the screen, then zoom it back down to vertically fill the 2.35 screen
with 1.78 (16:9) material. You can accomplish the same thing with the Z2000 as well, but you
need to adjust the lens manually which means you need easy access to your projector. If your
projector is ceiling mounted, this becomes impractical.
6. If you want to install a 2.35 screen and maintain a constant image height system with the use
of an anamorphic lens, the AE2000 has the vertical stretch mode to accommodate this type of
lens while the Z2000 does not.
7. Both projectors will accept a 1080p/24 signal. The AE2000 displays 24 at a 96Hz refresh rate.
At this writing we do not know the refresh rate of the Z2000 with a 24 fps signal. However, as long
as it is a multiple of 24 Hz, it should make no difference perceptually since LCDs will maintain a
constant state until altered by new information from the next film frame. In actual practice, both
projectors deliver a noticeble reduction of judder in motion sequences when fed 1080p/24 as
compared to 1080p/60.
8. The AE2000 has an austere, dark industrial case design, whereas the Z2000's clean white
case will probably be more appealing to the eye for most consumers. My guess is that if you are a
man trying to sell your wife on installing a projector on the ceiling in the living room, she's
probably going to like the looks of the Z2000 more than the AE2000 (I might be wrong about this--
anticipating a woman's preferences has never been one of my strong suits). On the other hand, if
you are installing your projector in a bookcase on a rear wall, the dark complexion of the AE2000
will cause it to blend in and be less conspicuous as an element in the room.
9. The AE2000 has 16 user programmable pre-sets, while the Z2000 has seven. Both projectors
allow you to rename each of your calibrations for easy identification, rather than having to
remember them by number. However, in addition, the Sanyo Z2000 also lets you rename your
inputs, so instead of seeing "HDMI 1, HDMI 2, Component Video" in the menu, you can rename
them to appear as, say, "HD DVD, Playstation 3, DirecTV" or whatever sources you might have
hooked to those inputs. The AE2000 does not provide the ability to rename source inputs.
10. The AE2000 has some other features that the Z2000 does not. The split-screen calibration is
unique to the AE2000, as is an onboard waveform monitor that can be used to assist calibrations.
The AE2000 has three HDMI ports to the Z2000's two. And the AE2000's remote has some
universal capability that allows it to learn and control several devices in your theater, whereas the
Z2000 remote is more conventional.
Currently the Z2000 is priced at $2,195 after rebate, and the AE2000 is at $2,699. The Z2000's
low price includes a three-year warranty, and the AE2000 has a one-year warranty with a current
offer (at this moment in time) of an additional year for free. In our view, both projectors represent
extraordinary values. For those who have the extra cash, the AE2000 is worth the extra price in
terms of contrast, saturation, and lumen performance. But the Z2000 is an excellent value, and if
you are planning to watch a lot of standard definition DVD in your total mix of viewing material, its
exceptionally smooth image with this material is compelling indeed.