PT-AX100U Setup, Connections & Remote

Comparing the Panasonic PT-AX100U and the PT-AE900U Projectors

The biggest question that's got to be on people's minds is: " What's the difference between the two models? " Well, we asked the same question and set to work outlining a comparison of features once the unit arrived in-house for review. Here's a quick overview of differences:

Pictorially, this is what you're looking at:

PT-AE900U remote (left) and PT-AX100U remote (right)


PT-AE900U rear panel (left) and PT-AX100U rear panel (right)

PT-AE900U menu system (left) and slightly altered PT-AX100U menu system (right)

Basic Setup and Installation

The mounting and configuration process is no less complex or difficult than it was with last year's model. Lens shift takes a lot of worry out of the equation and Panasonic provides more than enough data on their website for you to be able to accurately place this product perfectly in your home theater. If you're shy on math you can follow the general placement guidelines of staying as close to the bottom/center of the screen (table mount) or top center of the screen (ceiling mount) as possible. For those considering the Panasonic PT-AX100U in their home theater room, take a look at the 16:9 throw chart (which hasn't changed from the prior model):

Throw Chart for Distancing the Projector from a 16:9 Projection Screen

We did our testing on a 100" Stewart Studiotek 130 screen. The results were exceptional and the amount of light coming from the screen as measured by our datacolor ColorFacts Professional software was more than enough for home theater minimum requirements.

We positioned the projector on our mobile projector stand about 6.5 feet off the ground and well within the lens shift capabilities of the unit. We always make sure that we are not close to the extremes of any lens shift adjustments to minimize lens distortion and to preserve the uniformity of the projected image.

We utilized HDMI cables (from DVIGear ) for the majority of our testing and also sent 480i signal to the Panasonic via component video (courtesy of Impact Acoustics ) from our reference Denon DVD-3930CI DVD player.

Like its predecessor, we recommend you set the Picture M ode to Cinema1, leave Dynamic Iris On , and set Lamp Power to Low. At this point you'll be in great shape to watch the unit in a light-controlled room. We'll get into the Light Harmonizer technology later during the technical evaluation period of the review.

Connections

The PT-AX100U, like the model it replaces, comes with a remote, batteries and power cord - no cables are provided. Should you have the desire, however, you can fill up a composite, s-video, HD M I-HDCP, RGB/HD15, and component video inputs (only one set this time) to your heart's content. A serial connector is provided which, with an 8-pin DIN to 9-pin D-SUB adapter (ET-ADSER) that is sold separately, allows you to connect the projector to an RS-232C-based control system. Custom installers can use the pinout diagram and basic control signal info which are conveniently provided in the user manual.

There is a lot of room on this projector for making connections. Panasonic opted to remove one set of component video inputs on this unit, no doubt as a way to reassign some of the product cost to other areas, like the dynamic gamma-correcting Light Harmonizer system and more powerful lamp system.

Remote Control

This would be the perfect remote (relax, there's more than one "perfect" remote) if it had some direct input selection controls for accessing component, HDMI, s-video, etc. Even without the direct inputs, the fact that it has a fully backlit control face and the menu/navigation system is well laid out make this a very functional remote. Gone is the "Exit" button, instead replaced by a more intuitive "Return" button. There are large "Theater Room" and "Living Room" buttons on the top of the remote as well as a "Favorite" button that recalls one of three saved Favorites display settings (think calibrated Day/Night modes or a black and white mode calibrated for ~5000K). The "Theater Room" button cycles through Cinema1 , Cinema2 , Video and Natural modes - while the "Living Room" button cycles through the much brighter Dynamic , Vivid Cinema and Normal modes. My favorite button on the remote ended up being the "Freeze" (frame) button that would freeze a full resolution image in screen for my camera to capture - helpful to say the least.