This is where the metal meets the meat... where Panasonic shows us exactly how well this projector can handle real images with color, detail and dark scenes. I wanted to start off by testing some games and then move to HDTV and movies. At this price point the PT-AX200U is a no-brainer for gaming, but it also seems to be targeted for an all-in-one projector for all your home theater needs as well.

advertisement

Xbox 360: Halo3
Halo3 put the Xbox back on top of the gaming war... well, for a couple of days at least... In any case, this first person shooter is most known for its online multi-player game play. I am always a fan of good story lines, of which this game has a meager one. In any case, the graphics are a giant step forward for the franchise and there is plenty of test fodder for the new gaming mode of the PT-AX200U to try out. The cut scenes are incredible, with many areas just thanking me for giving them a gamma mode whereby darker areas of the action can be seen. There are a lot of details in a console experience that get completely lost when you don't calibrate the display to the characteristics of a typical Action or FPS game. The Panasonic seems to take care of this for you, bringing out detail that you simply would have assumed wasn't there. My favorite was rock and cave wall detail as well as the lower areas of the forest where plants emerged from the bottoms of trees.

Playstation3: Warhawk
Warhawk is a fun game that entertains, but doesn't necessarily take advantage of the greatest photorealistic aspects of the PS3. Textures are realistic, but something is just “wrong” with the lighting – casting you as a player into a more surreal experience rather than pulling you into a world where you feel as if you are part of the action. I loved the dogfights and experiencing the beautiful reveals as distant land objects appeared through cloud cover as I approached. Atmosphere effects were pretty good overall and the PT-AX200U revealed everything in its power. Even way in the distance, the projector put forth detail in the leaves of trees and textures became more and more detailed as your character moved across the grassy turf towards hangers filled with vehicles. I realize one big advantage of the Panasonic is in its reduced lag time, however I simply didn't have the gaming prowess to determine if the Game mode helped in a practical way in this area. I spent more time appreciating the default picture settings it provided.

HDTV: College and NFL Football (1080i)
I know the PT-AX200U is targeted towards the gaming community, but what about real games... I'm talking football – which is a staple down here in central Florida. If you don't have a home team, you better pick one quick – and it better be the Gators (you Seminole and USF fans can argue all you want). I figured I'd queue up some Gator college ball as well as some Tampa Bay NFL action on my 100-inch screen. On the first NFL picture I show, check out the grass and texture detail on the close-up of the football. The cable company sends a compressed HD signal with overblown white levels, so it's often difficult to get a nice screen capture, but the key is to look for one of the better cameras. On any given game there will be 2-3 really good cameras with the super-expensive lenses. Don't get me wrong, the rest of the cameras are certainly not cheap, but there are a couple that are out of this world. When those shots come on the screen, you just know it.

HD DVD: Eagles Farewell I Tour:Live from Melbourne
This disc is by no means all about the video, but it does render some intense shadow detail as well as a lot of skin, hair and clothing textures which served as pretty good fodder for my evaluation of this projector. Glenn Fry's face showed that even in high definition he still looks great after all these years. Note the strings on the guitar – there were no problems when converting this 1080p 24 source signal to the native 720p/60 projector resolution. In checking the band's lighting on stage, I saw only smooth gradations of the spots, no banding or other artifacts seemed to be present. This projector had a very smooth grayscale response.

Conclusion

This projector has a retail of under $2000 and a street price of less than $1,300. At that price it's hard to criticize anything at all, let alone try and find something on this well-rounded projector. The only thing that is a real sticking point – and it's a big one – is whether the Panasonic has inherent HDCP issues that need more testing. I encountered some on my system and no other projectors before or since did the same – that tells me that a certain percentage of people may have similar issues. HDCP-issues aside, this is one fantastic projector. Initial “out-of-the-box” measurements were above average and certainly acceptable. Colors are vivid, detail is sharp and accurate and the lens shift and zoom functions make this one of the easiest projectors to install.

Panasonic PT-AX200U LCD Projector

MSRP: $1,999

Panasonic Corporation of North America
One Panasonic Way
Secaucus, NJ 07094
www.panasonic.com

About Panasonic
Best known by its Panasonic brand name, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of US$81.44 billion for the year ended March 31, 2005. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, New York (NYSE:MC), Euronext Amsterdam and Frankfurt stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.co.jp/global/index.html.