PT-DW7000 Build Quality and Features

Prepare to be amazed. It's certainly perplexing to some (OK, to me) why 3-chip DLP systems (like the Panasonic PT-DW7000U) haven't made more in-roads into the realm of consumer-attainable home theater. Perhaps it's artificial inflation of the technology in order to separate the true high-end from the home. Perhaps it's something far less sinister. In either case there is no denying that when you finally witness it, the effects are nothing short of mind-blowing. The Panasonic PT-DW7000U takes all of the rainbow-free advantages of a traditional 3-chip LCD system and combines it with the excellent black levels the DLP chip is known for. It does this, and fits it into the lightest 3-chip large venue package currently on the market. The results, to be brief, are quite stunning.

We were fortunate enough to be able to really handle one of these three chip DLP monsters during the Platform Florida art event here in Central Florida. The event, which included local artwork, dance, music and film, had a room dedicated to showing independent films from around the state, and particularly from Central Florida filmmakers. It was a great opportunity to show off the power of a high lumen output 3-chip DLP projection system for several reasons. First, the films would be held in a room with a wall of windows. Secondly, the event would begin in the daytime with full sun. Because of the nature of the room, ceiling height and budget allowances, there was simply no way to block the light that would be entering the room for the first two hours of the event. What we needed was a high lumen output system that could be placed in "torch" mode during the sunlight hours, and then be gradually optimized once the sun went down.

When the projector arrived it came in a large, sturdy road case. The shipping weight was around 100 pounds and I was never more thankful for wheels on a case before. This is not a toy and I don't foresee too many people picking up a product like this on a whim. Remember, we were using it for an event and it gave us a great opportunity to see "how the other half lives" in terms of high end home theater projectors. Reviewers, let alone consumers, simply don't get to handle a machine of this build quality too often. The projector comes without a lens, and for good reason. It's meant to use the correct lens which will fit your installation requirements. This is something you'll need to consider and Panasonic gives you plenty of choices. How many? Let's just say that there are six lenses and you can place this projector anywhere from 2 meters to 34 meters away and hit a 100-inch screen. Or you can position the projector to hit something as large as 600-inches. That's right, with the correct lend you can be 6.6 feet away, throw it over 111 feet and hit the same sized screen, or use all that lumen power to fill a humongously large image. Most will likely fall somewhere in between, but those are some excellent numbers to give you an idea of what is possible.

Installing the projector lens was simply a matter of removing the protective lens cover from the main unit, correctly aligning the lens with the projector body, inserting the lens, twisting it in place, and replacing the lens cover. It was frightening to think of how expensive the lens assembly was (about $3000 from most retailers), but everything went smoothly and the simple act of inserting the lens and twisting it until it locked took care of the mechanical and electrical connections that needed to be made.

Features & Overview

The Panasonic PT-DW7000U has a dual lamp system, capable of operating at 3000 (1 lamp) or 6000 lumens (2 lamps). This was perfect for our needs. We could begin the evening with 6000 lumens and both lamps cranking out in the Dynamic mode, then back down when the ambient light level dropped and we could eek out some serious contrast. Aside from the dual lamp system, the PT-DW7000U also offers a dynamic iris and dynamic gamma system. This gave us even more control and resulted in a nice gradual shift from daylight to nighttime. The attendees were treated to excellent quality video and were hardly aware that we were tuning the system behind the scenes as the night wore on. Of course, this simply speaks to the inherent flexibility and capabilities of the system - as most owners of this projector will have a more consistent location and environment with which to utilize its potential.

Inputs

On the side of the PT-DW7000U you'll find some serious pro connections. The main inputs are going to be RGBHV - which will also accept simple component video as well (YPbPr). We used a robust component cable from Cobalt Cables to which we then added RCA-to-BNC adapters. In my opinion, consumers and the industry should have stuck with BNC - it's a fantastically bullet-proof design, can be easily crimped onto RG6 and connects and disconnects easily (but only when you want it to!). There is no HDMI input on this projector by default. If you want digital video support, you'll need to spring for the optional DVI board (ET-MD75DV) which will run you around $1000. Either that or you'll need to bump up to a PT-DW10000U for $59,000 - but it comes with an auto-cleaning "robot" so that's cool...

The RGBHV inputs here support YCbCr (component video) signals up to 1080p/24/30

On the rear of the projector there is a control panel that duplicates most of the remote control functions. It provides direct access to the inputs, power controls (which are discrete), and has menu functions including directional arrow keys and an enter button. A LENS button activates the mode by which you can engage an electronic zoom, focus and lens shift. It is a nicely positioned panel and will allow you to control all of the projector functions in the event the remote control is misplaced.

We mentioned that the Panasonic had multiple lens options. We went with the 2.0-3.0 zoom ET-D75LE2 lens. What we didn't mention (until now) was that the PT-DW7000U also supports vertical and horizontal lens shift. Yes, it's hard to find more than vertical lens shift in high end single-ship DLP systems for home theater. Now I find that a 3DLP design from Panasonic has full vertical and horizontal shift - and it's motorized. The projector offers +/-30 horizontal shift and a +/-65% vertical shift. Unless you plan on really putting your projector somewhere strange, that's plenty to get your image right where it needs to be. While we don't recommend using it, the system also has a +/-40% digital keystone correction with the lens we were using.

It was fascinating to me to think that this system had a pair of 300W UHM lamps and didn't melt through the table onto the floor during the evening. In fact, the PT-DW7000U literally has a liquid cooling system to keep the heat directed away from the DMD mirrors from melting the inside of the projector. The theory is that you basically place the liquid so that it absorbs the reflected light energy that is directed away from the lens. This cooling liquid is then circulated and the system is able to consistently pull away the heat from the system.

The optical block is completely sealed off, keeping the potential for dust blobs to a minimum. When you build a projector intended for theatrical use (and those few high-end consumers who want the very best) you have to take all things into account. One of those things is bulb life. The last thing anyone needs in a commercial environment is for a projector to lose a bulb and bring down the movie. Panasonic addressed this in a couple ways. First, they have an optional long-life lamp that will run for 4000 hours. In single lamp operation mode, the PT-DW7000U can actually relay from one bulb to the next. That means that, practically, not theoretically, the projector can run non-stop 24 hours a day for 47 weeks without replacing the lamps. I don't know too many 24 hour movie houses, but this is an impressive feature nonetheless.

Let's stay on lamps for a bit here. Since the lamps are UHM, costs are kept to a minimum (though they aren't as cheap as the 150W lamps you find in consumer models). Average consumable cost for the 4000 hour extended life lamps is $700-800. There is a 2000 hour model, but the subtle price difference doesn't justify anyone purchasing it over the 4000 hour model. The thing I most liked however was that the bulb can be replaced without removing the projector from its mount. You simply remove the 7 screws holding on the rear panel, loosen the two fixing screws on each lamp unit and pull them out by their handles. Drop in the new lamps, replace the cover and you're good to go without ever having to remove it from its mount.

Remote Control

The remote for the PT-DW7000U isn't much to look at, but with a projector like this you are more apt to "set and forget" it than run around using the included remote. It certainly worked well enough from both behind and in front of the unit and we were able to quickly access the menu system and configure the system for our needs. The remote is backlit and has direct access controls for each of the inputs.