8. High Standards

• PT-AE900U LCD...
• • Electrified.com
  • $595.00

We ran our usual test patterns on the PTAE900U using the mostly the YUV and HDMI connections. Oddly, while the results were excellent in HDMI, some imperfections appeared using the YUV input. To check our results, we connected several DVD players, including the Denon 3910 and a Samsung 950HD, and still got the same result. So we switched to movies - like Gladiator, Star Wars III, and Monsters, Inc. - and the HDMI input was still noticeably better than the YUV. While in HDMI the image was quite stable, once we switched to YUV we could see halos around people and objects, and also sparkling on large masses of uniform color. These artifacts were much less visible in HDMI, though it did require a few adjustments. The upshot is that you won't be able to use this projector with just any DVD player, and you'll have to try not to feed it too much low-quality video, or you may see defects in the picture.

One strong point of the PTAE900U is the absence of screen-door effect, even when you're fairly close to the screen. Displaying an 8-foot image at a distance of 11.5', you won't see a single pixel on the screen as you do with even the best DLP units on the market. Overall, while the image is very satisfactory, it's still a little shy of what the other competitors we tested could deliver.

Characteristics

Technology: 3 0.7" LCD panels, 1280x720 Video Formats: 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1035i, 1080i PC Compatibility: max. 1280 x 1024 Brightness: 1,100 ANSI lumens Contrast ratio max. 5,500:1 Fan noise: 23 dB in economy mode Lamp life: 3,000 hours Price: $2,100 Guarantee: 2 years