It’s pretty difficult to talk about a brand such as Panasonic without having to move the discussion into the projectors area. At the time when the first HD models appeared, Panasonic was still selling SXGA models but since 2001, their projector line suffered a number of serious changes.



As a result, the PT-AE1000U line, launched back in September 2006, was the first ever to feature three updated LCD panels capable of outputting genuine 1080p HD content. The projectors also come with a very efficient noise reduction system capable of outputting a crisp clear image even at low light output levels.



The lens system plays a key role in getting the best images possible from full-HD video sources. And this is exactly the reason why Panasonic engineers have developed a full-HD-compatible lens unit comprising 16 lens elements in 12 groups, including two large-diameter aspherical lenses and two high-performance ED (extralow dispersion) lenses.



Furthermore, they've also developed a "Clear Prism" to process the three primary colors (red, green and blue) that create the image. By controlling the diffused reflection within the projector, the Clear Prism reduces the chromatic aberrations that can cause color deviation.



A Dynamic Iris helps provide deeper, richer blacks. The system works by analyzing histograms to determine the brightness level of each image, then adjusting the lamp power, iris and gamma curve accordingly to create the ideal image. The adjustments are made 60 times every second.



The PT-AE1000U also features Panasonic's Cinema Works Pro image processing engine, which provides such improvements as a 14-Bit digital processing circuit, MPEG noise reduction, progressive cinema scan (3/2 Pulldown) and HD IP, as well as dynamic sharpness control.



Additionally, the projector features seven preset picture modes, a waveform monitor, an user equalizing function, as well as a 2x optical power zoom/focus lens and a lens shift function, which make it possible to project a 120-inch picture from as close as 11 feet 10 inches (3.6m) to the screen or as far as 23 feet 7 inches (7.2m) away.



The projector has been equipped with the most common connectivity interfaces, namely video, S-video and computer (RGB) terminals, as well as 2 HDMI ports (for connecting to HD signal sources) and an RS232C serial port.



The current incarnation of the PT-AE1000U series, namely the PT-AE1000U-EC model, retails for around 6,000 US dollars, which is a relatively fitting price, taking into account the features and specs this thing has to offer.