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November 2004 Shoot-Out

Our Projector Experts see many of the projectors we sell in action, and are often able to compare projectors in a head-to-head "shoot-out." Projector People takes you inside the demo room, with a look at our latest shoot-outs including feedback from the Projector Experts.

Signal sources were the Bravo D2 DVD player and the JVC SR-VD400U D-VHS player.

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BenQ PE8700+ vs. Panasonic PT-AE700U

Click for larger image, and to learn which image is from which projector.

PE8700+ left / PT-AE700U right
Images are 'out-of-the-box' with only minor tweaking.
Different monitors will display colors differently
Click for larger image

BenQ PE8700+

[ WXGA-H (1280 x 720), 1000 lumens, 2500:1 contrast ratio ]

The BenQ PE8700+ showed the greatest visible improvement when switching from a 480 progressive scan signal from a progressive scan DVD player to high-definition signals from our HD source. It also came the closest to proper calibration straight out of the box. It very fast and easy to setup, and had minimal fan noise. The blacks were very dark, and in some cases lost some detail in very dark scenes.

Quotes from the Experts

The (BenQ PE8700+) was the most 'cinema-like' image of all the projectors we saw today.
The blacks are VERY black on this projector, but it lacked some of the shadow detail.

Panasonic PT-AE700U

[ WXGA-H (1280 x 720), 1000 lumens, 2000:1 contrast ]

The new Panasonic PT-AE700U was very quiet, even in regular lamp mode. The improved contrast was noticeable, producing rich, deep blacks, while still maintaining accurate color. The picture appeared artifact free, with no noticeable noise anywhere in the image. It displayed progressive DVD nicely, it also showed an even better picture when displaying an HD source. The PT-AE-700Us lens shift was easy to use, and reduced a great deal of effort from the process. We were able to get the picture where it needed to be quickly and easily.

Quotes from the Experts

The quietest Projector is the (Panasonic PT-AE700U). LCD's are closing the gap on the smooth image that DLPs ™ have been known for.
The contrast is really noticeable on this projector. It looks phenomenal.

Additional Notes:

Because the PT-AE700U has a center-lens throw, as opposed to the off-center throw from the other three projectors displayed, Lens Shift was used to make a comparably placed image on the AE700U. Although some argue that lens shift may create a slight distortion of the image because the optimal portion of the lens is not used, there was no visible distortion of the image during our shootout.


Panasonic PT-L500U vs. InFocus ScreenPlay 5000

Click for larger image, and to learn which image is from which projector.

PT-L500U left / ScreenPlay 5000 right
Images are 'out-of-the-box' with only minor tweaking.
Different monitors will display colors differently.
Click for larger image

Panasonic PT-L500U

[ WXGA-H (1280 x 720), 850 lumens, 1300:1 contrast ]

Like the PT-AE700U, the Panasonic PT-L500U was very quiet even in regular lamp mode. The image looked good with both a progressive scan (480p) DVD and from our HD source. Contrast is good, and colors looked true and accurate. Minimal artifacts were visible in the picture.

Quotes from the Experts

The (Panasonic PT-L500U) gets you a lot for your money.
It holds its own with the more expensive units. Great projector for the price.

InFocus ScreenPlay 5000

[ WXGA-H (1280 x 720), 1100 lumens, 1200:1 contrast ]

The InFocus ScreenPlay was the brightest of the machines we looked at. It required some additional calibration to get it looking right, but once adjusted produced a nice looking image.

Quotes from the Experts

I like a nice bright image, even in a dark room. The whites were whitest on the (InFocus) SP5000.