Panasonic PT-AE3000, la relève arrive

Vendredi 29 Août

Panasonic PT-AE3000, la relève arrive
Par Richard Czapla

Cette semaine fut un peu folle en infos sur tous les nouveaux projecteurs de la rentrée qui risque d'être chargée ! Après Sony, Sanyo, Epson, Mitsubishi et Jvc, c'est en toute logique à Panasonic de dévoiler celui qui viendra remplacer le bon PT-AE2000.

Pas de surprise chez Pana, le successeur sera le PT-AE3000, un vidéoprojecteur 1080p intégrant les toutes dernières technologies du groupe dont certaines semblent plutôt intéressantes.

Outre un contraste dynamique de 60 000:1 et une luminosité de 1600 lumens, ce modèle proposera un traitement appelé 100Hz Motion Picture Pro frame creation (ouf!). Vous l'aurez compris à l'instar d'appareils de gamme largement supérieure ou de certains téléviseurs, le PT-AE3000 pourra proposer un signal de 100Hz à partir du 50Hz. Plus de précisions sont données dans les documents lisibles plus bas.
Il intègre aussi le processeur Detail Clarity 2 améliorant la netteté et apportant plus de naturel à l'image diffusée. Tout le menu a également été revu, encore plus de possibilités de réglages sont disponibles. Autre fonctionnalité, un mode permettant de convertir les images 4/3 ou 16/9 en 2.35:1. Cette dernière attise notre curiosité et nous sommes impatients de pouvoir l'essayer.

Disponibilité près de chez vous courant octobre pour un prix de 2990€

Bon, fini les textes, il est grand temps pour vous de découvrir ce nouveau projecteur en image avec les explications de panasonic sur chaque traitement.. bonne lecture ! (et accessoirement bon courage !)

To assure maximum clarity and sharpness in full-HD images, this advanced system employs a full-HD-optimized lens unit comprising 16 lens elements in 12 groups, including two large-diameter aspherical lenses and two high-performance ED (extra-low dispersion) lenses. Each lens is carefully aligned to assure a uniform focusing balance from the center to the edges of the screen. As a result, the PT-AE3000's stunningly beautiful images are clear and free of distortion and color bleeding.

	Large-diameter aspherical glass lens

Each lens is carefully aligned by highly skilled technicians.

The Pure Contrast Plates of the PT-AE3000 use a crystalline material that is carefully matched to the characteristics of the LCD panels to effectively block unwanted light leakage, forming an advanced type of optical compensator. This dramatically increases the dynamic range and, together with the dynamic iris, provides an outstanding contrast ratio of 60,000:1. The new optical system of the PT-AE3000 also produces a stunning brightness of 1,600 lumens to unleash the beauty of full-HD expression for viewing on various screen sizes.

While many LCD projectors suffer from a "chicken wire" effect, Panasonic's pursuit of the highest possible image quality has successfully overcome this device limitation through the incorporation of Smooth Screen technology, which uses the double refraction property of crystals to arrange pixels on a screen with no gaps between them. Smooth Screen technology is designed specifically to match the characteristics of the PT-AE3000's optical system, giving you the kind of smooth, vivid, and three-dimensional-like images you see in a movie theater.

PT-AE3000: Smooth,
theater- like images

Conventional: Black lines between pixels mar picture quality.

The optical filter optimizes the light spectrum from the UHM projector lamp, helping to produce deeper blacks while improving purity levels in the three primary colors (red, green and blue). This advanced filter system improves color purity to cover a range that extends from the HDTV standard (Color 1 mode)*¹ to the color gamut used in digital cinema*². This gives images the deep, rich coloring that distinguishes movie images.

*1 A setting that supports the 6,500K color temperature recommended in the HDTV standard (ITU-R BT.709)
*2 Specifications put forth by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) DC28 Digital Cinema committees.

Pure Color Filter Pro

The PT-AE3000's new full-HD LCD panels have a double-speed drive capability that improves the projection clarity of moving images. These high-precision panels use vertically aligned liquid crystal molecules with inorganic alignment layers. When no voltage is applied, the molecules are aligned perpendicular to the glass substrate, so there is no light leakage and the substrate remains black (called "normally black" operation), providing higher contrast.

Full-HD LCD Panels

The fifth generation intelligent iris 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 virtually frame by frame. This helps the projector achieve a wide dynamic range with swift smoothness for added beauty in both dark and bright scenes.

*3 Parameters for adjusting the output brightness gradation level according to the input signal.

High-precision iris mechanism

A newly evolved digital image processing circuit, called the Detail Clarity Processor 2, debuts in the PT-AE3000. After analyzing the frequency of the video signal in each scene and extracting information on the distribution of the super-high-, high- , medium-, and low-frequency image components, the new circuit optimizes the sharpness of each image portion based on the extracted information. This brings greater clarity and sharpness to details, by reproducing fine nuances that were lost due to image compression. The resulting images have a more natural, lifelike expression than those of previous image-processing methods. The detection of super-high-frequency image components also enables more faithful reproduction of highly detailed information, such as the film grain in movies.


Conventional sharpness control: Sharpness is applied uniformly, which can cause a halo or ring effect.	Detail Clarity Processor 2: Signal frequency is extracted realtime and necessary sharpness is applied at varying degrees for natural, life-like images.

The PT-AE3000 handles up to 16-bit (full 12-bit) digital image processing. It faithfully reproduces even subtle hues and brightness variations.

A double-speed display (120 Hz or 100 Hz) greatly improves the clarity of motion image display. Frame Creation interpolates one new frame for each existing frame by analyzing the characteristics of the two adjacent frames to reproduce sharp and clear images for fast moving scenes in sports and action movies. For 24p signal input, three frames are calculated and interpolated for each existing frame, to enable 4x speed (96-Hz) display.*

* Selectable from mode 1, mode 2 and off.

Motion is crisp and clear even for fast-moving images and panning scenes.

When the output level of the source device fluctuates due to the performance of the device or its cable connection, the original black and white levels of the image content cannot be reproduced. With the PT-AE3000 you can view the waveforms on the screen and adjust the settings both automatically and manually as you prefer.

The PT-AE3000 gives home consumers a projector with the kind of waveform monitor used in equipment for professionals.

You can also monitor the exact signal component that you want for the full screen or for any desired horizontal line. You can display the luminance (Y), red (R), green (G), or blue (B) component for the full screen, or for a single line. And you can adjust the levels for the full screen.
	All components for the full screen	Red component for the full screen

	Green component for the full screen	Blue component for the full screen

You can freeze any scene you wish, and then make adjustments while easily comparing the original image and the adjusted image side-by-side.

This is an innovative color correction system that enables free color control. You can adjust one color without affecting the neighboring colors, so it is easier to get just the right color equalization in hue, luminance and saturation.

The PT-AE3000 converts pixels according to the characteristics of the on-screen image and adjacent pixels. This not only improves image sharpness and reduces noise, it also helps create beautifully enlarged images from 480p sources, so you enjoy superb picture quality when viewing DVDs from your home collection.

This function reduces the time from when the video signal is first input until it is projected (referred to as frame delay) to approximately 1/3 that of our previous projectors. The projector can be switched from Normal mode to High-Speed mode. High-Speed mode is recommended for video game use.

3D Noise Reduction
3D Noise Reduction circuit intelligently detects and removes unwanted noise without adversely affecting fine details. This achieves clear, low-noise images from all types of input sources and scene types.

MPEG Noise Reduction
This system detects the amount of change in the input signal from one scene to the next and calculates the amount of noise to remove accordingly, minimizing both block noise and mosquito noise.

Direct playback of 24 fps (frames per second) progressive video signals suppresses noise and optimizes the natural film quality of movies.

This automatically detects when the DCI input signal is derived from filmed material. HD IP enables the PT-AE3000 to convert signals recorded at a higher quality than was possible with conventional models.

The PT-AE3000 has seven preset picture modes, making it easy for you to enjoy optimal viewing quality from a variety of image sources. Choose whichever mode provides the picture characteristics best suited to the source material.

Cinema 1 *	A soft, smooth picture ideal for movies. Created under the supervision of Hollywood specialists.
Cinema 2 *	Emphasizes deeper, richer colors. Suitable for classic movies.
Cinema 3 *	Designed for clear, sharp reproduction of dynamic scenes. Suitable for action films, cartoons and animation.
Color 1 *	A setting that supports the 6,500K color temperature recommended in the HDTV standard (ITU-R BT.709)
Color 2 *	A setting that supports the 6,300K color temperature recommended in the Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) standard. Recommended for professional use.
Normal	A general setting suitable for use with most image sources.
Dynamic	Specially designed for when you're viewing in a brightly lit room.

* (PCF): With Pure Color Filter Pro on.

Two test patterns are built-in for quick and easy adjustment of zooming and focusing.

The zoom and focus settings for projecting in the normal 16:9 or 4:3 image ratio, and for wide cinema projection, can be stored in the Lens Memory for simple, one-touch switching with the remote control.* This Lens Memory function lets you easily enjoy images with different image ratios on a wide 2.35:1 screen for an immersive movie theater-like experience.

* When "Lens Memory Load" is assigned to the Function button on the remote control.


Wide cinema projection to match the image size seen at movie theaters.	The Lens Memory instantly recalls the zoom and focus settings for projecting with the 16:9 aspect ratio.

A 2x optical power zoom/focus lens and a lens shift function together make it possible to project a 120-inch picture from as close as 11'10" (3.6 m) to the screen or as far as 23'7" (7.2 m) away. In addition, the image can be shifted ±100% vertically, and ±40% horizontally. This gives you outstanding setup flexibility. If you choose to ceiling-mount the projector, you can zoom and focus by remote control.

The PT-AE3000 features a symmetrical design with a centered lens and a high-grade finish that suggests quality. Also available is an optional cable cover (ET-PCE2000) that extends the projector’s symmetrical design concept and conceals the connection cables.

Optional cable cover (ET-PCE2000) attached

The PT-AE3000 has three HDMI input terminals for digital transmission without image degradation, and two component input terminals. The HDMI input terminals also support Deep Color and the x.v.Color™ color space of the HDMI 1.3a standard. Deep Color provides 10-bit (over 1.07 billion) and 12-bit (over 68.7 billion) color depths for smooth gradation between colors, while x.v.Color™ compliance reproduces natural, lifelike images.*

* Effective in Color 1 image mode.

The remote control is laid out for easy, intuitive use. The Function buttons let you assign shortcuts to frequently used keys, such as direct input codes, individual picture modes, off-timer and others.

Supplied remote control with back-lit buttons

Up to sixteen sets of adjustment settings can be stored in memory with custom names that make them easy to remember.

For easy maintenance, you can replace the filter from the side and the lamp from the top of the projector. The dust filter and lamp are easily replaced even after the PT-AE3000 is installed on the ceiling.

A graphic display on the screen shows which terminals have been selected for sources. An indicator blinks to alert you if you've selected a terminal that has no device connected to it.

When the projector is turned on, the input terminals are detected and an input signal is selected automatically. You can switch the system on/off.

You can adjust the power of the lamp to save on electricity, prolong the lamp life and reduce the noise.

NORMAL	:	When higher luminance is required such as movies
ECO-Mode	:	When lower luminance is sufficient such as in a small room

We reduced fan noise all the way down to 22 dB (in lamp Eco-Mode) by improving the efficiency of the cooling system. The PT-AE3000's whisper-quiet operation means there's nothing to keep you from enjoying all the beauty of the large-screen HD images.

Each Panasonic projector is produced by a vertically integrated production process, which extends from R&D to manufacturing, at the Panasonic factory in Japan, under strict quality control. This ensures stable, topquality performance in every product.

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