it has been more than a month now. Not sure when it will be fully recovered, it seems like little progresses have been done as it is really difficult to repair the cables. 4000m feet below and bad weather making the waves as high as 15m! sigh, hope it won't take another month! this is really bad.

You guys having problems getting orders thru for HD-DVD ka?

There's a shop in Cineleisure that carries HD-DVDs and BD titles. Price more expensive than buying from Amazon but it's ready stock.

This is the problem with projectors. Kekeke. Your setup consists of the whole room. Another choice is putting on the coffee table but you will have wires running around.

I wanted to put mine on the table and pack it back up when I finish watching... this is definitely not the choice as it is too much... toooooooo much....

This is a sample of their spec in their local webpage

How about projecting from under the coffee table in the middle of the room. Need to see if the lense shift can bring the image to the correct viewing height. You'd want to avoid using the keystone function at all costs!! I have seen plenty of CRT (3 guns) projectors using this setup as those units are a real hassle to mount on the ceiling.

Maybe you can get your carpenter to custom build a coffee table a bit higher than the standard height, then have a nice "hole" at the front of the table for the projector. The Panny and Epson has the exhaust fan at the front of the usnit so that should not be an issue. Then have a door so that you can close it to protect the unit from curious fingers.

hmm.....custom building the coffee table is out of d question cos i just got d Cellini sofa n table few months back n i dont think i would change the table at for a very long time and placing the projector so low is a bad idea as the front enterence is right there....my maid n my family member would be going in n out (there is quite a no of ppl in my family) which passes through the projection area........

anyway my fren is trying to settle it for me cos he is working with a company who sells HIFI racks n projector mounting(BTW the mountings tat he is selling is quite cheap if compare to hifi shops).....he is trying to find some solution for me

PS:bro ...hows your DIY speaker coming bout??.....very eager to know the end results....pls keep us updated on the progress.....

This post has been edited by Fusion: Jan 30 2007, 08:23 PM

I have 2 DIY speakers,
Full range BLH = currently in purgatory, coz dunno how to make the curve of the horn nicely.
ESL = no update yet coz too busy, check my ESL thread for updates next week. I will work on it this weekend.

Bro still haven't told me which projector u decided to get? I think I am leaning towards the Epson.

I don't buy them, if you know what I mean. For the living standard in Malaysia, watching a movie cost more than a RM100 is totaly insane to me. I will not do that for sure. I got HD contents from other sources. And it is not illegal actually, by the way, I'm having big time confusion as all enforcements all over the world trying hard to pull off the pirated copies, p2p sharing and so on, but there are so many official big company providers having another way to share files, and these are completely legalized companies! I'm really confused! In fact, this is the first source of most files in the world, just any files, before being circulated to p2p sources. So, have you guys heard about USENET?

i think i will b going for d Panny ....i kind of like the panny .....anyway i think the difference between the panny n epson is very little but due to the brightness level i would prefer to go for the panny.....

i m very interested in your ESL speakers .....i have very good experience with electrostatic speaker last time but not from martin logan ....it was from Metaxas audio's Emperor speaker.......electrostatic can sound fantastic when matched well......

wowow... I got friend already...

Sharing AV content.... I am also unsure as to what is the can and cannots of using the various methods... whether the company is legal or not does not change the action of the individual... who will be judged according to the laws of his/her country.... or where the deed was done. Jury is still out... so in the interim, I just continue sharinglah. Sharing brings the world closer together .

HTPC is a very good idea for the HT due to its flexibility of being an all in one solution. Currently I am researching the different automation features so that accessing the various HTPC functions is easier.

Hehehe

U too can share notes and oso if later got problem can both go together ... hows de panny customer service?

Cheers
Dirtrun

Panasonic AX100E or Epson EMP TW700?

If you are looking for a 720p LCD Front Projector then look no further than these two units. I have had the good fortune to audition these 2 recently and have finally decided to purchase one of them. This is not to say one is necessary better than the other. Each have their strengths and weaknesses.

I think it is fair to state my objectives here. I am building a Home Theatre for cinema type viewing. Occasionnally I would play some games or watch the occasional astro movie on the projector. As such the theatre experience is the first objective. The projector chosen should have exceptional quality and proven history. Absolute picture fidelity and most up to date technology use is secondary.


Picture
Out of the box both projectors were exceptional. Both projectors made me go WOW!. They had vibrant colours with plenty of 3D pop. However the AX100E's colours have a slightly more manufactured feel to it compared to the Epson's more natural and soothing picture. Advantage - TW700


Brightness
At the most dynamic setting, I struggle to see advantage of the AX100E's 2000lumens over the TW700's 1600lumens. However that said, my Home Theatre will be setup in a dedicated room, that will be fully light controlled. As such, I would only ever need the brightest modes for the occasional viewing with lights on... probably sports programming with the boys. There is probably an advantage to the AX100E but its a case of diminishing returns. Advantage - AX100E


Bulb Modes
The AX100E allows the users to switch between the Ecomony or Normal bulb settings in whichever colour setting that is chosen. This makes it very flexible in adjusting the picture to suit your situation. The TW700 on the other hand preselects the bulb setting depending on the colour mode chosen... e.g. theatre = eco, living room = normal. Advantage - AX100E


Colour uniformity
Both projectors exhibited colour uniformity issues. On the AX100E there was a red bar running the entire vertical left hand edge of the projected screen. On the TW700 there was a subtle grey horixontal bar just above the centre line. That said, colour uniformity issues have been synonymous with LCDs for ages.

The AX100E's colour uniformity issues have been reported to get worse over time especially when the bulb hits 80hrs and above. While the TW700's colour unifirmity has not been widely reported as an issue of any importance. Both projectors equal on this count.


Pixel Structure
The AX100E picture is very film like, ie it is very smooth without any pixel structure. The TW700 on the otherhand is very sharp and uses superior optics compared to the AX100E. The AX100E eliminstes the pixel structure by employing the Smooth Screen technology, which is really a defocussing of the picture. As such the picture is ever so slightly out of focus. If you can live with this then great. However, it had me reaching for the focus ring every now and then. It feels like it needs just a 1mm turn of the ring to bring it into absolute focus. In the end this really got to me. Because the TW700 is so sharp.... at close range, the pixel structure is highly visible, but seated at the correct distance of say a 1x screenwidth seating distance, the pixel should no longer be visible. Advantage - TW700


LCD Panel Convergence
The LCD panel is made up of 3 screens, and in order to get a sharp image the 3 panels must be aligned precisely to the individual pixel. Else you will end up with a blur picture. Cinema have no such issues as the image is projected thru 1 layer of film. The AX100E had a misconvergence of 2 pixels upwards and down 1 pixel. This issue was not noticed on the Epson. Advantage - TW700.


Noise and artifacts
Both projectors again exhibited noise in the projected picture. Epson does a bit better in eliminating noise. However in really fast action scenes, the Panasonic seems to smoother than the Epson. The Epson here exhibits some juddering and pixelisation. Advantage AX100E


Blacks
Both projectors come with an iris function that cuts down the light output to improve the blacks and contrasts. Both systems worked flawlessly. Blacks were good but not great. Both still exbited loss of details in the shadows. Both projectors even on this count.

Build quality
Both projectors are solidly manufactured. The lense and its focussing mechanism had a nice weight to it. No issues for either projectors here.


Warranty
AX100E - 1 year, TW700 - 2 years, with bulb warranty for first 500hrs. Advantage TW700


Proven History based on owner feedback
Both projectors have been in the International market since October of 2006. A quick visit to that various Home Theatre forums and you will quickly discover ardent followers for each projector. Each group worshiping the projector of their choice and denoucing the other. But it is a fact that the AX100E has more than its fair share of issues, ranging from misconvergence of the lcd panels, to bulb flicker, extreme issues with colour uniformity and also LCD degradation due to over heating. For the LCD degradation issue, Panasonic has advised that the unit should not be used for more that 4 hours a day.

Whether the TW700 will start exhibiting these problems or others has yet to be seen. There is no guarantee that the Epson will remain problem free as it has been in the marke for less than 4 months. Advantage TW700.

Summary
From my point of view, the TW700 is the projector for my Home Theatre. The AX100E has a 2x zoom lense and the TW700, a 2.1x zoom. This together with the vertical and horizontal shift should give me the most flexibility in placements. Hopefull this will hold me till HD and 1080p becomes more mainstream in our local market.

And now on to Pricing.... both projectors sit in a similar price bracket, RM7000. But with patience you can get close to 15% off the retail price, going into the sub RM6000 region. Not bad eh for a 120" plasma like bright screen.

Pass me the popcorn and coke..... or should I say Pass me the char kuey teow with extra chili and kerang !!!!

Timothy/Fusion,
I can still be ur fren. Dun penalise me because I join the Epson camp. For what its worth, I really wanted the AX100E to work for me.

Cheers all,
Jason

Now the bad news, my dealer has said that my order will take 2 to 3 weeks to fulfill. A quick call to my contact in Epson HQ reveals that Epson Malaysia has no stock... so are they selling vaporware? . They will have to order the stock from Singapore. But my dealer has assured me that I will have in before CNY..... but I will be outstation during CNY . Potong Stim.

This post has been edited by jasonlky: Feb 1 2007, 05:55 PM

Get the AX100 lo... immediate stock. Kekekeke...
I have contacted Panny on the problem. they say they will get back to me.

Anyway, for those who have not owned a home projector before, (those multimedia projector don't count), any of these 2 will give u the WOW. Don't worry. Anyone sees my set also wow... Not even 1 fella complain before.

hahaha.....u will alwaz b our fren but i my frenship is leaning towards Timothy (panny kaki and also those Fantastic electrostatic speaker).....

if everything goes well i will probably b getting my projector next week ....will try to post some pictures if it goes as plan.....

Just read that Optoma HD73 is here for less than RM7K. Maybe will chk it out later.

Guys, any idea on the Infocus 72 and 76..both also got the 720p mode..Thanks ya.

among the Infocus In72,74,76 only the In76 is 720p.....the rest support 720p input but resolution of the projection is not 720p.......the picture of the In76 is quite good.....the colour is natural and film like but its one of the most expensive 720p projector in the market .......its not really worth the money for the picture quality

Wow... Malaysia so fast come 73 already?

But like what every other is saying... once bought, don't look further... kekeke

---

Added on February 2, 2007, 8:47 amYeah... my kaki...

I have emailed to Panasonic on the problem on color uniformity. I told them I don't want to send in for warranty and my unit become a guinea pig. So, they say they will come back to me.


This post has been edited by timothyy: Feb 2 2007, 08:47 AM

I'm still looking for a demo of the Panasonic AE-1000, Still waiting for mediaplex to demo the Mitsubishi HC-5000. God, my search for a projector never ends

Now that I have made my decision, I sleep easier at night!!

Good luck on your search.