Thus if the 5030UB and the AE8000 are calibrated to produce equally brilliant renderings of a bright scene in full sunlight, the AE8000 will have the more vibrant rendering of scenes that are below the norm in average light levels, and the 5030UB will have decidedly deeper blacks when the subject matter goes to very dark. The trade-off is that in darker than average scenes with a range of mid-tone subjects, the AE8000 will render those mid-tones with noticeably greater brightness, while black levels appear comparable. The 5030UB tends to achieve deeper blacks in very dark scenes such as night sky, deep space, and rolling credits because the auto iris is more aggressive with these scenes. However, there are some important differences:īlack levels. It would be absurd to say that one has "better" image quality than the other in all respects. Though they do not look the same out of the box, their various color modes can be tweaked to eliminate factory production biases such that the pictures look so similar that they need to be seen side by side to detect the differences. The 5030UB and the AE8000 have extremely similar image quality characteristics, although the 5030UB has an advantage in several key respects. It is 1.1 gain, so slightly brighter than the 100, with the same wide 80 degree half gain angle as the Studiotek 130. The Cima in particular is an appealing, cost-effective complement to the 5030UB and the AE8000. Stewart offers the Studiotek 130, and now the less expensive Cima by Stewart Filmscreen, both of which are more appropriate for dedicated, room-darkened home theater installations. It is not recommended for home theater use. Not so-these two projectors have many real differences, some of which may be critical to your decision on which to buy.Ī Note on Screens: For the side-by-side testing of these two projectors we used the Stewart Studiotek 100, a neutral 1.0 gain white screen that is ideal for testing and evaluation in zero ambient light environments. So from a glance at the spec sheets you might get the feeling that choosing between the Epson 5030UB and the Panasonic AE8000 is a flip of the coin. These Cinema modes may be preferred by many users since the THX and Rec709 settings tend to look a bit dull on a screen 10 feet wide. Both have a Cinema mode which is a color enriched version of their THX/Rec709 calibrations. Side by side these calibrations look practically identical, although the AE8000 is somewhat brighter and the 5030UB has a deeper black in dark scenes. Both have operating modes designed for industry standard calibrations-on the 5030UB it is called THX and on the AE8000 it is Rec. Both have ample light output for virtually any light-controlled home theater installation, and neither one has enough power on the top end to produce a truly vibrant large screen image in full ambient light (at least without the aid of ambient light screens like the Black Diamond). The differences in light output between these two models in the various modes is so insignificant as to be irrelevant. The 5030UB and the AE8000 both have a variety of programmed operating modes-bright options for living room or ambient light viewing, and less bright but higher contrast settings for dedicated dark theater viewing. Their lamps are both rated at 4000 hours. Both achieve maximum light output when the zoom lenses are set to their widest angle position, and both lose about 40% of their potential light output when the zoom lenses are set to their longest throw, maximum telephoto positions. They are both outfitted with long 2x zoom lenses and extensive horizontal and vertical lens shift that allows them to be installed in the same variety of locations with essentially the same throw distance ranges. The two projectors are almost identical in size and weight, about 19 lbs each. Their sequential contrast specs are almost the same-the AE8000 is 500,000:1 and the 5030UB is 600,000:1. The Epson 5030UB and the Panasonic AE8000 are both native 1080p resolution, 3D enabled 3LCD projectors rated at a maximum brightness of 2400 lumens. If you want to spend under $3,000 on a home theater projector, which of these two is the right choice for you? Let's take a look.īefore we get to the differences, let's note that they share a LOT in common. The two most popular home theater projectors around $2600 this fall are the Epson Home Cinema 5030UB which just began shipping last month, and the Panasonic AE8000 which was introduced a year ago in September, 2012.
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