The popular DLP projectors, most notably the Mitsubishi HC1500 and Optoma HD70, have a
slight edge in black levels overall, and more in scenes with lots of very dark, and very bright,
but do no better in bringing out shadow details. Add to that, the Panasonic rivals them in
terms of producing a natural, film-like picture quality. Then of course, there's the big
differences, which are that the Panasonic is significantly brighter, and has drastically better
placement flexibility.
BenQ's W500, a lower cost LCD projector, is certainly no match, with crushed blacks and far
lower lumen output, although it has a very slight edge in perceived sharpness. Acer's PH530,
recently reviewed, is the lowest cost projector around, but hardly compares with the
Panasonic.
It comes down to this. The Panasonic is solid, across the board with no glaring weaknesses. It
works great, and will wow you and your friends. Those that find the softness to be too soft,
are probably on their way to getting a 1080p projector sooner rather than later. Unless that
softness bothers you (you probably won't be able to tell, unless you could demo the PT-
AX200U with the competition, side by side), the Panasonic holds its own in most areas, and
excels in brightness and placement.
Panasonic PT-AX200U projector, Pros, Cons, and Typical
Capabilities
