The projector comes equipped with Panasonic’s new optical system and delivers 1080p (1,920 x 1,080 pixel) images with remarkable clarity.

Jacques Van Deventer, Product Manager, Projector, Panasonic, said: “The PT-AE4000E offers a further evolution in performance from its award-winning predecessor, the PT-AE3000, which was widely praised by the home cinema community for its Hollywood-tuned high picture quality.”

Key enhancements offered by the new model include a new ‘Red Rich’ lamp which adds red luminance and enables the projector to produce brighter images with excellent colours. Contrast has been increased to 100,000:1 for outstanding detail.

The PT-AE4000E offers ease of use, with ‘Lens Memory’ which memorises up to six different zoom/focus positions, as well as automatic switching between 2.35:1 and 16:9 sources. This ensures viewers can easily enjoy images with different image ratios on a wide 2.35:1 screen for an immersive movie theatre-like experience.

The projector also has a host of professional-level features that let the user fine-tune the image quality to best fit the viewing environment.

These include Advanced Gamma Adjustment, which allows control of the input and output level of the gamma curve, for precise calibration of brightness and gradation according to the signal source and environment. The PT-AE4000’s Waveform Monitor measures the level of brightness from a given video signal source and quickly makes adjustments to optimise it to the specific home theatre set up.

The PT-AE4000E has three HDMI inputs for digital transmission without image degradation. The HDMI input terminals also support Deep Colour and the x.v. colour space of the HDMI 1.3 standard.

The PT-AE4000E is compatible with Panasonic’s VIERA Link, a technology that allows the user to operate all of their compatible Panasonic home entertainment components with a single remote. If your home theatre system contains VIERA Link-ready equipment, projection can be started using only the remote control unit of the PT-AE4000E, regardless of whether the source is a Blu-ray disc or a TV program stored on an HD Recorder.i

Initial setup and installation are quick and simple, as the projector’s lens shift capability enables 100 per cent vertical adjustment and 40 per cent horizontal adjustment so that viewers can suspend the projector either close to the ceiling or on wall mounts.

The lens-centred design and maintenance features such as the replaceable side filter and top lamp, make the projector easy to install and maintain.

Power management features designed to save energy include a low standby power consumption of 0.08W. The intelligent power management system reduces the lamp power to the exact required level of brightness depending on the content displayed. Other than in scenes where full brightness is required, the lamp intelligently determines the power output by analysing more than 3 billion different image patterns. This reduces the main power consumption by as much as 10 per cent when the dynamic iris function is in operation.

PT-AE4000 Key features

Advanced Optical System

· Red-rich Lamp with 150% brighter Cinema Picture Modes and 1,600 lumens brightness for outstanding Full HD viewing on a range of screen sizes

· Full-HD-optimised lens unit with a uniform focusing balance from the centre to the edge of the screen, for stunningly clear images

· Pure Contrast Plate with newly-engineered crystalline material that blocks unwanted light leakage and successfully increases the dynamic range. It works together with the dynamic iris to achieve an outstanding contrast ratio of 100,000:1

· Pure Colour Filter Pro, an advanced filter which improves colour purity to cover a range that extends from the HDTV standard (Colour 1 modeii) to the colour gamut used in digital cinemaiii – providing the deep, rich colouring that distinguishes movie images

· Smooth Screen technology is designed to overcome the ‘chicken wire’ effect by using the double refraction property of crystals to arrange pixels on a screen with no gaps between them. Smooth Screen technology is designed to give you the kind of smooth, vivid and three-dimensional images seen in movie theatres

· The fifth-generation intelligent iris system works by analysing the brightness level of each image, then adjusting the lamp power, iris and gamma curve to create the ideal image – achieving a wide dynamic range with a smooth picture in both dark and light scenes

· The digital image processing circuit brings greater clarity and sharpness to details, reproducing fine nuances that were lost due to image compression. This ensures more faithful reproduction of highly detailed information, such as the film grain in movies

· Frame creation reduces motion blur by interpolating one new frame for each existing frame to reproduce sharp and clear images for fast-moving scenes in sports and action movies.

· Features designed for fine-tuning image quality include waveform monitor, gamma adjustment and cinema colour management. There are seven preset picture modes, allowing the user to enjoy optimal viewing quality from a variety of image sources.

Streamlined Operation

· Intelligent lens memory for automatic control of zoom and focus and image ratio

· 2x optical power zoom/focus lens and lens shift function together make it possible to project a 120-inch picture from as close as 3.6m to the screen or as far as 7.2m away.

· Two programmable 12V triggers are provided. Since the input and output can be set independently, they can link flexibly with powered screens, room light and powered curtains. When combined with Lens memory, they let you create a truly classy home theatre.

· A remote control with back lit buttons is laid out for easy, intuitive use. The function button lets you assign shortcuts to frequently used keys, such as direct input codes, individual picture modes, off-timer and others.