Panasonic PT AX200U user reviews (LCD projector)

Pros bright picture, great resolution, many features. bulb use is automatically monitored to let you know how many hours you have left until you need to replace bulb.

Cons Instruction manual warns of burn in on the LCD panel. The bulb is $380 to replace.

Summary When I first read the reviews and users were giving this projector 10 out of 10 I thought these users were exagerating. But after using my projector for three months I now must agree. Though it is a 780p projector it upgrades the 1080i to what virtually looks like 1080p. In fact a friend of mine who came over to check it out told me that this projector far surpasses some of the 1080p proejectors he has seen.
I have very limited space. The projector is located ten feet from the screen and throws a 90" widescreen diagonal image. Yet dispite being so close it is amazing how sharp the picture continues to be. If you are fortunate enough to have a 360 HD player you will really appreciate what I am saying. I have been watching "Heroes" In HD and playing 1080i games on my X-Box 360 and have been amazed at the sharpness of the images and excellent color separation. And if you have played AceCombat 6 before, believe me, you have not played it until you hook up the Ace Combat Ace Edge Joystick and play it for the first time on this projector. There is no flickering, blurring of images or time lag. This projector is a video gamer's dream come true. Since I have an older version of the 360 I do not have a HDMI output. But using AV cables works just as well. Either of these will provide for the best quality out of this projector.

Pros bright 3D video, easy to use

Cons Panasonic warranty service is slow

Summary A projector that is bright enough to run on Eco and put out a Vibrant intense picture . very bright in Eco mode as bright as a dark chip 2 1000 lumen Optoma HD70 or 1500lumen Mits HD1500 in high lamp! Has true film like Video , also the best gaming projector out there bar none buy this projector you wont regret it. warning Panasonic is no Epson as far a warranty goes. i have had long waits for service on panasonic church projectors in the past i hope they have better warranty turn around now a days .I have both the Ax100u and the Ax200 and they only have 500 and 20 hrs so i cant say anything about long term.i have had both the HD70 and HD1000 spend the extra $200 or $400 on the AX100 or AX200 they are both a big step up from the the Dark chip2 DLP projectors

Pros Good projector while it lasts

Cons Replacement lamps are garbage
Panasonic does not honor warranties

Summary I had a good experience with the PT-AE3000U projector for about 15 months as the picture was good.
After 1800 hours of time on the original lamp, I purchased a replacement lamp March 2010 from MWave.com and it failed 2 months later after only 225 hours. I noticed that when I originally installed it and fine tuned it, the picture was much darker and the blacks were washed out compared to the original lamp.
When it failed so soon, I contacted MWave about replacing it as it was supposed to have a 90 day warranty (still says it on the web site as of 5/13/2010). They claimed they only supported products for 30 days and that I had to go Panasonic for the further 60 day support. Panasonic said it's up to the dealer (MWave) to provide the replacement lamp. I got both parties on a conference call and all they did was to say to each other "No, it's your responsibility". So MWave and Panasonic couldn't figure out between 2 massive companies how to resolve the issue and have put the customer at the disadvantage.

Both have lost a customer for life. I had ordered many times from MWave in the past but I don't trust them nor Panasonic any more.

Pros It was very nice picture quality while it worked and the lens tilt was a good feature.

Cons The product broke after almost no use and customer service at Panasonic is impossibly difficult, to the point that I will never buy another Panasonic product.

Summary I don?t usually write reviews, but I strongly felt this is worth informing as many people as possible. I read all the reviews on the Panasonic PT-AX200U projector and they all looked good, so I bought one. For me, I wanted the best possible resolution and highest lumens without spending thousands of dollars. I bought this in May, 2008 for $1299. At the beginning of this January, I went to turn it on and heard a loud bang and it wouldn?t power up. Now you should know that I am incredibly anal retentive when it comes to my electronic equipment. This machine has been cared for like a baby and has only been used for 525 hours (approx. ¼ bulb life) so it is impossible that I caused any problem with the machine.

So I called Panasonic Projector Customer Support. They were unsure what could be wrong, so they had me send it to their outsourced provider, Heartland Diversified, for repair ($130 diagnostic fee, but it goes toward any repair costs). Heartland notified me that the cost of the repair would be $1265 (recall the cost of the new projector, which by the way, can now be bought new for $999). Since this warranty just expired, they said any dispute would have to be with Panasonic directly.

This is where the disaster begins, if it wasn?t already disappointing enough that the projector broke so quickly. Customer Service at Panasonic is a nightmare. You can never get past front line customer support personnel (who have no decision-making authority) to management and all conversations end with the refrain ?We will have to get back to you in 24-72 hours? which never happens, thus requiring yet another call to customer support . Bottom line is I wanted them to stand behind their product regardless of warranty because a projector should not completely break after a year and a half. They say they are escalating the request but then tell me that the request is going to the same original person, John Parks. They will absolutely not let you talk directly to anyone and will not give out email addresses or phone numbers (or last names, but one of the reps slipped, so I got this one). This issue has now been going on for two months and Heartland is threatening to take possession of the projector at the 60 day mark. I have even written to Robert Perry, the EVP of Panasonic Consumer Products, and have gotten no response.

After easily 20 hours of being on the phone with Mike (three times), Jabin, Ben, Tom, Leela, Ranita, and the people at Heartland, I am getting nowhere and feel incredibly frustrated to the point that I will not buy another Panasonic product and cannot recommend a Panasonic product to anyone. Even when I look back at other Panasonic products I have had (stereo, boom box, clock radio, microwave), every single one has had something break quickly. They haven?t become unusable but there is always something ? a button doesn?t work, it doesn?t turn off, a door doesn?t close, etc.

In summary, I believe this is not just a poor product quality issue, but Panasonic has a major customer service issue to which I can only say ?Buyer Beware.?