Sharpness 2

Panasonic PT-AE3000: Bottom Line Sharpness

The PT-AE3000 is not overly sharp, in part due to their SmoothScreen technology which makes for essentially an invisible pixel structure (comparable to LCoS projectors and better than DLP, and better still compared to other 3LCD projectors). The thing is, few of us see pixel visibility to be an issue with 1080p projectors. Consider the differences in sharpness between 1080p projectors to be pretty minor. They all look sharp, and it really takes a side by side viewing to become aware of the differences. Sure, sharper is better, especially for digital source material, but with typical movies (with all their film noise - grain), the subtle differences in sharpness are harder to detect.

My own JVC RS1 is at the most, the tiniest bit sharper, while a number of others are better still than my RS1. I've had my projector for a year and a half, and have never felt that the sharpness was any sort of problem. (In other words, the slight softness is something you won't notice). While there are differences in sharpness between competing projectors, it's not overly significant, and probably not enough to affect a purchase decision. Still if a razor sharp image is your thing, you might consider the competition from Sanyo, Mitsubishi, InFocus and BenQ.

Light Leakage

No issues here, the Panasonic is about as good as it gets. No significant light coming out of the lens and hitting the screen and around it, and no light of note coming out of the sides or venting.