If you aren’t already following us on Twitter, or Facebook, then you may not know that our first shipment of the new Panasonic PT-AE4000U has just arrived!

We’ve got a couple truckloads full of them, so we are happy to report that all of our customers who pre-ordered their AE4000U should have theirs on the way to them before the end of the week – aka today or tomorrow.

One of our Facebook fans is already planning his first movie night with new J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie (available November 17th on Blu-Ray and DVD)!

If you don’t already know about the new Panasonic PT-AE4000U, then we have some stuff for you to read. Just a few weeks ago we didn’t even know if it would be available in the U.S. Then, we found out it would be coming here, and we dropped the price on the old AE3000U and sold through our remaining inventory in short order.

Also popular, the Epson Home Cinema 8500 UB and the BenQ W6000, can be compared here. Also, we had a Panasonic representative here a few weeks ago, here’s some not so good video of her AE4000U presentation.

Alright, so now you are up to speed on the Panasonic PT-AE4000U. Now all you have to do is wait a few days for yours to roll in – or upgrade your shipping ASAP and have it for Halloween.

And just for fun… here is some video of the unloading – because we have iPhones, a Flickr account (we won’t bother YouTube with this one), and are very excited

The Panasonic PT-AE3000U has been a hard to find projector lately, so we thought we’d better post that we now have a plentiful amount in stock and ready to ship. Also worth mentioning is the current special running on the AE3000 which you can take advantage of if you buy before the end of May.

In Stock Now! Projector People Special Offer!

Buy a Panasonic PT-AE3000U from ProjectorPeople.com before May 31st and receive the following items FREE with your purchase.

• 25′ HDMI 1.3 cable
• Universal Projector Ceiling Mount
• AVIA II Video Calibration DVD
• PLUS 2-year Limited Warranty (from Panasonic through June 30th)

Shipping charges apply to promotional items. Offer good now through 5/31/2009, or while supplies last. Free cable, mount, and calibration DVD are ProjectorPeople.com only promotions. Lamp warranty is a mail-in rebate from Panasonic that is valid through June 30th, 2009.

Free Shipping : Price Breaks

March Madness is over – the month, not the tournament – but our madness continues! It’s not anger madness, but a happy kind of kinetic excitement that forces us to continually offer our customers the best deals. Or, you could just call it marketing madness. So, get ready to enjoy free shipping and price drops on some of our most popular projectors for home and office all April long.

Savings Times Two

Firstly, we have added more discounted home theater projectors to our already hefty supply of discounted business machines on our special blowout page. These are either instant discounts off of our advertised price, or already very competitively priced deals.

Secondly, we are going to offer free shipping on all of our in stock projectors*. Usually we only offer free shipping on projectors over $999, but now we are extending that deal to our less expensive inventory as well. That’s good news for the bargain hunter, and refreshing start to the long awaited Spring.

* We have the majority of our discounted inventory in stock now, but there may be a few items that run out over the course of the sale. Our inventory is real time, so if your projector says “In Stock” it should be available. If your projector is out of stock, it is most likely on order. Call a Projector Expert to secure your projector and free shipping when it arrives.

So here’s the story, a guy helped another guy on a vending machine project, so the other guy repays the favor with this Lego® home theater as a gift! Unfortunately, I have no idea how much this super cool Lego® theater costs, but I do know that I want one for my desk.

Here’s the video :

[ more images ]

Here is a little more on the Lego Home Theater was made.

Here is our original source for the story.

Sanyo has just announced that its formerly $200 rebate will be a $400 – at least until the end of March.

What does that mean to the 1080p home theater projector shopper? It means there is now a slight price advantage for the PLV-Z3000 over it’s chief competitors (Panasonic PT-AE3000U and Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB). The Sanyo produces a very good 65000:1 contrast ratio and is solid on features. Compare prices and specs below. Click links to compare complete specs.

Best Selling 1080p Home Theater Projectors

• Sanyo PLV-Z3000 – 65000:1 contrast – $1,995 (after new $400 rebate)
• Panasonic PT-AE3000U – 60000:1 contrast – $2,499 (plus 2-year warranty rebate)
• Epson Home Cinema 6500 UB – 75000:1 contrast – $2,499 (after $500 rebate)

Other low priced 1080p options.

Here are a couple of the lowest priced 1080p home theater projectors out there. Contrast is typically lower, and features are left off to keep the price down on these entry level deals.

• Epson Home Cinema 6100 – 18000:1 contrast – $1999
• Sanyo PLV-Z700 – 10000:1 contrast – $1599 (after $200 rebate)

[ see full list of 1080p Home Theater Projectors ]

You see what happened was…

You will notice that rather than one simple $400 rebate, Sanyo has two separate $200 rebates running. This is (as Art at Projector Reviews pontificates) probably for legal reasons. The original $200 rebate doesn’t officially end until the end of April, so rather than cancel the existing rebate, they sweetened the deal by just adding on another $200. Otherwise there would be sure to be those who would try and ‘double dip.’ Understandably.

The Basics of Brightness

Our Projector Experts don’t go a day without answering questions about brightness. That’s a good thing, because it’s one of the most important questions to ask when buying a projector. As projection technology has improved, brightness has been one of the areas that has improved the most. Hence the difference between the suggested lumen numbers you might have seen a year or two ago. Here is a “new” chart for you with brightness suggestions for 2008, and probably 2009.

[ Photo : The Panasonic PT-AX200U is a 2000 lumen 720p projector, but it also has Light Harmonizer technology for an extra kick of brightness when the lights are on. ]

* Dedicated space with controlled lighting and a screen under 100-inches.
** Dedicated space with controlled lighting and a screen over 100-inches.
*** A media room as defined here is a space with windows that is used for multi-purpose entertaining.

SAVINGS TIP : Don’t buy more lumens than you need unless you plan to use the projector in multiple locations. Darker rooms with controlled lighting may require less brightness than specified above, especially if the viewer is not particular. Ask a Projector Expert if you have a question about your environment.

Resolution and Recommended Usage

In many cases, a buyer’s choice for resolution is based entirely on price. The higher the resolution, the higher the cost. If money is no object, true HD (1080p) images look spectacular and you should just go ahead and buy it. If your budget is tight, see the recommendations below for a little guidance on the resolution question. Remember there are now several 1080p projector options well under $2,000.

SAVINGS TIP : A WVGA projector should cost a couple hundred less in the short run, but as technology progresses it may not be supported as HD becomes the standard for broadcast. If your purchase plans are cheap and short term, there are some bargains to be had in both WXGA-H (720p) and WVGA (480p). If your plans are long term, HD is a good choice and there are several options for well under $2000.

Connection Suggestions

If you’re buying a projector as a gift for the holiday’s, don’t forget to make sure you have the right kind of cable on hand. Projector People carries professional grade cable which is recommended for permanent installations because it provides better shielding from electronic interference in the home. Call a Projector Expert for assistance if you’re not a cable pro and you have more questions. You can also view our handy Cables and Connections Guide if you’d like to learn more about projector connections.

SAVINGS TIP : A little planning ahead of time can save you money. Use our throw distance calculators (on most of our product pages) to determine the distance your projector will be from the screen. This may prevent you from buying 35 feet of cable when you only need 20 feet.

FEATURED CLEARANCE HOME THEATER PROJECTORS

• Optoma DV11 [ WVGA resolution, 1500 lumens, built-in DVD player ] save $100
• Panasonic PT-AX200U [ Native 720p resolution, 2000 lumens ] save $50
• Panasonic PT-AE2000U [ HD 1080p resolution, 1500 lumens ] save $100
• Mitsubishi HC5500 [ HD 1080p resolution, 1200 lumens ] save $300 plus $500 rebate
• View full list here of deeply discounted projectors

Another way to save is to purchase a package deal. Remember you can always call a Projector Expert who can put together a custom package for you. Our Package Deals may not fit exactly what you are looking for but they might. If they do, you’ll usually save money that you wouldn’t if you purchase each item seperately. That may take some of the fun out of shopping for the bargain hunters, but it saves time for buyers who prefer a one-stop-savings-shop. Check out our packages below :

• Epson Home Theater Packages
• Mitsubishi Home Theater Packages
• Optoma Home Theater Packages
• Panasonic Home Theater Packages
• Sanyo Home Theater Packages

SAVINGS TIP : Due to manufacturer regulations, authorized resellers have to be a little creative in order to offer you our best price. So add your projector to your cart to see the lowest prices on most projectors. Or request a quick quote for a Sanyo product to see the lowest price. Packages are also a good way to find additional savings. Call for the most up to date pricing or to create a custom package.

FEATURED PACKAGE DEAL – Panasonic PT-AE3000U Simple Bundle includes :

Panasonic PT-AE3000U projector

Sanus Universal Projector Mount, Black

Liberty HDMI Cable (10 meters)

AccuScreens Fixed Frame 106-inch Screen with Velvet Frame

Package Price : $2699

Click for details »

Hopefully this has been a helpful guide to projector savings. As always, please feel free to call and speak to a Projector Expert for more detailed information, and for specific advice about your home theater space.

I took the new Sanyo Z700 for a spin this weekend. At the current price point and $200 rebate it made this one a “must see” for the money.

First thoughts is wow it’s bright! Brighter than what you would think 1200 Lumens can look like. I could leave plenty of lights on and still have a great looking image. Also razor sharp! I watched some Blu-Ray movies, PS3 games, and some HD football and it looked like a 110″ Plasma on my wall!

Some other nice features are the lens shift that allowed me to dial in the image quickly. Also the Lens Cover snapping shut after it powers down. This helps keep dust off the lens and conceals the projector a little more. It’s smaller than some other 1080p projectors. Very quiet and practically silent in eco mode. If you need to think about the “look” and “sound” of the projector in your room then this might be the one. Good WAF on this one (Wife Acceptance Factor).

These pictures just don’t do it justice. Colors pop, Whites are crisp and Black levels are decent…but not the best I’ve seen. You need to spend about $1,000 more for the best black levels like the Panasonic AE3000 or Epson 1080UB. I think you could use a Calibration DVD to “tweak” the best out of this projector. HD material looked stunning even with lights on in the room. I caught myself even looking at some commercials in HD and those looked good, I normally fast forward the commercials on my DVR. I played a little PS3 and the game textures looked life like!

Bottom line is if you’re not a contrast junkie but like a Bright, Colorful, and Sharp 1080p image at a bargain then take a look at this Sanyo PLV-Z700.

People will think you spend $5,000 on this thing!

~ Review by Projector Expert Rich Morgan

This morning Panasonic announced their new PT-AE3000U will be priced at just $2,499.

This is a bold and aggressive price point from Panasonic, particularly when you consider that their last home theater 1080p product was considered by many to be the best on the market for the last year. When you factor in the additional features like Lens Memory (makes your screen 2.35:1 CinemaScope with the touch of a button) and the improved 60,000:1 contrast ration (read more about the new features here) this is a remarkable price.

One AV blogger, Duncan Madden at AV Review UK said in his initial write up for the PT-AE3000; “Available this very November, Panny is hush hush about the price, but that flagship moniker should prepare you for the worst.” [complete post ]. And just a day ago we predicted a $3,499 MAP (minimum advertised price) with a lower street price and we said we would keep you updated.

So, as promised, here is your update : with the aggressive pricing coming directly from Panasonic you should expect street prices to stay close to the $2,499 price announced today. There may be dealer incentives as the holidays and Super Bowl draw closer, but dramatic price drops are unlikely in this writers opinion.

Why Go So Low?

Maybe it’s the tough economy. Maybe they are just continuing on their low price entry strategy they started last year when they released the AX200 at $1,299. Or possibly they are just trying to encourage the competition to think of joe-six-pack since its an election year. Whatever the reason, the $2499 MAP on the new PT-AE3000 is sure to be a temptation for shoppers who have been just waiting for the right time to buy a 1080p projector. And that Lens Memory feature is VERY cool.

What About the Panasonic PT-AE2000U

Expect the AE2000U projector to get a little cheaper. It still has an extra warranty and Blockbuster card associated with it that Panasonic has to honor till the end of the month. We did drop our price on it today (you’ll have to add it to cart or request a Quick Quote to see the better price) by a couple hundred bucks, so it’s a few hundred less than the new AE3000 and it will ship today (the AE3000 won’t ship until the end of October).

And what About the Panasonic PT-AX200?

Last year Panasonic blew the doors off the 720p market with their PT-AX200U projector (for home theater and video gaming) in part because if their aggressive price from the get-go of just $1,299. With features like lens shift, zoom, light harmonizer, great 1080p scaling, gaming mode and 2000 lumens of brightness, the AX200U should have been on any perspective buyer’s watch list, and it sold like hot cakes. The AX200 was among ProjectorPeople’s best sellers and should remain a rapid seller with its new $999 price point. Too bad you don’t get that Blockbuster card deal along with it anymore. Oh well, you’ll just have to keep the extra cash in your pocket.

That’s all for now! Come back again soon.