Panasonic PT-AR100U HD projector offers 50,000:1 contrast

By Geoff Duncan September 6, 2011

Panasonic PT-AR100U projector — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Panasonic Solutions Company has taken the wraps off its new PT-AR100U high-definition home theater projector, offering a mix of features and specs aimed at meeting general home entertainment needs, from high-quality cinema to fast-paced sports and games. Panasonic even aims to make the PT-AR100U less fiddly than a typical projector, with a Light Harmonizer feature that senses ambient lighting and color and automatically adjusts the projector’s white balance, gamma, and sharpness to compensate.

“Clear image quality and stunningly bright pictures make the PT-AR100U perfect for watching sports, showing movies, and playing video games at home,” said Panasonic Solutions Company product marketing manager Scott Wellington, in a statement.

The PT-AR100U offers full-HD 1080p resolution, along with 2,800 lumens of brightness and a contrast ratio of 50,000:1. The unit also features two HDMI inputs (supporting Deep Color, x.v.Color, and HDCP), along with RCA, component, and VGA inputs—there’s also a 9-pin d-sub port for RS232 home automation control. The PT-AR100U has a 2× zoom and can throw a 120-inch image from as close as 3.5 meters (about 11.5 feet) to as far as 7 meters (23 feet) from the screen; there’s also a 68 percent vertical adjustment for ceiling installations.

The projector features Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris Pro and Pure Color Filter Pro technologies that adjust the projector’s gamma curve 60 times a second to keep colors accurate and blacks black; the projector also features seven different picture modes for different types of content, ranging from action-packed sports and gaming, to cinema and dynamic mode. The game mode tunes the projector’s output to minimize frame delay and bring out details in dark and over-saturated areas.

The PT-AR100U projector will be available in October from authorized Panasonic resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,999.00.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

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