ANSI lumens: 1600

Contrast (full on/off): 60,000:1

Light Engine: 1920x1080, native 16:9, 0.74" LCD with a 165W UHM lamp.

Video Compatibility: 1080p/24/50/60, 1080i, 720p, 576p, 576i, 480p, 480i. NTSC/PAL/SECAM.

Connection Panel: Three HDMI 1.3 ports, one 15-pin VGA input, two sets of 3-RCA YPbPr component video, one composite video, one S-video, one 9-pin D-sub serial (RS-232c).

Lens and Throw Distance: 2.00:1 powered zoom/focus lens, with manual vertical and horizontal lens shift. Throws a 100" diagonal 16:9 image from 10 to 20 feet.

Lamp Life: Unspecified.

Lamp Cost: $400

Warranty: One year.

Key Features and Advantages

In last year's review of the AE2000, we said it had such a long list of unique and noteworthy features that it was hard to know where to start. With the AE3000, that list is even longer. Features that will get the most attention on the AE3000 are much improved contrast, Frame Creation for rendering a smoother image, a rapid frame delivery option for gaming, and Lens Memory for 2.35 screen set-ups.

Contrast. The single most riveting improvement as far as picture quality is concerned is in contrast. The AE3000 delivers much higher contrast than the AE2000. We measured the AE2000 at 305:1 ANSI contrast, while the AE3000 jumps to a very impressive 446:1.

Those numbers might not sound very big to you. But ANSI contrast measures the dynamic range potential in a given frame of video, or the actual difference between black and white at the same time. ANSI contrast numbers are always much lower than Full On/Full Off numbers, so they are not typically published in official specifications. In practical terms, a jump from 305:1 to 446:1 means you get a whopping increase in visible contrast on the screen. In fact, 446:1 is the highest ANSI contrast number we've yet measured on an LCD projector, and it brings LCD's ANSI contrast performance very close to the numbers we see on the DLP competition.

Meanwhile, Full On/Off contrast has been improved as well. The AE2000 was rated at 16,000:1, and the AE3000 is rated at 60,000:1. Our contrast measurements confirm that there is indeed a substantial boost in Full On/Off performance in the AE3000. But ultimately, the numbers are meaningless by themselves. It is the combination of black levels, rapid iris action, ANSI contrast and Full On/Off contrast that produces the final impression of snap, sparkle and three-dimensionality on the screen. And the AE3000 has it in spades. When set side by side with the AE2000, the AE3000's blacks are obviously much deeper and shadow detail is far superior to that which was achieved on the earlier model.