PANASONIC'S PT-AX200U LCD HOME CINEMA PROJECTOR

Panasonic's new projector is billed as an affordable luxury for gaming and home theater enthusiasts. The new PT-AX200U model is the next evolution of its market-leading predecessor, the PT-AX100U (source: Pacific Media Associates).

According to Thomas Zitelli, president of Panasonic Projector Systems Co., the PT-AX200U, which ships with a new gaming mode, is the manufacturer's first projector designed with gamers in mind. Compared with Panasonic's prior model, the new projector's gaming mode provides a 60 percent faster response time using the controller buttons. Gamers can also program and save up to eight settings for games or movies.

The PT-AX200U's Pure Color Filter uses optical adjustment to achieve accurate color reproduction, going a step further than projectors that reproduce colors by adjusting the white balance. The color filter achieves a higher purity level of the three primary colors -- red, green and blue -- displays deeper, purer blacks, and expands the color gamut. In addition, the new Smooth Screen technology uses crystal double refraction to arrange pixels on a screen with no gaps -- producing vivid, smooth images similar to those found in commercial movie theaters. The technology also enhances images' three-dimensional effect.

The PT-AX200 also comes with two HDMI inputs, eliminating the need for an HDMI switcher.

Pricing: $1,999 (MSRP)