I am in the process of constructing a home theater in my basement. Due to space restrictions, I can only have a 92" diagonal 16-9 screen with seating distances at 10' and 14'. I can ceiling mount my projector anywhere in a 22' distance. The room is completely light controlled. The screen will be mounted about 13" down from the 8' high ceiling.

I have spent hours researching all of the forums but still would like confirmation on these few issues before I pull the trigger.

Will the IN82 work with it's large off-set? What mount will help me get this projector as close to my ceiling as possible. How far will I need to tilt the projector up and the screen forward to correct for any keystoning. Will this projector be too bright?

Is the xv-z20000 bright enough for this space. How far below the ceiling will I need to mount this projector to work within the vertical lens shift constraint.

Which projector would you recommend?

Both projectors fit into my budget, so either would be a great fit.

Thanks for your input.

Dave

Why not look at the Planar 8150 or 8130? These are getting some very positive reviews and are in the same price range.

The compromise with the IN82 is contrast. The compromise with the Sharp is lumens. There is no compromise with the Planars.

The Planars do have DI and pulsed lamps .. which the verdict isnt out on yet. Remember how hot the BenQ W20000 and BenQ W5000 looked on paper?

If nicely implemented the Planars could be very sweet, though.

Also look at the Marantz VP15S1. 8)

I am in the process of constructing a home theater in my basement. Due to space restrictions, I can only have a 92" diagonal 16-9 screen with seating distances at 10' and 14'. I can ceiling mount my projector anywhere in a 22' distance. The room is completely light controlled. The screen will be mounted about 13" down from the 8' high ceiling.

I have spent hours researching all of the forums but still would like confirmation on these few issues before I pull the trigger.

Will the IN82 work with it's large off-set? What mount will help me get this projector as close to my ceiling as possible. How far will I need to tilt the projector up and the screen forward to correct for any keystoning. Will this projector be too bright?

Is the xv-z20000 bright enough for this space. How far below the ceiling will I need to mount this projector to work within the vertical lens shift constraint.

Which projector would you recommend?For a 92-inch screen, the Sharp would certainly be bright enough. You know, other than lumen output--which for a screen that size is not really an issue--I really can't think of any reason to prefer the InFocus. Perhaps someone else can. The Sharp offers much higher contrast, much better color, and much greater installation flexibility. It can be mounted anywhere between the top and bottom of the screen. The throw is 1.85-2.5 of the screen width.

The Planars do have DI and pulsed lamps .. which the verdict isnt out on yet. Remember how hot the BenQ W20000 and BenQ W5000 looked on paper?

If nicely implemented the Planars could be very sweet, though.

Also look at the Marantz VP15S1. 8)

I don't think that is a fair comparison. The Planar units are clearly in a different league than the BenQs. Every report on the Planars so far has been very positive, and there have been several, including Jason. Heck, even DLP hater Trig had nice things to say. While we have yet to see a 'final' review, the cine4home 'preview' showed spot on colors, good brightness, over 10K:1 contrast and no DI artifacts. All indications are the Planars are the real deal.

I agree with Tom -- on a 92" screen, the "lower lumen" issue with the Sharp is virtually not an issue at all. You should have a very punchy picture even on the High Contrast (lowest lumen) setting. That is the setting with the 20k really shines (great blacks, great CR, with some minor calibration work, great color, etc).

In fact, a 92" screen is probably the center of the sweet spot for that projector. I have it with a SilverStar on a 110" screen and get to about 1,000 hours on the bulb before I think it's too dim and replace the bulb early. You should be able to get the complete life of the bulb from it on that size screen.

Gerry

You can find the excel throw chart on the IN82 support page which will give you exact offset and distances. http://www.infocus.com/Support/Products/Projectors/IN82.aspx
click on the documents tab and then the projector calculator at the bottom of the page.

On a 92" screen the 20000 fits perfectly. I also like Cats ideas on the 15S1 as an alternative.

I agree with Tom -- on a 92" screen, the "lower lumen" issue with the Sharp is virtually not an issue at all. You should have a very punchy picture even on the High Contrast (lowest lumen) setting. That is the setting with the 20k really shines (great blacks, great CR, with some minor calibration work, great color, etc).

In fact, a 92" screen is probably the center of the sweet spot for that projector. I have it with a SilverStar on a 110" screen and get to about 1,000 hours on the bulb before I think it's too dim and replace the bulb early. You should be able to get the complete life of the bulb from it on that size screen.

Gerry

I agree, too. I have a Sharp 20k paired with a 110" DaLite High Power. I replaced the original lamp recently after it timed out (over 2800 hours). I used High Contrast (iris fully closed) and low lamp mode almost the entire time (all but a couple of hundred hours at the beginning when I was watching on a Stewart Firehawk). On a 92" screen (HP or SS) you shouldn't have any problem with brightness.

Another Sharp "feature" you may not have heard about is its reliability. I had a Sharp 9000, too. Both the 9000 and the 20000 have been very reliable performers. My sister is still using the 9000 I gave her. My Optoma H79 was a horribly unreliable machine. Everyone I know who has owned a Sharp has had a similar experience with it. As always, YMMV.

Sharp projectors are one of if not the best in terms of trouble free operation.

We haven't had one Sharp, Marantz, JVC, or Planar (too soon to tell) projector fail. I have had one premature bulb failure with a Sharp and one calibration sensor on marantz fail but never the projector. Both companies had good service correcting the problems. However, they both made us send in the projectors to verify but turn around on both was great!

Bob

Glad to hear that good news. I find the service issues for the high end models to be excellent as it should be. The big dollars for these projectors always means better reliability.