Howdy, Everyone! O.K., I just hit the 100 hours on the Moviemate 72. I have it projected on a 120" x 55" piece of blackout cloth. I run it in THEATRE mode. Then I tweaked it as follows;
Brightness -5
Contrast +15
Color Sat -5
Tint +5
Sharpness 0
In a dark room, this (to me,) looks the best. I am only watching sd-dvd's and most of the newer, remastered ones look great! (Star Wars, Indy, Alien,
Jaws and so on) I bought a HDMI cable for my HDcable box. Reg. TV looks alright, but kind of soft and blurry, but the HD channels look fantastic! Now, this being my first try at front projection, I have been totally blown away (And my friends who have come over to watch a movie have been equally impressed) and I can't imagine the picture being that much better on other projectors. But I know I can save up and get a great projector in a couple of years (with the technology getting better and the prices getting cheaper) but this is a projector I can live with for a long time! I am still finding new things this projector can do, like with zooms, aspect ratios, etc. I am very glad I bought this projector, it has surpassed all that I thought a projector could do. Sorry, about the rambling, but I think you can tell that I really am enjoying the Moviemate 72. Tonight's movie.. "The Poseidon Adventure"!
Thanks, The Krouser.

Hello TheKrouser,

Hope you are well.

Good to hear of your experience with your MovieMate 72, I have a MovieMate 30s and have been pleased with it for 9 months and will be getting a MovieMate 72 when the prices drop around the August and September time frame. I will continue using the 30 for the kids afternoon shows and Wii, and the MovieMate 72 for night time HDTV and Movies. The 30 has done both roles for the past 9 months and needs some relief pitching...lol.

Later,

Tony

Howdy, Everyone! O.K., I just hit the 100 hours on the Moviemate 72. I have it projected on a 120" x 55" piece of blackout cloth. I run it in THEATRE mode. Then I tweaked it as follows;
Brightness -5
Contrast +15
Color Sat -5
Tint +5
Sharpness 0
In a dark room, this (to me,) looks the best. I am only watching sd-dvd's and most of the newer, remastered ones look great! (Star Wars, Indy, Alien,
Jaws and so on) I bought a HDMI cable for my HDcable box. Reg. TV looks alright, but kind of soft and blurry, but the HD channels look fantastic! Now, this being my first try at front projection, I have been totally blown away (And my friends who have come over to watch a movie have been equally impressed) and I can't imagine the picture being that much better on other projectors. But I know I can save up and get a great projector in a couple of years (with the technology getting better and the prices getting cheaper) but this is a projector I can live with for a long time! I am still finding new things this projector can do, like with zooms, aspect ratios, etc. I am very glad I bought this projector, it has surpassed all that I thought a projector could do. Sorry, about the rambling, but I think you can tell that I really am enjoying the Moviemate 72. Tonight's movie.. "The Poseidon Adventure"!
Thanks, The Krouser.

Sounds like a nice little system. Like Tony...I wouldn't mind picking one up if they come down in price a bit. Keep us updated Krouser.

will buy when cheaper

Hello All,

Hope you are all well.

If you don't mind one year old technology then buy last years projectors in the late August or September time frame. I picked up my MovieMate 30s last year for less than half the original price of $1,200 MSRP. The same should be attainable for the MovieMate 72 in that time frame this year.

Later,

Tony

will buy when cheaper

Tony,

That's assuming they actually come out with new models. That might be a big 'IF' this year. Otherwise, they'll probably just come down in price slightly like every other electronic device made. Of course someone will probably be giving one of these things away on Black Friday. But you'll have to stand in line for 12 hours to actually purchase it.

Jim

O.K., One more time! I have had the Moviemate 72 for about 3 weeks now. I watch dvd's, hi-def television, listen to cd's, etc. EVERYONE who has come over to see this, now wants one, too! With this being my first projector and have nothing to compare it to, I can't believe that another projector could be that much better! I kind of have to ask myself, when good is good enough? This is the best $999.00 I ever spent! ( I bought it at projector point and they have great service!) I have loved movies all of my life and now to know I can watch all of my favorite old movies 10' across in my own living room, with a picture quality that exceeded my expectations ( and I am pretty picky). I know there are alot of people who read these forums, and all they want to talk about is bigger, brighter, blacker and so on. All I know is what I see. And I am very pleased with what I see in my own living room! I may be just the average guy but I'm sure there are millions of other average guys out there too.
So if you want the excitment of easy, simple and great quality home theatre, run out and buy one of these things now! ( And no, I don't work for Epson! I'm a paramedic)
And thank's again to all who have replied to my questions, I could not have made a great choice like this one without you! Thanks, TheKrouser

Hello Jim,

Hope you are well.

It is possible a company will not introduce a new model every year, however that has not been the trend with projectors in the last few years. We have seen new batches every year, but maybe we have seen the end of that, who knows. I can wait another year if that happens, gives Blu Ray players more time to drop in price, and for more Blu Ray movies to be released. Companies won't go 2 years without a product update, even if it is only a minor change, they want people to upgrade to produce more revenue.

Later,

Tony

Tony,

That's assuming they actually come out with new models. That might be a big 'IF' this year. Otherwise, they'll probably just come down in price slightly like every other electronic device made. Of course someone will probably be giving one of these things away on Black Friday. But you'll have to stand in line for 12 hours to actually purchase it.

Jim

Thanks for the update; it sounds like you are really enjoying it!

How dark would you say your living room is? I assume you are watching it mostly at night.

Thanks again and keep us posted. Hopefully I will be joining you soon as a new owner.

It is getting close to the possible introduction of a new model as mentioned above so I guess I'll wait it out a few more months. With my luck, though, they will keep this one another year and then introduct a 1080p model next summer/autumn.

Oh well, keep on enjoying your MM!:)

Tony,

The reason I think there may be no new model from Epson this year is that this segment (all-in-one projectors) really hasn't taken off like I thought it might. Right now, only the Optoma and Epson models are generally available. When Radio Shack came out with the Cinego a few years ago, it looked like these could be really popular. But it just hasn't occurred. There's no need to introduce a 1080p version and Epson might want to get some more mileage out of the Moviemate 72.

I think if more families would give one of these a shot, they'd find they absolutely love them. When we use the Optoma Movietime, the whole family enjoys it. They really are fantastic family projectors.

Jim

Hello Jim,

Hope you are well.

Indeed my Family loves our MovieMate 30s also. Another thing going for the MovieMate series is the inexpensive lamp unit of only $199 from Epson with free overnight shipping. Makes a MovieMate a wonderful heavy use projector for gaming or as a TV replacement. Ours is the primary TV in the house, hooked up to an HDTV over the air tuner for TV and Football season, and hooked up to our Wii for games. The 72 series also uses a $199 lamp unit, and I wish if Epson does discontinue them that they keep a stand alone unit with the inexpensive lamp, which is very bright. Even your MovieTime lamps are running around $350 for replacement.

An Epson Home 20 case with a 720p panel would be fantastic, contrast is fine on the current MovieMate panel for us, our room is all white so better contrast units can not perform well due to the white walls.

Later,

Tony

Tony,

I think if more families would give one of these a shot, they'd find they absolutely love them. When we use the Optoma Movietime, the whole family enjoys it. They really are fantastic family projectors.

Jim

Hey, james.92, First of all, my carpet is beige, and I have a chair rail that's white, the bottom half of the wall is a chocolate brown and the top half is tan. The screen completly covers the front (and only) window in the room. So with the lights out, it is completly pitch dark. But when the projector is on, the room has enough light to see (like to get up and go into the kitchen and so on). Next, don"t wait!!! Life is to short!!!
I realize that a thousand dollars is nothing to sneeze at. But for what your getting, it's priceless. Look, I waited for months too, reading reviews, reading other peoples reviews and just saying to myself, well, I don't know. I would like to see one before I buy it. Then finally I just said what the . . and bought it (with a little help from Pres. Bush!) And it has been one of the best investments I have ever made and I am watching it all the time! You deserve to do something nice for you and your family now and again, this is that time! Kevin

O.K., One more time! I have had the Moviemate 72 for about 3 weeks now. I watch dvd's, hi-def television, listen to cd's, etc. EVERYONE who has come over to see this, now wants one, too! With this being my first projector and have nothing to compare it to, I can't believe that another projector could be that much better! I kind of have to ask myself, when good is good enough? This is the best $999.00 I ever spent! ( I bought it at projector point and they have great service!) I have loved movies all of my life and now to know I can watch all of my favorite old movies 10' across in my own living room, with a picture quality that exceeded my expectations ( and I am pretty picky). I know there are alot of people who read these forums, and all they want to talk about is bigger, brighter, blacker and so on. All I know is what I see. And I am very pleased with what I see in my own living room! I may be just the average guy but I'm sure there are millions of other average guys out there too.
So if you want the excitment of easy, simple and great quality home theatre, run out and buy one of these things now! ( And no, I don't work for Epson! I'm a paramedic)
And thank's again to all who have replied to my questions, I could not have made a great choice like this one without you! Thanks, TheKrouser

TK, I understand! See my post here ( A noob and the lowly Epson Home 20): http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1034045&highlight=epson+home+20

I was just as excited about my first fp experience and the Epson 20. I know I'll probably upgrade within a year, but I am very happy with this for the money spent and feel a lot like you that it's been one of my best buys.

Enjoy!

Bron

Hey, Bron! I went to your post! Man, you said everything I wanted to say! You know, the thrill of catching a fish off a yaght or a two man rowboat is the same thrill! Now my MM 72 only plays sd-dvd's in 480i (through the built in dvd player) And your right some sd-dvd's look just ok and some look stunning! (Like the 2005 King Kong) But if you have a DVR with your high def channels, if you record a high def program it will play it back in 720p! And you are right about the size. I started at 96" across but went to 120" across to watch my "Star Wars" marathon and the picture was brighter and sharper, so I left it that big! Well, got to go, there's always another movie to watch! Kevin