Hi Guys,

I'm new to this forum, and have read a lot of material before posting. Both here, and on other sites.

I want to buy a PJ for about 900$ max, and from what I see I must choose between the three in the title.

The HC1500 seems to be the cheapest at about 800$ shipped (I hear they go for 600$ a bestbuy, if its still the same, but being a non US resident and visiting my brother next month, I can only order online). The HD72 seems to be the best (please correct me if I'm wrong) at about 900$ shipped.

I will be connecting it to a PC only, and it'll be used for a few hours a week for 720P material only. Projection distance, and sitting will be at about 11ft from the screen. I would like something that has good tonal balance, and as good as I can get black level and detail. I'll be using about 80", and placing is no issue, so zoom and lens shift isn't really a problem.

That being said, since I didn't see the HC1500 against the HD72, I have no clue how the two stack up, so any help from you guys will be most appreciated.

Thanks :)

If you can get the HC1500 on close-out, that would be your best bet price wise. Add the Sharp DT510 to your list. I think the HD65 is being chosen over the HD72 for overall performance for an Optoma.

I feel I have an obligation to mention the Marantz VP8600 whenever it could work in a particular setup.

The VP8600 will throw an 80" image (diagonal) from 10.5 to 14'. It has DVI (HDCP) and VGA inputs for computer and will throw an image comparable if not superior to the other projectors listed in this thread.

It may not be as bright as the others listed, however the projectorcentral calculator says you'll get 20fL at that image size and throw distance. Nothing to sneeze at. It is also much larger (physically). It weighs about 27 lbs.

I love mine. HD content and video games are phenomenal, and SD material is handled rather well.

Good luck with your search!

I feel I have an obligation to mention the Marantz VP8600 whenever it could work in a particular setup.

The VP8600 will throw an 80" image (diagonal) from 10.5 to 14'. It has DVI (HDCP) and VGA inputs for computer and will throw an image comparable if not superior to the other projectors listed in this thread.

It may not be as bright as the others listed, however the projectorcentral calculator says you'll get 20fL at that image size and throw distance. Nothing to sneeze at. It is also much larger (physically). It weighs about 27 lbs.

I love mine. HD content and video games are phenomenal, and SD material is handled rather well.

Good luck with your search!Good point and I think Second Act is still selling the refurbs for a good price.

Hi, as for the sharp, weight is an issue since I'll be taking it on the road with me while Im in the US.

As for the 72, are you sure its worse than the 65? I was under the impression its better:confused:

Hi, as for the sharp, weight is an issue since I'll be taking it on the road with me while Im in the US.

As for the 72, are you sure its worse than the 65? I was under the impression its better:confused:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=996208

If you are taking this on the road maybe you want to look at the Optoma EP1691.

As for tonal quality, HT PJs usually have no audio.

I'm not going to use it outside, I meant that since I'll only be in the US for a vocation, it'll be with me while I'm in the states (a couple of weeks) so I dont want anything too heavy.