Hi Guys. I have a friend who does a lot of theater (performances, not the AVS type of theater ;)). She asked me if I knew any good projectors for an upcoming performance that will show short video clips off a DVD player. She said the projection distance is 20 feet, but I'm not sure what diagonal they are looking for.

She said it needs to be bright, as good of quality as possible (using DVD as a source), and quiet. A here is the big constraint, it needs to come in under $700 (not including screen). Do any projectors in this price range come with or have the ability to use RF remotes?

Thanks!

A refurb Optomo H31 should be found for about $550 on ebay. item #160273018782 is going now.
It will be a low hour, standard resolution projector, but nice for the money.

I have one shooting 17 feet it is bright, at night.

It is native 854x480 Pixels which is wide screen and near DVD resolution.

My $0.02, but I think there are many standard definition projectors below even the $500.

Some one said refurbed Optoma H79 Dark chip 3 for $750, search around that will be real tuff to beat.

Since it is a performance, not a movie, the image quality is not the primary objective, right?
She may want to look at a business PJ with XGA ability, something with a few extra lumens (but sacrificing image quality a bit) so she can show a bright image from 20 feet with ambient light. If the DVD source is in 4:3 format, then the XGA will not really be as much impact as for most movie buffs here looking for a more "true" experience. There are several XGA projectors under 7 bills. I think this could work. But... be sure to look at a PJ calculator before buying, so you know the image will fit the screen for the 20 foot distance.

I have been noting the Viewsonic that comes with a free bulb rebate, but I definitely won't claim to be any kind of business PJ expert (it seems to fit the need though!).