I have a benq w500 from costco on the way, mostly to check out the feasibility of a projector (generous return policy means plenty of time to decide if we want to go with a big LCD). Probably looking at a 100" screen, sitting about 11 or 12 feet back (it's a huuuge room). Will be projecting on the wall for a few days to determine screen needs. Possibly painting it with projector paint, if its cheaper. Honestly havn't really looked into screens much, besides learning we probably want a high contrast gray one for the ambient light we'd usually have. Blinds are always closed, and can throw tshirts over a couple ceiling lamps to control a little more light.
What else should I be looking at? Found a deal on the Mitsu HC1600, which is way brighter and cheaper by enough to consider trading for the hell of it. Should I just wait til I fire up the w500 and see what I want to fix?

BenQ W500 is fine.

The Shart Dt-510 (tigerdirect.com) will throw a better picture but does not have lens shift.

A dorm room can be a tough place to put a projector. An LCD like the W500 is probably a better choice than a DLP like the DT-510 becaus they generally allow far more flexibility in their placement. But I agree with gwlaw99 that the Sharp's picture will be somewhat better. If there's any problem with the BenQ, it's the fact that it has a short zoom. Most LCDs are closer to 2:1 but the BenQ is only 1.2:1. Check it out to see if it'll fit in your room. If it doesn't, it's likely that no DLP will fit as well.

Jim

My thoughts:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=993180