I'm almost to the point in my theater build when I need to take the plunge on my projector. I have a room that's ~17ft deep, ~12ft wide with 7.5ft ceiling. First row seating is 10ft back, 2nd row is another 6ft behind that.

I was really leaning towards a PLV-Z2000 but now my budget is crunching me a bit so I'm trying to justify the $2000 price of this projector, over some other good, 720p projector. My screen is a 106" Accuscreen AT screen, yet to arrive.

My big question is, will I really be able to tell the difference between the picture from a good sub-$1000 720p projector and something like the PLV-Z2000 at 10ft and 16ft? Part of me says, "save the clams for now," but part of me says take the plunge.

Can someone help me sort through it?

Buy the Sanyo z2000 its an awesome projector once tweaked properly (if still available)and yes you will see the difference if wacthing true 1080p content, once you see 1080p you can't go back, if you don't do it now you will regret it in a short time. Good Luck.

From a 10' viewing distance a 1080p model is mandatory. If you go with a panasonic model then a 720p model like the ax200 would be fine. I have been in your situation before and learned from it the hard way when it comes to screen door problems. Save some money and go with the ax200 as you will be impressed with what a little over a grand will get you without the RBE from single chip DLP models. My sharp 20000 produces the odd rainbow here and there which will bother some but not others.;)

From a 10' viewing distance a 1080p model is mandatory. If you go with a panasonic model then a 720p model like the ax200 would be fine. I have been in your situation before and learned from it the hard way when it comes to screen door problems. Save some money and go with the ax200 as you will be impressed with what a little over a grand will get you without the RBE from single chip DLP models. My sharp 20000 produces the odd rainbow here and there which will bother some but not others.;)

I am at 10" with the Planar 7130 720p picture, coming from a 480p projector, screen door isn't an issue. Buy what you can afford, if you haven't owned a 720p projector, your socks will be blown off. I'm sure I would have been more impressed with a 1080p, but not by much. HD DVD on 720p is amazing.

I'll toss in my vote for 720p as well. I upgraded from 800x600 (effective 480p) to 1024x768 (576p) to 720p and it's a huge step up and awesome. For comparison, my 1080p viewing has been limited to a 52" DLP RP which I've seen a LOT and a short period with the Z2000. 720p is 90% as good for more than 10% cheaper.

IMHO, 720p screen door isn't an issue, even without Panasonic's Smoothscreen, because the screen gets uncomfortably large (proportionately) before screen door is a problem with 921k pixels. That's just my opinion.

I'm 10 feet away, and I really regret not saving a bit (well a year and a half ago was a substantial bit) more for 1080P...

I say wait, save up and buy 1080P. A projector is a luxury after all, it's not like you NEED one right now... (although I understand the itch :D ).

Considering the size of your room (and not knowing where you plan to put the projector, nor the screen size) I'd go with an Epson 1080UB.

1080p all the way ..might wanna wait for couple of more weeks to see if any good deals spring up. At 10 feet and a 106" screen, 1080p would be ideal...if not, get the AX200.

I still find it hard to believe that most people sitting 10 feet away from a 100"+screen DO NOT see any SDE at all on a 720p PJ (even on a $5k one unless its CRT).

I have a VP4001 (720p) and I'm sitting 12 feet away from a 120" screen and I can see the SDE on bright backgrounds (just a little bit though). At 10 feet, its totally visible.

Spend $1200 or less on a good 720p now and enjoy your theater. Budget 1080p PJs are still improving and even with a year on a 720p, you can sell it for a good price or keep it as your backup when you replace it with a 1080p that you have thoroughly researched and have confidence in.

Spend $1200 or less on a good 720p now and enjoy your theater

Any recommendations?

If you know what to look for, go for the 1080p...if you are just starting out, save some dough and splurge on the sound aspect. 720p is fine for most applications and considering that none of the TV signals out right now are 1080p, 720p will do you just fine.

That being said, I started out with 720p and have had my theater for about a year now and the next one will surely be 1080p.

like a previous poster said, if you haven't seen or owned 720p on 100"+ inches, you'll be blown away. If you have then 1080p might be the way to go

1080p all the way ..might wanna wait for couple of more weeks to see if any good deals spring up. At 10 feet and a 106" screen, 1080p would be ideal...if not, get the AX200.

I still find it hard to believe that most people sitting 10 feet away from a 100"+screen DO NOT see any SDE at all on a 720p PJ (even on a $5k one unless its CRT).

I have a VP4001 (720p) and I'm sitting 12 feet away from a 120" screen and I can see the SDE on bright backgrounds (just a little bit though). At 10 feet, its totally visible.

I sit 11 to 11-1/2 feet from a 106" screen and i do not see any SDE. I am using a Marantz VP-12S4 and a DaLite HP screen. At 10 feet I do see SDE, but only on bright light colored areas of the screen like white clouds.

Any recommendations?

LCD
Epson Home Cinema 720
Panasonic AX200u
Sanyo Z5

DLP
Sharp DT-510
Optoma HD65

You could also pick up one of the Planar 7130's that someone on here ordered but is now selling because if doesn't fit their requirement or they couldn't say no to such an awesome buy but didn't really need it.

SecondAct.com is also selling refurbished Marantz VP8600s for a great price.

I notice that the posters with 720p models only see the screen door on bright white areas of the screen when viewed close up. This was also worse on my older 480p models as well but was invisible on any colored areas. It was not an issue for me and I fully support going with a 720p model until 1080p gets under 1500$.

I honestly think optics are far too overlooked compared to resolution and internal display technology.

High-end machines typically have much better optics than low-end ones. Good optics and lenses are expensive, and they're the first thing to not make the cut when manufacturers try to drive projectors down-market.

Component cost on virtually everything else in the project stays relatively flat no matter what they use (video processor, input controllers, etc.)

Very true. Good optics like the 'almost' flawless konica-minolta designs on the sharp and marantz models run between 3000-3500$ for replacement cost. No wonder the projectors which carry these lenses cost so much.