Can anyone offer some logical advice on how to move forward with my HT setup? I have ambient light, a dead Sanyo Z2 and a 100" framed wall-screen with a bare Killz primer on it.

My thought is go for the best picture under ambient light conditions.

What is the brightest (actual lumens, if possible) 720p pj in the sub $1200.00 range?

What is the birghtest (actual lumens, if possible) 1080p pj in the 1499 to 1999 range?

I am willing to goo my wall, go 720p for more lumens, etc, just not buy a standard LCD tv. ;)

Epson 6100 does 1800 lumen ...
Or you can try to pair the Sanyo Z700 or any 720p projector with a Dalite Hipower model C screen. If you are adventurous, take a look at Optoma Greywolf II.

What can I search for to find the calibrated or 'actual' lumen output for that Optoma? I looked but couldn't find anything. My Z2 on high power was somewhere near 487 lumens actual output while being rated at 900.

Can I assume that 1500 to 1800 lumens will be 'twice' as bright as what I currently see on my wall?

The Dalite Hipower & Optoma Greywolf II are retro-reflective screens rated at 2.3 and 1.8 gain respectively. If you are able to install the projector at eye level you'll be able to take advantage of the retro-reflective (reflect back to the light source) nature of the screens to combat ambient light condition.
A DIY screen may look great but it may have a much lower gain. Try playing with the projector calculator to see what kind of brightness you get with different screen gain. http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLV-Z2-projection-calculator-pro.htm

Thresher, projectorcentral.com reviewed the Mitsubishi HC1500 (1600 lumens) and it's "actual" lumens in low lamp mode was 964, while it produced 1218 lumens in high lamp mode. In low lamp mode the HC1500 is about twice as bright as the Z2 in "high" lamp mode" and in high lamp mode the HC1500 is about 1 1/2 times as bright as a Z2 in high lamp mode. I went from a Z2 to a HC1500 and the difference in every way was a big upgrade. http://www.projectorreviews.com/mitsubishi/hc1500/performance.php#brightness

Hey did you ever hit 15000 hrs before the Z2 died?

Can anyone offer some logical advice on how to move forward with my HT setup? I have ambient light, a dead Sanyo Z2 and a 100" framed wall-screen with a bare Killz primer on it.

My thought is go for the best picture under ambient light conditions.

What is the brightest (actual lumens, if possible) 720p pj in the sub $1200.00 range?

What is the birghtest (actual lumens, if possible) 1080p pj in the 1499 to 1999 range?

I am willing to goo my wall, go 720p for more lumens, etc, just not buy a standard LCD tv. ;)


Like the other poster mentioned,, the Epson 6100, one of the brightest if not thee brightest 1080p projectors at 1800 lumens, and Epson does not overstate/exagerate lumens like other projector makers do.

1080p, 1800 lumens and priced around $1,800.00 seems like a no brainer given what your wanting in a projector.

Cheers
Davyo

The Mitsu hc1600 is only $749 with free lamp right now. It has 1700 lumens and people have good things to say.

Maybe I will save up a bit as I don't even have a 1080p source.

ax200u is the brightest you'll find.

ax200u is the brightest you'll find.

Along with the most problems.:eek:

ax200u is the brightest you'll find.


Agreed, the AX200 is the brightest 720 projector.
While the Epson 6100 seems to be the brightest 1080p projector.

Cheers
Davyo

Ax200u looks good to me as well. 2000 lumens sounds very nice to this 900 lumen z2 guy.

I will look at these forums for reliability concerns. and warranty response times. In my humid environment the Z2 died a quick death.

Any of these have sealed light paths?

Ax200u looks good to me as well. 2000 lumens sounds very nice to this 900 lumen z2 guy.

I will look at these forums for reliability concerns. and warranty response times. In my humid environment the Z2 died a quick death.

Any of these have sealed light paths?

As far as reliability and warranty stuff, Epson is perhaps the very best.

With Epson you get a live person on the phone and they will also ship you out a replacement projector to use while they fix yours that you send them in the box your replacement projector came in.
Epson also is a 2 year warranty, most others are 1 year.

Last week, I had the AX200 and the Epson 720 set up at the same time and got to compare the two,,, I kept the Epson and the AX200 went back in the box.
Thats not to say the AX200 is not a great projector, it is.
I just liked the Epson 720 better overall and it was just as bright as the AX200.

On a side note, I used to own a Z2, and yea, your guna be blown away by the lumen jump of the newer projectors.

Cheers
Davyo

Sanyo carries the best 3 year warranty as of right now. Shipping is on them.

Sanyo carries the best 3 year warranty as of right now. Shipping is on them.


Ahh, my bad,, I did not realize Sanyo's was 3 years and Sanyo's are great projectors.
In the past I have owned the Z1, Z2 and Z3, I kinda quit buying Sanyos though as they did not keep up in terms of lumens with the Panasonics, for me, I need/like a brighter projector.
Since the original poster is very concerned with brightness I dont think the Sanyo's would be the best suggestion,, but they are great projectors.

Cheers
Davyo

Sanyo carries the best 3 year warranty as of right now. Shipping is on them.Yeah, but Sanyo denies a lot of warrenty service and claims it was user abuse so the 3 year warrenty is worthless. some people even filed lawsuits.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611288&highlight=sanyo+warrenty
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=777461&highlight=sanyo+warrenty
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=788065&highlight=sanyo+warrenty

Thresher, Hey did you ever hit 15000 hrs before the Z2 died?


It technically is still running. It just can't recreate the colors white, purple, grey, black. It started as a haze but turned into speckles and dots. I am still using it though, and here I promised to never be "that guy" using flawed equipment.

It technically is still running. It just can't recreate the colors white, purple, grey, black. It started as a haze but turned into speckles and dots. I am still using it though, and here I promised to never be "that guy" using flawed equipment.You hung in there a looooong time with it though. Mine had about 6300 hrs on it when I gave it to a forum member who's Z2 died and couldn't afford a new one. It was just sitting around since I had replace it with the HC1500 in January.

Should I even consider DLP with all the game played on the PJ?

Panasonic AE200u $949
Epson Home Cinema 720 $1249 $100 rebate/free bulb: $1149.00

Epson Home Cinema 6100 $1895 (no 1080p source yet)

My kids play PS3 games on the HC1500 with no problems. I'm not aware of any problems with DLP and playing games.

Should I even consider DLP with all the game played on the PJ?

Panasonic AE200u $949
Epson Home Cinema 720 $1249 $100 rebate/free bulb: $1149.00

Epson Home Cinema 6100 $1895 (no 1080p source yet)

A few drawbacks to DLP is they has less placement options, the Panasonics, Espons and Sanyos have the best lens shift and throw distances meaning you can put them or install them just about anywhere in a room.

Also, for me, (and a small percentage of others), I cant watch DLP as I suffer from the rainbow DLP effect and get a major headache watching any DLP display, I would also hate to have a guest come over to my house for movie night and see that guest get the DLP headache as ya never know who is affected by it,,,, hope that all made sense.

Since you said you dont have a 1080p source yet my suggestion would be to get one, BluRay on a projector is simply amazing.
The Samsung 1500 BluRay player can be had for around 250.00 or less.

Cheers
Davyo

Yeah, but Sanyo denies a lot of warrenty service and claims it was user abuse so the 3 year warrenty is worthless. some people even filed lawsuits.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=611288&highlight=sanyo+warrenty
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=777461&highlight=sanyo+warrenty
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=788065&highlight=sanyo+warrenty

And MAny many others claim how good their service isand how fast the turn around is, but any way the z60 is worth checking out if your okay with 720p it has some great reviews and is plenty bright as well. From projector.com
Clarity and Detail. The Cinema 720 projects a beautiful, detailed image, but the Z60 looks incrementally clearer, sharper, and more detailed. Subtle details in HD material seem to jump out on the Z60 slightly moreso than they do on the Cinema 720. While this category is a close call, the Z60 takes it.

Sharpness and Clarity. The Z60 has a sharper picture with more apparent detail than the AX200 when displaying identical content over an HDMI connection. It is so clear, in fact, that it almost makes the AX200 appear slightly soft. All in all, the Z60 more accurately portrays the source material, and as such wins this category.

:)

It is hard to choke down that I paid 2,000 or my Z2 and only got 3 years before the blue haze began.

Sould I expect this from other LCD pj moving forward? What is the word about Panny ax200u and how it works after 5000 lamp hours, etc?

Thanks guys, I looked at some esential threads but with hundreds of posts each thread it gets very hard to answer the straight forward stuff.

My