For my initial price range of $2000 max I came up with this list:

BenQ W5000 = $1999
Epson Powerlite 6100 = $2149
Panasonic PT-AE2000u =$2099

Now if I dish out another few hundred bucks I could get something much better such as:

Panasonic PT-AE3000u =$2499
Possibly the Epson Powerlite 6500 but I think thats closer to 3K so I dont know about that one......

Could I get some opinions on the first 4 in the list?

Why not the Mit HC6500? I would take that over the AE3000 any day.

Why not the Mit HC6500? I would take that over the AE3000 any day.

I just read the review on it, seems to be in the same range as the others i mentioned. I saw it listed for $2149 with rebate included. They did mention not so great black levels...whats your take on that?

Sorry...I don't own it but Art's review suggested despite have only decent black levels, it was superior in sharpness and brightness in normal modes even when compared to the AE3000.

Maybe a HC6500 owner can share his experience? And I've got friends with a AX100 and another with a AE2000 and I can tell u the panny's have some severe reliability issues.

My take on the black levels is that of the 5 you have mentioned the HC6500 will be on par with them all.

I usually dont like DLP, but if those were my choices the HC6500 and the AE-3000 would be a toss up for me.

My take on the black levels is that of the 5 you have mentioned the HC6500 will be on par with them all.

I usually dont like DLP, but if those were my choices the HC6500 and the AE-3000 would be a toss up for me.

Any reason for not liking the DLP? I noticed the HC6500 is whisper quiet which is a huge benfit for me since its gonna be mounted overhead.

Well I would guess the 1080's wouldn't have RBE as bad as the Entry level 720s. I got a crazy headache watching Casino Royal on an Optoma HD70 a while back, and it seems every DLP I've seen since does the same thing....Personal preference really. Im able to watch my Mom's RPTV just fine and the Yamaha DPX-1200 didnt bother me. After joining this forum i learned of Rainbow Effect and the possible side effects. It looks like im very susceptible to it.

For my initial price range of $2000 max I came up with this list:

BenQ W5000 = $1999
Epson Powerlite 6100 = $2149
Panasonic PT-AE2000u =$2099

Now if I dish out another few hundred bucks I could get something much better such as:

Panasonic PT-AE3000u =$2499
Possibly the Epson Powerlite 6500 but I think thats closer to 3K so I dont know about that one......

Could I get some opinions on the first 4 in the list?
What are you specifically looking for in the pj? Is lens shift important, brightest mode, black levels, etc?
You should also get on the phone right now and call Jason from the AVS store at the top of the screen. You'll be very surprised at how nice the pricing is. We can't advertise price on the forum, you must call to find out. I wanted to spend 2000 total, but the features and price of the 6500UB sold me. Don't throw that one out of the mix, I'm sure it wll be a great pj

What are you specifically looking for in the pj? Is lens shift important, brightest mode, black levels, etc?
You should also get on the phone right now and call Jason from the AVS store at the top of the screen. You'll be very surprised at how nice the pricing is. We can't advertise price on the forum, you must call to find out. I wanted to spend 2000 total, but the features and price of the 6500UB sold me. Don't throw that one out of the mix, I'm sure it wll be a great pj

Well I'll probably end up using the pj for everything. To watch dvds/blu ray, regular and hd programming and sometimes play xbox 360. There are windows in the room, 1 big one and a set of french doors. I plan on covering both with blackout drapes so I will be able to control the amount of light entering, as well I'll be installing a dimmer switch to control the 4 halogen potlights.

The room is square 18 x 18. Pj will be mounted about 2' from the wall so distance from lens to screen would be 16'. I want a clear, vivid picture for when I watch movies and watch sports. Black level is also up there as well.
I looked into the 6500UB, but the predicted pricing is close to 3k is it not?

Well I would guess the 1080's wouldn't have RBE as bad as the Entry level 720s. I got a crazy headache watching Casino Royal on an Optoma HD70 a while back, and it seems every DLP I've seen since does the same thing....Personal preference really. Im able to watch my Mom's RPTV just fine and the Yamaha DPX-1200 didnt bother me. After joining this forum i learned of Rainbow Effect and the possible side effects. It looks like im very susceptible to it.

Headache is almost always from brightness, not RBE. Properly calibrated brightness and contrast will eliminate the headaches and reduce RBE for the few that can see it.

Well I'll probably end up using the pj for everything. To watch dvds/blu ray, regular and hd programming and sometimes play xbox 360. There are windows in the room, 1 big one and a set of french doors. I plan on covering both with blackout drapes so I will be able to control the amount of light entering, as well I'll be installing a dimmer switch to control the 4 halogen potlights.

The room is square 18 x 18. Pj will be mounted about 2' from the wall so distance from lens to screen would be 16'. I want a clear, vivid picture for when I watch movies and watch sports. Black level is also up there as well.
I looked into the 6500UB, but the predicted pricing is close to 3k is it not?

You are going to have issues with SDTV on any projector you purchase. A video processor usually helps quite a bit in SDTV viewing (usually 1200+), but there are things that can just never be fixed with SDTV (like bad signal).

Headache is almost always from brightness, not RBE. Properly calibrated brightness and contrast will eliminate the headaches and reduce RBE for the few that can see it.

Might be...it might also have something to do with the fact that the screen was a grey wolf II

Yeah ive seen SD on a projector and its not that great, but I dont mind it. Ive been reading about the epson powerlite 6500 and it seems awesome! Buttt that is really stretching my budget now. Is there supposed to be a huge difference in picture quality between the 6100 and the 6500?

I noticed that the W5000 is only on sale for $1999 until dec.15th! Any ideas whether the price will drop again in the new year or will it go back up to $2799?

Yeah ive seen SD on a projector and its not that great, but I dont mind it. Ive been reading about the epson powerlite 6500 and it seems awesome! Buttt that is really stretching my budget now. Is there supposed to be a huge difference in picture quality between the 6100 and the 6500?

I noticed that the W5000 is only on sale for $1999 until dec.15th! Any ideas whether the price will drop again in the new year or will it go back up to $2799?

I'm not sure about price drops as the W500 still goes for the same price as it did last year! Actually, last year the regular price was $849, so now it is $50 more.

It may not be as good as the newer models, but the Optoma HD80 can be found for cheap now. I know that putting up prices and store names is a BIG no no, but as most of the sponsors and the site themselves are poor options for Canadians I hope they can overlook the next sentence. At onhop.ca you can get a brand new - not refurb - HD80 for $1327.11. Apparently it is an Optoma thing (so the guys at onhop told me), so this might be the start of an across the board price drop.

I just ordered one - I hope to get it tomorrow. It may not be state of the art, but 1080p for that price is pretty sweet and hard to overlook (at least for me). I had been in the market for a 720p (and had a $1000 budget) so stretching the budget to that was a stretch already - let alone the $2k needed for most everything else except one...

There are also deals on the Sanyo PLV-Z700 to be had. Check shopbot.ca

I doubt that the PLV-Z700 or HD80 would compete with the Epson 6100, but then again, I paid $800 less!

Why not the Mit HC6500? I would take that over the AE3000 any day.

You failed to mention you are anti-Panny too. :rolleyes:

Any of those listed would suit you well. In all honesty, it'd be a tossup between the hc6500 and the ae3000 if it was my choice.

You failed to mention you are anti-Panny too. :rolleyes:

Any of those listed would suit you well. In all honesty, it'd be a tossup between the hc6500 and the ae3000 if it was my choice.

Do you like the W5000?

It's a worthy choice, but I've only read about it, never seen it in person.

You have the room to use it and get a 120" screen.

Depends on if you like really sharp to the point of some noise production or slighty less sharp and smoother look to your image.

I prefer the smoother look.

I have the hc6500. It throws a very, very sharp picture. My son uses it for COD and Halo, the picture is excellent. It is the QUIETEST projector made! I use mine mostly for Directv HD. Good SD looks nice. Bad SD looks really bad. With the rebate this is a good choice.;)

I have the hc6500. It throws a very, very sharp picture. My son uses it for COD and Halo, the picture is excellent. It is the QUIETEST projector made! I use mine mostly for Directv HD. Good SD looks nice. Bad SD looks really bad. With the rebate this is a good choice.;)

wait, which rebate???

+1 for the Mitsubishi HC6500...razor sharp, great color, excellent black level and quiet as a mouse. Plus 5000 hour lamp life in low mode. A killer projector. :)

wait, which rebate???


Here (http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/pdf/rebates/15806.pdf) you go!

G

so its 2400 plus rebate?

You failed to mention you are anti-Panny too. :rolleyes:

It's for a reason that's been experienced by countless unhappy PAnny owners even on this forum (I know ALL PJ's have issues to some extend but the Panny's do have some bad QC...more than the others.)

I've helped my AX100 friend trouble-shoot his issues to a point where 2 trips to Heartland failed to fix his severe flickering issues and banding till he ended up selling his AX for cheap and moving onto the Epson 1080UB (some minor convergence but overall, very solid PJ).

My other buddy who just bought a AE2000 had the focus resetting on it in a weird way. We focused it and couple of days later, he said the focus was just a little soft even though he didn't touch the PJ at all....we focused it again and same thing happened a little later. He had over 100 hours on the PJ so it couldn't have been a case of break-in either. He called it in under warranty.

What are the chances of 2 of your friends (both Panny PJ's) having QC issues and having to send them back for repair? Based on these, I would never recommend Panasonic PJ's to anyone. Your experience may vary. If u have a Panny working out great for you, then I wish u good luck as both of my buddies didn't seem to have that.

It may not be as good as the newer models, but the Optoma HD80 can be found for cheap now. I know that putting up prices and store names is a BIG no no, but as most of the sponsors and the site themselves are poor options for Canadians I hope they can overlook the next sentence. At onhop.ca you can get a brand new - not refurb - HD80 for $1327.11. Apparently it is an Optoma thing (so the guys at onhop told me), so this might be the start of an across the board price drop.


I doubt that the PLV-Z700 or HD80 would compete with the Epson 6100, but then again, I paid $800 less!

At the price you quoted for the hd 80 I still would not recommend it over the benq 5000 at the OP's stated price of 1999$. The hd 80 has many issues that will never be addressed and has a much softer image than the benq 5000. Not to mention that most optomas have bulb life issues among other issues. The optpma has inaccurate colors that can never be accurate. The benq 5000 with the 1.21 firmware has accurate colors and with 2.1 firmware has a working cms that any isf calibrator can save to. This is coming from a user who has both. There are a few of hd80 owners that have moved on to the benq 5000 and one can read up on the threads in the higher forum. As for the other pj's I will leave to those who have seen them in action although I did not like the image from the panny I saw once.

For my initial price range of $2000 max I came up with this list:

BenQ W5000 = $1999
Epson Powerlite 6100 = $2149
Panasonic PT-AE2000u =$2099

Now if I dish out another few hundred bucks I could get something much better such as:

Panasonic PT-AE3000u =$2499
Possibly the Epson Powerlite 6500 but I think thats closer to 3K so I dont know about that one......

Could I get some opinions on the first 4 in the list?I'd contact Jason at AVS about the price of the 6500UB, and keep in mind the rebates. I purchased the TW4000 (Japanese equivalent), so my personal choice is pretty obvious if we're including that option.

The BenQ is a very nice projector. Assuming that it fits your room and setup, and that you're ceiling mounting it and have no RBE sensitivity, I would actually lean towards that based on the first four projectors on your list.

If you want more placement flexibility and/or want to avoid DLP for RBE or other reasons, I'd recommend the 1080UB over the 6100. The 1080UB is cheaper, deeper blacks, better shadows, inorganic panels...just because something's newer doesn't make it better. I've seen both the Z700 and 6100 in person, and was unimpressed with both.

Because I need lots of lens shift if I want to keep my room as it is, I'd probably go 6500UB, 1080UB, Z2000/Z3000, AE3000 in that order if I was looking for good bang for my buck for my uses.

Peteer01 gives great advice about the placement of pj's and everything else in his post!:)

i measured the room today and its 18'. the pj will be ceiling mounted 2' from the back wall so 16' from the lens to the screen. the w5000 fits the bill in that regard.

so now its down to the w5000 and the mitsu hc6500 since its 2249 - the rebate so basically around the same price.

If you can I would recommend viewing both as they will have different looks as one is dlp and the other is LCD. If not able to view both look for comparable dlp's and lcd's to view.

Headache is almost always from brightness, not RBE. Properly calibrated brightness and contrast will eliminate the headaches and reduce RBE for the few that can see it.

I would have to strongly disagree with your opinion.

Every DLP projector I have ever spent time viewing has given me a massive splitting headache.

As far as saying that a properly calibrated projector will reduce the headache thing,,,,,,,, I live in Vegas and go to CES every year and being the projector junkie that I am thats all I go to CES for, is to check out all the newest projectors,,, I have seen the best of the best DLP projectors properly set-up and calibrated at CES and every single time I get a raging spliting headache while watching the DLP's.

And its not just CES, its every high end showroom and or personal hometheater room I have been in were there is a DLP projector.

For those of us that suffer from the DLP headache thing no amount of calibration or proper set-up helps.

Cheers
Davyo

At the price you quoted for the hd 80 I still would not recommend it over the benq 5000 at the OP's stated price of 1999$. The hd 80 has many issues that will never be addressed and has a much softer image than the benq 5000. Not to mention that most optomas have bulb life issues among other issues. The optpma has inaccurate colors that can never be accurate. The benq 5000 with the 1.21 firmware has accurate colors and with 2.1 firmware has a working cms that any isf calibrator can save to. This is coming from a user who has both. There are a few of hd80 owners that have moved on to the benq 5000 and one can read up on the threads in the higher forum. As for the other pj's I will leave to those who have seen them in action although I did not like the image from the panny I saw once.

Just mentioned it in case the budget just wasn't there for the W5000. While $1999 is a great deal, that is after the $500 MIR. Maybe it is just me, but even though I've never had a bad experience with a rebate I'd hate a $500 rebate to be the first one to go bad! At that point, the W5000 just cost $1100 more.

The Sanyo might be worth considering, wouldn't it? This article didn't seem too harsh on either the Sanyo or the Optoma:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/sanyo/plv-z700/proscons.php

Now, if a more expensive projector is in the budget, any of them would kill the Sanyo or the Optoma. However, going off the OP's initial budget of $2k, they might be good considerations if $$$$$ are still important.

Maybe it is just because I'm jealous and couldn't afford an Infocus IN83 so I'm trying to drag everyone down with me ;)

i measured the room today and its 18'. the pj will be ceiling mounted 2' from the back wall so 16' from the lens to the screen. the w5000 fits the bill in that regard.

so now its down to the w5000 and the mitsu hc6500 since its 2249 - the rebate so basically around the same price.

Forgive me if this already came up...

Where are you sitting in relation to the projector? Might be an issue, as the Mitsu will be noticeably quieter than the BenQ. It may be something to keep in mind.

From a projectorreview comparison:

"The BenQ definitely is louder, being on the quiet end of the DLP projector range, but still far more than the Mitsubishi which is simply the quietest projector on the market."

http://www.projectorreviews.com/mitsubishi/hc6500/proscons.php

It's for a reason that's been experienced by countless unhappy PAnny owners even on this forum (I know ALL PJ's have issues to some extend but the Panny's do have some bad QC...more than the others.)

I've helped my AX100 friend trouble-shoot his issues to a point where 2 trips to Heartland failed to fix his severe flickering issues and banding till he ended up selling his AX for cheap and moving onto the Epson 1080UB (some minor convergence but overall, very solid PJ).

My other buddy who just bought a AE2000 had the focus resetting on it in a weird way. We focused it and couple of days later, he said the focus was just a little soft even though he didn't touch the PJ at all....we focused it again and same thing happened a little later. He had over 100 hours on the PJ so it couldn't have been a case of break-in either. He called it in under warranty.

What are the chances of 2 of your friends (both Panny PJ's) having QC issues and having to send them back for repair? Based on these, I would never recommend Panasonic PJ's to anyone. Your experience may vary. If u have a Panny working out great for you, then I wish u good luck as both of my buddies didn't seem to have that.

Well... maybe you shouldn't be helping out your friends. You have bad PJ mojo! :D

Seriously though. I do understand anyone being a bit upset about the ax100 iris issue. With that said, I can't think of any other Panny model that has issues above what any other manufacturer has also.

The Panny AE3000 is a very worthy choice, along with the others mentioned.

Forgive me if this already came up...

Where are you sitting in relation to the projector? Might be an issue, as the Mitsu will be noticeably quieter than the BenQ. It may be something to keep in mind.

From a projectorreview comparison:

"The BenQ definitely is louder, being on the quiet end of the DLP projector range, but still far more than the Mitsubishi which is simply the quietest projector on the market."

http://www.projectorreviews.com/mitsubishi/hc6500/proscons.php

i read that article as well, its something that will play a role. the pj will basically be mounted overhead of the seatin area.

i read that article as well, its something that will play a role. the pj will basically be mounted overhead of the seatin area.

I guess that will be a tricky question - the Mitsu does cost more than the BenQ, but not by much.

Some people have had success building a noise isolator for projectors when they are directly overhead, but it would be simpler to get the Mitsu and not have to worry about it.

At this point, both the Mitsu and the BenQ offer tremendous picture quality so you can start getting into the nit-pick things!

Not all people are bothered by the fan noise of a projector - I know I'm not as the Xbox 360 drowns out everything anyhow!

Yeah im used to the noise from the 360. I have an off topic question, if anyone is familiar with the hitachi px-tx200, whats the consensus on that pj? My cousin has one and thats the only one ive viewed. WIll the benq blow that one outta the water?

I cannot speak to the image processing of the panny for upscaling, but it should be of some note (since you plan on wathcing SD content), that the mitsu 6500 includes a nice scaling chip (Reon). Not quite as nice as the newer ABT chips in standalone processors, but pretty darn close, and considering it is included (rather than another $1000 or so), quite a steal actually.


edit: oops... I see that the w5000 has that too, so that is another good choice in that regard

Yeah im used to the noise from the 360. I have an off topic question, if anyone is familiar with the hitachi px-tx200, whats the consensus on that pj? My cousin has one and thats the only one ive viewed. WIll the benq blow that one outta the water?

Do you mean the PJ-TX200?

If so, yes, both the W5000 and HC6500 would simply blow it away.

I mean, a nice projector in its day but it is a 3 year old LCD 720p!

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Hitachi-PJ-TX200.htm

Your cousin will be jealous when he sees your new PJ! :D

I had a Sanyo Z4 as my first projector since upgraded to Mits HC5000, Sony VW60 and AE3000 (replacing the HC5000). Z4 was in the same league as the TX200. Any of the current crop of 1080p LCD/LCoS/DLP will blow it away. TX200 if viewed by itself looks great but after you'd seen the latest 1080p you'll find the color to be much more natural/pleasing on the later generation.

I can't wait to get this pj!

I can't wait to get this pj!

Which one are you getting? :)

Which one are you getting? :)

If all goes well, the w5000 I'm a little short on funds and I don't get paid til next week so I gotta get some cash before the offer expires on the 15th. It's a gamble to wait until after Xmas and then see if it does go on sale again.

:D Good for you! You're going to love it!!!

You do realize you'll have to post screen shots now...

Just kidding, I hope you enjoy it - in fact, I know you will!

I'm not sure about price drops as the W500 still goes for the same price as it did last year! Actually, last year the regular price was $849, so now it is $50 more.

It may not be as good as the newer models, but the Optoma HD80 can be found for cheap now. I know that putting up prices and store names is a BIG no no, but as most of the sponsors and the site themselves are poor options for Canadians I hope they can overlook the next sentence. At onhop.ca you can get a brand new - not refurb - HD80 for $1327.11. Apparently it is an Optoma thing (so the guys at onhop told me), so this might be the start of an across the board price drop.

I just ordered one - I hope to get it tomorrow. It may not be state of the art, but 1080p for that price is pretty sweet and hard to overlook (at least for me). I had been in the market for a 720p (and had a $1000 budget) so stretching the budget to that was a stretch already - let alone the $2k needed for most everything else except one...

There are also deals on the Sanyo PLV-Z700 to be had. Check shopbot.ca

I doubt that the PLV-Z700 or HD80 would compete with the Epson 6100, but then again, I paid $800 less!

dude your looking at the same thing as me...i'm looking at buying the optoma HD80 from frontierpc.com for around that price....so cheap and I called them and they assured that it is brand new...hard not to go for it. :D

I cannot speak to the image processing of the panny for upscaling, but it should be of some note (since you plan on wathcing SD content), that the mitsu 6500 includes a nice scaling chip (Reon). Not quite as nice as the newer ABT chips in standalone processors, but pretty darn close, and considering it is included (rather than another $1000 or so), quite a steal actually.


edit: oops... I see that the w5000 has that too, so that is another good choice in that regard

+1

also I believe the new epsons are 4000 hrs, and the mits hc6500 is 5000 hrs in eco mode(2000 in normal). If you plan to watch tv, that may be useful to keep in mind..

dude your looking at the same thing as me...i'm looking at buying the optoma HD80 from frontierpc.com for around that price....so cheap and I called them and they assured that it is brand new...hard not to go for it. :D

Yah, I should be getting mine on Monday!

I ordered mine from onhop.ca though...

Yah, I should be getting mine on Monday!

I ordered mine from onhop.ca though...let me know how it goes!

Is this a good mount for the Benq W5000?

http://www.eastporters.com/estore/cart.php?target=product&product_id=34&category_id=3

I need something that will come down so i can clear the ceiling fan.