I am being given $3500 credit from Best Buy to purchase a TV to replace my Mitsubishi WD-73835. I have been eyeballing an Epson 6500UB for a bit now but unfortunately Best Buy doesn't sell that model. The only real choice I have are the two models mentioned in the subject line. This would be placed in my living room with a moderate amount of ambient light. The projector would be used for 80% HDTV viewing and 10% movies and 10% PS3.

This is the forum where people ask audio visual equipment questions and get answers or advice, right?

All I can say is that I have the Mitsu hc6500 and I love it. Over 600 hrs and perfect picture. My first choice was going to be a Sony, either the "40" or the "10". I made the decision to go with the Mitsubishi based on two things, Lumens and $. I have no second thoughts. A bright picture with lots of "depth" and a 5000 hr. bulb. Greg

well i own the HC6500...its extremely reliable and doesnt have any one area where it would be considered weak so to speak...the HW10 does perform better IMO when it comes to picture quality...i dont know how the reliability is on the HW10 as i hardly ever visit the owners thread anymore but i havent had to much luck with previous sony LCoS products...so from a pure performance standpoint the HW10 wins...not by a long shot but it does beat out the HC6500...but in all honesty you would probly have to have them both side by side to really be able to tell a difference and even then it would be very slight...i know when i saw the HW10 and the HC6500 at the local BB magnolia in different rooms it was very hard to tell a difference between the two when quickly switching between rooms while viewing the same content.

since you are going to have a moderate amount of ambient light neither of these projectors will be ideal...if i remember correctly the mitsubishi is a bit brighter in best mode than the HW10...i could be wrong but i know the sony is not a light cannon but neither is the HC6500...i know in low mode the lamp on the HC6500 can last up to 5000 hours but with moderate ambient light that will probly be a no go.

in all honesty you cant go wrong with either choice...i dont know if you plan on buying a screen or already have one but the price of the HC6500 and a screen at best buy will get you in below $3500 whereas the price of a screen and the HW10 probly wont

Thanks for the responses. The Epson 6500UB would be the ideal choice but for some reason people at retail stores think Epsons are not serious projectors. Magnolia is no exception. When I told the salesperson that most LCD projectors use Epson panels the guy laughed at me and said he didn't think so, Epsons are cheap.

Oh well, no real choice here for me to replace my 73" Mitsubishi