I've been considering upgrading from my Optoma HD70 to a 1080P projector of some sort. I have small amounts of ambient light at times, but I can control it if need be. That said, I want something at least as bright. I briefly considered the HD20, but keep reading conflicting reports of whether or not it's noisy. I almost settled on the Pro8100, but then I read about banding issue and it would annoy the piss out of me to have to unplug it everyday. I've got a dedicated receptacle on the ceiling and have no plans of breaking out a ladder everyday. I could add a toggle switch or a timer though. I've also read about the upcoming Epson 8100 and it sounds appealing to me. I also wonder about the Vivitek H1080FD. I suppose I should wait for both to come out to decide, but I'd hate for the cheap Pro8100s to sell out while I wait. I definitely want 1080P, but I don't want anything with lower black levels, contrast, or lumens than my HD70. Color needs to be as good or better as well. What I really want is 1080P, and every other aspect of picture quality to exceed the HD70 I have now, but I don't want to spend over 2k. I have no placement issues. Any thoughts?

I am in the same situation as you. I recently sold my HD70 and tried to "downgrade" by bying a Panasonic 50G10 plasma tv. Although the overall picture quality was good, the flickering and plasma rainbows (which very interestingly were worse than in many DLP projectors) forced me to return it.

Now I am really waiting for the Mitsubishi HC3800 to arrive. It has a MSRP of 1500? dollars and there have been already very positive reviews in projectorreviews.com & projectorcentral.com

For me, it would be between the Espon 8100 and the Mitsubishi 3800. Both are pretty equal, as far as I can tell and would be an improvement over your HD70.

Myself, I own the Viewsonic 8100 and love the machine. Yes it has to be unplugged, but the trade offs: near silent operation, a tweakers heaven, and the Reon processor with HQV for 480i inputs makes it perfect for me.

For me, it would be between the Espon 8100 and the Mitsubishi 3800. Both are pretty equal, as far as I can tell and would be an improvement over your HD70.

Myself, I own the Viewsonic 8100 and love the machine. Yes it has to be unplugged, but the trade offs: near silent operation, a tweakers heaven, and the Reon processor with HQV for 480i inputs makes it perfect for me.

Just ordered the Viewsonic Pro 8100 had started to think about those other two projectors you mentioned but the wife told me that I keep going up by $300 in price every 2 or 3 days.Started out just wanting the Optoma HD65 then the Optoma HD20 then the Viewsonic Pro8100.
So I figured I better quit pushing my luck.:)

Thanks guys. It seems like the more I read, the more choices I find and the more willing I am to spend more. I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade to a 1080p machine because of the $999 projectors, but then started looking at the pro8100. I think I'm going to hold off for the Epson or Mitsubishi.

Why don't you look at the BenQ W6000? It's gotten great reviews, and its been a projector of high recommendation and anticipation from fans! Performance on the unit sounds great too. Take a look into it, you just might like it :D

http://www.projectorreviews.com/benq/w6000/index.php

http://www.projectorcentral.com/benq_w6000_home_theater_projector_review.htm

Here is the tread about the W6000 on AVS Forums:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17307138

Why don't you look at the BenQ W6000? It's gotten great reviews, and its been a projector of high recommendation and anticipation from fans! Performance on the unit sounds great too. Take a look into it, you just might like it :D

http://www.projectorreviews.com/benq/w6000/index.php

http://www.projectorcentral.com/benq_w6000_home_theater_projector_review.htm

Here is the tread about the W6000 on AVS Forums:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17307138

Yes, why wouldn't he... ? ;)

What I really want is 1080P, and every other aspect of picture quality to exceed the HD70 I have now, but I don't want to spend over 2k.

Hahahhaa. Well sometimes exceptions are present at the time of purchase ;)

I've been considering upgrading from my Optoma HD70 to a 1080P projector of some sort. ... Any thoughts?

What's wrong with your HD70? It's a good machine, fairly bright, reasonable contrast and a lot cheaper than a new 1080p.

Upgrading is nice, but there is only an incremental difference between 720p and 1080p. It's not clear how much that difference is worth.

I would recommend staying with your present machine and investing in a colorimeter which will improve your picture significantly more than a 1080p upgrade. When it dies or the lamp goes, then think about a new machine. By then the present "amazing" toys will be 1/2 price.

But by then, the so called "present toys" will be considered the "past", and you would want the new toys which will be just as expensive :)

No, but for sure, I agree, HAha. If the difference in performance isn't big, it's not worth spending the amount. orion456 is right.

Unless you're affected by SDE at your screen size, then it is worth it IMO. Not to mention the HD70 is an entry level projector from a few years back so something like the HC3800, Pro8100, or Epson 8100 will most likely feel like a big step up.

I agree with convexion! Epson 8100 :D

I agree with convexion! Epson 8100 :D

Seems to me if you are going to spend $1500 on and 8100, you are better to just get the superior AE400 at $2000 and have a great machine compared to a good one.

Either way you still need to purchase a colorimeter if you hope to get the best picture possible from either machine.

Seems to me if you are going to spend $1500 on and 8100, you are better to just get the superior AE400 at $2000 and have a great machine compared to a good one.

Either way you still need to purchase a colorimeter if you hope to get the best picture possible from either machine.

Agreed.

I would go for the Mitsubishi HC3800 since it has the benefits of a DLP projector but in terms of contrast, color accuracy etc. it is at least as good as Epson 8100.

I would go for the Mitsubishi HC3800 since it has the benefits of a DLP projector but in terms of contrast, color accuracy etc. it is at least as good as Epson 8100.

I like DLPs but three things bother me about them. One is the HC3800's 340 watts vs 230 watts - watts mean heat, and heat is usually bad for a projector. It also translates into louder fans. The 2nd is the rapidly rotating color wheel, which is just asking for failure - and we know they do fail. Finally the significantly better on/off contrast for the LCD allows hugely increased contrast frame to frame.

The LCD on the other hand will have color uniformity problems across the screen as well as potential convergence trouble. The DLP has better ansi contrast giving more dramatic looking images within a frame. We don't know yet if the LCD panels or other components will fail or last a long time. I suppse either way the upgrade bug will hit most users faster than their projectors die.

Not entirely true, LCD projectors suffer from color decay over time, and they tend to collect a lot more dust than DLP's which can be extremely annoying and rack up a maintenance bill for the unit.

Both DLP and LCD have their own pros and cons. No one can say one is perfect while the other isn't. But rather which benefits would match you better and which disadvantages you would want to take up.

Not entirely true, LCD projectors suffer from color decay over time, and they tend to collect a lot more dust than DLP's which can be extremely annoying and rack up a maintenance bill for the unit.



The new inorganic panels are not suppose to have this color decay problem any more - only time will tell on that one. The old panels could be pretty bad. I saw one turn yellow within a year of 6 hour a day use.

The dust problem does seem to be an issue with LCDs. I'm not sure how often that happens because not that many people seem to complain about it. Dust is everywhere, so you would think practically everyone would have the problem and every 2nd post would detail their blob story.

I made the move from an HD70 to the HD20 and consider it to be a worthwhile upgrade. I'm projecting on a 100" diagonal Carada Brilliant White screen in a very dark basement room and still find the blacks blacker than the HD70. And the detail is noticeably better. As for noise, I'm running at low power, as I did for the HD70, and the HD20 is MUCH quieter, almost inaudible, where I sit, which is almost directly below the projector.

My only regret is that I bought a replacement bulb a few months ago because I was unaware of the affordable 1080p projectors just hitting the market. That'll teach me to check AVSForum more often.

The new inorganic panels are not suppose to have this color decay problem any more - only time will tell on that one. The old panels could be pretty bad. I saw one turn yellow within a year of 6 hour a day use.

The dust problem does seem to be an issue with LCDs. I'm not sure how often that happens because not that many people seem to complain about it. Dust is everywhere, so you would think practically everyone would have the problem and every 2nd post would detail their blob story.

I'm hoping that's true about the inorganic panels as I'm strongly considering the AE4000 at this point. Hopefully the partially sealed light path will take care of dust problems but only time will tell.

I made the move from an HD70 to the HD20 and consider it to be a worthwhile upgrade. I'm projecting on a 100" diagonal Carada Brilliant White screen in a very dark basement room and still find the blacks blacker than the HD70. And the detail is noticeably better. As for noise, I'm running at low power, as I did for the HD70, and the HD20 is MUCH quieter, almost inaudible, where I sit, which is almost directly below the projector.

My only regret is that I bought a replacement bulb a few months ago because I was unaware of the affordable 1080p projectors just hitting the market. That'll teach me to check AVSForum more often.

1080p is nice and so are better blacks. Great you found it a good upgrade and not a bad price either.

If you touch the HD20, is it hot anywhere or does the fan keep it fairly cool? Optoma has a reputation for hot projectors that sometimes fail; so just wondered.

I made the move from an HD70 to the HD20 and consider it to be a worthwhile upgrade. I'm projecting on a 100" diagonal Carada Brilliant White screen in a very dark basement room and still find the blacks blacker than the HD70. And the detail is noticeably better. As for noise, I'm running at low power, as I did for the HD70, and the HD20 is MUCH quieter, almost inaudible, where I sit, which is almost directly below the projector.

My only regret is that I bought a replacement bulb a few months ago because I was unaware of the affordable 1080p projectors just hitting the market. That'll teach me to check AVSForum more often.

AkronGuy, did you input Guitarman's gamma adjustment figures to enhance shadow detail?

I am in the same boat...want to upgrade from my HD70. The AE4000 is mighty tempting, but another $1K is steep for those of us with kids in college. I'm optimistic that the HD20 is a resonable compromise to a higher end 1080P projector. On the otherhand my HD70, imperfect as it may be, has worked flawlessly. It's always hard to part with a piece of gear that just plain works without issue.

I made the move from an HD70 to the HD20 and consider it to be a worthwhile upgrade. I'm projecting on a 100" diagonal Carada Brilliant White screen in a very dark basement room and still find the blacks blacker than the HD70. And the detail is noticeably better. As for noise, I'm running at low power, as I did for the HD70, and the HD20 is MUCH quieter, almost inaudible, where I sit, which is almost directly below the projector.



What about color reproduction, any improvement in that particular area? I sold my HD70 a month ago and now I am looking to replace it with a reasonably priced 1080p projector.

Thanks again for all the info. Good to know that the HD20 has noticeably better blacks than the HD70. I'm probably going to end up in the $1,500 to $2,000 range, so I should be satisfied with whatever I decide on. I think I'll stick with DLP as well, I don't want to deal with dust in the machine and I've been happy with my HD70 so far. I had an ancient Eiki LC7000 LCD projector back when I was in college and I remember it having dust blobs in it that I couldn't get out. I don't want that to be an issue.

I felt the projector while it was running and the warmest spot was just that, i.e. warm. I didn't change the setting much, just bumped the color up a couple of notches because it looked a little washed out. I'm not a fan of highly saturated color, and even cut back the color on the HD70 because it was a little too intense for my taste. It's possible the brighter picture on the HD20 caused the color wash-out.