Hi everyone. I have always been able to get good advice from the knowledgeable people on this forum. Here is my question. I have had a Sharp 12k DLP for almost 6 years now and I have enjoyed it thoroughly!!! It is coming up on bulb change time again and rather than spend $500 for a new bulb I thought I might just buy a new projector for close to the same price. I would like to spend $1000 or less. I am going to go through the Dell.com website as I have no interest for 24 months there and with that being said...here are my options, please give me your feedback:

Epson Home Cinema 720 (720p)

Optoma HD65 (720p)

Panasonic AX200u (720p)

All of these will fit in my home theater specifications, I am wondering which will give me the best performance increase over my current Sharp 12k. Should I stay with a dlp, or is it not a big deal to go to a lcd? Hopefully maybe someone out there can offer me some opinions to help in my decision process.

Thank you in advance!!!

I'd get the bulb! An upgrade is going to cost you more.

Your Sharp will have better contrast and blacks over any of the models you list. The only advantage of the other models is brightness and brightness can be addicting. It really depends on your sitution. I'm assuming you meant the Epson Home Cinema 720, it's an LCD. The Infocus model would be the X9 and is a DLP. The Optoma HD65 is a DLP. The LCDs will have more screen door except for the Panasonic AX200 but it has a softer look and is not as sharp. If you are not a tweaker or plan to calibrate than the X9 would probably be your best bet, otherwise the HD65 of the models you list. But, I'd just get a new bulb or spend more for a 1080P model:-)

Bob

Thanks for the input, Bob. I edited the mistakes I made in my post. I see tha t there is an Infocus X10 and a Sharp 15000 available throgh Dell as well. These are both 1080s and I could go the $2000 price if it will be a big difference from my Sharp 12k. Any thoughts???

For $2k you have a lot of options. The Panasonic AE4000. Infocus X-10, Sharp 15000. Possibly the Epson 8500, not sure on street price yet. These would all be an upgrade in my opinion. There might be a few things your 12K still does better but overall you'd be happy with one of these.

Bob

I would also advice you to go for Panasonic AE4000. Its a very PJ. Recommended.

get a new bulb and wait for 3d projectors. the optics in the sharp cost more then the projectors you have listed. i have seen 1080p in dlp and lcd and picture quality wise it cannot be beat by anything less then 5 grand. remember you get what you pay for. the sharp is the best 720 p period. just be patient and wait for quality.

Yeah agreed. No way you should change the Z12k out for anything under $2k new. The Z15k is a lower end model regardless of it's labelling, it wouldn't compare favourably to the one you have.

Thanks so much for the advice... It sounds pretty unanimous. I will just buy a new bulb and wait for a bit more. Thanks!!!