Greetings all,

First post here. I'm an Aussie about to holiday to Hawaii at the end of Nov and I'm looking to buy my first 1080p projector.

After doing quite a bit of forum reading both on Australian and US sites it has become clear that the best deals are available from the States. I'm currently looking at the Panny AE4000, Sanyo Z3000 or Epson range (8100 or its big brother). The projector will be used about 50/50 for Movies/Gaming.

As you may be aware our Aussie dollar is really strong right now at approx 0.93c -> US$1 however unfortunately the local supplies over here have some terrible business ethics and are still trying to gouge us for every cent they can.
An example Panny AE-4000 street price is USA = $1999
Panny AE-4000 street price is AUS = $3800~

And that's after Panasonic AUS just dropped its RRP 20% in the last week of two! Ridiculous no?

I've been looking at importing via sites such as PriceUSA which offer American agents to deal with the purchase and warranties etc, but it occurred to me that if I am in the country I might be able to avoid shipping costs and the like.

Anyhow all these preamble leads me to my rather simple question:

Can anyone recommend a retailer in Hawaii with a good reputation that sells these types of projectors?
Also (sneak in a second question seeing as you're already reading :)) Can you guys see any disadvantages with me buying whilst in the States and bringing it back with me?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Regards,

Joe.

You got 120v 60Hz AC power down under?

Nah we are 240V, but I'm pretty sure the projectors I'm looking at have 50-60Hz and 100-240V switching.

Good thinking though, thx :)

I week to go before I leave from Aust. to Hawaii for Holidays! Anyone with a recommendation for a Home Theater store in Hawaii? Honolulu area or otherwise.

You should be able to pick up Epson 8100 there at Best Buy. Also depending on the length of your stay you can try projectorpeople or visual apex and have them ship the PJ to your hotel. They should be able to 2 or 3 day express it to you fairly easy.

I think you be "fubarred".... as Hawaii is a "funny place". You would think that with their "massive home equity", they would all have good equipment and "stuff" all over BUT hawaiians are not really there.... big screen yes, "off center" stuff (ie. projectors) not.... but actually probably not much different than most of the rest of the country. So from my "multi visits", their retailer of choice is either Sears or Bestbuy... only bestbuy "carries" projectors.... you should be able to go on-line and see if they carry what you are interested in -> the price and they have a program which will get them to ship to a store for pickup. IF you are in waikiki, then the closest is just off downtown, near the Costco, HomeDepot, and the old Dole cannery complex.

Like most of the rest of the "world", most projector enthusiasts (hawaiians or otherwise) get their "fix" from the internet. Most local stores don't want to be a "show room" for your internet purchase... :-)

Having said that, there use to be a high end specialist dealer on ala moana boulavard called audio lab. I haven't been there in a long time... but from the local bus a couple of weeks ago, I did see that their business sign was still present (doesn't mean much as "dead" businesses just leave everything behind). I visited them a long time ago 5-6 years ago... very knowledgeable but highend... at that time SIM stuff etc but nice demo area... anyways they might be able to steer you some where to an appropriate store.


PS. jsut went to the bestbuy site under epson... they sell 8100 ...:-) two weeks to order :-( none at the two honolulu stores :-( you might want to talk 1 800 (not sure what the aussie equivalent is) to them and see what they can do for you.

I don't know if you are going to find a electronic store that sells projectors, i went to Maui last year, i was not shopping for electronics at all or even looking for those type of stores, i spent to much time trying to enjoy myself, it went by to quick, my advice would be to enjoy your time there and order the projector online.

There are occasionally business projectors on display here, but the only home theater projector I've seen in a retail store was an HC1600 at Best Buy. There are a couple of home theater installation companies, but I do not know if they will sell a projector by itself; I would guess that they order from the mainland per job. The only local projector specialist I know of is Projectors Hawaii; I know people who have purchased from them and were happy, but you should phone them to see what they have and at what price.

If you decide to order mail order to your hotel in Hawaii - assuming you can do that with a non-US credit card - keep in mind that shipping from the mainland to Hawaii is usually slow and extortionate.

Thanks to all who replied.

As I feared it may not be as viable an option as importing directly from the States. I'll definitely take a look at the suggested places whilst I'm there but might wait until I get home to order and just enjoy the sun'n'surf :)

Anyhow, thanks again, and if anyone remembers any other little local home Theatre havens let me know :)

Joe.