The HD1000U and HD70 represented a price break through in 720p DLP. However, the use of a clear segment in the color wheel to boost brightness created some tweaking challenges.

The other category of 720p DLP, i.e. the HC3000, IN76, and HD73 (DC3), which does not use a clear segment, represents a class of more 'traditional' HT projectors for dark room movie viewing.

The issue we face is that a premium is charged for the second category. I don't see any reason why a sub $1k version of 720p DLP w/o a clear segment cannot be made. Is this straightly a marketing ploy?

From a marketing point of view I'm guessing that companies believe that people who are buying sub 1k projectors value brightness above everything else. If you leap to the assumption that many people in this market probably don't have fully optimized viewing rooms then it's probably not far from the truth.

Moe

Add to the optimized room assumption the fact that the cheaper Pjs are more likely to be used for gaming and sporting events and then brightness really becomes an issue. The true dedicated home theater owner will also spend the extra dollars for a dedicated home theater projector. The newest machines like the HD1000/HD70 have helped blur that line slightly, but not completely.

There is another sub-catagory (in the "premium" - but not high-end - class) which is with and w/o lens shift.

That leaves the playing field wide open for the large zoom range, generous lens shift, LCD PJs. At least for those of us that have mounting restrictions and don't care if the PJ is LCD or DLP. We will buy whichever PJ fits our HT setups and satisfies our requirements (ignoring the personal biases and arguments about the desireability/problems of DLP vs. LCD technology). I've used both and I can accept the trade-offs as long as the PJ fits my room setup, PQ, price, and useage requirements.