I'm in the market for a digital projector to use pretty much exclusively for Xbox360, PS3 and PC games. Here are my requirements:

* Native 1280x720.
* HDMI input (VGA and DVI input would be nice)
* Lens shift to compensate for vertical offset.
* Good color & contrast ratio.
* No rainbows.
* Minimal screen door effect.
* Fast update time - no ghosting or lag.

It will be in a light controlled room.

I will not be using this projector for movies.

I have a lot of flexibility in the space for throw distance and image size. I would like to experiment with screen sizes between 120" and 168" diagonal. Its in a big room, seating will be 20-30 feet from the screen.

I do see rainbows on most DLP sets and would be more willing to put up with SDE. But obviously would prefer a solution that minimizes both those sorts of problems. I dont know if anyone is making a 720p DILA or alternative to LCD/DLP.

I did post a similar thread on the <$3000 digital forum and got these recommendations:

Panasonic AX100U - several people suggested.
Epson 400
Mits HD100U

I am leaning toward a 3-LCD unit rather than DLP and am a little sad that there is no 720p DILA that I can find. But am concerned about LCD update time. I dont find specs for most of them the way you do for monitors.

Do people have particular gaming experience with these or other projectors to reccomend or avoid?

The Optoma HD70 meets your specs (instead of a manual lens shift it has a software Keystone feature that moves the image around) and it's only 1000 dollars. Quite the deal for gaming.

Also, I just bought the HD1000u, which has the same 'no-lens-shift-issue' as the Optoma but is otherwise awesome, I've played more GRAW2 than watched movies I bet. If you have the placement flexibility I highly recommend it.

If you can always mount any projector to where you dont need to use the "Keystone" settings. Keystone adjustments do work but you will suffer loss of image quality, usually to a very noticeable degree, which can really hurt youre viewing experience.

Something to keep in mind when shopping for a new pj ;)

The HD70 is a great unit for the money and Lamp replacements are well priced at about $300.00 to $325.00 for a 2,000 - 3,000 hour lamp. It has its cons but for the price its pretty hard to go wrong for a 720P unit.

A quick review here thats worth a look ;)

HD70 Review (http://www.hometheatermag.com/frontprojectors/1106optoma/)

Let us know what you decide on and how it works out for you :)

So what did you decide?

I ended up getting a couple Epson 400's for conference rooms at work and we're pretty happy with them. When we got them I auditioned one of them at home before installing it at work, and decided it was best to wait for a little while. At the time they had a $500 rebate off a $1500 street price, so for a grand they were certainly a bargain.

At home I'm continuing to use my G90 for games and expect to look around at whats in the market after the new year.

The Epson 400s fit the criteria I listed above. But the colors are a little off and the SDE effect was stronger than I would have liked for the screen size and seating distance I want to use. If you're looking for something with similar requirements I'd definately suggest checking it out.

Kris

Thanks for the follow up!