I am trying to get a projector pretty soon and I think I am going to get the Z-5 unless the new sony comes out different than the reviews. I am going to save up for a couple of months and pay for it all at once. I was wondering if I should wiat for the new wave to hit so I can get current pjs for cheaper or if I should just go ahead and pick on up around august like I had planned.

I am really thinking hard about the epson 1080 home too though because 1080p would be nice.

Thanks
Jared

I am trying to get a projector pretty soon and I think I am going to get the Z-5 unless the new sony comes out different than the reviews. I am going to save up for a couple of months and pay for it all at once. I was wondering if I should wiat for the new wave to hit so I can get current pjs for cheaper or if I should just go ahead and pick on up around august like I had planned.

I am really thinking hard about the epson 1080 home too though because 1080p would be nice.

Thanks
Jared

That is a question we all had to answer, but to give you a little reading & visual aid read thru the below links in their entirety and if your projected HT variables exist you may benefit from enjoying 1080P. If not then 720P will suffice just fine as it has for many of us.

http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_14_1/feature-article-1080p-3-2007-part-1.html


Regards in your decision! ;)

Wait several weeks for Cedia 2007, then buy.

NO NO NO Wait until Cedia 2008 and then buy, EVERYTHING will be better and cheaper! Or better yet, wait until 2009, still better and cheaper. ORRRRRRR, buy something NOW, never ever come back to the forum and Enjoy the heck out of it! (whatever you bought) If you DO make the mistake of coming back to read the forum, you will realize that there is something newer and better....for less monsy.
sigh......
Best,
Chris

NO NO NO Wait until Cedia 2008 and then buy, EVERYTHING will be better and cheaper! Or better yet, wait until 2009, still better and cheaper. ORRRRRRR, buy something NOW, never ever come back to the forum and Enjoy the heck out of it! (whatever you bought) If you DO make the mistake of coming back to read the forum, you will realize that there is something newer and better....for less monsy.
sigh......
Best,
Chris
Truth.

CEDIA 2007 isnt until September so thats more than a couple of weeks.

CEDIA 2007 isnt until September so thats more than a couple of weeks.
I sure hope September is more than a couple of weeks away. I have one more week of teaching 16-year-olds until summer vacation. I'll have a nervous breakdown if "September is just a couple of weeks away." :eek:

When you have the money just buy it. Since this is your first projector you are in the enviable position of someone who is going to love virtually any model you buy. Seriously, I would recommend you stay towards the lower end of your budget as there are really no "bad" HD projectors out today. Whatever you buy will satisfy you for at least a year or two, if not longer.

I realize waiting would be kind of lame but it is going to be around september when I get the pj anyway so you know why not wait a bit. I figured that the answers would be along these lines but I asked so you know.

The general view is buy when you are ready to buy because projectors will always (for the forseeable future) be better/cheaper/stronger/faster every month. YOu should typically buy when you are ready and get the best pj available at your price point at that time.
But, there are a few things in your postion that may slightly alter that theory. Mainly, you mentioned your purchase time is august. I assume you're hoping to get in time for fall/winter pro sports seasons (aka football). The product cycles for Sanyo are typically mid/late november releases. The products are announced in September. The price drops are pretty much continuous, with deals coming every couple months.
The big wildcard here is that while the z3, z4, and z5 were incremental increases in good 720p lcd technology, by bet is you'll see the z6 will be 1080p, which is significant. I own a z2, which was the first of the crop of 720p projectors. At the time the debate was whether to get the pricier 720p's or get the budget 480p projectors. We are now seeing the same thing w/ 720/1080 projectors.
The big question for you is whether your budget will allow you to buy a z6 in November. If it will, then I'd wait as I believe it is worth missing 3 months of viewing to get a projector that will avoid obsolescense longer. If you'll be getting a z5 no matter what, I'd buy it in August when you originally planned, as the price drop will not be worth missing those three months of viewing.
Just my opinion.
Art T

The big question for you is whether your budget will allow you to buy a z6 in November.

True, but for this we would need to be able to estimate the price point of that 1080p Z6. Will it be comparable to the most affordable 1080p options that are out right now, or will it be cheaper than that? Will it be 3000 dollars, or maybe 2500 or even less than that? For ex., I paid far more for my Panny 900 than what I would have to pay for its follow-up, the AX100, the year after that (and even less now). So, even though the advancement is less dramatic, the price reflects this. If Sanyo's (and undoubtedly Panny's) new, affordable 1080p machine will offer the same kind of deal, it is a no-brainer, but this is highly unlikely, of course. With larger technological leaps come larger price differences. But I'm very interested in seeing how this will all turn out.

Buy the best 720p for your budget and configuration come September. Then, if you still feel the need to upgrade, Next fall you will be able to upgrade to a 1080p for less than this year and the 720p will still trade/sell itself just fine.

Buying a PJ is a personal decision. There is no "right" time to buy one. The only exception is that it is not a good idea to buy right after a new model has been released, IMHO. It coud have a problem that won't surface until other users have run tit for a while (I, and a lot of others, got buned on one of those).

rahimlee54 -- Actually, the best time to buy is either about 3 months after release or in late July to late August, like you planned. Prices for existing models tend to drop before CEDIA (around the 2nd week in Sept.). Your best strategy is to decide on how much you are willing to spend (don't forget the screen and a good audio system - if you don't already have one) and what format you want (720p or 1080p, etc.). There are a lot of 720p PJs available for really good prices. For 1080p, there is a "price war", of sorts, between the PT-AE1000 and the Epson Home Cinema 1080, so these should be up for some good price levels in a couple of montths.

Like buying a PC, there will always be a better model for better prices "in a month or so". Wait until you're ready to buy (and use it), and then go ahead and do it (and enjoy :D ). In the meantime, read all you can about what's out there in your price range (and a little higher - just in case). A good source for reviews is: www.projectorreviews.com, IMHO again.

Ya I have been reading the reviews there and I think I will just go ahead and pick up the Z5 in august and enjoy my 100 inches of screen, I just didnt know if anyone knew of anything coming that I wasnt aware of. I actually saw an optoma HD70 at circuit city today and under those lighting conditions the image was reasonably good so I think the Z5 will do the trick if the images are comparable.

Buying a PJ is a personal decision. There is no "right" time to buy one. The only exception is that it is not a good idea to buy right after a new model has been released, IMHO. It coud have a problem that won't surface until other users have run tit for a while (I, and a lot of others, got buned on one of those).

rahimlee54 -- Actually, the best time to buy is either about 3 months after release or in late July to late August, like you planned. Prices for existing models tend to drop before CEDIA (around the 2nd week in Sept.). Your best strategy is to decide on how much you are willing to spend (don't forget the screen and a good audio system - if you don't already have one) and what format you want (720p or 1080p, etc.). There are a lot of 720p PJs available for really good prices. For 1080p, there is a "price war", of sorts, between the PT-AE1000 and the Epson Home Cinema 1080, so these should be up for some good price levels in a couple of montths.

Like buying a PC, there will always be a better model for better prices "in a month or so". Wait until you're ready to buy (and use it), and then go ahead and do it (and enjoy :D ). In the meantime, read all you can about what's out there in your price range (and a little higher - just in case). A good source for reviews is: www.projectorreviews.com, IMHO again.


Good tip on the July/August buying time and also recommending people wait for several months to buy a new model. I think you have convinced me to wait and buy an older model in August.

Cedia 2006 brought us Optoma HD70, Mitsubishi HD1000, Mitsubishi HC5000, Panasonic AE1000, Panasonic AE100, etc.

These are all the best selling projectors today, that surpass their predecessors in every criteria (in the same price range. Some didn't even had a predecessor in that price range).

There is no reason to believe that Cedia 2007, for the first time in many years, won't change the world of projectors this year, all over again.

I think those who will buy projectos in the following weeks instead of waiting, should brace themselves for some agony.

I think those who will buy projectos in the following weeks instead of waiting, should brace themselves for some agony.

Agree. Contrary to what has been said, when it comes to buying a FPJ timing is everything. It could be the price or a noticeable improvements or both.

Depending how much you spend, it could be rewarding by waiting but not always.

Depending how much you spend, it could be rewarding by waiting but not always.

I think the key is the "depending how much you spend"-part. Naturally, if you wait for the new stuff, you'll be able to get improved versions of everything. But, you'll also pay premium price. Considering this predicament comes around every year, I don't think it really matters that much. Unless the 1080p PJ's (like the Sanyo Z6 might) are entering the market at far more competitive prices than the AE1000 and Epson TW1000, I don't really see the point in waiting.

Personally (i'm in the same situation as you), I think the new 1080p's will be at least 1000 dollars more expensive than what I have to pay right now for a very fine 720p machine. And that's simply above my budget. And rather than waiting until those prices drop to respectable levels (for me), I much prefer enjoying a great pj now, even though it will not be the top dog pj anymore when CEDIA comes along. The alternative would mean I'd have to wait another 1-2 years for my PJ purchase. THAT to me would be too much agony.

So I guess I agree with ArtT on this. The only thing you'd have to be able to predict (or investigate) is the MRSP of those (hopefully) cheaper 1080p machines. If that price is worth it to you, by all means, go ahead after their official presentation/release. If not, go for a great 720p model at a budget price now (or a couple of weeks before CEDIA).

So I guess I agree with ArtT on this. The only thing you'd have to be able to predict (or investigate) is the MRSP of those (hopefully) cheaper 1080p machines. If that price is worth it to you, by all means, go ahead after their official presentation/release. If not, go for a great 720p model at a budget price now (or a couple of weeks before CEDIA).

I also agree. Even if new 1080p models debut at more affordable prices they'll still be about double the price of 720p. So unless you have a $2500+ budget there's probably little point in waiting, as the ~$1200 720p units are probably about as good as they're going to get. It's always a subjective thing, but most people probably can't justify 2x the price for a performance improvement that is nowhere near close to 100%.

I too am in this same predicament. Upon deciding that the 720p choices will undoubtedly suit me fine on a 92" screen, I find myself checking internet pricing on a weekly basis. The deals this past month were extremely tempting, but I will keep waiting for that extra $100 rebate. I hope fall brings us sub $1000 Z5's and $750 HD1000's.

So one has to ask, "Is it worth it to put yourself through the agonizing wait for a measly $100 or so?" Heck, just work an extra saturday or something. In the end it's just a pride thing that we feel inside saying, "I got the best deal I could and the timing was perfect."

I am going to go crazy if I haven't gotten anything by October. Baseball, lifesized, in HD. Need I say more?

I think I am just going to pick up a Z5 as soon as I get all the money I am going crazy I want to see some large HD movies and baseball here along with large video games. I am going to view a local members RS1 tomorrow so that should be a treat.

Cedia 2007 will not be all about 1080p (I wish it were), the rumor say 720p *C2Fine* LCD projectors should be introduced, which means much better blacks than current 720p LCD projectors.

I think I am just going to pick up a Z5 as soon as I get all the money I am going crazy I want to see some large HD movies and baseball here along with large video games. I am going to view a local members RS1 tomorrow so that should be a treat.

Methinks you will rethink your Z5 position after that. Careful. ;)