The good: I just moved into a new place with a ceiling mount and wiring ready for a pj.

The bad: the throw is about 20.7' on a 12' ceiling to about a 110" piece of wall which is smooth, but without a screen for now.

There 1 window in the room with blinds, and light from the hall / kitchen will probably intrude as well.

I'm afraid at that kind of distance and on a budget I'm afraid my options are limited. PT-AX100U seems to be the natural choice, but the many problem posts here have scared me off. Looking at the projector calculator, the Mitsu HD1000U and HD70 also seems to be out due to screen size constraints. What are my other options? Any suggestions? A z5 perhaps? High gain screen + one of the above?

Don't be afraid of the Panasonic. There are many happy owners, they just don't post like those who need some help. I'm sure some of them will come by to attest to the fact that they have many happy hours with their AX100.