Is the Panny worth $500 more than the Epson given the thread on Panny problems? Or do there just seem to be more Panny problems than Epson problems due to the much larger number of Panny units sold?

I am pulling the trigger this week on one of these. Either will "work" in my room. You guys decide, I have had enough. Whatever you think I will go with!

What's your budget?
What size room do you have?
What color are your walls/ceiling/carpet?
What kind of light gets in the room?
What size will your screen be? (roughly if you don't know yet)
What kind of screen are you planning to get (or have you thought about that yet)?

I had a panny ax100 and was very happy with it. Super bright. Great pic. A tad soft due to smoothscreen, but not bothersome. I don't think anyone but me thought it was soft.
I was very happy with the panny. Zero problems with it.

But those threads scared me too. I'm now even happier with my Sharp z12kMKII

Of the two projectors you've listed, I'd opt for the Epson.
But I'd be curious about your room before I narrowed it down to just those two.

Room is 24 X 15 Veiwing area is 18 X 15 could be light controlled easily, primary application is HD football so I don't think I will use a dark room much. High ceilings and prefer a table top mount at about 10' for a 92" image. Probably will build a screen per the instructions on the DIY forum. Like I said initially, I think either projector will work but the Epson is currently $500 cheaper. Is there $500 difference in the two if both with physically work in my environment?

I'm scared of the panny after reading those threads. Control the light (use lamps with shades) and either should be fine.

If it was me and I had a set budget that wouldn't allow me to get the sharp, I'd save more money and wait, or get the epson.


:)

Another option is the new Benq W500 which has a really high end video processor which will be very good at turning 1080i HD sports into 720p. $1000

Check out the lumens testing from Art's review @ projectorreviews.com. I'm pretty sure the Epson was around 1900 lumens in brightest mode despite the claimed output. Ask yourself if "smothscreen technology is worth 500?" There you will find your answer.
And as cool as the BenQ might be, it won't be as good in your particular situation. Football looks best in bright modes.

At the same price, many buyers still opted for the Epson. The better warranty is often cited and given the price points, I would have to go with the Epson. I owned the Epson for a few months and have demo'ed the Panny a few times. I prefer the sharper PQ of the Epson versus the smoother image of the Panny but it is very debatable as to what is better.

Given the sub 1k price on the Epson, post rebate, it is the best choice in my estimation.

Cheers,

Dino