I've a fully light controlled, dedicated home theater (W 14' x L 30' x H 8') in my basement. I've few questions.

(i) Using PT-AX200U, for 138" diagonal, Projector Central calculator shows image brightness of 8FL. However, if I calculate manually I'm getting 35FL.

W=120, H=68, D=138, Lumens 2000
Area = 120*68/144 = 56.67 sq.ft
Image brightness = 2000/56.67 = 35 FL

Is my calculation incorrect? I would like to know, using PT-AX200U, if I can project 138" diagonal picture. Will it be too bright or too dim?

(2) What is the recommended screen gain for this set-up?

(3) PT-AX200U currently has 400 rebate. Is PT-AX200U really worth the upgrade, compared to PT-AX100U?

Thanks,
Jay

(3) PT-AX200U currently has 400 rebate. Is PT-AX200U really worth the upgrade, compared to PT-AX100U?

You meant the AX100 has the rebate.

The AX200 is the AX100 (plus minor insignificant changes). It's like the HD1000 and HC1500.

Thanks for the correction Jones_Rush. I mean 400 dollar rebate is available on PT-AX100U.

The rebate ends 9/30, several sites have taken the AX100 down from their site. At this point I would recommend waiting to see where the price ends up with the AX200 once its been on the street for a few weeks.

I would not recommend upgrading to an AX200 from an AX100 because there are no leaps up in performance.

btw, your calculation is correct, however the PC Calculator takes into consideration the lamp dimming after use and gives a "better case" scenario:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/home_theater_buyers_guide_3.htm

I believe to be THX certified a theater has to measure 16FL or greater, this could be wrong, but I believe i have read that in several places.

Also, you will never run your projector at full lumens (at least very rarely) so consider you will probably be running a 2000 Lumen projector between 300 and 800 (these aren't exact numbers) in optimal settings.

plus minor insignificant changes

Maybe minor to those that already have the AX100U... not so minor to those seeking a new PJ.

2 HDMI ports is nice. I'm not so set on the understanding of the game mode yet, but marketing to the gaming crowd is a great idea for panny, as this is a huge segment of who buys PJ's. The other things may/may not be significant, unless the improved iris is just that, and it keeps the AX200U's iris from what was a sore spot (although an easy DIY fix) of the AX100U.

Just my thoughts.

i currently have mine set up to 110" (15 foot throw) , but i can easily adjust size via the zoom. this pj should be able to easily handle about that size.

screen depends on your room set-up. i have a basement with one window (Not too close to pj). walls are medium brown. i talked with reps from carada and decided on a brilliant white screen. i works wonders. great picture in total darkness or even with some ambient light (so long as light does not reflect directly off screen).