I'm trying to find a 1080p pj, with 2000 lumens or better....

I'm not finding any at my usual shops....

any suggestions would be much appreciated....

A couple of questions if I may...

Is this for a theater application, or a more of a presentation application (spreadsheets, powerpoint, etc)?
Do you have a very large screen, lots of ambient light, etc?

To get a true 2000 lumen output after calibration, you would be looking at a high end 3-chip DLP like the SIM2 HT5000 or Digital Projection Titan. This level of projector is pretty expensive (around $40,000 to $60,000 MSRP range).

If this is about the level you were expecting, I can help you narrow down the choices.

If you can get by with less brightness, you can save a bundle.

it's for HT application...but I REALLY like having it on when there's ambient light in the room...

looking to upgrade my Panny AE1000 to something brighter......was, frankly, hoping there was something in the $5k-$6 range

Another way to do this is not rely on horsepower from the projector.

1. It's expensive
2. It's not that effective

Look at a screen that rejects ambient light and increased brightness. Match a Da-Lite High Power screen with a lesser lumen projector like an RS1 and you will have the brightness you want and an image made in heaven. Best of all it wont break the bank.

600 lumens x 2.8 gain / 45 square feet = 37 foot lamberts

(45 sqft screen in above example is 9'x5' 16:9)

The reality is ambient light and front projection dont mix. I have an RS1 and High Power but I still have to turn off the lights

I'm currently (and was planning to stick with) a Stewart Firehawk (121")

will changing to the higher contrast white screen make a big enough difference that I'll be happy with 1200 lumens?

thanks for all the replys

Digital Projection and Projection Design make excellent 2000+ lumen machines ,some of which you can buy right here from AVS. Email Jason Turk. I love mine!!

it's for HT application...but I REALLY like having it on when there's ambient light in the room...

looking to upgrade my Panny AE1000 to something brighter......was, frankly, hoping there was something in the $5k-$6 range

You may be getting as little as 250lumens from your AE1000. It loses a lot of light output at the long range of its' zoom and also loses a lot in Cinema and Color 1 modes. I'd start by figuring out just how much actual lumens you are getting from your Panny (check posts and reviews to guess). Then you can better decide how much actual light output you need (remember quoted and actual lumen output can be drastically different). Getting a PJ that puts out a calibrated 500+ lumens may infact be a significant upgrade from what you have now. Some of the new DLP's can put out alot of light when not in "best" mode and may be what you are looking for.