I know alot about the Sony and am ready to buy it, but the sde scares me, can anyone tell me how bad it really is? Should I go with the BenQ or is the sde just as bad? And which overall is the better projector?

These were my two final choices as well. I went with the Sony for several reasons. Better contrast ratio, more experience with a DI, longer warranty, equal video processing and more experience with LCD projectors. However, I think I'd have been satisfied with the BenQ as well. It's just that, in the end, I was able to demo the Sony (couldn't find a BenQ to demo) and its overall longer experience with LCD projectors and dynamic irises (DI) tipped the decision for me.

I know alot about the Sony and am ready to buy it, but the sde scares me, can anyone tell me how bad it really is? Should I go with the BenQ or is the sde just as bad? And which overall is the better projector?

I'm an AW15 owner and have no experience with the BenQ, so I can't compare the two. In regards to SDE, I will share with you what I have others: IMO, the SDE is "significant". I wouldn't call it "bad" because that indicates you should avoid this pj. However, under the right circumstances, SDE will be a non-issue, and this pj has a lot to offer. The question is what is your intended screen size and viewing distance? 150" @ 8'...SDE will be a problem. 92" @ 15'...not so much.

General rule of thumb is viewing distance should be 1.8 times the width of your screen. So, a 100" screen, measured diagonally, assuming a 1.78 ratio, is approx. 87" wide. 87 x 1.8 = ~156...156/12 = 13' viewing distance. Now, if you were going 1080p, or had a pj without pronounced SDE, some say you can go with a viewing distance of more like only 1.5 times the screen width. But I recommend the full 1.8 times rule (or better of course) with this pj.

Or you could always just slightly de-focus :D But I don't recommend this, as the AW15 has a nice, sharp pq.

CD