did anybody had a chance to compare thes 2 projectors?, 810 started as a 3000$ projector, and 720 list price is around 1300$, they seem to have similar features, I wonder is still better to buy 810 at lower price which would be comparable to 720's price, anybody had a chance to look at two of them?thx for any info, raff

The new 720c seems to be the same as the epson TW 700 ( the japanese version of the 810) I have the 700 I have since upgraded to the panny 2000 but still use the epson for outdoor movies. After reading projectorreviews review of the new 720 it seems to be identical to my 700 in every way.
The epson 700 is a great pj imo. Not as good as my new panny , but it cost alot less.

I haven't seen the 810 in action so I can't comment directly on the comparative performance, but, as the owner of a Home Cinema 720, I can say that, at the same or a lower price from an authorized dealer, I would take the Pro Cinema 810 without hesitation. It has a year longer warranty, and, though the specifications would seem to indicate that they are similar (perhaps exactly the same) in construction, the 810 does offer ISF day and night modes that can be utilized by a certified calibrator to dial in the ideal picture settings for your home theater. I believe the going rate for this work is in the $200 to $300 range, and it is well worth the expense if you are planning to keep your system relatively static for a year or more. Of course, an ISF technician can calibrate a projector without these modes, but the level of flexibility would not be as extensive and the 810 would likely produce a more accurate outcome.

I would love to A/B these units because Art of ProjectorReviews.com had some very impressive things to say about the Pro Cinema 810, with comments like "At its best, the Epson 810 produces very black blacks, and is very good on shadow detail," while in his Home Cinema 720 review, he states, "I don't see the Epson Home Cinema 720 as being exceptional on black levels." Unfortunately, the comparisons of these projectors to their competitors are rife with non-sequiturs like this. Art makes choosing the Home Cinema 810 or his own BenQ PE8720 sound like a virtual toss-up, while describing the PE8720 as being able to "definitely do a significantly better job" than the Home Cinema 720.

MSRP for the Pro Cinema 810 was $2,999 when Art reviewed it in February of 2007. At that time, though he remarked that it was certainly more expensive than the competition, he still said in his summary, "the value proposition isn't bad." That, when the Sanyo PLV-Z5, widely considered one of the best, if not the best LCD projector of the last year or so cost $1,500 - half the Epson's price. Now we have the Home Cinema 720, which, after rebates, lists for $1,199 and can be had with a free replacement lamp, a $349 value. At this price, however, Art feels the Home Cinema 720 is merely "priced right."

I don't want to misrepresent the facts. Projector Reviews gave the Home Cinema 720 a confident endorsement, so please don't get the impression that it has been lambasted, but the tepid tone of the review puzzles me. It is peppered with many more caveats than was the Panasonic PT-AX200U's, or the PLV-Z5's. This leads me to believe that the influence of having viewed many obviously superior 1080p projectors is stronger than Art would admit. In October of last year, when he reviewed the Panasonic, the Epson's most logical competitor, the 1080p Sanyo PLV-Z2000, Epson Home Cinema 1080, and Mitsubishi HC4900 were not part of the sub-$2k-club. Now that they are, I think it is fair to consider the Home Cinema 720 less of a bargain, but the same logic needs to be applied to all of the budget 720p projectors, and their reviews were not colored by these recent adjustments to the price structure.

Back to the topic, if you're looking for a direct answer, mine would be "buy the 810 if all else is equal." I can't be certain without a side-by-side comparison, but I would be very surprised if these two units turned out not to be virtually identical.

I agree go with the 810.

The 700 is identical to the 810, yes, but I believe the 720 is very slightly different. I spoke to an Epson rep, and he claimed that the 720 uses newer panels than the 810. He didn't say how (or if) they were improved, just "newer". Also, I viewed a demo of the 810 at a local HT dealership, and it is a very nice unit (although, to be fair, it had been ISF calibrated, so, how it looks out of the box, I can't say). While there, the salesman mentioned that he had been told by Epson that the 720 "had a few bugs" to be worked out, so that, again, leads me to believe that it is "different" from the 810/700. Probably not drastically, though.

If you want that extra year on the warranty and the ISF features, I think it's worth the money for the 810. I'm probably just going with the 720.

cant you purchase an extended warranty from epson though? for the home version? I was also looking at the 810 over the 720 hc...why dont they just make the home versions in both colors too, white just looks ugly i think.