Least expensive 720p w/ good Vertical/Horizontal shift

I was in the same boat about keeping the cost down, however you really should look at the specs as well. I ended up with a Panasonic PT-AX200, in the package deal I got from ProjectorPeople.com it was $1145, they may be able to had less than that now. I read all the reviews, all the member/owner comments and felt the extra couple hundred bucks was well worth it. It was the very first projector I have purchased and I have had it a couple months now and so far I have no regrets, other than I wish I could have afforded its big brother the 1080p version.

Do your research, as even though people will recommend a projector(s), everyone has their preferences and obviously people don't always listen to the experiences of others, they listen to their pocket book, but there are compromises. Be patient if you can't afford a decent projector right now, save up for something you will not regret buying later. Take care and good luck.

Just be careful who you buy from, be sure they have a good track record, ProjectorPeople and Visual Apex advertised here are a couple of good one in my opinion. Also be careful of warranties, personally I would not recommend a extended warranty from Warrentech.

We weren't sure if we would like a projector - all the extra complication - MUST control room light, separate screen and etc.

So we bought our Panasonic 900U 720p at a nearby outlet store - paid $600 - no warranty - showed 88 hrs of use - store records showed it was a CostCo demo unit.

Over a year later and we have watched a LOT of movies and the PJ is still an outstanding performer - glad we chose LCD - DLPs don't seem to be able to have the built in vertical and horizontal lens shift capability as LCDs and we learned that I and another family member are subject to the dreaded RainBow Effect (RBE) - this is caused in DLP PJs due to consumer DLPs only having one chip and so need a spinning color wheel to produce their image - only a very few viewers are affected but it is something to verify before you make a buying decision.

We chose a gray fixed wall screen - a Da-lite, Da-snap - really nice screen - bought it at that same outlet store for $50 but glad we picked gray - better contrast performance and almost no light reflected back or around the room - reflected light in viewing room a potential problem and the screen can be greatest source of reflection if it is bright white plus with the gray screen the horizontal top and bottom dark bars that all PJs have when scaling a very wide screen film to their native aspect ratio are almost not visible with a dark screen and can be very annoying with a white screen.

Anyhow, we had a VERY low budget and are VERY glad we tried Home Theater - NO consumer television available today can produce a true Home Theater sized image.
goodluck and enjoy

My suggestions would be Panasonic, Epson and Sanyo. They all have great lens shift range and are on the nth revision, so the technology inside shouldn't be a problem. I personally went Sanyo when I bought my Z3 for a variety of reasons, one of which was the ability to self clean the projector with an included air pump if you get any dust issues. I don't think you can really go wrong if you can find a Z5 or newer (Panny, Epson or Sanyo) for a reasonable price, and you should be able to.

I think the Epson is the best deal considering the free bulb worth $350

If you're looking for a DLP option, check out the Marantz VP8600. Refurbs are available for $799. This is a high quality DC2 DLP that offers vertical lens shift, and retailed for $6500 when 1st released a few years back. You'd need to check the throw to see if you could get an 85" image from 11 - 12' though.

The marantz projector is really a great projector. I can get a perfect quality 80 image from 11'6" back, so I think 12 feet will be enough for about 90"

HDCP on the DVI so that is not a problem.

New bulb costs about $450, but the bulbs are rated for 4,000 on economy. That comes out to $0.1125/hr. Many of the entry level projectors have $350 bulbs that last 3,000 hours on economy. Cost per hour is $0.1167/hr. Does not look like the cost of the lamp is a negative compared to most other projectors.

The projector is large and heavy. It is built like a tank not a plastic toy. It has a large and heavy lens, extruded aluminum frame and a fluid drive motor for the color wheel. You need to check out the size and weight of current high end projectors (over $3,000). The JVC's are about the same size and weight. Same goes for the Sony's and the current Marantz projectors. If you are looking at high dollar projectors this is what you will find.

Sometimes your 1st choice is the best. A bulb for the Benq w500 is around $250. Check reviews from people who actually own it, and see if any are disappointed with their selection. It may not have the best detail in blacks, but if you set the IRE at 0, and tweak it, you won't be sorry.

A friend and his wife came over last week to see my setup. The 1st words out of her mouth were " its a lot sharper image than ours". He has a Panny AX-200. Its all in what you want and can be satistified with.