Throw distance, zoom and pic quality in my room

I have almost the same setup you describe except 9ft ceilings.

I got the Sharp DT-510, and easily get a 100" screen from a 11ft throw. could've done 106 or maybe bigger but 100 seemed to fit and look better in this room from seating distance. This projector is priced well under $1k now as well, its 720p but my ps3/Blu-Ray looks great on it. It still does 1080i, HDTV looks great as well.

Depends on your budget, but also I think there aren't many short throw 1080p projectors unless you get an LCD pj, at the moment. Which sucks. My current plan is to wait on this pj to blow the bulb then possibly upgrade to a 1080p short throw, depending on whats availble at the moment.

I like the Sharp fine, looks better than my old Infocus In72 which I thought looked great. However, some members here say instead of getting a new 1080p, find an older HIGH END 720p which you can now get for around $1k or less, if you can find them and they are actually better Projectors than the new 1080p's on the market. Something about the Lens on them, which is very important. They mentioned some Marantz line of pj, that a couple years ago was $10,000 retail, now if you can find they are around $1k, some are refurbs however.

if you are on a budget, want to wait out 1080p like me, I'd just get the Sharp DT-510 or find one of these older high end 720p's. Plus, a good 1080p that is a short throw is hard to find at the moment, unless you get LCD but I think most prefer DLP to LCD in a projector

jpniner,

"unless you get LCD but I think most prefer DLP to LCD in a projector"

Your statement is completely wrong specially for the price range of <$3K. In this price range LCDs would be outselling DLPs (there are not many to begin with) easily 5-to-1 and for good reason. LCD projectors provide so much more placement flexibility and are much quieter. And they are actually better in PQ than DLPs in many respects. In fact if something is not done to improve DLP technology, it is in the danger of being wiped out in this low-end projector market. Your statement may have been true 5 years ago, but since then LCD technology has made so much progress (while DLP has remained pretty much the same except for somewhat better black levels). Now there might still be a few people (and I guess you are probably one of them) who prefer the look of DLP over LCD just because they are used to it. But to suggest someone to avoid LCD projectors just because of your taste is plain wrong and misleading.

Actually your setup is quite ideal for using a projector and you should have tons of options. To answer your questions specifically -
- using the widest setting of the zoom should not affect the PQ noticeably. Actually the only problem I'm aware of that can happen with the widest zoom setting is hotspotting (i.e. image brighter in the center and less bright towards the sides) but that should be noticeable only with a high-gain screen (with a low viewing cone) which you don't really need in your case. In fact, using the widest zoom gives you the brightest picture for a given screen size and with your requirements you should be able to use almost any projector in the low-lamp mode giving longer lamp-life and lower fan noise. So nothing to worry about here.

- 720p to 1080p difference can vary based on personal tastes, but in my opinion for 100" screen at 10' viewing distance the benefits of 1080p would be considerable to warrant the extra cost. Also remember that most 1080p projectors also have better black levels than the 720p ones and in general better PQ. So if your budget allows to spend $2K or more on the projector definitely get 1080p.

- its difficult to recommend any projector without knowing your budget.

- being in a dark room gives you the advantage of not needing a bright pj or a higher gain screen and also helps you get best black levels (assuming you have dark colored walls as well). But as far as saving money, can't really see how that would help.

Have fun doing lots of research.....

NewPannyGuy -- I absolutely agree with both of your posts.

aouimet -- I went from a 720p DLP PJ to my new Mitsubishi HC5500 1080p LCD model. The HC5500 is currently just about the lowest cost model available. It's black level is better than my 720p DLP one was, and it has a much better contrast ratio (and my DLP was one of the best at the time). It's only drawback is a limited zoom range (which is about the same as 90+% of the DLPs) and only a vertical lens shift (all low cost DLPs have none). It is dead quiet - I have mine located 18" from my left ear, and I can't hear it even with my audio muted (makes all DLPs sound like a jet engine).

The HC5500 has a throw distance (front of the lens to the screen) of 10' 6" to 12' 8" for a 100" screen. I have a 106" screen (11' 1" to 13' 5") and mine is located on a shelf behind my couch at 12' 6" from the screen. It is absolutely super, and my partner wants it on every night, even if we are just watching TV. I'm up to 281 hours on it in the, roughly, 7 weeks that I have had it up and running. I also calibrated it with a calibration DVD which is absolutely necessary in order to get the best quality picture from it (see http://www.projectorreviews.com/mits...hp#calibration, for suggestions - read Art's whole review for additional details).

One argument used against LCD PJ is the SDE (the ability to see the pixel structure). Well, on my HC5500, I have to walk up to within 3' of my screen in order to barely see the pixels. With the power zoom & focus of the HC5500, I get up to 6" from my screen and adjust the focus to get the pixels absolutely sharp. when I sit on my couch (11' 6" from the screen, I get an absolutely sharp picture.

Our throw distance (lens-to-screen) is 11 1/2 feet and we usually zoom to a 100 plus inch image.

Image quality is a subjective thing. 1080p with native 1080p B.Ray content will throw a visually better image than 720p and B.Ray.

However, we are perfectly content to use our wonderful Panasonic LCD 720p projector with our Up Converting dvd player which makes our hundreds of dvd movies look very near HD (to our eyes) at that 100 plus inch image size.

We are content to wait for the prices of the forklift upgrade to B.Ray to drop which the will significantly across 2009 PLUS (important to us) 3D is the latest emerging thing which will become obvious in 2009 as thousands of Commercial Theaters, consumer tvs and projectors all put 3D Ready units on the market - this is not the cheezy 1950s effect and all movie and tv producers have made a solid commitment to 3D.

Consequently, I advise anyone looking to buy a Home Theater projector to research for models that are 3D capable.

Anywho - your 11 1/2 throw will allow a good Theater in the Home experience whether you save a lot of cash with 720p HiDef or go with the latest in 1080p.
Enjoy!!!