Official Epson Home Cinema 8500UB thread!

add me to the chomping list

dito

I did the same. they replied- they don't know.

You would think Epson would want to get the information out there as quickly as possible.

I really want to buy my PJ before thanksgiving, family in town, sound system is here, it would be nice to give them a preview of the finished theater. They only get over once or twice a year... The Panny fits the budget, but if the Epson comes in just a but more I may go for it.

It's a bat cave, but the brighter Epson has my eye, because a lot of viewing will be football games, with food, lights on, etc.... otherwise they seem to be a wash from all the reviews I've read. The better Epson warranty is nice, but honestly, this will be a 5-10 hour a week MAX PJ, so the 2000 hour limitation on the Panny warranty may not be an issue....

It's a party in the 4000 thread, but the 8500UB crowd is still patiently waiting ...

The easy fix is for me to go ahead and order the 4000. Epson would release the 8500 the day my Panny is shipped

I believe that the current thoughts are a thanksgiving release date.

Any chance this bad boy will ship in time for Thanksgiving? I think this is the PJ for me, (vs. the Panny 4000), but I'm having family in town, I've got my sound setup, it'd be nice to put on a show for them. I'm in either way, but Turkey day arrival would be icing on the cake.

Here's another FYI on this competitor to the Panny AE4000.


Review at Projector Reviews.

Review at Projector Central.
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Ain't competition grand!

By the way, it would be easier if the mods would consolidate some of these threads into the "correct" forums. In all fairness, the price is breaking news.

...posting it here for us on a budget...


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Here are comments from Art's blog on the pricing.

If only i had a little more money 2300.00 that would of looked good in my theater

Epson should write this offer down and mail it to around a month ago, when Panasonic released thier price and specs, and I was looking to compare. Maybe then more people would have cared. I can't imagine how many people like myself would have given this an honest look but waited ... waited . . . waited . . . . . for this to be released.

I was that close to pulling the trigger on the Panny, but every review I've read that compared them said the Epson was brighter (plus cheaper bulb, longer lasting bulb) and a good bit of my viewing will be sports/football with some lights on. With the rebate and incentives this hit the sweet spot for me. Plus, a little voice in my head was saying "How did Panasonic get the price so low- what corners did they cut?" while it looks like other manufacturer's are playing catchup...

I'm in, when do we start the "Official" 8500UB thread?

Dang this looks like a great projector.. I've got max $2k for a new one. I was sooo close to getting a Pany.. sigh... how to come up with an extra 3 bills...

My contact at PP stated that they will have the 8500 in on 11/23.

I was just about to buy the Panny 4000. Think I'll wait a little longer. Art at Projector Reviews should have the complete review of the 4000 and his thoughts vs. the 8500 up on Sunday.

Joe

Thank goodness they got this thread in the right forum...you could feasibly have your pj before Thanksgiving if you expedite shipping, otherise, its a holiday week and weekend. Its only about $40 to 2nd day this, plus, you get a different shipping process (it goes on a plane and doesn't get tossed around with the other general ground stuff), if I was worried about convergence on a pj, I would definitely spring for faster shipping, or don't cry when the image is a little off.

I'm looking for a replacement projector for a 720p Infocus 3333 that burns through $600 bulbs at an alarming rate, but I've been waiting for something cheap enough and bright enough to handle my living room's atrocious viewing conditions. This thing seems to fit the bill, but I have a stupid math question. If my screen is 118" diagonal, and the projector sits 19'6" from the screen, will the Epson work for this setup? I can't figure out the throw-distance, lens-zoom thing.

An Epson rep can by our store today to show off the Pro Cinema 9500 and if the 8500 looks half as good as the 9500 then WOW!!!

My impression from Art's review is that the imaging system for these two PJ's is the same, it's just the anamorphic lens capability and longer warranty that's different.

It will fit your throw for a 118" screen. I'm not sure if you will find it an upgrade as its best picture quality is not in its brightest mode. However, if you are trying to overcome ambient light you might not notice the difference.

Bob

Cost of ownership could also play a big factor into someone's purchase. If you aren't one that buys a new Projector every couple of years, the Epson may be the better choice based on lamp life and replacement cost.

I'm sorry, I was talking about the 8500 and the 9500. As a matter of fact, your point is exactly what played into my mind comparing the Panny and Epson.

I don't want to upgrade every couple of years. I'm going to ride this setup as long as I can, and the longer lasting bulb and cheaper bulb made the extra couple of bills easy to justify. That and the extra brightness... I'm using a 16:9 screen, so the 'anamorphic' part of the Panny really didn't do much for me. My understanding is that it's more for the CIH 2.40 screen crowd.

I had decided I was going to buy the Panny this Monday, assuming the Epson was going to be $2499. The rebate and incentives closed the gap nicely. The announcement here was perfect timing for me.

Thanks for the info! The upgrade is that I'm not spending $550/bulb every 1000 hours and hopefully not losing that much on brightness. Well, that, and moving up to 1080p.

Wow $550 for a new lamp every 1000 hours. With my use of a pj that would mean over $1200 per year.

I was another just about to buy the Panny 4000. After rereading Arts review the 8500 is starting to make more sense. Longer lamp life and a real 2 year warranty without the hour limit. And of course the advanced replacement deal for both years.

Just hope it starts shipping as scheduled.

Joe