Need to pull the trigger on my first projector! Help me decide

Hi all,

At an earlier time, I posted a thread regarding the choice between the Acer H5360 and the Epson 8100, and although i love to jump onto the 3D train, it seems too early and the 720p projectors might not deliver what I need from point of view resolution and mainly placement options as i might not be able to put it in a center position whilst LCD projectors like the Epson 8100 have good lens shift capabilities especially the horizontal ones that i am seeking.

The main usage is watching bluray movies and DVDs, casual gaming (at least for now, unless i get addicted ) and possible TV, depends on how things go.

The distance to the screen is limited, and it is around 2.5 to 3 meters, the screen is the Epson duet 80 inch for now as i am limited in space, it is not a dedicated home theatre room, it is the normal living room. the main source is my HTPC connected to an SC-07 pioneer receiver.

I will be visiting the USA and buying it to be used outside the US, so the warranty will not be useful almost at all.
The budget although a little flexible (due to weakness towards electronics ) is mainly roaming around the 1200 USD range, and in that aspect i have the following projectors in mind by order of importance:
1 - Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 Home Theatre Projector + additional lamp to encounter for lamp problems if I face them. (it has the most lens shifting capabilities as i understood and the size is smaller than the viewsonic.
2 - Viewsonic pro 8100 although the size of the projector is too big for the place i want to place it in.
3- Panasonic AE-4000
4- Epson 8500 UB

I have included the last two just for thoughts, the price is higher than the other first two options and moreover, I felt they might be too much for an 80 inch screen and my current needs, especially that I am anticipating buying a 3D projector in a year or two.

the question is: should i pull the trigger on an epson 8100 and an extra lamp? will it satisfy my current needs stated above? will i miss a lot of i don't get the viewsonic pro8100?
suggestions are more than welcome.

Hi Guys,

I didnt get any comment and recommendation earlier, i am still hesitant towards my first projector. Logically it is better to wait for one year and get a 3D Hometheatre projector. However there is no logic when there is a rush to begin using a hometheatre projector, especially that i dont travel everyday to the US where the price is almost half and even less then half the price of the projector in my country. I am very enthusiastic about 3D, it is not a big deal now but will be in few months to one year when enough 3D movies are in the market. However, the 3D ready projectors are mainly 720p and with no lens shifting or horizontal keystone and these are somehow important. Not being hdmi 1.4 is not a main problem for me as i am using an htpc to deliver the signal.

anyhow, the epson 8100 seems a good deal but the lamp problems might be a headache for me since i dont have warranty when i take it out of the US and buying another lamp with it increases its price. If i was not planning for 3D in the coming 1+ year, i would have thought of the panasonic AE4000 for its multiple usages and features.

This was thinking out loudly, any suggestions? should i get the epson 8100 and deal with it for 1 year then check a 3D one, or should i get the panny and sleep on 3D for a couple of years (that might be difficult although wise ) i mean 3D will evolve very fast in the coming two years or die!!

regards

I agree with you logically regarding spending less now. the zoom factor and lens shift are to a great extent important due to the size of the room i have and placement options, and i am afraid of the so called rainbow effects, Never know who will see them clearly from my family, me or guests. the only problem with the epson 8100 is the lamp issue that will force me to buy an additional lamp from now since i cant always get my hand on a lamp at the same price in my country and of course i cant easily tell epson to send me a lamp if it got problems (or could I!!) mmm.. it got me to think now, if the lamp got burnet in the 90 days period or even after, and i called epson, i am ready to pay for the shipment to my country, can they send it or they need to get some kind of evidence of the older burnt lamp, do they need me to ship the lamp or check the projector? (thinking loudly, it is as hastle anyhow).

In all cases, the epson 8100 seemed to be the right choice but buying another lamp from now made the price jump to 1.5k thus somehow approaching a little the panny. but still it might be the better choice if i need to upgrade to 3D in a year. (although the panny has many features that i might benefit from).

yes it is not possible to future proof but it is possible to be cost effective as possible! it becomes addictive to just buy and not think when the rush comes though, and then you dont think of cost

my main usage for the projector is through an htpc, so basically with 3d ready projectors using hdmi 1.3, i can still send a 120 hz to the projector and another 60 hz one to the receiver for audio. The glasses are a little bit higher then the 40 USD, most i have seen are between 85 and 100+ if we take the active shutter glasses. I dont see an urge for 3d now, in 1 year i do see it, when more movies are there, but waiting seems the most logical thing towards 3d.

i am eager to get a projector when i visit the US this mid september (so i got to pull the trigger early september or end august) though and the epson 8100 with its zoom and lens shift fits the criteria for my first ever projector. however the lamp problem and having to buy another lamp from now makes things tricky for me. it makes the difference towards buying a less problem(y) projector like the ae4000 smaller, and it made me think if i should go that way, but i am still convinced for the price point to get the espon 8100 because with the difference towards the panny, i can get a 720p 3d projector like the acer H5360, otpoma 66, or viewsonic 6531 and try to deal with placement options as possible. so i get out with two projectors for the price of 1 (and i get 1080p 2d and 720p 3d) of course i still have to deal with glasses.

Hi Guys,
My trip to the US, is very soon, and in maximum of few days I should put the order on the projector.

My ultimate projector would have been an 1080p 3D with lens shift, but those will come later this year and are supposedly expensive except for possibly the business versions such as the viewsonic pro8400 which is 3D ready with no lens shift.

I don't mind 3D ready (no hdmi 1.4) projector for the simple reason, i mainly will use it with an HTPC anyhow as the HTPC is the one driving my movies and blurays and casual games. And i am better off with this since going the HDMI 1.4 way means possibly changing the receiver (but that is not the concern now).

I have to note that I will mostly won't benefit from US warranties as I am using the projector in my home country.My usage for a projector is mainly for movies and special TV events (max 4 to 10 hours a week), the living room has some ambient light during the day but there are shades (there will still be some ambient light), at night it can be pretty dark (some minor light from the other nearby rooms)

I ended up into the following pathways, and it would be excellent if I get your recommendations.

1.Wait another 9 months to 1 year to get a 3D home theatre projector if prices hopefully settle a little (somehow this might not work, because I will not have patience to wait, and 2nd prices might not drop that fast)

2.Get an Epson HC 8100 now. (this means I might get the problems of the Epson 8100 but as well means I can get an additional 3D ready 720p or 1080p dlp link based projector now or very near future such as acer 5360 or the business viewsonics). So I will have 1080p for 2D and 720p for 3D.

3.Get the Panasonic AE4000. (Very tempting, black color and smaller footprint is better for my decor but slightly less lens shift (7% less); but it means an additional 700 USD over the plan in 2, but the AE4000 seems to have better quality and image. If it wasn't for the excessive nagging over the HC8100 problems I have seen on this forum, I might have gone with 2. Could these be a small percentage, I mean many units were sold, and possibly what I see on this forum is just a small percentage!

Guys, I need to put the order by early next week I think so that it arrives to my Hotel on or before my arrival. Your input is more than welcomed.

Hey jayn_j,

Suppose i go for the AE4000 which i am inclined to, and since i am going to stay in a Hotel for few days where i am going to receive the projector, do you recommend that i ask for a quality check by the vendor or better receive a sealed box?

I have asked this question in my other thread, but never got clear replies whether the quality check is safe and worth it by the vendor, at least a check that the machine is operational instead of receiving it and having the hastle to return in my short stay. Or is it better to receive a sealed box as i mentioned earlier? (i mean sealed at least implies that the item is new while if they check it, i will doubt they have given me a returned or used item!!

Hey guys,

I have finally pulled the trigger and made a wire transfer for the projector price (AE4000) and waiting till they confirm receival of the money. However, when i was talking to the store agent, he said that they dont double package the projector and they ship it with the panasonic normal package. I have re-insisted that it should be double packaged but it seems this is their policy (i.e. normal manufacturer package).

Is the original package safe for shipping purposes? as the Hotel will receive it on my behalf and i dont know if they will act upon physical damages or not.

technology is going very fast, they might even release HDTVs without glasses, it will be strange though since they just released the ones with glasses. I dont think there will be too many 3D movies until the end of next year. they are just releasing them in the theatres.

iamjason, A question would be, if you received your AE4000 by fedex or UPS, did you get it in the original packaging only or did they double packed it? is the oriiginal package safe enough for shipping?

Hey guys,

So the projector is on its way to the Hotel where i am staying in the US and i am supposed to be there in two days (hopefully). I will as well hopefully have a notebook with HDMI out (i need to get an HDMI cable with me, let me put that on the list of items i should take ) and a portable DVD player that as well i purchased for my son, it is already there in the Hotel i suppose. The question would be, what kind of simple suggestions you can give me to test the PJ (AE4000)? I need a simple test just to say that i got an operational working projector with no apparent problems not necessarely the tests that are looking for perfection! is there a CD i should take or application that i should download?

hey thanks. I tried the projector yesterdatm, unfortunately i am very busy during the day. It seems to be working but i am totally new to this. at 1080p from the laptop the picture didnt show problems. and at 1366x768 dual screens (laptop LCD and projector) things were fine, however at 1280x720 flickered a little bit with some red lines!!! i really dont have time to return the projector and it was working at the other resolutions, i suspect the problem is in something else, cable or combination of laptop projector.

another thing, would be although it was like 2 in the morning and in the hotel room, the positioning was difficult inside the room. i felt the factory settings brightness was low to my tasting, is that normal?

I agree regarding price analysis, in my country it is much more pricy because of low demand and older stock. i have only 4 days so it will be difficult to return it based on non solid ground. i mean since it didnt show the problem on the 1080 and 1366 resolutions. do u think it has a sure definite problem? i might test it again with vga cable

Hi Guys,

I have retested the projector with a VGA cable and the same laptop at 1280x720 and there were no lines as those on hdmi at 1280x720 from the same laptop, even when i use 59Hz instead of 60 using HDMI at 1280x720, the artifacts become very rare and when i used 1280x768, there were no artifacts (and the projector shouldnt accept that signal anyhow), i am suspecting that there is something related to the laptop hdmi itself, i doubt that there is something with the projector, what do you think?

Even sometimes at 1280x720 using HDMI gave some pixels blinking (rare) not lines as before, i really suspect this is something related to the hdmi of the laptop.

So 1080 is working with no glitches, 1280x720 using vga cable as well. It is only 1280x720 60 Hz, that is making different type of artifacts every times, sometimes some random horizontal half lines (1 or 2 appearing) and sometimes few pixels instead of lines. i had as well experienced the screen size changing depending on the resolution, is that normal? for example when both the laptop LCD and projector were dual on, the screen size was different of when only the projector was on alone, i am sorry i didnt write down the different results while testing. the main thing is that i feel it is the laptop that is making the projector glitch at that specific resolution, what do you think?

I tested a portable DVD using thr video in, and it worked normally of course at normal video reolution though.

i dont have another computer with hdmi here in the US. i am travelling tomorrow back to my country, i will try there. i hope the projector arrives safe, as i have to get it into checked in luggage; it is in its original packaging.

yes it has some foam on the right and left edges but not all around. I have added some cartoon barriers all around (but not thick cartoon as i didnt have) and added some additional bubble rapping inside the case to smoothen things. but i am still worried of how they handle luggage, unfortunately it didnt fit in my hand luggage although i have measured it before i travel, it seems my measures were not that accurate and they were on the real close edges. ahas well i taped all over the cartoon to give it more strength.