Best Budget Projector

We're still VERY happy with the Panasonic 720p we bought three years ago. I like LCD with lens shift as it gives a lot of flexibility of image adjustment without distortion. Our wall-to-wall is 17ft with a net lens-to-screen "throw" distance of about 15 1/2 feet and our projector sits on a simple wall shelf about 6 1/2 feet up off the floor. Our older screen is a fixed Da-lite, Da-snap model but we found a larger screen that is a pull down type and we like it just as much as the fixed one that is still on the wall behind the pull down til we figure out what to do with it.

You are on the right track. BTW - very nice bar and game room - only "improvement" I could suggest would be to sell the pool table (unless you REALLY like pool and are a good, serious player. This would free up a LOT of space for pinball machines

In your situation, you'll need the lens shift of the 8350.

PP has the BenQ W6000 which is a DLP with lens shift in his price range. I am researching this PJ as well and it seems to be a very good option at this price point. I just posted a seperate thread asking for some feedback on the BenQ as an option in the <$1500 price range.

Also from Glasgow, Ky. Sent you a PM.

I would look at this projector, if the throw distance works in your room. It is a good projector. I would definitely pick it over the Epson 8350.

I picked up a Optoma HD66 720P for < $800 with a free screen over the holidays.

It has a lot of keystone adjustments.

I'm about 9 feet from the screen and get 80" diag.

HDTV is great, and DVD's are awesome!

I love watching TV without having to close up the cave now.

You can't get much more Budget projector package than that.

X-Box 360 has taken on a new life with Red Dead Redemption.

First of all, with 1500 of a budget, the BenQ W6000 would be your best choice, much better than the 8350.

Read this recent thread as it's comparing the 8350 vs W6000:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1303714

The BenQ W6000 would give you a much better display with much more contrast ratio. Although on paper the 8350 and W6000 both have 50,000:1 contrast ratio, but due to DLP's nature of having much vivid colors and depth in contrast there is no lying that the W6000 will outperform the 8350. Also, at this discounted price, you would be silly to pass on the W6000 as it is supposed to be a 3k range projector, and only because of its long standing presence in the market, over time its price has been slowly reduced. Probably to be replaced by a newer model soon. The W6000 does have lens shift and is much brighter than the 8350. Also with DLP's you won't have to worry about color decay and dust. DLP's also project a type of image that many owners define as "pop" effect, where the image has a more 3 dimensional feel and has a soap opera feel. Many users who use DLP have a hard time going to LCD and many that switch from LCD to DLP don't go back. There's lots of review on the W6000, don't take our word for it. But it really is a great pick, especially at that price.

I too am in a similar boat at the OP. benQ W6000 for $1500 looked like a great deal - until I started reading with the rainbow issues with DLPs that some see and others do not. I would hate to spend $1.5K, have friends over and then find some of them complaining abt the rainbow affect. I am not sure how serious or problematic it is for people who can see that...

With 8350 be the best non-DLP in this price range?

Two things,
First off, with a budget of <1500 you should be checking out Ebay, Amazon, Projector People and last, but never least!, the AVS classified ads. I finished my theater setup with a projector from the classified ads, and it's not new or anything, but extremely low hours, and the picture far exceeds anything that would have been in my price range originally. Projector lamps usually go for 2000+ hours, so if you can find a used projector that fits your needs with less then 500 hours on it, it might be worth it.
Secondly, the 8350 is an extremely bright projector, with loads of horizontal/vertical lens shift which makes placement very flexible. the only thing that I did not like about it is when you are gaming on it, there is just enough lag(IMO) to throw off your game. I play COD and when I demo'd the 8350, I could notice a slight(we are talking milliseconds!) lag that would just through me off, I'm sure I'm more particular than most but it's something to consider, and the 8350 does not have any CFI(120Hz) to help combat that.
I've also heard extremely good things about the HC4000, and IMO DLP does a much better job for gaming(quicker response and sharper image) but I'm unsure if the light output of the Mitsubishi will be great enough for your room. Just depends on when and what you are watching and what kind of ambient light/screen combination you go with. good luck, though, I spent nearly a year researching before I bit the bullet and I'm floored everytime I throw a movie in!!!!

FWIW I just went from an Epson Home Cinema 1080 (died main board issue - terrible CS experience with Epson) to the Benq w6000 and my wife wanted to know if the new projector was "some kind of new HD". The family loves it. I too was worried about so-called rainbows with DLP. IMHO it's hogwash but I did buy from someone that would let me return it JIC. I am glad I stepped out and tried DLP. I should have tried it three years ago but then the prices were too high. Hard to argue with th W6000 for 1.5k delivered.

The colors pop and my install was easy except for needing m6 screws for the mount.

Good Luck!

i found today that Dell is offering the Sony VPL-BW7 LCD Home Theater Projector (720p, 2000 Lumens) for $430.00 + tax. Is this a suitable projector for starters? any place where to find a review of this unit? thank you veru much in advance, this is my first post

Awesome. Is it still $1500 somewhere?

B&H Photo still has it. Still my only concern with the BenQ is fan noise. At 29db on low lamp that is still pretty loud.

That's what I thought but I just checked and it's $1699. Still a greatt price but I could use that extra 200.

Im going with a Panasonic AX200u

I hope you get some thing of a warranty with a refurb,but looking at you other thread you are getting one of those used off of ebay probably, a oem Bulb+housing is close to 400$ .

$400 for a bulb replacement?

Ourch!

I was hoping more like $150 - $200.

Sry to hijack the thread, I have a similar question but didnt want to start a new thread. Whats the best bang for the buck projector for <$1000?

Viewsonic Pro8100.

Cheapest for an OEM bulb was about $310 shipped last time I checked (a week ago.)

Its 200 more now at B&H but I think I would still consider it if I were looking - it is that good.

I have it set up in my dedicated HT, completely light controlled and I have tried it on economy and normal lamp setting both of which are more than bright enough.

Regarding the noise level, in my HT due to low ceilings it probably only sits 4 feet from my rear seat chairs and directly overhead it is not noticeable by me or my family on either lamp setting. It is definitely more quiet than my previous projector.

One limitation I did not expect to so completely overcome with the W6000 was the huge amount of the picture detail I previously lost when I used my "Football Game" lighting option on my Lutron (more ambient light so we can walk around, eat, drink etc) - it looks incredible even when the room is not totally dark. The Falcons game should look great this weekend.

I just bought the 8350 and to me its better than my Marantz 4001 which was DLP ( 720 ) maybe the 8350 looks better to me because its 1080 . The blacks may not be quite as good although I think you would have to see them side by side to actually notice the difference.
Pro's are better colors my Marantz reds always looked like candy apple red no matter how I tried calibrating it ! Also the 8350 is MUCH MUCH Brighter projecting from 11 ft to a 96 in screen .Probably the biggest difference for me though was the fan noise the 8350 is practically silent in Eco mode every DLP
Ive had is loud even in eco modes and when you spend over 2.5 grand on sound gear that's a big big plus ( :
Im no LCD fan boy just trying to give a honest opinion both have pros and cons.

PS - Epson is now covering its lamps for the 2yrs too ( Unless you go over 4000 hrs that is )

You will get to see GB waste Atlanta in all the Benq's glory.

I hadnt put the Benq in the list of FP till now. now i have to decide between the 8700, 8350, 4000u, and the W6000. damnit, how do i even figure it out!?

Epsons website says 90 days for bulb. where did you hear 2 yrs?

epson is covering the bulbs for the life of the warranty on new 1080p models because of whatever reason the bulbs arnt lasting

Yes, they are and I think that is to help boost confidence, since Epson's are currently experiencing a lot of bulb failures.

Heck yeah. Go Pack!!! I'm out here in ATL this week and the Packers will feel right at home playing in all this ice

Go to any store that sells TV's. Sit in front of a TV like the Mits 72" DLP. If you and none of your family members see rainbows, then I would not worry about it. Only about 1% of the population see rainbows. I have owned DLP (also LCD) for many years and I have yet to have a single person complain about rainbows or headaches.

Too bad that B&H has increased the price by $500 now! Shows up at $2000 in the cart. Guess I will have to look else where now or wait for it to come back to the $1500 level.