which one optoma hd66 or epson 705?

Since nobody has said a word I yet I thought I would give my opinion:

DLP vs. LCD is all that really makes a difference in this case. IMO. I prefer DLP by a longshot, but the LCD's tend to be a little brighter and better contrast from the little knowledge I have.

For the money you might want to look at the Optoma GT750E. It is billed as a gaming projector but has great video PQ right out of the box and is also 720p. One major difference is that it is a short throw projecotor; this will give a the ability to project a bigger image at a short distance. It is going for about $750.00 and will be brighter than both of your choices and will also do 3D right out of the box with PS3 and any other 3D source. I am about 98% sure I am buying one in a few days. If you have not done a lot of research I can tell you that I have and can say without a doubt that the GT-750E offers a TON more for the money than either of your choices. Here is a link to a couple of reviews....take a look at the screen shots provided in the second link.....pretty fantastic!

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Opto...tor_review.htm
http://www.projectorreviews.com/optoma/gt750/index.php
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393407,00.asp

It is on just about every respected reviewers highly rated list.......take a look and let us know what you decide.

I've never owned a PJ, and after researching, I have my choices narrowed down to these very two as well.

From what I can tell, the 705HD's blacks tend to be grayer. An ND4 or ND2 filter would help with that, so add that to the cost of the 705HD. Just looking at reviews (YouTube has been surprisingly helpful; nowhere near as good as here tho), and I just like the HD66 more.

I'd be very interested to hear owners' opinions.

Never owned or viewed a movie on the Epson, however I do own the Optoma HD66. I like it, blacks are ok, it throws a bright and contrasty picture, however be prepared to do some calibration on it, as the colors out of the box are horrendous. After setting the lamp on eco mode, and a good calibration it dimmed the picture quite a bit, but still bright with lots of pop and very sharp. Good overall first projector, I use it as my main TV everyday. There are, some better options available right now if you want to step up to 1080p. One of those is the Viewsonic 8200. Based on the reviews I have read it is a decent projector for the price, only 200$ more than the HD66.