Optoma HD20 or BenQ W1200

They all have trade-offs. I owned/own the Mits hc4000 and Pro8200 and tried the other two as well.

The w1200 is NOT a gaming projector because of severe lag, and I believe the Optoma hd20 has very LOW lag. You could also look at the Pro8200 (it's very similar to the Optoma, but it's brighter and has less RBE just in case you are RBE-sensitive). The Pro8200 has the least lag for gaming (<20ms) and is the brightest, but it's not as sharp as the Benq w1200 or the Mits hc4000 (it's VERY close to the Mits though, because the VS has better focus uniformity). However, the VS Pro8200 does have a VERY minor 1:1 pixel mapping only around the borders of images (undefeatable edge enhancement). The Benq w1200 was also reported to have an "undefeatable edge enhancement" by at least one reviewer, but when I saw it in person I could not tell and it looked sharper to me than the others.

 

The blacks on the Pro8200 or the hd20 are not presumably as good as the other two PJ's (but I couldn't tell how good/bad the blacks on the w1200 really were as it wasn't in a dedicated dark room - it was in a semi-dark room). So another one to consider is the Mits hc4000, it has no real lag to speak of, but it's just not as bright as the w1200 or Viewsonic (Mits about same brightness as the hd20 though). The Mits hc4000 has some neat features like the ability to do CIH / 2.35 format screens and switch back and forth automatically, something none of these other three projectors have.

The below should help (>= means it depends really what attribute you value, or too close to call, but the projector on the > side is likely to be VERY slightly better).

For Movies: (black levels, cleanliness, features)
Mits hc4000 > Benq w1200 > Pro8200 >= HD20

For Sports and General TV (features, motion, cleanliness)
Benq w1200 (FI + 120hz) >= Mits hc4000 (cleaner native motion at 60hz though) > HD20 >= Pro8200

For Gaming (lag and other factors in gaming)
Pro8200 > Mits hc4000 > HD 20 > Benq w1200

For Brightness or Ambient Light
Pro8200 > Benq w1200 > HD 20 and Mits hc4000 (about the same brightness)

For Sharpness
Benq w1200 > Mits hc4000 > Pro82000 =?? hd20
(hd20 does 1:1 pixel mapping without edge errors, but the VS has better focus uniformity, it's a toss up from what I saw)

For Color (OOTB Pre-Calibration)
Mits hc4000 > Pro82000 > w1200 > hd20

For Color (After Calibration)
Mits hc4000 and w1200 > Pro8200 and hd20

Least Amount of DLP Rainbow Effect
Pro8200 > hd20 > Mits hc4000 and w1200

Edited by coderguy - 7/22/12 at 3:37am

Mits is the most expensive out of the bunch, just under $1200 most likely. Yah, the weakness of the Pro8200's motion is only really noticeable a tiny bit in Sports (I own it) and used to own the Mits. It is not noticeable in gaming at all, and in movies not really (maybe in a VERY rare panning shot). I think the Pro8200's panning (motion error) is only when dealing with certain signals in certain situations, I have never seen it skip or look funny during a pan while gaming.

The Benq w1200 has the best motion out of all of them, then followed by the Mits. The Pro8200 and hd20 are about the same in motion, the HD20 probably just edges it out.

I would have to see the hd20 and Pro8200 side-by-side for an extended period of time (several hours of testing) to know for 100% certainty, but the Pro8200 is not really a data projector (it's a home theater projector with some added crossover features). The Viewsonic does fine at movies and video.

From what I know and have seen, I'd take the Pro8200 over the hd20, because the Pro8200 is far brighter. The Mits hc4000 would be my favorite though, or the w1200 for non-gaming. The Viewsonic should have equal or slightly better black levels over the HD20 as well even though it's brighter. The HD20's only REAL advantage over the VS is probably slightly less image noise.

On a clean Bluray, the Viewsonic Pro8200 looks fabulous and competes fairly well in bright scenes even with a more expensive projector like a JVC RS-45 (a $3000 projector). Sure the JVC is better, but the VS comes close in bright scenes and on some occasions the Pro8200 even beats it (mainly if dealing with animated movies).

I updated the rating system with some new info. BTW, I have seen all of these projectors (just not at the same time).

It should ship with the latest firmware, there are no further issues with the new firmware so no need to update. I do not believe you can update the firmware yourself. There is a place to do it, but Viewsonic does not provide the files nor the access codes.

You have to make sure it fits in your room, you may need 8.5 foot or higher ceilings depending on how high you wish to mount it.

You'd have to send it back to Viewsonic, but I'd try to buy one with the newer firmware or get it from a place that allows returns without a restocking fee.

Most of the units shipped from most places should have the newest firmware. Even if you get a slightly older firmware, the issues are very minor (they do not affect functionality), as they only affect the projector's ability to retain settings.