Video: Best way to go under $2K?  

I think I am finally getting my better half closer to agreeing on getting a big screen source for the low-end HT I'm building in our basement.

She is wowed by plasmas, but would not spend this kind of money right now (nor would I get one based on our altitude and experiences of several friends).

My room is roughly 8' wide by 13' feet long (open on one 13' side to more of the basement) and can be made very dark. Primary viewing distance would be somewhere between 10-12', depending on if it is an RPTV, Flat Panel or Projector. So I'm figuring something no smaller than about 47", and with a projector could go up to about 83".

I am being swayed (in large part due to this forum) towards a projector. Today our viewing is roughly 60% DVD and 40% SD (Dish). I have no HD today, but would not expect it to exceed about 20% (dropping SD to ~20%).

I know there are several projectors close to the $1K range. Since HD is frankly not a priority, I'm thinking that this may be the best way to go.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks in advance :)

Thanks, the 83" would be diagonal (if it were 16:9), which would put me right about at the 72" width. I do agree though that I probably would go a little smaller.

As for closing off the opening, the best I could probably do is a curtain I could close. I have access to a large amount of drapery that has been pulled out of a relative's theatre, and have thought about doing something like this.

No, unfortunately there really isn't any way to go wider.

Thanks, CRT had not been something that I had thought of at all.

I'm still leaning that way. At under $1k, something like the BenQ 6100 is looking really tempting.

I also know I can sell the better half on getting something new much easier than something used.