What's the best video projector between $500-$1000?

Question

For home entertainment.

Anything else I should know?

Epson MovieMate 30s?

Answer 1

The sweet spot for front projection right now is Hi Definition 720p resolution. They can be had for less than $1,000 and the picture is much better than any 480p model.

Here is how the resolution breaks down:

720 x 480p = 345,600 pixels. 480p is also known as enhanced definition or ED.
1280 x 720p = 921,600 pixels. 720p is known as hi definition or HD.
1920 x 1080p = 2,073,600 pixels. 1080p in known as TrueHD or Full HD.

To our human eyes, the jump from 480p to 720p is huge, as it should be with nearly 3 x the resolution of 480p. Additionally, all these extra pixels also add greater color depth / variation.
This adds up to a much more true to life picture making everything look almost 3D compared to 480p.

Check out this comparison of screenshots taken from a 720p source. If you don't have cable or DSL, don't try it. Once all the picture load, move your mouse onto them, one at a time and look at the difference in quality as it switches from 480p to 720p. It might look subtle on a monitor, but on a 100" screen the difference is HUGE. Another thing to note is that the guy who made this page took the 720p image and downconverted it to 480p. That means that a true 480p image will look much worse than what he is showing at 480p, thus the difference would be even bigger.
http://alteredbeast.i8.com/480vs720.html

The best 720p projectors for the money are the Optoma HD70 and Mitsubishi HD1000
http://projectorcentral.com/Mitsubishi-HD1000U-prices.htm
http://projectorcentral.com/Optoma-HD70-prices.htm

Screens range anywhere from $50+.

Answer 2

Hi. The Sanyo PLV-Z5 is one of the better 720P projectors around .It has a brightness of 2200 ANSI Lumens and a contrast figure of 10,000 :1 It's available for around $1,000.00 if you look around.
The Hitachi HDP J52 with a brightness of 1200 ANSI Lumens and 7,000 :1 contrast ratio is about $900.00

Both these i think would be very good.If you feel the higher contrast ratio is worth an extra $1000.00 then that would be my choice

Here is the link for the specifications of the Sanyo

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Sanyo-PLV-Z5.htm

Here is the link for the Sanyo projector at $1067

http://www.cameraaddict.com/product.asp?id=syplvz5&l=Shopping

here is the link for the specifications of the Hitachi

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Hitachi-UltraVision_HDPJ52.htm

Here is the link for the Hitachi projector at $849.00

http://www.prestigecamera.com/product.asp?id=HTHDPJ52&l=yahooshopping

Answer 3

Try an InFocus 72. I have one and use it on a screen that is 9 feet tall! Has great picture at that huge size...imagine what it would look like in your living room...
Here is a link : http://www.infocus.com/Products/Projectors/IN72.aspx

Answer 4

If you want an all in one system,I'd check out the DV11.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIB-OPTOMA-MOVIE-TIME-DV11-DLP-PROJECTOR-DVD-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ320115235129QQihZ011QQcategoryZ25321QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
Other places have them cheaper but they are refurbished.

Moviemate from what I hear has a large image but the picture is somewhat pixalated because of it's LCD source.
I have an Infocus IN72 and it works perfect for my bedroom set up,though I will be using a 720p for HT.