Front projector advice??

[ruddstud]

Can anyone give me some advice on purchasing a front projector? I am looking for anyone who has one that LOVES it and if there are people that have some ideas about what to stay away from.

Thanks

[dre]

I like my Panasonic PT-AX 200:
1) No screen door effect (you have to sit 5 inches away to see it)
2) Its a 1080P on a budget
3) It has a game setting for vids
4) Bought 1 year ago for $1400 got a bulb and 5 year warranty

I sit close to the screen so the "screen door effect" was a big issue for me.
You don't need to have a dark room for the Panasonic either, but its better
if you have complete control of your lighting situation.

[photon]

#1 neglected factor in projector selection: noise! I like my Sanyo (only 720p) but it's a bit loud since it hangs above the seating area. Next one I get the noise will be a bigger consideration.

[zarrell]

Start here: http://www.avsforum.com

I have a JVC RS1. Got it about 2 years ago. Does full 1080p and at the time was one of the best in it's category. Kind of large, but overall pretty quiet. Price is a little steep at around 6k. Don't forget to budget for a screen. I bought an SMX screen, one that is talked about quite a bit at avsforum. It's acoustically transparent so you can hide your center channel or all 3, depending on your screen size, behind the screen.

And get yourself a replacement bulb right away, so that when your first one goes you're not stuck without TV if it's your primary display.

[dre]

The blacks on that JVC must look awesome! I am sooooo jealous.
http://www.projectorreviews.com is a good site too.

[photon]

Or if you are going cheaper than that, there's a guy on ebay that sells just the screen material, go to Home Depot and build the frame yourself. I did that and it only cost me $100, and the screen material got a lot of good comments from avsforum (for the price).