Thank you for all the good recommendations. Has anyone compared the Panasonic / Sony / Epson with the higher end companies like Wolf Cinema or Runco? I heard that the lens used by the higher end manufacturers makes a big difference. Maybe it's just marketing....
I am not so fussed about 3D, but like to have a bright and super sharp image.
I have been in to front projectors since 1981 when I talked my roomate in to buying a front projector with a 7 foot screen and watiching Indiana play for the Natioanl Championship on the day it was delivered. I have been hooked ever since and have owned Mitsubishi, Seleco, and a series of Sony's.
The lense is in fact a big part of it, but then so is the processing power, the lamp, the cooling system, the software, the DACs, the features, etc. Those things are not marketing hype, they are what it takes to do an outstanding projector.
Each time I was in the market for a new projector, I went out and spent many weeks researching and comparing picture quality of the different brands. As I got older and had more disposable income, I kept expanding the universe upward in price, looking at Digital Projection, Runco, Wolf, and top of the line Sony, Panasonic, Sim2, and others.
One point to consider and then in most cases to forget
One is that it is fun to go look at a $50,000 or even a $100,000 dollar projector. It is just plain fun to do and it also gives you a perspective on what the real state of the art is and how much you want to bite off to get there. Just because you look at one doesn't mean you buy it.
If you know what I mean.
Another point to consider is that as you go up the ladder in projection units, the price does get higher and the features and PQ get better too. The reason you go look at all this stuff is to get a sense of where your own wants, needs and desires fit your pocketbook.
You try to buy the one with the most features that interest you, okay the features you can't live without and yet you are constrained by your budget. I can tell you right now when you go look at a Panasonic PT-DZ12000U the PQ will amaze you, but the price is $90K MSRP and Street Price of $60K, if that fits your pocket book then you are done.
Done that is unless you go look at a DPI Titan at $80K with full 1080P 3D. Then you may get buyers remorse.
My point is most people can't drop 100s of thousands of dollars on these things. But technology has advanced so much on projectors that you can get 90% of the way there while spending closer to 5 or 10 thousand dollars. But you won't know what 90% of the way there is unless you go look at the top of the line projection systems. Once you know what at the top of the mountain you can look at the different levels in a different 'eye' so to speak. And like I said, it all depends on your pocket book, nobody elses.
When you go in to these upper tier projectors, which back then meant $100K and up...there was and there is a difference in the picture and don't let anyone tell you that you can't see the difference. Go see some of these systems yourself and you will see the difference with your own eyes.
There is a difference between a 500 dollar projector and a 1000 dollar projector, just like there is a difference between a 2000 dollar projector and a 4 or 5 thousand dollar projector and yes Virginia, there is a difference between a 5K projector and a 10K projector and a 50K projector.
Anyway, rather than picking a projector and saying this is it. I will leave you with this. I looked at projectors when I first had real disposable income in the mid-90s and found that I could get 90% of the way there for about 20K. Around 05 that price had dropped to 13K, in 08 it dropped to 10K and now it is right at 8K, I just ordered a Sony VPL VW90ES Full 1080P 3D projector for 8K. The 2D PQ is as good as projectors in the 30K plus range.
Now before anybody gets their panties in a bunch because there isn't enough 3D content. I also have 6 months worth of video and still photographs in 3D that I shot with my Fuji W-1 and W-3. Until you see a half-dozen or more hummingbirds literally flying around a feeder that is suspended in air in the room with you, you just can't understand what 3D is really all about. 3D movies and sports are cool but your own photos and videos actually take you back to that exact experience when it is done in 3D. Oh and I actaully have in my hands, AVATAR in Bluray 3D, but that is another story.
Bottom line go out and look at the top of the line so you can figure out how far up the ladder you want to go. And remember its the journey, not the destination that counts.
