A newbie seeking advise on a projector

I've been researching models as well. I hope to purchase one myself soon. The Mitsubishi HC5500 jumps out at me. It is a 1080P unit selling for $1300(retail $2495). It uses the Silicon Optics HQV chip(this chip is used in projectors over 4 grand). It is also rated for 5000 hrs bulb life in econo mode. Rather than use organic LCD panels it uses inorganic LCD panels. This gives you up to ten times the life of the bulb. In the end this would save you money..those bulbs aren't cheap. It rates as one of the quietest projectors on the market as well..-19dB. Once you spend some time around them..you'll find this also very important. Some sound like hair dryers!

You can go to www.projectorreviews.com and www.projectorcentral.com for more info on a host of projectors. For the price performance ratio..the Mits is the best I've found so far. It is one of the cheapest 1080Ps if not the cheapest on the market. Of course your location for setting the projector up will decide what is best for you.

Hey Chad here's a review of it Mits HC5500 review. No doubt the reviewer is a little bias towards Epsons. For the street price..she's going to be hard to beat! I like the screen shots in this review. You get to see just how sharp this projector is against some higher priced models.

Make sure to look around..the prices vary greatly.I've seen them for $1295.00. The price seems to increase near the weekend and go down during the middle of the week...Just like flat panel TVs.

Prpixel thanks for the info...I agree with you on the Sony's. They do have a great picture! My only dislike of them is the fan noise. The big JVC's have extremely good black levels as well...Even the older 720Ps are great! I've installed both in a few private HT rooms.

I've certainly noticed ..there's going to be a a small trade off any way you go. Some better black levels others better shadow detail.

Blindjim... I look at the 720Ps and wish the 1080s were the same price!! lol
There are some great deals on 720Ps out there. I've had to talk myself out of buying several different models. ;-)

I've wanted a PJ for some time now. Thanks to you and Chad..you are about to talk me into pulling the trigger on one. That.. plus experiencing the setups I've been involved in installing in the past has made me want one even more.