I've got an Epson Powerlite 8350 and LOVE it. It's a tad more than your price point, but.....
Just a couple random thoughts you may find helpful:
- It's not 3D, which may be important to him.
- The unit is massive, solid, and physically well built.
- It does contain an sir filter.
- Lot of input jacks, including 2 HDMI
- The fan is very quiet.
- The remote is brightly backlit. Not that you really need the projectors remote lit very often, but it's nice.
Hope that helps.
Bob