[jermmd]

My Panny 900 projector is due for a new lamp and I'm thinking of upgrading to the Epson 6500UB. It can be had for $2150 which is a real steal for this quality 1080P bright 2009 projector. I might be able to sell the Panny but not for much. My Panasonic projector still puts out a great picture in a dark room but it's life is coming to an end without a new bulb. Also, the new projectors will be coming out soon and I would expect quality to improve and prices to decrease (typical of tech stuff). What do you think?

[Bob in St. Louis]

Ahhh, the inevitable question. 
After a life span of just over 3000 hours, I bit the bullet and bought a $290 lamp for my Z2.
Sure, I could get a 1080p for a grand, but money's tight. I can hold out for a higher HD than I've got.
I guess it boils down to how much money you've got and how much of a "bug" you've got for upgrading.
Before you pull the trigger on the Epson, check out the Sanyos. There are a couple real nice ones (that I've seen in person) for around half what you're talking about. If memory serves, the unit I saw was the PLV-Z700. (or was it a 7000?)
Awesome.

Good luck in your decision, let us know what you come up with.
By the way, not to insult your intelligence, but I assume you know that all projectors won't "fit" in every room?

Bob

[jermmd]

Bob,

I'm probably going to wait until my bulb absolutely has to be changed and then make a decision. That should give me time to do some research and see what the latest technology has to offer. I'll definitely check out the Sanyo's.

[zybar]

Ahhh, the inevitable question. 
After a life span of just over 3000 hours, I bit the bullet and bought a $290 lamp for my Z2.
Sure, I could get a 1080p for a grand, but money's tight. I can hold out for a higher HD than I've got.
I guess it boils down to how much money you've got and how much of a "bug" you've got for upgrading.
Before you pull the trigger on the Epson, check out the Sanyos. There are a couple real nice ones (that I've seen in person) for around half what you're talking about. If memory serves, the unit I saw was the PLV-Z700. (or was it a 7000?)
Awesome.

Good luck in your decision, let us know what you come up with.
By the way, not to insult your intelligence, but I assume you know that all projectors won't "fit" in every room?

Bob

Bob,

Some good advice in there, but I am not sure the Sanyo player is that close in performance to the Epson.

The Epson is an outstanding pj and comes in fairly close to the JVC RS-10.  The JVC is pretty much universally acclaimed top pj in the under $5000 class and probably the second best pj under $10k (its big brother, the JVC RS-20 is tops).

Bob, which 1080p current model is roughly half the cost of the Epson?  From looking around the usual websites, I can't find a model that is in that price range.  The Z-700 looks to run around $1750 from Visual Apex and Projector People.

Assuming that is correct, I think the extra money on the Epson would be well spent.

Joe, check this out:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/1080p-projector/index.php

This is an extensive 1080p pj shootout and it breaks things down into price categories.  The Epson was the top pj in the $2100-$3500 class.

BTW, new pj's will be announced later this month at Cedia and that may push some prices down.

George

[ebag4]

Bob, which 1080p current model is roughly half the cost of the Epson?  From looking around the usual websites, I can't find a model that is in that price range.  The Z-700 looks to run around $1750 from Visual Apex and Projector People.

Not Bob, but to answer your question George, the Infocus X10 is about half price of the Epson.  I haven't seen the Epson but I can tell you that I am getting a pretty amazing picture with the X10 (which replaced my IN72 when it recently died).  Don't buy the nonsense about the blacks being weak in the X10, it is a light cannon, you bring the iris down to about 36 (in my setup) and the picture is truly outstanding.  It looks great right out of the box.  As you can probably tell I am very happy with this unit.

Best,
Ed

edit: rereading your post I note you say "current model", that would disqualify the X10 as it has been discontinued although I believe it's close cousin the IN8x series (the IN80 is said to be the same unit) is still available.

[JP78]

jermmd - not that i'm providing any really helpful advice here, but a neighbor had ordered this projector and the sanyo z3000 online in march to compare the two in his home. while he did not have them isf calibrated, i thought both projectors were very, very good. i thought the sanyo may have been a bit better, but it was pretty close actually and could have gone either way. the deciding factor for him ended up being the fan noise...the sanyo had zero (completely inaudible from 3 feet away) fan noise, whereas the epson you could clearly hear in the room if nothing else was on. not sure how important fan noise to you is, but that is something you may want to consider. also, the epson definitely looked better with the curtains drawn, so if your room is not closely light controlled, this may make the decision easier for you. at the time he was looking to purchase i believe the sanyo was about $700 cheaper than the epson. 

best,

jp

[rahimlee54]

The epson UB is a really good PJ, saw it a couple times out and about.  But the big thing for me was the QC problem they had when they first released them, misaligned panels galore.  Seemed like 1/3 were having the problem.  I am not sure if they fixed the problems or not, but I read about a bunch of it over at the avsforum.  If they have corrected this for 2k you wont beat it unless you want to pony up the RS10.  I think I saw some decent stuff on videogon not to long ago.

[mcallister]

I'd wait a month or two for the new 8500ub looks to be very nice.

[jermmd]

I'd prefer to keep the price in the $2k range and I suspect the new projectors will be around $3k. Last years models may fall in price after Cedia next month. We'll see. I'll have to check out the other brands as I've mainly been focusing on Panasonic, Epson, and JVC (or rebadged JVC).

I appreciate the advice.

[jermmd]

Bob,

Some good advice in there, but I am not sure the Sanyo player is that close in performance to the Epson.

The Epson is an outstanding pj and comes in fairly close to the JVC RS-10.  The JVC is pretty much universally acclaimed top pj in the under $5000 class and probably the second best pj under $10k (its big brother, the JVC RS-20 is tops).

Assuming that is correct, I think the extra money on the Epson would be well spent.

Joe, check this out:

http://www.projectorreviews.com/1080p-projector/index.php

This is an extensive 1080p pj shootout and it breaks things down into price categories.  The Epson was the top pj in the $2100-$3500 class.

BTW, new pj's will be announced later this month at Cedia and that may push some prices down.

George

George,

Nice review there. It kind of reaffirms my desire for the Epson. It sounds like Epson has addressed the QI issues and offers a superior warranty. It's bright, has excellent lens shift, and a great picture-just what I need. There's also a $400 rebate and extra bulb that come with new purchases. Very tempting! Do you think there's a market for a used Panny 900 projector with a bulb nearing it's lifespan?

[zybar]

Joe,

I have been thinking about upgrading from my Panny AE-900 to a 1080 pj.  While I definitely want the increased resolution, I also want the higher lumen output that the newer pj's have (I keep my pj at the back of the room vs. ceiling mount).

After lots of research, my top two choices are the Epson 6500UB and the JVC RS-10 (over competeing pj's from Sanyo, Panny, and Mitsubishi).

While the JVC is better, I keep asking myself is it worth the extra money over the Epson?

I keep flip flopping and can't seem to make up my mind.

George

[jermmd]

George,

I understand. I have some remorse over not buying the Pioneer rebadged JVC projector when it could have been had for $2800. The JVC is not worth an extra $1-2k over the Epson to me. Pretty soon LED projectors are going to be coming out and cheaper, better models will be available in a couple of years. I don't want to commit too much money to something that will be outdated in 5 years. Think about your old Marantz projector.

[JP78]

joe let us know how your decision turns out...and of course post some sexy screenshots of whatever you do end up with.  aa

[rahimlee54]

If Epson fixed the QC issues you should go with one for sure, great picture, great black levels, and not a jet taking off fan.  I saw one a year ago and it was good, I just didnt have the moola and now that I do I am sinking it into speakers   .

[jermmd]

I'm glad I was indecisive because the new Panasonic AE4000 will list for $1999 and the Panny 3000 can now be had for $1699! This should change the projector world almost as much as my Panny 900 did when it first came out.

Anyone want to buy a used Panny 900 with 2300 hours on the bulb? The picture is still pretty damn good. Make me an offer. I may also go with a larger screen. Right now I'm using a 92" Cinema Contour screen.

[zybar]

I'm glad I was indecisive because the new Panasonic AE4000 will list for $1999 and the Panny 3000 can now be had for $1699! This should change the projector world almost as much as my Panny 900 did when it first came out.

Anyone want to buy a used Panny 900 with 2300 hours on the bulb? The picture is still pretty damn good. Make me an offer. I may also go with a larger screen. Right now I'm using a 92" Cinema Contour screen.

I'm with you Joe, the Panny is going to be very tough to beat.

However, the Epson is only $600 more and comes with an extra lamp, a two year warranty vs. a one year warranty for the new Panny, and is a good deal brighter.

Both are excellent choices and I think it will still come down to each users needs and environment.

George