A newbie seeking advise on a projector

projectorpeople.com

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.

Gmood, I am gonna look at that model as I am thinking of going 1080p.........cheers

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.

I own the Mitsu HC5500. I sold my Panasonic to Chad. I can say without any hesitation that the blacks on the Pany are better than the Mitsu. So, it's a tradeoff between the two units: more detail on the Mitsu, better blacks on the Pany. One advantage the Pany has over the Mitsu is the higher light output which makes daytime viewing much better even in a darkened room.

As for bulb life, there are many factors that determine it such as number of bulb cycles, temperature of room (too hot or too cold) ventilation and the possibility of buying a bulb made on a Friday. I've had bulbs that were rated to last 2000 hours go for over 3000. And, I've had bulbs rated for 5000 hours last 1200. My last bulb on the Mitsu lasted 1200 hours on low power setting and Chad’s last bulb lasted about 450 hours. Anyway, if you plan on watching your projector a lot, plan on at least one bulb a year and if you don't watch it a lot, plan on at least one bulb a year.

I've owned a Pany 500u, 700u, 900u, 100ax and the Mitsu over that last 6 years. In addition, I've had lots of experience with the big Sony’s. The big Sony’s have gorgeous pictures, but they are big, have lower light output and eat bulbs. YMMV.