Dean, what are the model numbers of "last year's Epsons" that you are thinking of?
Rather than me give a long winded disartaion I’ll just reference Projectorreveiws.com:
For Epson I would consider the 8350 which can be had for around $1,200, sometimes less.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/1080p-projector/projectors_under2000.phpOne step up I would consider the 8700 which is about $2,200 or less right now. However, if considering this I would probably go with the AE4000 at $2,000 myself but there are good arguments for going either way.
http://www.projectorreviews.com/1080p-projector/projectors_2000-3500.phpI like what I read about the JVCs but in this price class it didn’t even beat the Espon. The next one might be better but until it’s out who knows.
IMO if you want to stay around 2K vs 3K for the newer models I would be looking at either the Epson 8350, 8700 or Panasonic 4000.
One thing to note is that the 4000 shared best in class with the comparable Epson two years age and won against the newer projectors last year despite being not even being a new model. My only problems with whole heartedly recommending the AE4000 to everyone is that it’s not a light cannon so it might not work for bright rooms with long throw distances and screens under 1.3 gain, and initial cost + bulb replacements are going to drive the price up compared to the Epson 3850 and 8700.
FWIW when I was placing my order two years ago my sales rep at Projector People said that after seeing the Panny and Espson’s A/B compared he would do anything he could to talk me out of the Epsons because the Panny was that much better he already knew I would be shipping the Epson back (I was going to buy both and send back the one I liked the least). IMO the PQ is simply breathtaking, as Art at projector reviews says “The Panasonic PT-AE4000 projector has a very natural look to the image. This Panasonic projectors is one of the more film-like 3LCD projectors.” confirmed by my experience. That when combined with his previous recommendation leads me to believe that he’s being honest when he says that the AE7000 is far superior to the AE4000. Especially since he knows that I will have both projectors up and running at the same time so I can A/B compare them before deciding to keep it. I can demo the projector for up to 4 hours and still return it w/o any restocking fee and up to 10 hours with a %15 restocking fee. And since I just got a new bulb for my AE4000 it will be a fair comparison.
