About lamp-life. Dont' forget that DLP and LCD rear projectors also only have about a two year life.
My brother in law has a front projector, and has for a couple of years now. What he has found is that he really only watches the front projector for movies and HD content (like Sopranos, and sports). So, after two years, hw still hasn't replaced his bulb, and he doesn't think that he's gonna have to for some time. Consider that the bulb lasts approx. 8000 hours. If you watch 15 hours a week, that's a little over 10 year light bulb light (if my math is right)...(8000 hours, divided by 15 hours/week = 533 weeks = 10+ years).
Now, of course, that would an average of around 2 hours of TV per day. Considering you might watch 3 hours per day on week days, and 5 on the weekend, you get 25 hours per week, which equals a little over 6 years.
2 things: It's pretty expensive to buy a front projector and then only watch DVD's on it. (cause you'll still need something to watch the news on, right?) But considering cost, size and bulb life, you can get a great value. Let's say you do all your viewing on the big screen using your FPT, and you watch a sh*tload of TV. Bulbs only run about US$250-300. So, in the long run, you get a monster screen that feels so much closer to the movies - you get to impress the hell out of your friends - and all it will cost you is an occasional (every 3-4 years) investment in bulbs. Who knows, maybe they'll come out with a longer lasting bulb that can be fitted into an older projector in a few years. Then, you'd be real happy.
I'd say, if you've got the space - go FPT.
However, also consider ambient light issues. If you've got much light in the room, your image will begin to degrade pretty rapidly (almost to the point of being unwatchable). And you never get true black unless you buy a nice semi-gray reflective screen, which can be fairly pricey as well.
All in all, It's my ultimate goal to put on in a dark, windowless basement one day. Best of luck.
