How tall are the ceilings in your basement? I ask because there will be a screaming deal at costco.ca on the Optoma HD6800 August 7-20? (not sure on the end date). It's basically a rebadged HD72 that only Costco sells. The package includes the projector, 5m dvi cable, 92" Panaview Graywolf Screen and a ceiling mount for $1825CAD.
The onion in the ointment is that it has a 32-38% offset which rules it out of the running for people who want big screens with low ceilings. Otherwise you probably want to look at LCD as others have mentioned, they're simple to mount and throw a comparable picture from what I hear. The Sanyo Z4 is comparable in price to the Optoma, I've found it for $1895CAD with a $200 instant rebate from one dealer. The AE900U is a mystery, I can't seem to find it for a good price here in Canada whereas in the US it's one of the cheapest thanks to $400 rebates. An AE900U in Canada will run you about $2300-2600 depending where you buy from. If others know of where to find it cheaper please let me know, as I would love to get it for <$2000.
One word on the LCD models, September/October is usually when the new generation technology is released, so if you can wait until around Halloween you can choose between the brand new stuff (maybe 1080p this round?) or get this years stuff for cheap.
Long post I know, but I've been researching this for a few months now and the story is a little different for those of us north of the border. Good luck with your search and your decision.
