In reply to:
My basement presently measures about 15 x 16 with an alcove and a drop ceiling at 7 feet with my couch at 8 feet from the tv.
Not exactly ideal for an overhead projector.
Cost is also usually a concern. A smaller, quality RPTV can be bought for under 2k.
chess,
I do not quite see one aspect of your basement that is unsuitable for having the front projection enjoyment. Many of the current HT projectors can throw >100"-diagonal image from less than 11'-12' distance. Also, you actually gain 2'-3' of room depth if you do not place a big-screen RPTV.
As for prices, you can get some excellent HT projectors (both LCD and DLP models) for under $2000, including the Sanyo Z1, Pana L300u, Sharp Z90, InFocus X1 and Sony HS10 (the latter would be a bit over $2K). I have see all of them in action, and they all will throw a quite stunning image.
