Thanks folks,
Been away for a few days so just coming back and reading the great discussion. Thanks for the hint on Quebec Acoustics. I gave them a call and I got a very good impression from them. I was mainly asking about the Panasonic but asked about the Epson as well. They were offering the $300 rebate but not the extra bulb. I find that odd as usually manufacturer direct outlets try to never undersell their resellers.
The Epson UB model seems the way to go but if I get the regular 1080, it is still a great projector and I might have some money left to invest in a new couch/seating. Otherwise I'll be sitting in a very uncomfortable old couch for 1st row and second row will have to come later.
I can't remember if I ever posted my sob story, but we lost a bunch of furniture and stuff in storage to mold the fall before last, just before our new house was built. (Note to others: Most insurance policies do not cover mold.) We bought replacement living room furniture but we are operating on an old loaner in our TV room at the moment.
As for projector noise, I think I'll be OK with it. My understanding is that in low mode, it is actually pretty quiet. My room is totally light controlled and the projector is naturally very bright so I expect to be in low mode 90% of the time. Exceptions might be during Superbowls, Grey and Stanley Cups. I expect human created, ambient noise to be way above the projector's levels during those times.
I think I am pretty much sold on being able to get a top 3 projector in it's class for a net cost of just under 2k after factoring in the rebate and the spare bulb. Having a spare bulb around seems like a good idea.
The UB is definately the one I'd recommend to friends but saving 1000 bucks and still being confident that I will be happy in the end, works a lot better for me.
NEXT QUESTION:
I am trying really hard to buy some product at a local AV shop that I continually find to be not only helpful but also honest, even if when it means they might lose a sale.
They used to be a Draper dealer for screens but moved to Mustang as they thought that Draper quality was good but not matching it's premium price tag. Now they sell Mustang. They can give me a really good deal on a Mustang 106" Electric.
I was more interested in a fixed frame but at $345 I'm tempted. However, I seen a few posts about Mustang screens letting some light bleed through, thus losing some color depth. When I asked them about this, he said that early model Mustangs and all their fixed screens were acoustically transparent materials, thus naturally let a tiny amount of light bleed through the porous material. He doesn't think the Electric drop model is an acoustic transparent screen but is going to double check. I have no use for an acoustically transparent screen at this time
? = Anybody have any personal experience with Mustang and anybody have screen movement issues with a pull down model. I recognize Mustang is not top of the line but this is a budget room so starter equipment is fine.
In fact, I read a lot of good things about using a 50-80 $ piece of specific brand and color Laminate. I'd really love to give my local shop some business but if Mustang doesn't work out, I might just try the laminate. I read posts where folks used actual meters to measure light reflection and color and results were as favorable as many screens on the market today.
Sorry, long post.
