Nick, Those are all good points, but keep in mind the date the article was written. Stewart has come out with a newer version of the Firehawk (G3 which I own), as well as Da-light's High Power and the Prismasonic is completely new. Some folks swear by high gain, while others hate them.

I would spend some time on the screen boards at AVS before committing to anything. Articles can be of value, but should always be taken with a grain of salt. The author has his/her opinion just like any one of us. Sometimes their opinion stinks just as bad.

I suggested looking at the different projectors as you have LCOS and DLP on your shopping list. Both are very different with very different looking pictures. The Epson is LCD, which is fairly close to LCOS so I doubt you’d see the differences I’m suggesting.

Screen size is very personal. No one but the viewer can determine what to go with. I can say that I find it more difficult to move my eyes up / down more so that right / left. Keeping this in mind, find a 16.9 size that is vertically pleasing to you, and then stick with that height for a 2.35 screen. I sit 12’ away from a 96” wide screen. At first I thought it might be too big, but not anymore. I think it’s perfect.

I am considering the RS1X for myself right now, although the Planer, RS2, S15, BenQ2000 and Sony VW 200 all look like great projectors too. I have ruled out all LCD as I don’t want to deal with un-sealed light paths anymore. Friggin dust blobs are a PITA to clean. The VW200 is way too much money, so that’s out of running…. The Planer looks like THE projector to get right now, but it’s fairly new and I’m a wee bit hesitant to give it a try. The JVC’s have color issues that require an external VP with CMS to correct (the RS2 more so than the RS1x). Good thing I’m in no hurry and can take a back seat and see how things shake out for a few months.

Oh- don’t forget projector noise. I am VERY sensitive to noise. The projector is directly above me I can darn near reach it sitting down. If you or your dad are sensitive, you need to keep that in mind when shopping.

Rob, I’m hardly a definitive source. I’m just learning like everyone else. And I certainly hope folks just take what I write down as ‘recommendations for further thought’, and don’t just go out and spend money based on what I say. All this stuff is based on personal tastes and beliefs. Everyone should be aware of the things to consider and go out and find the answer / solution that works best for them.