Hey Fred
At 9' seating we had at one point a projection of 80ish inches that was pretty immersive and fun.
You are right, the last few years have been huge for projector leaps. We currently own an Epson 8345(twin of 8350- but named 8345 for futureshop I guess) which has been solid for the last couple of years. My brothers each purchased one after seeing mine. Great value and performance balance. The lens shift is a huge plus.
When it dies I'd go epson again. There are better for sure, but $$ dictates.
There are a lot of great bargains right now. Check out projectorcentral.com for lots of great info on throw distances, reviews, recommendations, tech to come etc.
