I am looking into getting a front projector but don't have much to spend. What is the best projector for $1200 or less. I have learned a lot on this message board and thank you for your help!

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Projectors

Infocus X1 seems to be one of the often liked "budget" options. My coworker has one and likes it.

Jazz

I have been looking to get in to front projection too. The best projector I can find in that price range is the Epson Powerlite Home 10 ($1299.00) www.epson.com, the native aspect ratio is 16:9 and the brightness is 1000 lumens. The resolution is a bit low however the picture is great. Good luck

I would think about a panasonic L300U, those have come down in price now that the 500's are out.

The X1 is a great budget option. My neighbors have one in a dedicated room and it looks great. Screen size is approximately 96-106 inches.

I believe that Saturn has one on here. I'm sure he'll be along shortly.

Yes the X1 is a great option. It is hard to beat in price and quality. Careful matching of screen is important with the X1. The X1 has a fantastic de-interlacer...the Faroudja chip...upscales and clean up the picture signal.

Another 2 options is the Benq 6100 and the Optoma H30.

I prefer DLP projectors (versus LCD projector) as all above projector are. They have great contrast ratio and color.
But heed that most projectors work best with a light controlled room. Any sort of lighting would wash out any projector setup.

I have been happy with the X1 for the past year but have recently sold it...and upgrading to the Optoma H30 in a couple of weeks...new place has more lighting constraints and need a much higher lumen output projector that the Optoma can produce.

Saturn
http://www.spacelofts.com/x1/

ps: a trial is in order with any projector if possible. Some say rainbows are more prevalent with DLP projectors but I would rather have some of that SDE (screen door effect) or vertical banding that are seen in lower end LCD projectors.

I just was looking at an Infocus "screenplay 110" last week. You can get a brand new one for $2000 on their website and probably less from dealers. It looked really good playing Spiderman at the store. It the cheapest projector I've seen yet with native widescreen resolution. It is ideal for the DVD format and apparently does well with a high def signal as well. Is has a dual mode chip so it is optimized for both 16X9 or 4X3. From what I saw I was really impressed.

There is a lot of great info at projectorcentral.com.

One that hasnt been mentioned but is a very good budget projector is the Sanyo Z1/Boxlight Matinee 1HD

Very nice 1/4HD projector.

The current consumer level projectors are
Infocus X1 - 2x color vheel w/ DCDi, 800x600 ($8xx from dell deals that come up every now and then)
BenQ 6100 - 3x color wheel , 800x600 ($900 after rebate)
Optima H30 - 4x color wheel, 800x480 (I think there is a firmware update to unlock to 800x600) $1300)
Infocus 4805 - 4x color wheel w/ DCDi, 800x450 ($1500)
They are all DLP projector with very good contrast

I had an X1 for about a week and my wife still complains about having to return it. We watched a movie the other night and her comment was "Its just not the same without the projector".

I have a great wife

By the way, the reason I returned it was to wait for the 4805 to be released. Its supposed to ship on May the 5th and will be native widescreen with a better color wheel.

I am very happy with my Benq DX650. XGA, DLP, HD, Progressive, 1600 lumens, 2000 hour bulb life, 600:1 contrast, good black levels, no rainbows or screen door, 3x color wheel, free extra bulb. With some shopping you could pay ~$1300.
This is a professional projector, but it makes for a wonderful HT unit. I watch it every day and everyone who has seen it has been absolutley amazed.

I am more interested in benq 6100 or 6200
6100 has a 3000hr lamp, 2000:1 contrast, 1500lemens, and 3x color wheel.. It's brigher than X1, better contrast than x1 (when comparing against RGB mode not RGBW mode), faster color wheel, the only thing it lacks is the DCDi(but this is a very very good feature for SD material)

In reply to:

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I am more interested in benq 6100 or 6200
6100 has a 3000hr lamp, 2000:1 contrast, 1500lemens, and 3x color wheel.. It's brigher than X1, better contrast than x1 (when comparing against RGB mode not RGBW mode), faster color wheel, the only thing it lacks is the DCDi(but this is a very very good feature for SD material)

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Thats on paper. But one of the respected users on avs did a side by side test and he prefered the X1 still over the 6100. Although 6100 does have a brighter picture it doesnt necessarily havea better picture. Supposedly in really bright scenes resolution is less than spectacular.

I was going to towards the 6100 myself but will opt possibly into the H30. As with its issues it does not affct me at all since I will be using a HTPC.
Known issues:
green push on component to vesa from DVd player
masking on 4:3 is different position than 16:9

Other than that it has great picture quality. It is pretty new so we do not know if there will be the same issue as the H56(higher end model)which has less than durable bearings on the color wheel which could whine after many 100's of hours.

Saturn
Saturn

PB6100 - SVGA 800x600, no component in.
PB6200 - Admitedly a better projector, but it is also $300 more than I paid.

Not to mention I bought my projector before either of those were manufactured. If I had to do it again, I would get the PB6200 or PB7200.

6200 is supposedly a great projector. Projectorpeople.com has reported that the 7XXX series is definitely catered for business use so perfomance on video is actually better with the 6XXX series.

You can use a component to VGA converter using a progressive signal into the 6100.

I didn't know the 6100 has no component it, but if it is true, all you need is a VGA -> component cable.

It'll be another 4 months before I get my projector so I am still researching myself. One that that I like the 6100 over the X1 is that its component in will take 480i signal as well. I might be wrong. The H30 seems to suffer some overheat issues reported by some Taiwanese forum(avsforum has a link to it). Also H30's lamp life is rated at 2000hr where as X1 and 6100 are rated at 3000hr. Given that a lamp is $300 for X1 and $400 for 6100. The 1000 hour less is worth $100+ compared to it's competitor. BTW, I am not arguing, but I am in the market of finding the right projector as well. So, any comment would be nice.

Too bad the x2 is out of the game, 800x600 and 2x color wheel and then no DCDi.

Does anyone have any idea on how to make an bright room into a light controlled room?

I am very happy with my Benq and would recommend them as a brand to anyone. Mine is a business projector and it performs better than most every projector I have seen. It has the features I need and at the right price point. I am very happy with it.
I understand you are looking for advice and that is what I am giving based on my own experience.

As for room darkening, use http://www.lnt.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=1331964&cp=1331609. and look for velvet, suede, or room darkening blinds. There are also blackout drapes that go behind the drapes you currently have.