[jmarc8]

Hi there,
I'm debating which projector to get for my family room.

The room itself is 11ft x 16ft x 8ft (H). I will be using a 106" electric elite screen VMAX2 and I'm not too sure which projector to get..

I've been looking around for projectors and had my eyes on Epson Powerlite 8350 however, I can also get the epson Powerlite 8500UB demo unit for $570 more with 2 yr warranty.

Which one would you recommend? Is it worth the extra $$ for the 8500UB and also, anybody purchased a demo unit before?

Your help is much appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Petee_C]

Tough question.

I would consider a demo to be priced at least an extra15% off the best 'sale' price. Mainly due to wear on the bulb. The warranty is nice.

I have a 3yr old Epson HC720 projector. It has a small red dust blob on the edge of the screen. This started at about 1000h. Only noticeable on black screens like during the credits etc.

I wonder if dust blobs would be more of an issue in a store environment.

P

 

[Uber12]

Will your room be well light-controlled? From what I've heard, the 8500UB has significantly better black levels, but if your room has any ambient light that advantage pretty much disappears. I purchased the 8350 when it was first released and have no regrets. IMHO it produces an amazing image, although it's my first projector so I don't have much to compare it to.

 

[jmarc8]

Thanks for your replies..
I think I'm going to stick with the Epson8350 as I will have it in my TV room with a large window and some ambient lighting..

I'm going to use the Power elite screen so that the screen can drop down in front of my TV whether I want to watch a movie. I use TV only for news or TV shows.

Is a 106" screen too big for the room? The room is 11" x 18" and based on my calculation, we will be sitting at around 15feet away from the screen.
Thanks again.

 

[Uber12]

My room is about 14 feet x 11 feet and I sit approximately 12 feet from my 92" screen (which drops down in front of my plasma also) and I find it to be the perfect size. 106" from 15 feet away sounds about right to me.

 

[KRD01967]

I sit about 13 ft from a 106 inch screen. Also, I have the Epson 720. I am considering an upgrade and have heard good things re: the 8350

 

[fitbrit]

I have an 8350 and love it. It's in a room where there is good light control to virtually no ambient light if I choose.
The 8350 performs fantastically in this environment, using a 120" home made screen, and sitting as little as 10 ft away. 1080p viewing material looks amazing.
Having said that, an 8500 for the same price would be a pretty decent buy too.

 

[Larry]

If you haven't chosen yet, you can now get the 8350 for just over $1K from the Epson website. At this price (or even higher, like I paid), it is a no brainer. Excellent projector.

 

[NineBall]

I'm between an 8350 and an 8700UB myself. This is for a basement with 2 small windows so ambient light shouldn't be a problem; it's simply coming down to money where the 8700UB is twice as much as the 8350 at street pricing (which is well above MESP) althought has a free lamp MIR valued at ~$300. Given the price, the 8350 is a great deal and might end up being what I go with.

As for screen size, THX recommends dividing your screen size by .84 for the best seating distance (ideal for 1080p). Your distance of 15' would then equate to roughly a 150" screen. SMPTE advice would be ~1.45x your screen size (3x height) for distance equating to roughly a 120" screen (ideal for 720p/1080i). Really old school advice is 2.5x times the width but that is rubbish. At your distance, I would personally go with a 128" size screen which would have an ideal seating distance of between 12.5-15.5'. The projector in THX mode would still be bright enough to fill that screen at your seating distance and screen gain with a little ambient light. With more ambient light you could kick it up to Dynamic and still have no problems. If you are sticking with the 106", I'd be inclined to move closer to the screen but that's just me.

[Edit] If you want to stick with the VMAX2, the 135" VMAX135UWH2 would offer an ideal distance of 13.5-16.5'; you'd be right in the sweet spot.