Which mid priced PJ from US?

[captrajesh]

One of my friends is in US for a visit. I'm coaxing (coercing?) him to buy a PJ for him. Considering that it is coming from US, it should be a real bargain when compared to local prices.

My requirements are as below: -

1. Should suit my Drawing cum Living room size 15' x 21' and seating distance of about 8'

2. Full HD (1080p) is mandatory but 3D is not (though desirable from the perspective of future proofing)

3. Ceiling mountable.

4. Short throw capability with corner correction.

5. Viewing for longer period preferred.

6. Good brightness, black and contrast levels.

7. Budget Equivalent of INR 60 K or thereabouts.

I did some searching on our forum and have noted the following PJs (in no particular order)

1. Epson EW 6100/8100
2. Epson Pro Cinema 6020/6010
3. Optoma HD 20
4. BenQ W1070

I'm not very sure if the above are within my budget. Which mid priced PJs do you guys suggest?

 

[GeorgeO]

60K is $1100, which should buy you a decent entry level PJ. I have an Optoma HD 20 and like it.

 

[GeorgeO]

Check Projectors, Projector Reviews, LCD Projectors, Home Theater DLP Projectors at ProjectorCentral.com

 

[Gijo George]

Hi Capt
To compound your confusion, out of the few 2D PJ's that I've had the opportunity to check out the Panasonic 4000u appeared the best. I dont know about the availability in the US but its not easily available over here, or atleast in Cochin.

All the PJ's you've mentioned have good reviews. Recently on helping a friend to select components for his HT in Cochin decided on the Epson 3600 (8350 equivalent) for Rs.75K w B&W which also has rave reviews on the net. They brought the Epson 8100 for a demo and the picture quality was really good but he didnt have the budget, which costs around Rs.1.5L

Based on reviews and if I could afford it, I'd go for the Epson TW 8100.

HTH

 

[captrajesh]

Thank you George, since there is strict budget here, I had considered the following PJs and made a one on one comparison.

1. Optoma HD33
2. BenQ W1070
3. Epson Pro cinema 8350
4. Panasonic PT-AR100U

See the results: -

As per the specs, I'm shortlisting Epson Pro cinema 8350 & Panasonic PT-AR100U.

Hope my conclusions are correct.

 

[srinisundar]

Increase the budget to 100K and get settled with some advance model with 3D capabilities which will please your kids. However Benq seems to be an good choice if you cannot hike the budget with 3D capabilities.

Regards

 

[captrajesh]

out of the few 2D PJ's that I've had the opportunity to check out the Panasonic 4000u appeared the best.

Hey Gijo, where did you do the demo? Since you said that it is not available in Cochin, I presume you have got it elsewhere. Is it US or somewhere in our own country? What was the cost?

Based on reviews and if I could afford it, I'd go for the Epson TW 8100.[/QUOTE]

The Epson 8350 that I've listed is a successor of 8100. Check the review: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 Review

 

[captrajesh]

Increase the budget to 100K and get settled with some advance model with 3D capabilities which will please your kids. However Benq seems to be an good choice if you cannot hike the budget with 3D capabilities.

Any particular model you have in mind Srini? I think both Benq W1070 and Optoma HD33 are 3D capable but spec wise, I'm concerned about it's low contrast ratio of 1000:1 compared to that of 50000:1 of Epson 8350 and Panasonic AR100U

 

[GeorgeO]

Well you need to know that increasing the budget makes it that much more difficult to get it past Customs if you need to..At $800 it's closer to the threshold limit.

 

[captrajesh]

At $800 it's closer to the threshold limit.

The Epson moden W1070 is $1013. The $800 Benq PJ has even lower contrast ratio of 4500:1.

Moreover, I read in one of the threads that Benq after sales support sucks. So considering that it may not have international warranty, would it be a smart choice?

 

[Gijo George]

My co-brother bought it from HIFI links in Cochin for Rs.1.6L over a year back. My friend bought it from Cinema Focus Chennai for Approx Rs.1.5L more than a year back. Will pm their number if interested.

The availability factor was mentioned because when I asked around a couple of weeks back in Kochi, no one had it in stock. I reckon the dealers here buy it from some main dealer in Bangalore, Mumbai or Delhi and resell it here. I was really impressed with the Epson service when they were asked for a demo. I think there is a difference in the Epson PJ in the link you posted and the one I'm talking about. The US equivalent of the EH-TW8100 (UK+Asia) is the 5020UB I guess which was released last year. Will get back to you on that. Meanwhile a chennai based FM has bought this 8100 that I'm talking about. A search on the PJ section should get you his details.

Cheers

 

[captrajesh]

@Gijo, I'm definitely not looking to buy the PJ from India because of the cost difference. I do not want to exceed the psychological upper limit (of mine) of 75K.

I want a full HD model because it would be used in a project that I'm working on.

 

[Thtpro]

Correct me if I am wrong- but none of the projectors have international warranty.

You buy a projector in the USA-- you have to go to USA to get warranty service

 

[captrajesh]

Correct me if I am wrong- but none of the projectors have international warranty.

You buy a projector in the USA-- you have to go to USA to get warranty service

You may well be right but if you are getting a PJ at 40 to 50% discount, it is worth taking that risk IMO.

 

[canchi]

Well, I have just bought the optoma hd20 on Amazon for $796, works out to be about 43k INR. My friends is carryng it to Blore for me.Waiting to see what customs will do.

 

[Thtpro]

Congrats on your hd20 purchase-- let me know if you need help setting it up

 

[manoj.p]

Hey Gijo, where did you do the demo? Since you said that it is not available in Cochin, I presume you have got it elsewhere. Is it US or somewhere in our own country? What was the cost?

Based on reviews and if I could afford it, I'd go for the Epson TW 8100.

The Epson 8350 that I've listed is a successor of 8100. Check the review: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8350 Review[/QUOTE]

Captain,

US follows different model nos compared to Asian/Europe ones. Epson 8350 is not a successor to TW8100.

Epson 8350 = TW3600
Epson 3010 = TW6000
Epson 5010 = TW8000

The successor to 8350 is Epson 3010.

In my opinion, for 3D, go with Epson 3010 (or 5010 if you can swing it - much better choice and quite an upgrade for extra money). Epson are quite bright in 3d mode and that is a pre-requisite. Another choice is BenQ 1070.

If you want to see real in-depth reviews go to www.projectorreviews.com
projectorcentral reviews are not really reviews.

 

[captrajesh]

US follows different model nos compared to Asian/Europe ones. Epson 8350 is not a successor to TW8100.

Thank you for the heads up Manoj. What you say goes on to prove that Internet is full of wrong information. I read that the 8350 is the successor of 8100. I'm quoting the relevant paragraph from the link that I've provided.

The Home Cinema 8350 is the successor of last year's Home Cinema 8100. The Home Cinema 8100 earned our Editor's Choice Award for being an exceptional value for the money. It had high brightness, great placement flexibility, and affordability both in purchase price and maintenance costs. The Home Cinema 8350 continues this tradition, bringing even better 1080p film and video performance into your home theater for less than $1300. There is no doubt this one earns this year's Editor's Choice Award for entry level 1080p home theater projectors.

Epson 8350 = TW3600
Epson 3010 = TW6000
Epson 5010 = TW8000

The successor to 8350 is Epson 3010.

Now I'm confused. 8350's successor is 3600 or 3010

In my opinion, for 3D, go with Epson 3010 (or 5010 if you can swing it - much better choice and quite an upgrade for extra money). Epson are quite bright in 3d mode and that is a prerequisite. Another choice is BenQ 1070.

You and Srinisundar have both recommended the BenQ 1070 and it is also easier on my pocket but I'm not sure how much does it cost. In the projector Central, it's street price is mentioned as $1013 and in projectorreviews.com review, it's official price is mentioned as $999 and later in the same review, it is mentioned as $1099. Don't know which one is correct!

If you want to see real in-depth reviews go to www.projectorreviews.com

Thanks buddy, I've just opened the review of BenQ W1070 and yes, it is much more detailed.

 

[Gijo George]

Now I'm confused. 8350's successor is 3600 or 3010

Captain,

US follows different model nos compared to Asian/Europe ones. Epson 8350 is not a successor to TW8100.

Epson 8350 = TW3600
Epson 3010 = TW6000
Epson 5010 = TW8000

The successor to 8350 is Epson 3010.

The Epson 8350 (US Model No) is the equivalent of 3600 which is the model no for UK and Asia
This model has got a lot of good reviews on the net and AVS forum. The average street price for this model in US is $1200 which works out to Rs.67K. My friend got this for Rs.75K in Cochin. Since Chennai does more volume in sales you should get a better price there.

If you get it for around Rs.75K locally you might want to consider buying it with B&W.

My 2C

 

[manoj.p]

You can get the W1070 from newegg for $850 after $50 off coupon. Sale is on till 2/4.
Newegg.com - BenQ W1070 2000 lumens 1080P Full HD 3D Home Theater DPL Projector 2 x HDMI

But do check out the avsforum thread for latest info on this projector first. That will give you some idea if there are any issues with the projector. I know for sure BenQ W7000 did had some pixel mapping issues for which it needed some firmware updates.

About the Epson, Their US series and Asia series is totally different. They call US series as Powerlite HC. So HC-8100 is different than TW-8100. I know its very confusing but they continue with it.