Crossroads: Upgrade my X1, or get a LCD TV (1 Viewer)

hey guys, three years ago I built my budget home theater and love it! I will say it is starting to look dated though. With a bulb replacement at $300, I am leaning towards upgrading my projector. I was looking at 1080i projectors, and those are wayyyyy past my budget.

What I am looking for is a nice, bright 720p projector under $1000, can you guys recommend any? And is this a better solution than just getting a 40" 1080i TV?

Thanks for the help gang!

I was in the same situation as you about 8 months ago. Instead of buying a new bulb for my X1 projector, I upgraded to the Mitsubishi HD1000 projector. It is a 720p DLP, very bright projector and it was a big upgrade. It costs about $800 now I think. It has been recently replaced by the HD1500, which is slightly brighter. Highly recommended projector.

It's funny you bring up that projector, thats the one I am eyeing! So you can tell me, is it a big upgrade? Currently my X1 seems just a little too dark with almsot everything.

Also, what did you do with your old projector?

Thanks!

You ca also get the Sanyo Z4 for around 900 with screen I think. We have the Z4 and love it!!

If you can swing it, I'd look at the Optoma HD80. Current MSRP is $2700 for a 1080p DLP, not sure what street prices are or how fast they will fall. Best part is it's a virtual drop in replacement for the X1 in throw and vertical offset. Offset is about 3% more then the X1 in 16:9 mode. Only change to your mount will be getting the lens centered left/right.

Check out www.projectorcentral.com for lots of reviews at different budget constraints.

-Brent