Projector Questions? (1 Viewer)

Ive never done anything with a home theatre other than a 55 inch LCD TV. I listen to a lot of music and am in good shape with audio. This started as a plan to set up a theater outside but now has become using the projected in the house as well. I have gone through a lot of projectors and have decided I want to go with a little better quality for in the house and live with a smaller screen outside. The room is 14X18. I want to hang a 100"ish screen in front of the wall mounted TV so I can keep the screen up most of the time to watch normal TV then pull the screen down for movies. I can mount the projector anywhere closer than about 16.5 feet. I have somewhat narrowed it down to an Epson 3020. I wouldn't mind going to an Epson 5020 or a Panasonic AE8000 if the money gets that much better quality. Thoughts?

If you're looking for a great picture for the price, I'd also consider the BenQ W1080ST. Lots of light, 3D and short throw to top it all off which is ideal for your room. If you aren't interested in short throw, look at the W7000 - which is still considered by many to be the best 3D projector for ghosting and clarity.
What's your main goal from a viewing perspective? I personally like a bright, sharp picture that looks like a plasma on the wall, which is why I am a big DLP fan.

Do you need lens shift or are you going to be able to precisely mount your PJ exactly to fit the screen? If you need shift you need to jump to the 5020. Welcome to HTF btw!

Of you could join the big boys and buy a JVC or Sony. If the price doesn't make your wallet shiver in fear... http://www.amazon.com/JVC-DLAX3-200-Inches-Projector-3-Chip/dp/B004G2SOYC/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359052633&sr=1-8&keywords=jvc+d-ila You can buy D-ILA as little as $2500(LCoS starts around $3000)...but will it be bright enough? LCoS/D-ILA are technically the same thing...

Thanks for the info. I think Home Theater Projectors have been the most complicated thing I have ever tried to buy. I don't think lens shift will be a big deal, and doesn't look like throw distance is an issue. I would like to have some way to easily move the projector so I can use it other places and am not sure how easy that is to do with a standard ceiling mount. The room is pretty wide open except for a ceiling fan that I will have to move. There is walking room in the attic so cabeling should also be simple. Looks like the BenQ 1080 is about the same price as the 3020 and the 7000 about the same as the AE8000, just didn't know if the extra $1000 was worth it to jump to one of the top 3

Having a projector ceiling mounted and also wanting to use it outdoors is not very realistic. That would be a real PITA. If you can use a shelf mounted projector, with lens shift, that would be OK. If not, I would buy a second, cheaper projector to use outside. If you ceiling mount projector, what would your ideal throw distance be? Do you care if the projector is in front of where you are sitting? Because the W1080 is a VERY short throw projector.

Just so you know... There are NUMEROUS sites dedicated to the "outdoor theater" hobbyist(and yes, there are fervent hobbyists) and if you do some research... The projector dedicated for indoor brilliance is not the same projector dedicated for outdoor use. You should expect a projector used outside to have a life-span of 2 years. Unless you live in a desert. Even 4 hours nightime outdoor use is hell on the internals of a projector.