Epson 8100 thoughts

[Blktre]

Has anyone ordered the HC 8100 by Epson. It has gotten some decent pro reviews so far. But im wondering if anyone has received theirs and what are your initial impressions of it? I'm super close to being ready to order my first projector and the price/performance seems to be pretty good on the 8100.

I'm pretty sure Ive correctly matched this machine to my room, light, and screen budget. Any input would be appreciated....

Thanks,
Andy

[mechman]

Just out of curiosity Andy, what were your parameters for selecting this projector? Did you look at any others? I've had two folks recently ask me about pjs and I recommended the Panny AE4000 to both. I did do some work on an Epson though and it was very easy to use/adjust.

[Blktre]

Mech,
Thanks for your questions.
Of course budget is always a concern. Money is tight just like for most folks. The 8100 is Epsons new model release. I'm pretty sure it replaces the 6100 model of last year.

The 8100 is in the sub $2k price range. $1499 to be exact with a $100 rebate from Epson. After reading Art's review at Projector Review it seemed like the 8100 has some advantages i felt were important. Specifically these...

1400 lumens
long lamp life of 4000 hrs even on bright mode
placement flexibility
a excellent warranty
Interpolates 24 fps content to 48 fps

My goal is a PJ that will only be used for sports and movie content. My room has some ambient but controlled light during the day, dark at night. So finding something that is bright enough for sport watching in the day and hoping not to sacrifice to much blacks for movie watching is a must. It seems to me the 8100 fits the bill nicely for that. But its also new to the market and not many reviews from customers are out yet.
I will look into the Panny as well. Thanks for your input!

Cheers,
Andy

[mechman]

Sounds good Andy! I just noticed that it is $500 less than the AE4000. I'll have to go check out Art's review as well.