ggrot - 1:14 am on Nov 22, 2004 (gmt 0)

Whatever you do, get a warranty. There is alot of stuff in these things that can go wrong - LCD, complex optics, high intensity bulbs that get hot enough to melt things, video conversion, etc. My suggestion. Infocus X1. Great price/performance, and they come with 3 yr warranties (last time I checked).

Things to look for:
- Input, make sure you can plug stuff in
- Remote, mounting these on a ceiling or mantle is great
- Lumens: Dont go below 800. Higher the better, fewer windows and lights that have to be off
- Native resolution. Bigger screen size doesnt mean high pixel count...

Costs to consider:
- Bulbs. Projector bulbs run as high as $100. They generally last 1000-2000 hrs though
- Power: These bulbs are alot of watts. Running a projector isn't free.

Nevertheless, I've got my projector hooked up to my xBox which I plan to hack very very soon and install linux on. It plays movies, TV, and games very nicely. Quite fun honestly if you have the setup for it.