DLP projector suggestions

[Ryan]

My wife and I have a TV room on a third story and a projector seems to be the obvious way to get big screen performance up there.

What are the characteristics I need to consider? We are not videophiles, but enjoy an occaisional PPV or DVD. I may add an HDTV receiver to my units at some point soon. The room is not dark dark dark, but I can add some drapes if necessary to block out some more light.

However, I imagine hosting some friends to watch some football this fall, and we're not going to be sitting in the dark cudling, so the system needs to be able to handle some ambient lighting.

So, where do I start? Money is a consideriation, but not necessarily the primary consideration. I'm thinking more bang-for-the-buck rather than absolute cheapest.

Thanks!

Ryan

[DarrellP]

Check out AVS Forums (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/), they have 2 forums going on projectors: <$5K and >$5K, so you can research based on your budget.

Personally I would wait another year for the next generation of DLP projectors. If you can't wait, they are very good now but require a controlled lighting environment.

[MarkA]

I will also say that LCD technology maybe a better choice than DLP, especially for the low-cost market.

[Martyva]

There is a new DLP projector from Epson that is HDTV capable, that sells for under 5000.