Excellent podcast! Was wonderful to hear yours and Toms, as well as Kals take on this years CEDIA. Very glad to hear that you all loved the Epson $3,000 projector so much. What was the exact model number of the said projector?

It comes in two versions: The Home Cinema 9700UB and Pro Cinema 9700UB. The Home version has a white case, while the Pro version has a black case and comes with a spare lamp, ceiling-mount hardware, and a longer warranty for an extra $2000 or so.

Cool thanks Scott. I sure wonder how a company can design such a great performing projector for such a low price compared to other pjs out there?

Actually, the news is better than I thought when I posted my reply. The Pro Cinema 9700UB includes all that extra stuff for $3100, while the home version, which is called the Home Cinema 8700UB, is only $2200, and it comes with a voucher to send in for an extra lamp. Either way, it's an incredible deal for an outstanding projector.

Scott, thanks for the updated info on the Epson. I've always been under the assumption that 5k is really the entry point for a quality HT projector. My question that perhaps you can think about for a future podcast is what differentiates a true home theater projector from the rest. I use every flavor of NEC and Epson projectors at work ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 lumens and they are in the $1100-$3k range in price and are LCD or DLP. So perhaps when you cover projectors in a podcast, you can perhaps touch upon that issue. I'm assuming that contrast ratio, blacks, and the like are probably the differentiator as well as 1080p support.

I've seen the 9700ub and am wonder what are the differences between the 9700 and the 8700 in the projector itself other than color and extended warranty.