Projectors, Projectors Everywhere - Many to Review

Greetings projector fans, this is just a brief update of what's in the queue, as things are getting crazy around here. First of all, I'm almost finished with the Optoma HD141X, a very nice little roughly $600 - $650 street priced 1080p home entertainment projector.  BTW, I decided not to spend to calibrate this one.  After all, is anyone who's going to drop $600 on a projector really going to also spend $300 to $500 more to have it calibrated?  Not likely!  Thus, we'll be reporting and showing images of how it performs, with only minor tweaking, that anyone can do.  The Optoma is only the beginning, lots of projectors arriving, so keep reading. If I don't have that review posted tomorrow (Saturday) evening, it will definitely be up Sunday night.  BTW speaking of Optoma, I'm probably going to bring in Optoma's top gaming projector, their GT1080 (GT = Game Time).  Until recently Optoma, which does have several projectors targeting gamers, mostly focused on low cost 720p projectors for that gaming .  It's about time we got a look at a gaming projector that's native 1080p.  Stay tuned. I've got to sneak in a Casio ultra short throw business/education projector review in the next two weeks, but the rest of my schedule are home projectors.  While I'm at it, despite that this blog is geared for home, I'll mention for those also interested in commercial projectors, that it looks like Panasonic is going to ship next week, their new laser projector to Ron, for him to review it. Next:  It's no surprise that Epson is bombarding me with projectors.  After all, they were responsible for just about every under $3000 home projector launched at CEDIA last month. Here's the scoop: Two new Epson 5030UB projectors, one arrived yesterday, the other, I'm told today.  The reason for two shiny new ones when I already have one here: One of the new ones is like mine.  The other, though has the free firmware upgrade that anyone with a 5030UB or 6030UB can get, that enhances Super-Resolution and detail enhancement.  I will open both, check them out, side by side... I won't recalibrate, but I will post a mini-review or blog showing what difference doing the firmware upgrade will have on your viewing experience. I'll definitely have the comparison of old vs new firmware done well before month end. (That's about when the firmware update will be available. An Epson Home Cinema 3600e just arrived yesterday as well.  I really want to get to this one, because it is the only thing arriving that I haven't already seen at least briefly at a trade show or visiting the manufacturer. I hoping, no, I'm expect that it will prove to be significantly better than the Home Cinema 3020e that it is replacing.   It certainly has a higher contrast claim (70,000:1).  How that translates into deep blacks we'll explore in the review. There's also th Home Cinema 3500 which is similar but no Wireless HD.  I won't review the 3500 separately but likely will do a piece comparing feature sets.  That also leaves the new Home Cinema 3000, which could be considered the "stripped down version", at $1299, but since its at a different price point, it will probably get a full review so I can position it against the competition, which will include the BenQ HT1075, Panasonic PT-AR100U, an Optoma or two, and, for that matter Epson's own Home Cinema 2030 which is only $300 less! Geez, I almost forget to mention it.  Sony just shipped me the "heavy metal."  That is, their VPL-VW1100ES.  That's their $27,000 top of the line true 4K projector.  A couple years back we reviewed the similar VW1000, but I wanted to take another look, especially since Sony now has something in the neighborhood, I believe of 100 movies available in true 4K which you can download onto the 4K server that comes with the projector.  Those, plus additional 4K releases from Sony (remember, Sony Pictures has a huge library of movies) should hold enthusiasts until Blu-ray UHD / 4K ships - probably late next summer. Tis a sad thing that JVC had nothing new to announce at CEDIA or IFA this year.  Still I'm hoping to find someone to provide us/loan us one of the X700R / RS57 projectors, or the X900R / RS67 / RS6710, since I couldn't lay my hands on one this past year.  If anyone's got one they don't need for a couple of weeks, and lends it to me, I'll have Mike do a calibration on it for you!  Anyone? There's a little more.  I mentioned that Epson is bombarding me with projectors.   They're not done.  I'm expecting the Pro Cinema LS9600e (similar to the LS10000 I reviewed, but without 4K inputs or pixel shifting, and with the dual blue laser light engine, plus Wireless HDMI.  And finally Epson will send me another LS10000, but this time a full production one, once they start shipping, so I can see what's changed since I reviewed an early engineering sample that was built 3+ months before production starts. That should keep me pretty busy through year end.  But if I find time, there are a couple other projectors I'd like to get to, including a small LED projector, and if somehow I can convince Sony, their VW300ES - that's their new lowest cost 4K projector, but so far, they have said it will be available in the EU, but have not said it will make it to US shores. Did I mention I'm talking with Barco, and hope to have one of their projectors to review as well.  They bought projectiondesign expanding their projector lineup, and now have a couple of interesting models that have home potential. That's it, hang in there! -art