Need good HT projector.

[raulv2003]

I need to buy a front projector and need a reccomendation. I will mostly use it to view movies at night so lighting will not be a problem. I have a Da-Lite 96" W screen and the projector will have to be 18ft from the screen. The projector sits pretty well centered on the screen so not too much correction should be necessary. I would like to have something that is HD ready. I'm hoping to stay under $1,500. Can someone lead me to some reviews or reccomendations? Thank you.

[depressed]

Hi and welcome to the forum!
The distance of 18 ft. might become an issue since the image would be too big for your 96' screen.
As far as projectors go, I can recommend you the DLP BenQ 6200.You can buy it online for less then 1400 with a replacemnt bulb included in the price which is a really good deal. The problem you might experience is the so called "rainbow effect" Some people aren't bothered with this at all, some are slightly, and some can't enjoy it at all.
In case the rainbow effect represents a big problem for you, you can go with the LCD based projectors, but you will have a to spend some more money on it. IMO, to solve the biggest isssue of LCD projectors which is so called the screen effect, you should get one that's in XGA resolution (1024x768)
As for the LCD models, I can recommend the Sanyo PLV-Z2 or the Panasonic PT-500U. The PT500U (which would be my pick) goes for about $2500 in local retail but can found for $1700-1800 on the internet. I would strongly recommend that you visit the site projectorcentral.com and thoroughly read the reviews and opinions.
I can't tell if you have owned a projector before, in case you haven't, the projector you decide to buy, you need to see it in action before you buy it. I suggest to check out the local high-end audio and video stores

[magictooth]

I need to buy a front projector and need a reccomendation. I will mostly use it to view movies at night so lighting will not be a problem. I have a Da-Lite 96" W screen and the projector will have to be 18ft from the screen. The projector sits pretty well centered on the screen so not too much correction should be necessary. I would like to have something that is HD ready. I'm hoping to stay under $1,500. Can someone lead me to some reviews or reccomendations? Thank you.

Getting a 96" picture from 18 ft is going to be difficult. Most projectors will have a lens zoom of 1-1.4X which means that to get a 96" picture you'll need to have the projector at a distance of between about 10-14 feet. I believe all new projectors are HD ready.