the more control over light in the room the better the picture
How is the picture?
I bought this projector for the current price and have been very happy with it.  It was nice to see how bright it was even during the daytime, windows all on one side of the room but no strong light as it is the start of winter and a basement.  Summer time it would be good to have curtains for light control like any projector.  When I get curtains up I am sure that will take care of any issues during daytime, even in summer. Of course as with any projector the more control over light in the room the better the picture. I did a lot of research before purchasing this unit. As a projector unless one has a totally dark room meaning zero light and dark walls then ANSI lumens are important, this one with its 2000 ANSI LUMENS is great and use this to compare with other projectors, if less I would be weary.I wanted to have a NATIVE 1080P RESOLUTION which I do not regret and would not get a projector with lower resolution. One may notice that a projectors specs say they can do 1080 but this is misleading as this is not NATIVE resolution, meaning they try to upconvert to a 1080i (i=interpolated) and it is not the same thing, not even close. I want to see blu rays in their full resolution which this does. One may also purchase an A/V receiver to upconvert the source material for best picture quality, my Blu Ray player also does this upconversion, but it is still not a true 1080P. While not as good as the 1080P one will see when playing a Blu Ray disc for example, the picture from HD cable channel which is 720P is still AMAZING just as good as the picture on my 42 inch LCD HDTV and better than my older 55 inch rear projection HDTV. High Def video from a home video source such as full 1080P from an AVCHD format camcorder for example is stunning and home movies look as good or better than store bought if done properly. The input source is of course going to dictate how good the picture is, so it will look as good as the source input, this is not always the case with all projectors, they have to have the capacity to project the image at full input resolution such as this one. Most projectors that have this resolution cost more and a flat panel in the screen sizes this is capable of are going to be many thousands of dollars more.I do not use the Eco setting but the bulbs last 3-4000 hours and are only around 120.00 and you only need one which is a very good deal.  One of the great and unique features of this projector are the LENS SHIFT adjustment wheels, this projector does not have to be dead center on with the screen as those knobs can shift the picture both vertically and horizontally, at least several inches or more depending on how far the projector is away from the screen, in some situations this could mean the difference between having a projector and screen work in a room or not. The lens shift moves the picture left to right or up and down keeping it in focus.  So your screen can be way off from being centered with the projector and still fit dead on.  The projector itself has plenty of features and adjustments but it did not take long to find a good setting close to out of the box. While this has 2 HDMI inputs I only use one with all of my components running through my A/V receiver, a Pioneer Elite VSX30 for 275 with 7.1 surround which I am very happy with.I got the Peerless mount that I think was a good choice, it fits this projector and is good quality with two nice pitch adjustment knobs. It is white and matches the color of the projector well. Since it is ceiling mounted it is up and out of the way of my dog and one has to be right up close to the screen before one would block the picture at all, standing in between the projector and screen with this set up does not shadow the screen.If one is going to ceiling mount this you may wish to purchase a longer power cord.  I bought a 15 foot power cord for this for about 8 bucks so it is long enough to plug in to my power conditioner, extension cords are a bad idea. This worked great for my ceiling installationCables To Go 09482 18 AWG Universal Power Cord, IEC320C13 to NEMA 5-15P (15 Feet)One can run cords through walls or you can do as I did and use conduit such as the product here which hides the cord and sticks on and requires no nails.Wiremold C210 White Cordmate II Kitso it looks like a nice clean installation.I also being on a budget bought the Favi 100 inch 16:9 widescreenFAVI HD-100 16:9/100-Inch Electric Projector Screenwhich works great and provides an awesome picture with this projector.  My set up surprises everyone that it did not cost much more. It comes in various sizes but 100 inches was the biggest that would fit.  There is information here on the pages of the FAVI screens for sale which will show you the dimensions of each screen size to help determine the size screen that will fit in your room.  In my case both the horizontal fit as well as how far the screen came down was important information.While all my components are capable of 3D I have not really liked 3D that much in the theater and decided I would not want to play much 3D content at home so I concentrated on brightness and the 1080P resolution and the adjustment features of this projector and zero regrets.  If I were to change my mind in the future when the technology has progressed I can revisit that, but for now this is all I could ever want.I like this better than the movie theater.  As the screen is smaller it is easier to get a high resolution picture.  The surround sound speakers which are the Energy Take Classic 5.1 set with the Energy CF-30 floor standing speakers (I got a great deal for 150 each new) make for wonderful sound.  There is plenty of great home theater equipment out there but this was the best for my budget at the time.  I would highly recommend a good audio set up to go along with the amazing picture quality you will have with this projector.If you purchase this and want some set up help there is a web site projector central (...) where you can enter your projector model and screen size and it's contrast ratio and seating location and other information and it has a wizard that will tell you the optimum distance to mount the projector from the screen and ideal seating distances and details such as that.  Very helpful in a successful installation. I used their calculations with perfect results.I also got a Harmony 1100 remote so that I don't need 6-7 remotes,Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote with Color Touch ScreenI got that new for 200.00 (heck of a deal) and extra batteries on Amazon for 8.75 eachLogitech Battery for Harmony Remote Control 1000 1100 1100i 3.7V 1250mAh.  That works like a charm with it's touch screen.  I even got a IR dimmer switch that runs off its own remote or the Harmony remote. I also got the RF accessory so I can use either RF (which is not line of sight) or RF to IR for all the components, helpful if your components are behind your seating location.I highly recommend this projector.  I would not settle for one with lower resolution or lower lumen output, you would never obtain as high resolution as a full 1080P projector and you would not get the brightness necessary for daytime viewing if you do not have a room that is completely dark. On the other hand for $1050.00 you will be quite happy with the picture you get from this especially if the source is at least HD (720P) or using its full capability of 1080P quality like a Blu Ray. t  Not that it is bad with a regular definition channel or regular DVD, but you get your most amazing picture with the best input source just as is the case with any projector or TV. I can't emphasize enough how much the 1080P quality is worth.  This projector is simply the best deal for the money I could find. Consider this, if you want a large picture you can get a very large screen such as the Favi or many others that are at least 120 inches, this projector could potentially display a giant 300 inch picture if you have the space to do so.  But even at 100 inches like I have what else can you get for that money in this size with this resolution aside from a good projector? Very little and it is going to cost a lot more. And if you have an electric screen that moves out of the way you take up very little space when not in use and the projector itself takes up very little space. Also unlike a flat panel TV you have a set picture size.  With a projector like this you can just change your screen size while using the same projector and go smaller or larger with the screen size if you change the location which either constricts the size of the screen you are able to use or enlarges the space to allow for a larger screen.  This is a flexibility you will only find in a projector.  And with the lens shift of this particular projector you have even more flexibility for placement of the projector.Also consider that this weighs about 16 pounds out of the box.  An LCD flat panel HDTV would likely weight 100 plus for a large one.  So this give you a great portability.  The 100 inch screen I am using only weighs 27 pounds.  Both of which can be carried by one person.  That can not be said about a flat panel.  Flat panels are great.  I use them in smaller sizes at reasonable prices in locations they make sense.  But for a home theater you can't beat this for anywhere near the price and you will be stunned by how great the picture is from it.I can't say enough how happy I am. I took a month to research all this and made this decision.  The first time I put a show on the screen I instantly knew it was all I had hoped for.  It gets used on a daily basis and I have now used it for about 500 hours (the projector keeps track of lamp hours used) without a single issue.  In about one minute I have a projector which is always out of the way on the ceiling taking up no usable space in the room along with a screen also not taking up any usable space to having a 100 inch incredibly high resolution viewing experience night or day.  The only adjustments I make are to the projector by selecting "Dynamic" during the bright day time to "Living Room" which is slightly dimmer to avoid seeing any pixilation at night and that only takes a few seconds from the remote to change.UPDATE: I have been using this projector for over a year now.  No problems at all during this time, and still no regrets that I purchased this unit. I do find that I still prefer either an HD video source or BluRay whenever possible but that would be the same with any projector or HDTV, particularly one with a very large screen such as this is capable of. I still only use the two settings, one for daytime and one slightly less bright for night to avoid seeing any pixilation artifacts.BULB LIFE: Well my bulb finally went.  It lasted exactly 2837 hours.  Epson says that it will last between 3000-4000 hours so it was close.  Keep in mind that I have never used the Eco setting only full power.  I would urge anyone buying a replacement bulb to ONLY USE EPSON.  There are lots of knockoffs out there which are cheap and will not have the performance, life, possibly explode or other negative things.  Only the Epson lamp is worth buying.  It is of course the most expensive and I found a new one for about $60 less from another camera supply site than Amazon is offering it for right now.  But no regrets. I have had some awesome viewing of countless movies and football games and tv shows and whatever on the huge screen with a great picture for all this time.To extend the life of your lamp make sure that it has plenty of room for air to circulate around the projector, particularly the back where the air intake and filter are.  Vacuum the air filter from time to time and replace it with a new one when you change the bulb.  Also make sure to allow the lamp to cool down before moving the projector if it is not mounted on the ceiling like mine.  Those things will help give you the longest life.  I have read of people having significantly lower lamp life and I suspect they are not doing all those things.  I also have a in room air cleaner to help keep dust down in the room I have my projector and components for the home theater.  Keep it cool and clean and you will get the best lamp life. 