Panasonic PT-AE700U High-Definition Home Cinema LCD Projector
Great projector for the price!
This was my first projector. I researched a lot of different models and finally decided on this one because on paper it looked to give the most bang for the buck (my price range was $2000-$3000).  I also wanted native 16:9. <br />After owning it for over a month, I'm quite happy with it.  It has none of the flaws usually associated with LCD projectors.  There is no \\"screen door\\" effect at all, and the black levels are very impressive. <br />I have the unit mounted to the ceiling (purchased RPA mount for $190) and project onto a 120\\" gray screen. <br />One feature that helped clenched the deal for me is the 2x zoom lens - I have the projector situated less than 14 feet from a 10-foot diagonal screen. <br />I had a little trouble with the mount I purchased, but the projector itself is incredibly easy to setup and operate.  The joystick next to the lens lets you to control the horizontal and vertical shift without tilting or moving the whole unit.  Remote is back-lit.  Menus allow plenty of tweaking.  You can store user-defined settings or use factory presets (like cinema, natural, dynamic, etc.). <br />I have the projector in a dedicated home theater room with no windows and keep the lights turned off while it's running.  If I had to deal with ambient light though, I probably would have chosen a brighter projector since this one is only 1000 lumens. <br />I mostly watch DVDs on this, but also use it to watch cable and play video games - playing Halo 2 on this is an awesome experience!