Need Advice on Projector for Home

[Non-Compus-Ment]

Hi Folks
I have a small bar at home about 18' x 10'. Max distance between Projector and screen will be about 9'. Not sure if this is important. I want to set up a home cinema in there before the Rugby World cup starts. I am holding off as late as posible to let the prices come down a bit but would like some advice on what I should purchase. Basically I havent much of a clue about projectors but i am an electronics / computer engineer so I dont mind any tech jargon you through at me. I would like the unit to support HDMI so my son could hook up his Xbox 360. I think DLP seems to be the way to go so that sums up what i want. Dont really have a budget in mind but obviously I want to spend as little as posible. This unit will be used at most for a few hours a week. Oh remote control would be good as this thing will be mounted on ceiling.

Thanks in adavance for any help
Cheers

[Jonstone]

I'm a novice to pj's myself, but did a little research before buying mine and it seems the best place to start is with a little more information.

Firstly you need to decide what size image you are hoping to achieve as this can help narrow down the options considerably, especially if your pj distance from the screen is pretty fixed.

The amount of ambient light in the room is also a consideration as if you plan to have some light in the room you will want a pj with a high lumens light output.

Will noise of the pj be important, some are much quieter than others, though I guess if it is for the world cup then this won't be an issue.

Does it need to be hd-ready or will an hd compatible pj be sufficient?

Will you be able to place the pj in the optimum position relative to the screen or would you need some kind of lens shift?

In the dlp range of pj's at the budget and low mid range you have the likes of sd pj's like the benq w100 or Infocus In72 which produce a nice image and can accept an hd source.

Then there are the budget hd-ready pj's like the optoma hd70 or (sharp xvz3000 if you can still find it on offer anywhere) which offer very good performance for their relatively modest price.