Interesting thread this . I have an optoma hd33 projecting onto a 135 inch DIY screen , and have been very happy with it . Recently due to the amazon discount on the epson 7300 i brought one . WOW what a light canon ! Sky hd projecting "Bargain Hunt " looked amazing , similarly playing "Injustice 2" looked much clearer with great pop .
However heres the thing , i retried the optoma and changed my settings from reference to cinema and the pictures looked quite similar , obviusly the Epson was brighter , but whether it was my eyes that were used the Optoma I don't know .
I then did a comparision with 3d using the Imax disc "legends of flight " and "Jurassic Park the fallen kingdom " . For fairness sake i have to admit that i did not use official Epson glasses , and the samsung ones i used could not compare to the build quality of the optoma ones .
That said , the additional brightness on the Epson made it a superior 3d experience on "Legends of Flight " , but watching "Jurassic Park " was far less satisfying , with quite a lot of ghosting on the Epson.
That coupled with my concerns about the noisy iris , made me return the Epson , as i was a bit concerned with the kind of warranty i would have re dust blobs of a projector of uncertain age .
But heres the kicker , on black Friday upon seeing Richer Sounds offer with 6 year warranty on the 7400 , i promply brought one (and they price matched Amazon, and will deliver ! ).
I will try further comparisions as the Epsons very easy installation means having dual projectors is a cinch , and as the optoma is so titchy keeping it for 3d is not a problem.