Impressive Picture Quality at an Amazing Price

If you've been tempted by plasma and LCD big screen TVs, but have been reluctant to get them because their quality just isn't quite there yet, try buying this projector instead. It looks absolutely stunning and you can get clear images in excess of 100" if you want.

I've been looking at projectors for a couple years now, but the cost/quality ratio was still prohibitive -- especially given the fact that it is so difficult to actually see a model in action (I think this is due to the fact that the bulbs are expensive and will, over time, wear out -- not an ideal situation in a store where the projector could be on for eight or more hours a day).

Well, the Mitsubishi HD1000U finally got my attention and my money and I couldn't be more pleased with it. I was going to buy the Panasonic AX100U, but then Mitsubishi dropped the price on this projector by $500 -- and after looking at the reviews it seemed a safe bet that the Mitsu would be just as good and, in some areas, perhaps even better.

I'm using the unit on a small coffee table about ten feet from a white wall and the image is simply stunning. Even my partner, who wasn't sure he was going to like this projector thing, is very impressed. There is no screen-door or rainbow effect with the projector, it is very quiet and although the zoom on it does not have a very wide range, it is possible to easily adjust the size of the picture slightly without moving the projector.

Reading different forums on projectors, it was clear that the projector is only part of the "home theater solution." I also got a receiver that can run HDMI (a high-end cabling solution that runs both video and audio in one cable), and I connected this to an Oppo 970 up-converting DVD player because it ensures darker blacks and richer color. Because of the HDMI, setup was a breeze (and Oppo had the best price for a 25 foot HDMI cable).

One note: I am using this projector solely for watching DVD movies. This review does not pertain to TV or game use, though from what I've read it is very good for those uses as well.