Panasonic PT-VMW60U 1280x800 vs PT-VMZ50U 1920x1200

[Pickled]

These projectors are incredibly similar and both would be a great addition to my sim.

The 60U is $200 more has higher ansi lumens but lower resolution.

My thought is to wait and see if I can grab one on sale and be done with it.

Thoughts?

My projector will be mounted 15'6" from the screen and my screen will be 14'2 x 8'8 (approx)

[Dax]

I would go for the one with better resolution. Also, are you sure these will be bright enough for your environment? It looks like these are $2500. Have a look at the Eiki 308u for around $1600, which should be a bit brighter. Also I believe that is the projector that Foresight uses and thus there may be some on here that could provide you with an opinion on the projector. The Eiki also has horizontal and vertical lens shift which may make install a bit easier (I believe the Panasonic should have this feature as well for the price, but you should check). If sticking with Panasonic, check out the PT-VZ580 (search the site as I believe that some others here have really enjoyed this projector - note though that it only has vertical lens shift). Also, at the $2500 mark, you might be able to find a pretty good pixel shifting 4k projector.

Sorry for adding more to think about, but your budget does allow for some good options, and there are some projectors out there for less that are just as bright, fit your room and most importantly that some others here can give you some good feedback on.

[Jnc10]

the PT-VMZ50U 1920x1200 is 16:10 which is better than the other projector and 5000 Lumens should be plenty for all sim environments

[Pickled]

Dax Thanks for the recommendation on the Eiki. It's significantly cheaper than the Panasonic but it's definitely not as bright. I'm not sure why I thought I needed to go Laser. Maybe I don't.
Jnc10 of the two, I'm definitely leaning towards that one.

Hm.....

[Dax]

I would definitely check the reviews from others to see if the Eiki is bright enough as they seem to indicate that it is great in their rooms. The advantage of what you chose is that you will not have a bulb to replace. Also, the Panasonic does not display its contrast ratio, which is another important factor to consider (I would see if their is a review or something that discusses how its image looks). If I recall, when a projector manufacturer increases lumens, it becomes harder and harder to get good contrast. I also believe that for bulb projectors (and maybe lasers, I have not heard no confirmed if this affect laser) is that the image color will shift towards green. Thus, seeing if it has good reviews from a picture quality perspective is very important).

[Jnc10]

i have the eiki 308u and is definelty bright enough. it is 6000 lumens but does have a bulb instead of laser
there are cheaper bulb versions than eiki however like the Panasonic PT-VZ580U

it is basically the same specs as the eiki 308u. I only own the eiki because it came with my sim in a box or else I would have purchased the
Panasonic PT-VZ580U

[Pickled]

Your right about that, colour degrades as a bulb wears. Laser may be the best route to go. I'm going to keep looking.