Projectors

I'm thinking about upgrading from my 50" DLP TV to a projector system. Anybody have any suggestions?

I have room for a 92" diagonal screen but since my viewing area is the basement I only have 7' cielings.

Currently I'm considering the Panasonic PT-AE4000U.

I have been looking at some projectors over the last few months and the Epson 8350 and 8500 are looking very nice for a budget minded electronophile.

http://www.amazon.com/Epson-PowerLite-Ci...2392&sr=1-1

Budget?

Panasonic is good bang for the buck. Epson is arguably the master of LCD, as they make the panels for pretty much everyone except Sony, and usually do a very nice job of engineering good heat management and durability along with solid picture performance.

Since your TV is DLP, you are plainly good with 1 chip, so you ought to look at some of those as well.

Looking for screen advice too, or are you going DIY?

Budget isn't really set yet. I'm OK with the Panasonic projector cost. Screens run from about $100 to infinity, so yeah, I could use some help there also. Not sure on the make vs. buy: I could go either way.

For a screen I need:
1. 92" diagonal w/ assumed throw distance of 12 feet
2. Acoustically transparent
3. Semi-portable. I'm thinking about having it in front of the DLP, hinging it at the top and flipping it up out of the way for "normal" TV viewing.

Acoustically transparent makes it harder. Perf screens are somewhat more money, and not readily DIYable.

The usual suspects make them, Stewart, Harkness, etc.

Check out some of the DIY sites for making your own screen. Its very cost effective and the performance is pretty good. I will at least try the DIY route before I spend big $$$ on a screen.