Joe, that C3X Lumis 3D is expected to be an excellent performer. One of my better friends here is ordering one as soon as they are released and he is allowing me to set it up in my place to evaluate it's performance (I gave him a crazy price in exchange for testing it
).
I also just sold a standard C3X Lumis under the special Sim2 promo that is expiring this month (You buy the standard Lumis and Sim2 will give you a "voucher" good for a free 3D upgrade ($12,000 retail) and free shipping with 3 day turnaround once the 3D is released in 2011.) Great deal. I'll get to see how well the upgrade works for the same reason, traded off an in-home evaluation in exchange for special price. I need to know if the upgrade is worth the expense as we have a dozen clients that bought the Lumis and want to know. It is, IMO, the best performer in the marketplace at that price point, and frankly it's better than many much higher priced units available (except Jerry's
). It's also 95% as good as my HT5000 at half the price!
Ambient light is always an issue in front projection, but with some of the light cannons out there (HT5000 and Lumis to name two) it's less than an issue. I watch football in a mixed media room on a 14' wide screen, with light colored walls and numerous windows (with shades down of course, but still plenty of ambient light) and the HT5000 looks great. Probably half contrast loss, but still looks great, completely watchable.
The Lumis performs at about the same level.
The 85" Panny is a very nice unit, we've sold a couple (PITA to install), but a very good picture. I have the 103" at one of my other homes, that was also a real PITA to install. I had four guys helping. We had to remodel the wall and redo the electric to support the panel. It is also a nice unit, but I can see some screen image "tearing" on occasion (depending on content). Not a deal breaker. I will likely look at the 150" as well, but given my experience with the 103" it will have to perform better before it finds it's way into one of my homes. IMO, front projection is the only way to watch "big screen" movies, for the reason Jerry stated. I love 2.35 images across that 14' screen. The screen is a 2.35 Stewart Electriscreen (with 16:9 masking) that drops down for use in our multi-purpose room, and I'm using an Isco III anamorphic lens (on Scotty's Cineslide) for the 2.35. Killer image, and one that, so far, cannot be duplicated with a flat panel.
Jim