Keep in mind though, that as the camera shifts between the two screens, some brightness may be lost for a couple seconds while the camera lens adjusts.  Also, when the video is compressed into flash video for the web, there might be some artifacts visible.  These artifacts are strictly the byproducts of the compression and have nothing to do with the way the projectors perform.  There are problems with filming projectors work but I think this video does an incredible job of comparing the two projectors visually which is not a luxury most people are afforded.

So what does it all come down to?If you are looking to get into the full HD home theater projector market but have a limited budget, you can spend $1000 and get a 1080p 300-inch picture with really good black levels in a small easy to transport case, if you’re willing to sacrifice features.  On the other hand, if you are looking at upgrading to a full HD theater projector with an incredibly crisp image, some flexibility in how and where you install the projector due to a 2x zoom and lens shift, then the higher end LCD home theater projectors are what you are looking for.

Personally, I think that if you were to spend $999 on an Optoma HD20, a projector that’s truly worth the $999 price tag, you might as well spend the extra $300 and get a $5,000 projector in the Viewsonic PRO8100. I have said it before but this is in my opinion the best price going for a quality home theater projector.

If for some reason you have an aversion to ViewSonic, or you simply don’t have the extra $300 to drop on it, here are the links for the most popular high end LCD and entry level DLP home theater projectors.

High End LCD Home Theater Projectors

• Viewsonic PRO8100 (My favorite deal going right now. A $5,000 projector for $1,300)
• Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 6500UB(also a great projector for the price, but the price is twice as much)
• Panasonic PT-AE3000U(this one is a fan favorite for a reason, there isn’t a single rating less than five star on Amazon)

New Entry Level DLP Projectors

• Optoma HD20(seems to be the favorite, but it’s the only one currently shipping)
• Vivitek h3080FD(my pick for entry level DLP HD projectors, from stats only)
• BenQ W1000(big fan of BenQ and really looking forward to this little guy’s arrival)

We don’t really know what the quality of the product will be but it seems they have spent some money getting trusted components for the little monster. They based the projectors engine on the Texas Instruments’ S450 chip/light-engine design with Dark Chip II technology which should mean that this little guy performs better and for longer than other cheap Chinese models.

I think we have to remember that Vivitek wants to make a name for itself here in North America, largely with this release and the ones that will soon follow it. If anything, these projectors should be a quality product because you can’t break into a new market with garbage and not expect to go bankrupt.

Vivitek hired Rick Nguyen, as executive VP and general manager of the company after working for Optoma in Sales and Marketing. This really looks like a decent push at taking some market share in North America.

The product should perform pretty well jamming a very respectable 1,800 lumens through the 1080p DLP and only producing 29dB of sound out the oddly placed side air vents.

I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for Vivitek because I would really like to see the prices of this technology pushed down to where they can really get a chance to enter the mainstream markets in North America. You can pre-order yours right now. Let’s hope they give the Optoma HD20 a run for its money at only $999.