November 5, 2003

Hi folks,

Some of you have noticed that the Epson TW100 has been removed from the current list of Highly Recommended Home Theater Projectors. Why, you ask?

The reason is that we are in a transitional period when it comes to projection value for your investment. The Sanyo PLV-Z2 will be shipping soon. We have not yet reviewed it. However, a preliminary look at it along with the impressive specs and street price under $2,000 make it a candidate as a major break-through product in price/ performance. It is an LCD projector that is identical to the TW100 in widescreen resolution, but featuring notably higher contrast, better black levels, and reduced fan noise. Bottom line--the Sanyo PLV-Z2 may outperform the TW100 at half the price. Therefore, although the TW100 is a great projector, at its current street prices it is no longer the value that it once was.

(As a side note, we will review the Sanyo PLV-Z2 as soon as we can get a production unit in the lab. We do not have a date at this point in time.)

We are working on a group review of the Philips bCool XG1, the Mitsubishi XD50U Mini-Mits, the BenQ PB2220, and the new NEC LT170 that just commenced shipment last week. All four of these units are sub-4 lb. XGA-resolution portables rated around 1500 ANSI lumens and very high contrast. They are selling in the same price range, so we are evaluating them as a group and will post the reviews soon.

The current special on the Bravo D1 DVI-enabled DVD player will continue through November 21. ProjectorCentral readers can get an additional 10% off both the player and the DVI cable that is sold separately, should you need it. For details, click here.

A special thanks to all of our regular readers for telling your friends, and using the Send this Page service at the bottom of each page. Due in large measure to your support we had a record-breaking 600,000 visitors in October. Your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated, and your willingness to tell others about us helps keep this site a FREE resource for everyone.

Evan Powell