Our projector died and it doesn't seem to be the lamp. Since it is a few years old, repairing it could cost more than it is worth. Therefore, we are in the market for a new projector or TV.

I am leaning towards a projector because our living room doesn't have a great place to put a TV. The projector screen pulls down over a book case, so it isn't like the TV could just replace the screen. However, it seems like home theater projectors are typically fairly low lumens and business projectors are low res. In order to get something that meets both requirements, you basically have to buy it online which means you don't actually get to see the picture quality first. In addition, TVs are awfully cheap nowadays.

As a side note, I don't watch much TV - just movies.

Suggestions?

I've been more than pleased with my Samsung LED tv. Great picture quality. It's also very thin and very light, easy to move around. Not sure what the benefits of a projector are though.

Honestly, I think the sound system is more important for your TV. Buy a decent receiver and some speakers, it makes a world of difference.

westinghouse and vizio both make good tvs for an affordable price. i prefer samsungs though.

I think Belmont tv still sells projectors but as you said tv's are really cheap. maybe you could hang one on your wall.

If you belong to BJ's, they are selling the Samsung 55" LED (1080p) for under $800 ($785 I think). That's a hell of a price for a very good TV. I have 3 Samsungs.

Belmont does sell projectors.

Perhaps you could sample their wares prior to ordering online.

https://www.belmonttv.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BT&Category_Code=PR

Go to projectorcentral.com. They have very good reviews and you can search projectors by feature.

Look for "home video" projectors rather than "home theater". They are typically brighter widescreen projectors that don't have the overwhelming contracts ratio, but can be used in a room with ambient light without deteriorating the image too much.

Here is a good choice:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_3020e.htm

For a little less money, they make the same projector without the wireless feature:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/Epson-PowerLite_Home_Cinema_3020.htm

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I will check out Belmont and fivestroke's suggestions. I agree that Samsung makes awesome TVs so that is an option. It wouldn't work well in our current setup, but we'll probably be moving in the next year.