-Yes, since this is an LCD projector it has several limitations, including the screen door affect and is also has limited resolution at 800X600. Although many people kick up a fuss about both of these traits, neither really matters. If you sit close enough to see the screen door affect or the individual pixels for that matter, then you probably won't be able to see the whole screen because you are sitting less than one foot away from it.

I bought my S1+ about 2 months ago and use it everyday. It has taken a beating when I take it friend's houses, parties, ECT. But has shown no signs of the abuse. When it is set up anywhere from 30" to 60" it looks the same as plasma or a large projector, except it is better because it does not have the glare of a normal TV. Since it's purchase I have also set up a 14-foot screen made of poster board in my garage (it will project nicely almost anywhere on almost any surface), which looks awesome and beats almost any other theater that I've ever been in.

When I first started looking through projectors I wanted something that should accept any interface that I threw at it. When I came across the S1+ I was intimidated because I didn't know how well it would project video games such as Halo2 for XBOX. After it's purchase I was relieved to find that I could have my computer, XBOX and PS2 all hooked up to the projector at the same time and switch between them using the remote control that came with it. All of them are awesome, especially with surround sound and games like DOOM3. Even when split into 4 screens for Halo, it's still quality. Also this is a pretty bright projector, I can have my windows open with several lights on and still easily the screen as if it was a TV.

This costs less then a plasma or a projection TV and can be made much smaller or larger then either. When they say 30"-300" they mean it. It will consume any wall you put in front of it.

Last, it is the easiest thing to transport I have ever seen. For a LAN party I throw my projector, surround sound system and my XBOX into my backpack, jump on my motorcycle and am off in just a few minutes.

If you are new to projectors or are just looking for a large HD TV at a good price, then this is the one that I recommend.

I am not sure how long the bulb last (some people say they die quickly), mine is just passing 500 hours, but they only cost $175, which is significantly less then most other projectors (around $350).

After borrowing a friends Sony VPLCX6 projector with 2000 lumens and watching American Idol and "I Robot" on my great room wall I was hooked. An exhaustive 2 month online ,in-store and Pawn Shop search ensued. I had 3 criteria to meet, under $1000, atleast 1200 lumens and minimum 800x600 native resolution.After searching every electronic outlet in the greater Peoria area my Father in law pointed me to Sams Club. The only projector they carried was the Epson Powerlite S1+ and @ $699 with 1400 lumens this was the culmination of my search.
I am projecting an image 8' x 6' onto a 1.3 gain theatre screen. With the s-video connection the picture is fantastic. Most broadcast cable is quite clear, satellite channels are better and DVD is awesome. Screendoor effect is present as the image is quite large but easy to ignore and lose it as the images are very crisp. Only if I were rich beyond rich would I go with a higher end projector!

Just purchased this (check online for rebates) for a budget home theater setup. We are using this projector on an 80" screen in a very dark basement. While you can certainly get better contrast and brightness from other projectors, I challenge anyone to find a better value for this price point. I was not really expecting much from the projector when we purchased it and thought that this may be a good device for the kids to watch movies / play games on. But are finding that we are watching many more movies on this great projector. Low upfront costs and low bulb replacement costs make this a good choice if you are just getting into a front projection system.

I suffer from DLP rainbow effect so had to go with an LCD unit. Colors are not as vivid and with the lower contrast ratio video images are not as good as DLP models.

"Screendoor effect" is extremely noticable especially in white/bright areas of video.

don't be fooled by the advertisment that this accepts component video signal (which gives you the best possible image).
I purchased a vesa adapter to connect via component video to the monitor connection on the unit. it didn't work. after some research, I found that you can only use Epson's adapter to make it work which runs $100. Now, am I going to get $100 worth of image gain over s-video? i don't think so.
do not buy this if you want to connect via component video. i read that Epson is the only company that doesn't use the standard adapter.

I also received a brand new unit with a dead pixel, which i read is pretty common for LCD projectors over time but i didn't expect it fresh out of the box that way.

Before getting into how this projector works, I need to preface by saying that I am on my second projector and third bulb in 2.5 months. I teach school, and need the projector about 4 times/day at 15-20 minutes per use. Perhaps I should have considered a machine capable running consistently during a demanding duty cycle, but solid state electronics are usually not phased by this (and the bulbs, priced as they are, should not be either.)

When this projector works, it works well. It has a nice, bright image and good clarity/detail. It is quiet, runs cool, is light, and fairly portable. Compared to others on the market, the value per dollar is excellent. I seem to have had machines with teething problems though.

My first projector, purchased new mid-January of 2005, exhibited all the symptoms of a bad bulb within 2 weeks, and 20 hours on the clock. I called Epson tech. service, was walked through some diagnostics, and was told that a new projector would be out quickly. I received my "new" projector (actually a refurb. unit with more hours on the bulb than mine had) the next morning. Great turnaround, but to get a refurbished unit for my two-week new one, especially with the bulb hours as they were was no bargain. I called customer service to voice my opinion on this and they agreed that I was due compensation - I was promised a new bulb but never received it. I am still fighting for one.

The second projector worked for another 2 weeks, then operation became intermittant for a few hours, then the unit stopped working completely.

After another over the phone diagnosis, the rep. told me the bulb was bad, but that bulbs were out of stock -- same story I had received earlier. As of this writing, I am still waiting.

I don't know if this problem is endemic to this machine, but mine is certainly no gem. Maybe I need a heavy-duty model. I've always followed directions for cool down, haven't abused it, but continue to suffer the same problem on what is becoming a consistent basis. If I was rich, this wouldn't be problem, I'd just trade up. I give this machine a "C", and I give Epson's Customer Service Dept. a "C-". Next time, initial cost will not be such a huge issue in my purchase decision.