Thanks for the offer Bill, he decided on the Sony. Still would like to see it though.

SI Maestro perf, 144” wide. Brightness was a major worry, so I purchased the projector and tried different image sizes (against white drywall) before deciding on screen. This projector is fantastic! 17’ throw distance, the brightness currently set at 53%. We are showing clients the difference between uncompressed Kaleidescape vs AppleTV, Dish, Netflix, YouTube etc.

Also delighted with our Anthem AVM60 atmos processor and Paradigm 7.2.4 speakers, one of the best sounding rooms around IMO. We did make a serious effort on diffusion, absorption and bass traps hidden behind fabric panels.

I would also vote for the Sony 885ES.

Also, the 885ES on a 165" 16:9 would be acceptable in terms of brightness if the light levels were well controlled.

It comes out to about 32 foot lamberts with a 1.3 gain 165" screen.
(slightly less than the 285ES or 385ES on a 150" screen, if you have that frame of reference)

If it's for movie nights and you can control the lights, then it's definitely fine.

If the client wants to watch weekend afternoon PGA tourneys and NFL games with the shades open, they may not be as impressed. :)

Thanks for the feedback guys...

Screen on my project should be 160" diagonal max (16:9) but looking at a SI Maestro White which is a acoustic screen with 1.1 gain.

Room is a dedicated theater with no windows and full lighting control.

Ideal projector placement will be about 32ft from the screen which is in the rear of the room where it can be concealed with a soffit.  This is near the far end of the throw distance for the 160" screen.

I might be able to move the projector forward, but would have to work out aesthetics with the designer and client.  Does anyone know if this projector has a "sweet spot" for the zoom that passes the most light?

[Link: itunes.apple.com] Working on an almost identical scenario at 28’- brightness is my only concern other than price driving client to the 675.