Reddit mentions of Acer H6510BD 3D Home Theater Projector (White)

I basically bought the most entry level 1080p projector. I made my own screen with 2x4's and screen cloth bought off Amazon (I think it ran me ~$60). I am very impressed with the picture quality, everything looks amazing. It struggles when outside light is present, but black out curtains solved that issue. I had huge buyers remorse when I initially bought it, but once it arrived and I hooked it up, that instantly went away. Nothing like 100+" of awesomeness on your wall. The bulb life is around 4000 hours so hopefully by using it sparingly, I can make that last quite some time.

This is the absolutely cheapest 1080p native resolution projector I found.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-H6510BD-Theater-Projector-White/dp/B00B97ZKIA/ref=sr_1_248?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1468584862&sr=1-248&keywords=Home+theater+projector&refinements=p_n_feature_seven_browse-bin%3A11028018011

I'd say the Acer H5380BD at $440 is something to consider.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009634

It's 720p, but 1080p at under $600 is just not really a thing.

If 1080p is a must then the best bets I know of would be the Acer H6510BD at $660

http://www.amazon.com/Acer-H6510BD-Theater-Projector-White/dp/B00B97ZKIA

Or the Optoma HD131Xe also at $663

http://www.amazon.com/Optoma-HD131Xe-1080p-Theater-Projector/dp/B00E4JEDWE

Or perhaps the ViewSonic PJD7820HD at $650

http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-PJD7820HD-3D-Ready-Projector-Composite/dp/B00BBM0664

But I believe the ViewSonic to be the weakest in terms of quality.

If you do have room in the budget I believe the BenQ W1070 is one of the best values and great quality for under $1000 at currently $743

http://www.amazon.com/BenQ-W1070-1080P-Theater-Projector/dp/B00A2T6X0K

Personally, I love gaming on my projector. I have the Acer H6510bd and it's been great so far. I use it every day, and I haven't noticed any problems with response time or gaming. It is currently projecting at 135". 1080p, DLP (better response time), and most of all it's cheap. I kinda took a chance on it, because there weren't many reviews, but it has been great. I've had it for about a year now. IMO, this is the way to go unless you can afford a 2k-3k projector.

I do depending on mood/game. I have my desk and such, but also have a projector for playing on.
I personally love having both options.
I am rocking this bad boy - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B97ZKIA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You can certainly build yourself a very powerful but small PC.

Acer H6510BD 3D Home Theater Projector
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B97ZKIA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_b9dAyb7VA4R82

I have this one, I love it. I'm no expert (far from), but to me it has a great picture, full 1080p, 3d (if you wanted that) and a good price.

Linus does a pretty good job of covering everything computer wise. You can watch how to's and quick explanations of computer terms to get you up to speed.

For 15ft, a HDMI cable seems like the better option (Get one a little longer than you think gives you more leeway to route it better). Much cheaper so you can put that money into the projector. I strongly suggest a 1080p projector as I feel like most people would regret going with a lower resolution. Projector Central is a good place to research. Here is my recommendation for $100 more. review

When I was talking about streaming from the box, I was meaning using Plex to stream externally(haven't heard of Plex? you really should check it out. Lets you stream all your movies anywhere you are). Though the limited number of streams the CPU can handle would probably not max out a WiFi N 150mbps connection (In an apartment setting I suggest using the 5GHz band of N or AC, vastly less interference with better bandwidth). As a bonus your sister will be able to stream everything with relative ease. If you use the automatic downloaders I linked below, I suggest putting a limit to the DL/UL speeds as to not hog all the bandwidth and keep your sister happy.

Bonus: Check out Kodi's newest movie streaming plug in that I think would be perfect for you, Genesis.

Some research for you.

Couchpotato

Plex

Sonarr

NZBGet

Headphones

Kodi

SVP - smooth video player I love this program

I feel like I am still missing something.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BBM0664/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2T6X0K/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B97ZKIA/

There's plenty more to choose from within your price range, but I just posted the ones I've actually researched before making a purchase. All of them are bright enough to replace a TV at around 85-100", and have little-to-no input lag, which is crucial for gaming as you may know. The bulbs will also last you at least 3 years with heavy use.

Stay away from Epson HomeCinema and ProCinema projectors, as they have too much of a delay to be useful for gaming. Not sure about the rest of their line.

EDIT: Check out AVSForum if you have more questions. They'll be able to help you further. That's what I used to help make a decision.

I paid about $750 for mine, BUT that was last year when I lived in China. Oddly enough, projectors seemed more expensive there.

You can find the same model (Acer H6510BD) on Amazon (US) for under $600 at the moment.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-H6510BD-Theater-Projector-White/dp/B00B97ZKIA