OK .... just looking for some thoughts on THE new standard and the possiblities... I mean I'm done(sorta kinda maybe ;-) with my standard 15" pj and I have to have something to plan on for the coming new year ...so ...

new pro lens triplet?
500 mm fixed focal length ... means a throw ratio of about 1.5- true? so a 10 foot diagonal will mean the projector is at 15 feet ...
and of course the matching fresnels

17" lcd - definitly the new "standard" - at least the "affordable" one unless someone can source a WUXGA LCD and controller for far less than the 700$ USD for Minotens group buy

Enclosure? I would think the Hassman and the Punisher/whomever verticals will still work with some resizing, plus you just can't beat the plain old vanilla box for simplicity ....

Lamp/ballast? - here you have the duking out between the venture 400w ed28 and the ushio, and the coil/electronic ballast fight ...
Reflector - the venerable Ikea or possibly the new IR pass reflector, though it seems to be designed specifically for the ushio...

now for the fun part... speculation ensues ...
Light source :
since the pro lens will have a diameter of 100mm this means that we could use a longer arc length- true? now the next "step" up is the 875watt MH series.... I remember reading that the big problem is arc length(81mm for the 875,27mm for the ushio/venture)....NOW.. I realize even with the increased diameter of the pro lens you still couldn't fit the entire 81mm arc into it... HOWEVER ... even though a lot of light would be "wasted" wouldn't there still be a noticeable increase going to the 875w? even if it was on the order of only 40%, still thats quite a bit....

LCD - it truly looks like there are some breakthru discoveries going on with removing/replacing polarizers/films in one of the forums and at the very least Elken seems to have found a simple method of increasing brightness by maybe 20% ... methodology to be determined but count on at least a 20 - 30% increase on these lines and maybe much more(fingers crossed)

Screen: well thanks to MMan , pbmaxx and neumerous others the Light fusion screen looks to increase(perceptually speaking anyway) our pjs in ambient light and eveness and gain....

so ...using a new light source/reflector and the lcd enhancements we could be on the verge of almost doubling our lumens out of the PJ and with an LF screen well...

anything I missed? oh.... an HTPC with FFDshow and powerstrip seems to be the newest video source to beat ....

I think that evolutionary steps are going to be the order of the day.

15" LCD monitors seem to be getting scarce, and are frequently more expensive than their 17" counterparts. This may prompt a change that Brain has mentioned before, in getting larger fresnels suitable for 17" panels with the standard kit.

Pro lenses will still be a "premium" option, costing more, and probably more than what a first time DIYer would want. As to the larger arc, this may not be possible, after all. The longer throw means an increased magnification effect of the lamp arc, which in turn takes more of the avaialabe area. Though there is perhaps some hope for better light engines yet.

Lamp/ballast: Anyone's guess, but I still think the majority of S400DD users are satisfied with their results. I know that I am. I want to have 2 projectors going, and I plan on getting a second LL light kit to do so.

The LF screen? Certainly looks promising, and if I can do it, I most likely will. The actual manufacture of the screen is the big question mark for me.