See that's exactly the mentality of this industry, you can get away with a cheaper projector if you have a quality screen. $500 may be a stretch but $1500, sure. You don't need a $30k projector, unless you can afford it. The way high end projectors break down, I would never spend big dollars on a projector but I would spend it on the screen. Projectors contantly change in the technology, once you have a good screen you can have it for life.
There's still a balance which needs to be maintained between a decent projector and a good screen. Any tab-tensioned motorized screen will run in the $2,000+ range for a quality product typically, so it really is easy to spend more than the value of a projector on a decent screen, but having a good screen doesn't fix a poor environment, nor is it necessarily a requirement as a typical boardroom situation asks for about a 10:1 contrast ratio for typical PowerPoint type presentations or basic videos which can usually be achieved by putting about 50 real lumens per square foot of screen space on a standard white screen.
The retro-reflective nature of certain screens, including the DNP can narrow the viewing angle and require a projector to be more intrusive into an envrionment where it is not necessary and where greater viewing range may be required.
In all fairness, I've seen the DNP in person and it truly is amazing and if someone has less than ideal conditions, then dropping the cash for this isn't bad IF they have the budget.
But really, my price was low by a ways. This is more like a $7,000+ screen.
For $7,000 you buy TWO XGA projectors for $1,000 so you have a backup, you buy 2 or 3 spare lamps, and you get a tab-tensioned in-ceiling motorized screen and you really are good to go for years and years to come. The DNP doesn't fix projector failures or replacement lamps, but it does make an image look good when it is projected.
