I want to buy a projector - any tips for me?

[NutellaIsMyHeroin]

Not really sure if this is the place to post this - I'm planning to buy a digital projector to watch DVDs (we don't have a TV) but have no idea where to start. They are all quite expensive, so I was thinking of getting one on eBay.

Has anyone here bought a projector before? What things should I look for? Is eBay a good place to buy one relatively cheaply? How much should I expect to pay for a good one?

Sorry for the torrent of questions, but I can't make sense of all the info out there. TIA.

I bought a projector on ebay and it was crap. . I'm always a bit wary of buying electronic goods on ebay as IME they always seem to breakdown or not work and then you have pay to return them.

Will ask DH, he's an expert on these things (but travelling ATM so it might be a day or 2)

I think a good one would cost about the same as a big fancy TV. Also think about the sound, could you plug the DVD player through your hifi, and a screen.

Here's his answer, he didn't come back with where to buy one from, but you might want to think about somewhere with after-sales service e.g. a shop, Amazon rather than ebay.

Things to look for:

Brightness: to work in a room with ambient daylight you want one which is over 1500 Lumens in brightness 2000 ? 3000 would be great in most household settings.
Resolution i.e. Image quality. Very cheep ones are very low resolution, you want to be looking for one of at least XGA native resolution (1024 x 768 pixels):
If you are mainly watching DVD?s one with a wide screen setting is useful. For films a 1280 x 800 pixel wide format one with HDMI input (to connect to Blueray) may be worth looking at though an XGA one would still work OK. Full High Definition Projectors are still very expensive.
The built in speakers are useless so you need to get sound from your DVD player into a HIFI, ideally a surround sound one if you want the full film experience.
Lamp life on projectors can be relatively short 500 to 2000 hours, make sure you get one with the longest possible life and possibly a specific lamp warranty on the lamp as replacements can be well over £100 on some as much as £300. This is a very good reason for buying a new projector, if it is used as a TV and on all day it is expensive to run for this reason and a big plasma or LCD screen can be more cost effective in the long run.
Screen - If you have a white wall you can project on that but a proper screen gives a much better image which is another cost.
Brands ? Most are OK: Sanyo, Sony, Epson, Mitsubishi, NEC are all premium brands: Benqu, Acer, Dell are a bit cheaper but should still be fine there are many other brands to, you pay your money etc?
Cost ? Expect to pay at least £500 and £1000 should get you a good one and a screen, if you need to get the speaker system as well you could add on a bit more to.

Hope this helps.