Thanks for the tip, PJBoy....That was somehow along the lines from what I heard with the BenQ's, which is rather worriesome considering these are new units....can't imagine what the bigger risks would be with a used or refurbished unit. That said, I've decided on a elder model OPTOMA HD70, release about 4 years ago. It actually has all the features I'm looking for: HDMI (just one input), native 720p/16:9 output, 7-seg color wheel (decreased rainbow effect), just enough lumens (maxing out at 1000), and flexible throw placement. I found one online for $400 (MSRP, $999). Yes, I am taking a risk with this, taking the guy's word that he only has about used about 150 hours on it. I suppose the greater downside is replacement bulbs for older units are much less now. What do you think? Anyone?

I've had the same issue. It's more pronounced when it gets hot. My projector is mounted on the ceiling and after I have the fireplace going for about 4 hours, I see the issue. If I turn off the fire, the projector starts to work normally after about 30 mins. One thing I have found is that when it's flickering, I press the power button once which brings up the "Press Power Again to Turn Off" popup. I let this timeout and the colors go back to normal for awhile. I'm guessing that when the projector puts up a menu, it changes the output frequency which forces the color wheel to resync (total guess though /;) I did open my unit and blow it out with compressed air. I didn't see much dust, but after doing so, the problem went away for 4 months. I'm going to clean it again when I replace the bulb in the next few weeks & hope that will provide a miracle cure (I hope, I hope, I hope!)