I bought the Optoma HD72 last year and it has an outstanding picture. I have it setup with a 92" screen. I bought from
www.projectionguys.com.
looks like they have a pretty good package on the newer HD73 model
http://www.projectionguys.com/product.cfm?id=791
Epson has a new 1080p projector that can be bought for under $3k now. All the reviews I have seen say it's top notch. Check out
www.avsforum.com to do research on anything you are potentially going to buy. You will need to filter through all the horror stories just like on any forum.