Forget turmoil over finding a Wii (readily available for $200) or a Zhu Zhu Pet (available for a hefty mark-up over its $8 MSRP). One of this year's hottest tech products is a $1,600 high-def projector from Epson, and no one has it in stock. I know because I've been trying to buy Epson's PowerLite Home Cinema 8100 projector for several weeks now. (With my luck, I somehow missed a few days last week when Best Buy got some stock and sold the units for a few hundred dollars below MSRP.) The 8100, introduced just a few months ago, has become so popular because of rave reviews and a knockout price for a 1080p projector with loads of features. Many of the models it has been compared with sell for at least $500 more. "At this price range, the 8100 appears to have no competition that exceeds its image quality performance," says Projector Central. But not even Epson has it in stock. The latest word, from Twin Cities dealer Tierney Brothers, is that Epson plans to have the 8100 back in stock in early January. Of course, the previous estimates were late November and mid-December. Here's hoping for a high-def new year with the 8100 in my home theater.
