How to Buy a Rear-Projection TV

In a TV market where "big-screen" increasingly means "flat-panel," rear projection remains an excellent alternative if you don't require an extremely shallow profile or wall mounting.

As a matter of fact, stand-mounted plasma or LCD TVs often wind up not much slimmer than today's rear-projection models, which typically are just 11 to 18 inches deep. Plus, RPTVs often weigh less at a given screen size (only a few tip the scales at more than 100 pounds). And especially for screens larger than 50 inches, they frequently cost less.   Rear-projection TVs come in multiple flavors, however; here's what you need to know to sort through the alternatives.

Big doesn't necessarily mean bulky anymore. Today's microdisplay technologies--DLP, LCoS, and LCD--deliver superb high-definition pictures from cabinets much smaller and lighter than those of the CRT rear-projection TVs of yesteryear.more

We give you the lowdown on all those strange names and numbers.more

Before you pull out your wallet, understand how to match size and technology to your needs and budget.more

The Big Picture

Many TVs with screens bigger than about 42 inches diagonal are rear-projection designs. They project a video image inside a box and direct it by means of lenses and mirrors onto the inner surface of a translucent screen. Originally, all used cathode-ray tubes, or CRTs, to create the image. Although this technique works well, the chassis is heavy and requires a relatively large, usually floor-standing cabinet.

As screens have grown and TV has begun migrating to the new, wider 16:9 aspect ratio (ratio of width to height), CRT-based designs have been displaced by new technologies that offer similar or better performance in lighter, more compact enclosures.

Regardless of technology, today's rear-projection TVs are all high-definition displays, able to take full advantage of digital HDTV broadcasts and discs. (HDTV provides wide-screen pictures with much greater clarity and detail than conventional television.) Built-in HD tuners are now standard, and all sets include tuners for regular analog broadcast and cable TV as well; the ability to receive unencrypted digital cable without a set-top box has also become a near-universal feature.

Digital light processing projectors are based on Texas Instruments' Digital Micromirror Device, which is actually a chip manufactured using semiconductor-fabrication techniques. Its method of operation sounds preposterous--thousands of microscopic mirrors flipping back and forth under microprocessor control--but is spectacularly effective. As with LCD sets, the light source is normally a user-replaceable, high-intensity lamp that will last for years in normal use, although some models now use LED light engines instead for quicker turn-on, much longer life, and better color reproduction. In fact, DLP and LCD rear-projection TVs are very similar in nearly every aspect of their physical construction, sharing the light weight and shallow cabinet depth that are such a big part of their appeal. Screens range from 46 inches to 73 inches diagonal; prices run from about $1200 to $5900, though relatively few have list prices higher than about $3500.

Also like LCD sets, DLP projectors are not subject to burn-in or declining brightness with age. Their handling of blacks and dark grays is superior, however--close to the performance of CRTs. A very small number of people occasionally notice a fleeting separation of colors ("rainbows") on moving objects when they move their heads or eyes quickly, but for most this is not an issue. (Projectors that use LED light sources instead of a white lamp with a color wheel to generate colors from a single DMD chip are immune to this effect.) All current DLP rear-projection TVs are wide-screen displays with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p) or 1920 by 1080 (1080p), and almost all are tabletop designs.

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