Although Plasma and LCD flat panel televisions seem to be all the rage these days, with growing numbers of consumers reaching into their pockets to buy the stylish sets, they are still out of many people's budgets. As a result, the rear-projection television, with its lower pricing and high performance is a good option for consumers. However, before your buy a rear-projection television, here are some useful tips.
Types of Rear Projection Televisions
There are three major types of Rear Projection Televisions:
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube),
DLP (Digital Light Processing), and
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). In addition, other variants of LCD rear-projection technology in use are:
LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon),
D-ILA (Digital Imaging Light Amplification - developed and used by JVC), and
SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display - developed by Sony). For more details, including the pros and cons of each type, check out my reference articles below.
Brightness
Without sufficient brightness your image will look muddy and soft, even in a dark room. Check the ANSI Lumens rating. Relatively speaking, projectors with 1,000 ANSI Lumens or greater have sufficient brightness for home theater use. Viewing distance, screen size, and ambient room light will affect the need for more or less lumens. However, don't get bogged down with numbers -- just make sure the screen is bright enough for your needs.Contrast Ratio
Contrast Ratio complements brightness. High contrast ratios deliver whiter whites and blacker blacks. A rear-projection television may have a great Lumens rating, but if the contrast ratio is low, you image will look washed out. Contrast ratios of at least 1,500:1 are good, but 2,000:1 or higher is considered excellent.
Pixel Density and Scaling
Pixel Density is important, especially for LCD/DLP units. LCD/DLP projectors have a fixed number of pixels on their chips. If most of your viewing is HDTV, get as high a native pixel count as possible. A native pixel count of 1024x768 is sufficient for DVD. However, 720p HDTV signals require a 1280x720 pixel count to give you a one-for-one signal representation, while a 1080i HDTV input signal needs a native pixel count of 1920x1080 for a one-for-one representation of the 1080i signal.Color Reproduction
Check for natural flesh tones and color depth. Check how colors look in the brighest and darkest areas of the image. Check the degree of color stability from input to input. Everyone has a slight difference in color perception and what looks pleasing. Look carefully.Viewing Angle
All projection televisions have a problem with side viewing. Atlhough viewing angles for rear projection televisions have improved greatly in recent years, with some offering 130 degrees or more, optimum viewing is still best from the center of the screen out to 45 degrees, with acceptable viewing out to 90 degrees. In other words, all the viewers sitting on a large couch shouldn't have a problem, but someone sitting in a chair off to the side will not get an optimum view of the screen.Inputs
Make sure the projector has the inputs you need, such composite and S-video for analog sources, component inputs for DVD, and DVI or HDMI inputs for HDTV. Some rear-projection televisions now have VGA or similar inputs that enable it to be used with a computer for video presentations or game play.More Assistance
To further assist you in your reprojection television purhcase, check out my
HDTV FAQs. In addition, there is also the widescreen vs standard screen dilemma. For more assistance in this matter, check out my article:
Widescreen Television - The 16x9 Factor.
