I recently went by a Best Buy and drooled through their TV section, and I must say that I found rear projection screens very hard to tell apart from LCD screens. The rear projection screens had a slight dropoff in brightness as you moved off axis but it was pretty minor, and within about 40 degrees of center it was still perfect. The picture quality was sharp and brightness was good and of course they are much cheaper than LCD screens.

I am considering the Sharp Aquos 52" LCD screen (retails for $4500 CDN) however they have JVC 61" 1080p HD-ILA rear projection units for $3500 that looked almost as good!

So what advantages does an LCD have over rear projection these days?

So what advantages does an LCD have over rear projection these days? Superior brightness in well-lit environments
Superior off-axis viewing
Slimmer profile (i.e. reduced depth)
If you don't have a lot of open windows, don't have a wide viewing area to support, and depth isn't a concern, then there is very little reason to choose LCD. At a given price point, rear projection will almost always deliver superior performance outside of the metrics listed above.

Note:

Sharp recently announced its next-generation D92 LCDs (46", 52", 65") with 120Hz display. JVC also announced its next-generation D-ILA RPTVs in 58" and 65" sizes with a slimmer profile. Both should be shipping within the next month.

The room that I'm in will have floor-to-ceiling windows. They're east facing so that's not as bad due to limited-to-no viewing in the morning hours, but I like the profile of the LCDs...

I'm very curious to know about the differences with the D92 LCDs over the D62s (and how much more expensive will they be?)

I'll have to check out the new D-ILA RPs, other than thinner profile are there any other improvements to quality of picture?

the samsung dlps have a very bright picture (brigher than other dlps), so they are perhaps better for rooms with more light (ambient or electric).

Just so you know, Rear Projection TVs come in several flavors:
CRT
LCD w/ Bulb
DLP w/ Bulb
DLP w/ LED
LCoS w/ Bulb

The only time I would buy a flatpanel LCD is in a <42" size. 42-50" I would lean towards Plasma, over 50" towards DLP or LCoS RPTV.

Of course, I recently bough a 46" LCD RPTV just because it was the perfect fit in a space and the price was too good.

Just so you know, Rear Projection TVs come in several flavors:
CRT
LCD w/ Bulb
DLP w/ Bulb
DLP w/ LED
LCoS w/ Bulb


I think we can expect a LCoS LED from JVC fairly soon, based on their press releases. I presume this would be single-chip, but has anyone heard?

Just so you know, Rear Projection TVs come in several flavors:
CRT
LCD w/ Bulb
DLP w/ Bulb
DLP w/ LED
LCoS w/ Bulb




I know the difference between the CRT & DLP. But, can you explain the differences (benfits & negatives) for the different DLP's & LCos??

Thanks!

Pros/Cons just versus each other (not vs Plasma or LCD Flatpanel)

LCD w/ Bulb
Pros: 3 LCD panels, one for each color, so no color wheel
Cons: Sometimes struggle with depth of color and black levels, LCD is organic and may deteriorate over time

DLP w/ Bulb
Pros: Deeper blacks and better color saturation, won't deteriorate
Cons: Single chip + Color wheel (except latest high end models) can cause rainbow effect, also a mechanical part that can break

DLP w/ LED
Pros: No bulb or color wheel
Cons: More expensive and lower contrast today (will probably replace all bulbs very shortly though)

LCoS w/ Bulb
Pros: Non organic so doesn't break down like LCD, better blacks, higher contrast
Cons: Bulb replacement

All can suffer from SDE and SSE with SSE but both are pretty minor and can usually be nearly totally eliminated by proper seating distance and calibration

I heard that LCDs deteriorate over time, but it's such a very long process that it really isn't an issue. I'm sure I'll be getting a new TV in 10 to 15 years.

I went with a 3LCD anyways. I had quality concerns over the DLPs that were in the size and price range I was looking at, even though I think they have a better picture. I also got a little bit more picture for my $ than the plasmas (which I really like).

I'm also looking at adding a super large screen and will choose between LCoS and the DLP (probably not Samsung for quality reasons).

Well for super-large screen go with a front projector. If you want quality then go with plasma or LCD. Rear projection are really for those who prefer size over quality or really don't have a lot of money to spend.

Well for super-large screen go with a front projector. If you want quality then go with plasma or LCD. Rear projection are really for those who prefer size over quality or really don't have a lot of money to spend.


Funny, I thought that the DLP and LCD rear-projections have better PQ than the flat LCDs. Although they don't have the viewing angles or thin sizes, they have better contrast ratios now.

Rear projection sets are actually more expensive (though falling) than a projector and screen set-up.

I was planning on a projector, but it looks lit I have some issues with the installation that are causing me to go the easy way out with a 70"+ box.

And your comments on RPTV being of less quality than plasma and LCD (I assume you mean flatpanel and not LCD RPTV) are just totally off base.