How to Choose the Right HDTV Television (2)

Rear- and Front-Projection HDTVs



You'll get a bigger picture from a rear-projection HDTV. Screen sizes range from 40 to 70 inches and occasionally as much as 82. Better yet, the lowest-priced type of RPTV actually generates the best picture!



We're talking about sets that use a trio of cathode ray tubes and optics to produce a picture.

DLP sets now come in 1080 by 1920 pixel resolution as new TI chips are finding their way into production products. Only the biggest sets with nine-inch tubes can display 1080 scan lines at full resolution. Most RPTVs have only seven-inch tubes. But even that limitation is a hidden strength: those seven-inch tubes slur the scan lines together to produce an almost perfectly seamless picture.




The Toshiba 57HC85 rear-projection TV is HDTV ready which means it does not have a built in HDTV tuner, but thats ok because you can add your own. And priced at under $2000 dollars, you get a good value for your money. Click here to check prices.



Tube-based RPTVs do have a downside. The tubes have to be aligned by a technician to achieve perfect performance, they're subject to burn-in from videogame use, and they're bulky, so CRT-RPTVs jut out from the wall.



All these disadvantages vanish when you move up in price to RPTVs with microdisplay (meaning chip-based) light engines. DLP sets use micro-mirror chips; LCD sets use liquid crystal panels. Throw away those fat tubes and the set's depth dimension shrinks nicely.



However, although they cost more, microdisplay RPTVs have a few weaknesses. One is resolution: they support HDTV's 720 by 1280 line format (about 900,000 pixels total) but not the 1080 by 1920 format (about 2,000,000 pixels). They also can't reproduce true black—it tends to come out charcoal grey.



Front-projection HDTVs produce the largest pictures. They work the same way as rear-projectors, except that the screen is separate, and they work best in a darkened room. You'll have the same choice between tube- and microdisplay-based devices.



Watch the resolution specs. Not all front-projectors are HD-capable. Also, as more pro-level manufacturers enter the front-projection consumer market, be sure that you buy a model designed for home theater, with the ability to adjust screen shape, as opposed to something optimized for boardroom presentations.



Flat-Panel HDTVs



The sexiest bodies on the home theater beach are flat-panel TVs. They cost more than any other kind, but for many, the form factor is worth the extra cost. Who can resist a TV you can hang on the wall?



Notice we didn't say HDTV. Some flat panels are high-definition-capable and others are not. You'll have to read the specs to be certain. Resolution must be at least 720 by 1280.



Those with lower resolution are not high-definition but standard-definition, to use the industry euphemism. You can feed a HDTV signal into an SDTV display but you won't see it at maximum sharpness.



The smallest flat-panel sets (and most expensive per square inch) are LCD TVs. LCD flat-panel TVs now come in sizes up to at least 42 inches and a 65-inch Sharp is hitting shelves just about now. Check the refresh rate—liquid crystals don't move as fast as they should and LCD TVs often show motion artifacts.




With a fully integrated HDTV tuner and CableCARD compatibility, the Sharp LC-45GD4U, a 45-inch LCD TV, is a complete state-of-the-art HDTV. Click here to check out prices.




Plasmas have hit 70 inches and will probably hit 80 soon. They're sometimes called gas plasma because each pixel is a tube of neon gas stimulated by current. The pixels have visible spaces between them, creating a kind of screen-door effect, so viewing distance may have to be greater. Beware of models with shiny screen surfaces that reflect room light.