Rear Projection TV Facts - Understanding the Pros & Cons of Rear Projection in the Home Theater

Rear Projection Television - An Affordable Option

A great deal of consumer appeal for Rear Projection TV systems arise out of the shear simplicity that this product offers as an immediate solution to getting a bigger TV.

No mess, no fuss, if you have the space, either visit your local big screen retailer - or better still, check at your favorite online electronics superstore - to order your product and get it delivered in just a few days; unpack the product and there you have a big screen TV in your living room ready for immediate use!

Rear Projection TV Facts:

As already stated, rear projection offers a most immediate solution to getting a bigger TV. Probably, this is also one of the main drivers behind rear projection television sales.

Yet the real 'culprit' behind the popularity of rear projection TV systems does not arise out of some particular benefit associated with rear projection, but out of the fact that most big screen retailers seem to give the impression that rear projection systems are cheaper than a front projection setup.

This may be true in retail stores, but not necessary so when buying online. The reality is that for a given budget level, prices online are such that front projectors will deliver a much more cinema-like experience for the same price bracket. Therefore, do not base your decision on price alone to decide between a front projection setup and a rear projection TV box.

Clearly, there is a market for both - the primary decisive factor should be your room size. If you don't have a large viewing room, a 40" to 60" diagonal TV will probably be more than adequate rendering a rear projection TV the ideal affordable solution - as long as it fits in the available space.

Size - or rather unit depth - is becoming less of a problem with modern LCD and DLP rear projection TV units. A typical 52" diagonal widescreen DLP or LCD rear projection TV set requires no more than 15-inches in depth; this contrasts heavily with a similar size CRT rear projection model which would normally require between 22 and 24 inches in depth.

What's more, considering that a similar size Plasma TV is still out of reach of most average household budgets, today's slim-styled LCD and DLP rear projection TV sets, with their lower prices yet high performance, are becoming the affordable 'immediate' big screen TV option in the television mass-market.

However prior to committing yourself to a rear projection TV, it is important to be fully aware of a few limitations associated with rear projection systems, namely: limited screen size, limited viewing angle, glare problems, poor aspect ratio management, poor use of floor-space, etc.

We take a look at each of these limitations in further detail below:

Screen size:
Rear projection TV systems come in screen sizes ranging from typical 42" up to a maximum of just over 70". This may or may not be a limitation. It is true that you can get a 100" projection with a Home theater projector for the price of a high quality digital 50" rear projection TV, yet the screen size should be dimensioned to suit your room. If your room size does not support such big projections, rear projection is probably the way to go.

Viewing angles:
Rear projection TV systems used to have a rather limited viewing angle - with the optimum viewing position being one directly in front of and eye-level with the unit. Move away to either side, and color, contrast, and brightness will degrade substantially. A narrow viewing angle will limit the number of people who can watch the set due the lowering in picture quality at the extreme viewing angles. Most modern systems support a viewing angle of circa 150 degrees - which should be adequate for normal Home theater use. However, it is always best to check on this prior to your purchase as some products are worse than others.

Reflections:
It is common that any light source at a complementary angle to your viewing-angle will result in glare - in particular if the unit makes use of a screen-saver (a clear protective material that covers the fragile screen itself). Glare can seriously degrade the picture quality. The only real solution is to take away the offending light source; in some cases the situation can improve if one removes the screen-saver - BUT remember that an uNPRotected screen is fragile and expensive to replace if damaged.

Floor-space:
Any rear projection TV is