LCD Rear Projection

Pros
a) Cost Effective (CHEAP!!!)
b) Lightweight
c) Picture quality of LCD
d) Better Black levels
e) Lamp replacement MUCH cheaper
f) Cooler running temp
g) Larger sizes
h) 30,000-40,000hrs per lamp (13/18 years)

Cons
a) Ghosting
b) Not wall mountable
c) Brightness will degrade as lamp dims
d) Has cooling fan for lamp unit
e) Temp sensitive
f) DON’T TOUCH THE SCREEN

This entry is by far my favorite because the picture quality is as good as LCD, it weighs about as much and yet it offers the best bang for your buck size wise. For example the PT44LCX65 is right around $2000 or less (about $45/inch) and is 44 inches of beauty while the PT52LCX65 offers the exact same features in a 52” model and is only about $300 more (about $44/in).

You will still have the issues that the LCD Flat panel has but with all the positive features and the fact that the lamp unit is replaceable for only a few hundred (which makes it like brand new), you have yourself a lightweight winner of a display.



Standard TV’s (CRT)

Pros
a) 10,000–20,000hrs (4/8 years)
b) Great black level

Cons
a) Heavy
b) Bulky
c) Not wall mountable
d) Degrades over time
e) No backlight to replace, like Plasma, when it’s dead it’s dead

Nothing more to see here folks, carry on. Okay seriously, this is a great display but the weight, the size and the degrading picture quality just make it more of the same thing we’ve always known about And before you say anything about a TV you’ve had that lasted for over 95 years, let me tell you that you’ve been lucky, TV’s don’t last that long anymore and John P. Consumer replaces their set, on average, once every 7 years.



Rear Projection

Pros
a) Price
b) Bigger

Cons
a) Picture sucks
b) Burn-In
c) Gun Alignment
d) Constant cleaning
e) Weight Varies
f) Sometimes have no Tuner

This is by far the worst television your money can buy. Yeah they’re cheap but the picture is horrible, from the rounded edges to the bleeding color (regardless of it’s comb filter) this technology is more trouble than it’s worth. You have to get all three of the color guns adjusted every time someone sneezes near the thing and this too is susceptible to burn-in. Its benefits? Well it’s big and it’s cheap and occasionally you can find one that’s rather light. The average lifespan of these things is a lot like playing craps (more than with a CRT) sometimes you get lucky and have one last you a while, but anymore, these are being made so fast and so cheap that you’ll be lucky to get 4 years out of it with proper maintenance.

Given the information above I would give my personal opinion that IF you are looking for the ultimate experience you get an LCD flat panel and wall mount it if space is an issue but money isn’t, also for those of you with small children, a wall mount is a great way to keep grubby fingers from smudging and potentially ruining your display. On the other hand if you want the quality of an LCD, have no kids running around (or have kids old enough that you can legally beat to a bloody pulp if they touch mommy’s/daddy’s precious…) and are looking to save some money, the LCD rear-projection is for you.

All of these TV technologies will be available in your local retailers, so go ahead, join the trend and get a TV to use as your computer monitor, it’s cheap and easy to do. Just do it before the holidays suck the money from your wallet.


Article by Ryan Connelly.