Projection TV Reviews

While flat-panel plasma and LCD televisions are proving much more popular, reviews say you get the most HDTV for your money with a rear-projection TV. DLP (Digital Light Processing) and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projection TVs have now taken over the market from LCD and the even older CRT-type rear-projection televisions. These microdisplay TVs have big screens of up to 73 inches, but they are shallower and far less bulky than CRT televisions. The latest rear-projection TVs are using new technology to make them thinner still; some measure less than 12 inches in depth. While 12 inches is significantly thicker than a plasma screen, a big-screen rear-projection TV can cost substantially less than a plasma TV or LCD TV of the same size.

In general, the best source for rear projection TV (RPTV) reviews is CNet.com. Sets are reviewed as they come to market, and the reports are balanced and detailed. The sets deemed best are included in an Editors' Top TVs list. Another good place for rear-projection TV reviews is Consumer Reports magazine. However, while the magazine actually tests and reviews more RPTVs than CNet, the individual reviews are disappointingly short -- typically no more than a sentence or two. In addition, lead times are longer than CNet, and the magazine's most recent update -- published in June -- is already out of date. On the positive side, the testing and the ratings are competently and fairly done, and it is easy to see which TVs score the best in the eyes of the editors.

Sound and Vision magazine, The Perfect Vision, Home Theater magazine and Ultimate AV magazine also do a good job covering rear-projection TVs. While they don't review nearly as many TVs as CNet.com or Consumer Reports, the articles they produce are usually richly detailed and very comprehensive.

Critics are wowed by the overall picture quality and shallow cabinet depth, but reviewers who've tested the JVC television also report one significant shortcoming: lines that bend or bow instead of being perfectly straight. David Katzmaier at CNet.com seems to sum up the consensus when he writes: "although it had a hard time keeping a straight line, the JVC HD-58S998 gives solid picture quality."

The JVC HD-58S998 is a victim of physics. It is the slimmest of the new slim-depth RPTVs, and the job of getting the optics just right in such a shallow cabinet depth is a challenge. According to CNet.com, JVC says that the set's optics includes a concave mirror, and that's the source of the errors. Other reviewers have also reported the bending lines -- most noticeable when observing a programming grid or crawler, though they also become obvious in the black bars generated by letterboxed or 4:3 programming. Some, but not all, experts are willing to forgive this defect in light for how great the image looks otherwise and the slim-depth form factor. Also, the JVC HD-58S998 isn't the only rear-projection TV to suffer geometry problems -- in fact, many other slim-depth RPTVs exhibit it as well, according to reports. It is just that few seem to have it as frequently or severely as this JVC rear-projection HDTV.  ... Continued

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We found the best reviews for sets that use LCoS technology, particularly Sony's KDS-R60XBR2 rear-projection TV. However, that model is very expensive and is now being phased out. Sony's latest LCoS rear-projection TVs, including the Sony KDS-60A3000, KDS-55A3000 and KDS-50A3000 deliver the same great picture quality, and have a slimmer cabinet depth but fewer features. JVC's latest LCoS RPTVs have great picture quality as well, but several reviewers are critical of their inability to properly display straight lines. Among DLP sets, Samsung's LED-illuminated HL-T5687S is not perfect, but is still a great performer that goes a long way in addressing two important DLP projector shortcomings -- rainbow effect and lamp life. The Samsung HL-T5075S is only 720p, but it's a great budget choice. Panasonic's new LCD rear-projection TVs, including the PT-56LCZ70, use a new type of bulb that might never need replacing, but are expensive.