Projection TV Reviews

The popularity of flat-panel plasma and especially LCD televisions has largely relegated large-screen rear-projection TVs (RPTVs) to an afterthought. Still, though flat-panel TVs are available in increasingly larger sizes, experts say you get the most HDTV for your money with a rear-projection TV.

Rear-projection TVs are available in screen sizes that range from 50 inches to 73 inches. Cabinets are notably deeper than flat-panel sets, but are not nearly as bulky as projection TVs or CRT TVs of just a few years ago; some cabinets now measure less than 13 inches deep. While that's still too deep to hang on a wall, the trade-off is that RPTVs can cost substantially less than a same-size plasma TV or LCD TV (covered in our other reports), and you can find models larger than that of standard LCD and plasma TVs.

CNet is the best professional reviewer still covering projection TVs on a regular basis. Sets are reviewed as they come to market, and the reports are balanced and detailed. The TVs deemed best are included in an Editors' Top TVs list. ConsumerGuide.com is nearly as timely, but the reviews don't delve deeply into details, and the site does not do formal bench testing. User reviews at Amazon.com, CircuitCity.com, BestBuy.com and elsewhere, along with discussions found at AVSForum.com, are also extremely helpful in pointing out what consumers think of current projection TVs. Consumer Reports' RPTV coverage is currently too dated to be of much value.

Up until recently, four different technologies were competing for RPTV market share. However, as manufacturers abandoned the category, those choices have now dwindled to one -- Digital Light Processing, or DLP. DLP projection TVs shoot light through a spinning color wheel onto nearly a million tiny mirrors, which in turn flash the color on the screen to produce an image. One significant drawback to this technique is the so-called “rainbow effect,” which appears as a multicolored shadow around an object in certain scenes.

The seriousness of this problem is subject to some debate. Only a very small percentage of the population can see rainbows in the first place, and advances in technology have minimized it further still. Even some of those afflicted say it is really not a big deal, but others say it ruins the TV watching experience and, in severe cases, gives rise to eyestrain, headaches and the like. In any event, if you are not sure if you are one of the unlucky few that can see DLP rainbows, spending a bit of time auditioning a set in a showroom might not be a bad idea.  ... Continued

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Among experts and users, Samsung DLP rear-projection TVs seem to fare best. The Series 7 sets, like the top-rated Samsung HL61A750, offer a unique LED-powered light engine that leaves issues like limited bulb life behind and minimizes rainbow effect for those few who can see this artifact. Mitsubishi is the only other current maker of RPTVs. While their sets like the WD-65735 deliver great value, picture quality seems to be a step behind.