[NewBeetle]

Hiya, I am new here and this is my first post. I was hoping you guys could help me with a few things that I have mulling round my head.

Is a Rear Projection TV suitable for every day TV viewing? How light sensative are the sets nowadays? I have a bay window in my room and although the TV has its back to the window,will I suffer an unwatchable screen in normal daylight? I use DVD as my video medium so a nice screen bigger than a 32" ws TV appeals alot. Hence looking at the Rear Projection sets at £1500 and under. Which of these sets are considered best in terms of picture quality?

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advance.

If you want a big TV for everyday viewing then I personally would go for a 32" tv or if you have the room then a 36" tv, prices are coming down and the picture quality is much better than an RPTV imho.

Still its best to demo them and see for yourself which you prefer. I would go to one of the decent hifi retail stores rather than places like comet as they dont seem to be able to set them up perfectly.

Prices are gradually coming down for CRT tv's.

You might want to hold off though and have a look at the next generation of RPTV, it might be good as its based on LCOS technology.

[NewBeetle]

It is very tempting , if I shop around at the moment I seem to be able to get 40" to 44" rptv's for just over £1000, and against a little 32" they just look awesome. I know what U mean about comet et al but some of the reasonable priced rptv's in my local branch looked really good in the picture, possibly even better than conventional? Or maybe I am just convincing myself and getting all excited at the thought of watching DVD's and regualr TV on such big screens for so little money?

Yes they have come down in price a lot recently. If your seriously interested then its a good idea to read up about their cons aswell as their pros. From the top of my head I can think of

Screen burn - i.e. logos on cable tv channels might get imprinted on the screen

convergence - not sure if this is a problem once properly setup/calibrated. I do know that if you have to make sure the kids dont 'bang' the tv in case the convergence goes a bit out.

test where you will be sitting, RPTV's have to be at viewing height, if your seated higher or lower than the tv set then it looks a lot darker.

I believe the older RPTVS had a plastic front and the new RPTV's have a glass front - Ive heard good things about the glass fronted RPTVs giving a better picture overall.

Good idea to checkout the extra warranty for peace of mind, Ive heard that some parts in a RPTV which can go wrong after >12 months are very expensive - again make sure the warranty covers these types of parts.

Also I would post in the tv forum for RPTV owners to give you an overall opinion.

Personally I would get a 32" tv and a cheap lcd projector for watching dvds but its not for everybody tastes

[NewBeetle]

Projector don't really float my boat I am not that into home cinema to have two seperate viewing items, I just thought that the rear projection would give me best of both worlds and good value. The problem that you point out that worries me is the viewing hight/angle. Are some sets better than others in relation to this? I wish I could try it in my home but to get the best prices (which is very important at the moment) I will have to go down the Comet/Internet route.

HI
I have had a RPTV since 1999 (tosh 40pw8dg) and it is in constsnt use everyday, YES if a lot of light hits the screen direcly it can be hard to see but this is the same for any TV what is the only downside to a RPTV is that they tend to have more of a sweet spot i.e. the picture is perfect in one position but then gets slightly darker as you stand up or move about the room but as they have a flat picture I have found that they have a wider viewing angle than more normal tv's and as for the size buy the BIGGEST that you will get through the front door it will look huge for about a week but you will soon get used to it.

[dj]

I have gone for the RPTV route (18 Months+ ago).

It was a stop gap choice, I wanted a big screen and the set takes up less floor space depth wise than my old 4:3 (25 Inch set).

Daytime view is fine, with the lights out and at night watching DVD is great.

However given the current cost of projectors, I would change to have a small TV and a projector.

The next gen of RPTV's based on DLP look interesting.

Originally posted by NewBeetle
Projector don't really float my boat I am not that into home cinema to have two seperate viewing items, I just thought that the rear projection would give me best of both worlds and good value. The problem that you point out that worries me is the viewing hight/angle. Are some sets better than others in relation to this? I wish I could try it in my home but to get the best prices (which is very important at the moment) I will have to go down the Comet/Internet route.

I think the viewing angle applies to all RPTV's. Although I havent seen the new RPTV's based on LCOS technology (never knew that DLP RPTV's were coming out aswell ?). It might be worth demoing a projector as you might like it , I was looking at RPTV's a while ago and decided to keep the 32" tv and get a front projector and use it for tv/dvd. Still at least RPTV's are just plug and play compared to projectors which invariably need a HTPC to drive them to get the best out of it.


/James

[lynx]

NewBeetle, I've merged your posts on this subject.

[Zacabeb]

Originally posted by jrwood
I believe the older RPTVS had a plastic front and the new RPTV's have a glass front - Ive heard good things about the glass fronted RPTVs giving a better picture overall.

The glossy front on newer RPTV's is just a protection screen, which is often tinted to increase contrast and lower the color temperature. Videophiles usually get it removed.

The actual screen is composed the same way as before, with a fresnel lens and a slotted lenticular screen sandwiched together. I've seen some other type of screen on Samsung (LCD?) sets that seem to be a fresnel lens with a simple frosted screen instead of a lenticular, and a heavily tinted protection screen.

There is a good reason for the protection screen though, aside from fooling the brain to perceive the image differently they actually do protect the lenticular. The ribs on the lenticular are painted black to increase contrast and this is easily damaged. A new lenticular, or whole projection screen sandwich, are super expensive - several €100.

[NewBeetle]

The 2 new types of rptv that you have mentioned? When are we expecting them and who is making them? Will they be more expensive as my budget is tight.

Thanks in advance