"TheaterTek does not seem to a better picture than PowerDVD
am i missing some setup options or can this be the case"
I had exactly the same findings with my set-up, plus TT is a tad clunky compared to PDVD or Zoomplayer, so I got a refund.
If you need the extra flexibility with PDVD, use Zoomplayer as a front end for it. The latest version has loads of extras, so may be a bit daunting, but is very useful.
When scaling the image with TT, it introduced a slight blue fringe. ZP didn't do this, so TT still needs some tweaking etc. I think it still has a way to go in development, but is constantly being improved, so don't rule it out entirely. I may try it again in the future sometime, but given the choice, if I was going to use the Sonic filters (which TT use) I would use ZP as the front end, not TT.
I'm using a Radeon 9600 non pro feeding an NEC HT1000 btw.
If you're not using the filter (I'm assuming it has a slight pink colour?), then you're going to have a slightly brighter, but slightly greener image. Many projector lamps produce less red than green and blue, so adding a red filter is a good way to improve the colour balance. Of course, reducing green and blue to match the red is how it's done on most other pjs, and will get a similar result.
There is a way to check this, but it needs a test disk with grey scales in it (Avia for example). However, if you're happy with the picture as it is (some of us can be a bit anal - some more than others!), then don't worry about it.
Gary.