Front Projection : HDTV Buyer's Guide

Front Projection

By Chris Iannicello, published on January 22, 2007
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: hdtv, buyers, guide

Contents

8. Front Projection

This type of HDTV uses the same technologies as the rear projection displays, but the image is projected from the front onto a large screen. This is a niche market as most successful viewing requires a dedicated space with a good amount of light control as front projection does not do well in rooms with a great deal of ambient light.

For many years, front projection was not a mainstream consideration as prices were five-10 times as much as other types of HDTV. But the past four-five years have seen the gap shrink, and now you can get 720p front projectors for as low as $1,000. DLP and LCD are still the primary players in the budget 480p and 720p market, as most LCOS projectors are either for business applications or are in the more expensive 1080p market.

1080p projectors are also coming down in price as there are several offerings (LCD and LCOS) under $4,000. The 720p DLP and LCD models have been around for quite a while and have several generations of updated models under their belt. There is a great deal of upside to front projectors, as projected images can be well over 100" diagonally!

However, there is also more maintenance compared to most other HDTV displays. First of all, the projector lamp will eventually need to be replaced, and while rear projection displays also have lamps, front projector lamps are usually more expensive (up to $400). Also, while you can project the image onto a wall, you'll probably want to invest in a screen (starting under $100, but can surpass $1,000 for higher quality models). Most importantly, you have to keep the lights either low or completely off for quality viewing. There are some screen technologies coming out that are combating this issue so you can keep the lights on, but they currently priced quite high.

Pros: Extremely large images for the money, good to excellent image quality.
Cons: Must have a light-controlled room, expensive replacement bulbs.
Who's it for? The theatre connoisseur who is willing to dedicate space.

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