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By: Richard Del Cazzo
Web site: http://www.hdtv-hdtv.com
We have help for you if you're thinking about
buying one of the new big-screen TV's.
Plasma televisions are getting a lot of attention lately,
but rear-projection televisions actually out-sell plasmas
by 8 to 1.
The Henneberry family recently bought a new projection television
for the family room. It was a big change form the small TV
they used to have.
"We had a 20-inch set. I got it at Sears when I graduated
from college. We had been watching that for years and we decided
to upgrade to a big screen," said John Henneberry
Consumer Reports recently tested 14 projection televisions
ranging in price from $1,700 to $2,700. Testers found that
in addition to their big screens, most of these TVs offered
excellent sound.
But when it came to picture quality there were big differences.
While some TVs had a very good picture, others rated only
fair.
"You weren't wowed by the picture. It left you wanting
more. You're looking at big screens, so you want that detail.
You want to see that color," said Jim Langehennig of
Consumer Reports.
A drawback with projection sets is something called "burn-in."
An image can leave a permanent shadow on the screen if it's
up for too long, like a ticker that runs along the bottom.
And projection TV's aren't small. These sets take up about
eight square feet of floor space.
"You also have to be able to sit at least eight to nine
feet away from these screens to get the full effect of the
video," Langehennig said.
But if you want a big screen, projection sets do offer the
most bang for your buck. Consumer Reports recommends the $2,000
Toshiba Theaterwide. It's HD-ready and has very good picture
quality.
If you want a projection TV, but you just don't have the
room, you should consider what's called a microdisplay set.
They combine projection technology with LCD flat screens,
so you can have a big screen that takes up much less space.
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