Many are predicting the demise of rear projection as prices of big-screen LCD and plasma TVs continue with their fast downward trend. Market analysts are predicting that 2009 would probably be the last year for rear projection HDTVs. Truly unfortunate if this were to happen as rear projection HDTV has still a lot to offer in terms of picture quality without breaking one’s bank account.
Yet we cannot but admit that with major brands like Sony, Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba and Philips out of the rear projection HDTV market, rear projection HDTV is approaching the end of the line.
This means that for those looking for a large screen rear projection HDTV, the only real remaining brands are Samsung and Mitsubishi. Still, these two TV giants are delivering rear projection HDTVs whose picture performance is among the best, irrespective of technology.
Sets like the 61-inch Samsung HL61A750with its LED light technology - available at amazon for around $1,500, and the standard lamp-based Mitsubishi 65-inch WD-65735 DLP TV - available at $1,400, are proving to be among the best sellers within the rear projection HDTV category. You see, with present day pricing, you can enjoy a 60-inch plus premium rear projection HDTV from a top brand like Samsung or Mitsubishi for the price of a 46-inch LCD HDTV!
It is interesting to note here Samsung’s press announcement during the release of its present 2008 DLP rear projection HDTV line. As long as major rear projection HDTV makers are still in the game, there is no reason why you should not consider a large rear projection HDTV as an inexpensive option to a big-screen premium-quality HDTV.
In particular, rear projection HDTVs have got slimmer over the last couple of years, making floor space requirements less of an issue. The latest slim line Series 6 and Series 7 1080p HDTVs in the 2008 Samsung DLP TV lineup start at 12.7-inches in depth for the 50-inch HL50A650, while Samsung top-seller in the 2008 lineup, the 61-inch HL61A750 Samsung LED DLP TV already referred to above, is just 14.4-inches deep. Furthermore, the latest use of LED light technology to replace the traditional lamp color wheel set-up in DLP HDTVs as is the case with Samsung LED DLP TVs, has led to rear projection HDTVs that are capable of exceptional picture performance, with deep blacks, accurate colors, significantly lower power consumption and faster startup times, and equally important, extended lifetime of the LED light pack. Wobulation in rear projection HDTVs helps create a more film-like image with no apparent pixel breakup than that possible with plasmas and LCDs.
And as if this is not enough, all 2008 premium rear projection HDTVs are also 3-D enabled. Both Samsung Series 6 and Series 7, and Mitsubishi Series WD-735, WD-736, and Diamond Series 835 come as 3-D HD ready.
This does not mean that rear projection HDTV is the perfect display technology; it has its disadvantageous as well. Rear projection TVs also tend to suffer from picture geometry errors and brightness uniformity especially as one moves away from the center.
