When you want a larger display for a bigger room (anything over 40” diagonal), you need to step up from a direct view to a rear projection display. For most home theater enthusiasts, a rear projection television (RPTV) is the best choice for their main video display. RPTVs present a good value in terms of price and performance and come in the right sizes for most living rooms.

Today’s RPTVs are much better than models sold even a few years ago. If you’re used to the fuzzy picture on the projection TV in your local bar, you’re in for a big surprise. The best RPTVs today deliver pictures that rival those from similar–sized direct view TVs.

That’s because today’s RPTVs use more advanced technology than the RPTVs of the past. While some low–priced models are still based on internal CRT technology, newer models use microdisplay technology that produces a brighter picture from a smaller internal light engine; these DLP and LCD projection sets are much smaller and lighter than comparable CRT–based RPTVs.

The main advantages of RPTVs are a larger picture size (compared to direct view), relatively low cost, and increased room flexibility (when compared to front projection TVs). The main disadvantage to RPTVs is size, especially with CRT–based models. Also, screen brightness, even with the best models, isn’t quite as good as with direct–view sets; some RPTVs can look a little washed out under direct lighting and have a slightly more limited viewing angle.

Most RPTVs sold today are HDTV–capable and feature a wide variety of audio and video inputs. You can find RPTVs ranging from 42” to 70” in size, from manufacturers like Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony; pick the model that best fits your individual viewing needs.

How CRT Rear Projection TVs Work

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Converging the Picture

Light from the red, blue, and green CRTs combine (converge) to create white. The CRTs must be converged across all points of the screen, which can sometimes be a little tricky. To properly converge a projection set, you have to display a set of cross–hatch lines onscreen and then use the set’s service controls to adjust the red/blue/green settings across all the lines. It’s possible to have a set converged properly in the center of the screen, yet be off convergence in one or more corners. The process is necessary, however, because a misconverged picture will display green or red or blue fringing around the edges of objects.

How DLP Rear Projection TVs Work

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How LCD Rear Projection TVs Work

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How LCoS Rear Projection TVs Work

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No Screen Doors

In an LCD, the wiring is fit into the spaces between the pixels, which results in wide gaps and the possibility of a “screen door” effect. In an LCoS, the wiring fits behind the glass backpane. This results in more tightly spaced pixels, with less–prominent gaps between the pixels—and no “screen door” effect.