If your home theater system dictates a very large screen (80” or larger), you have a single display choice: front projection.
A front projection television (FPTV) is a two–piece system, utilizing both a projector and a screen. The projector unit is positioned several feet in front of the large fabric screen, behind or to the side of the audience. Images are projected from the projector unit onto the screen, much the same way a movie projector displays images on a movie screen.
The size of the picture in a front projection system depends on the size of the screen, the capabilities of the projector, and the distance between the projector and the screen. Larger displays require more advanced signal processing (such as line doublers or triplers) to eliminate visible scan lines in the picture.
Today’s front projectors can be driven by a variety of technologies. High–end systems typically use three small CRTs (one each for the red, green, and blue components of the picture) to create the image. Lower–priced units use either digital light projection (DLP) or liquid crystal display (LCD) microdisplay technology. CRT–based projectors produce higher–resolution pictures, but at a higher price; microdisplay–based projectors produce a brighter picture from a smaller unit—and at a lower price.
In an FPTV system, the projector unit can sit on the floor (on a stand) or be mounted on the ceiling; wherever it is, it needs to be carefully installed and calibrated for the best picture. Front projection systems are tricky to set up and typically require professional installation. They also require separate television tuners and sound systems because there’s not much extra built in to the projection unit itself.
The main advantages of front projection are size and the capability to deliver on a true theater experience; if you need a super–large picture, this is literally the only way to go. FPTV’s disadvantages are numerous—you need a dark room, you must have a narrow viewing angle, you might need to use the services of a professional installer, and it’s costly. Entry–level FPTVs are priced similarly to high–end RPTVs, but prices on higher–end FPTVs can get into five figures and higher.
