Video

Currently for home theater, there are four primary types of displays setups: Direct View, Flat Screen, Rear Projection, and Front Projection.  The following outline highlights examples of each, and also the positives and negatives of each.

Flat Screen

• Example: Plasma and LCD
• Positives: Takes up little to no floor space.  Very aesthetically pleasing.  Can be mounted anywhere.
• Negatives: Can be somewhat more expensive than other large display types of comparable size (e.g. in the 55″+ range), but prices are dropping VERY quickly on some sizes. 32 -37″ models are very affordable, and their prices declines have slowed.  40″- 52″ prices are dropping quickly. Not many negatives to speak of, other than for a given size, most manufactures have 3-6 models from which to choose, sometimes making selection difficult.

Front Projection

• Example: LCD, CRT, DLP, and LCoS  — come in both 4:3 and 16:9.  All home theater specific models are 16:9.
• Positives: Extremely large screen sizes possible (80″-133″ is common).  Takes up little to no floor space.  Prices can be comparable to rear projection (but they do span a very large range).  Picture is AWESOME, especially with the right screen material.
• Negatives: Set-up can be difficult, especially in non-dedicated home theater rooms.  Can sometimes be noisy due to the lamp cooling fan.

Rear Projection

• Example: LCD, CRT, DLP, and LCoS
• Positives: Larger screen size than direct view (generaly up to 73″), and usually thinner than a direct view TV.  Well priced, considering the screen size when compared with flat screen TVs, but the cost advantage is quickly eroding due to the plummeting prices of LCD and Plasma flat panels.
• Negatives: Now in 2008, there are very few downsides. They are thin (usually < 18″ depth), and relatively light.  Bulb replacement is one negative, but more and more sets are using LEDs for backlighting, which should never have to be replaced.  A new Mitsubishi models to be available for sale in 2009 will even use lasers.  For 55″ and smaller, these seem to be going extinct as well.

Direct View

• Example: CRTs — standard tube type of TV.  Can be 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio.
• Positives: Bright, sharp picture, no pixel structure, fits easily into some older home entertainment cabinets.  Inexpensive.
• Negatives: Heavy, bulky, limited to 40″ screen size for 4:3 sets, and 32″ for 16:9 sets.  As of the end of 2008, have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur except for very small sets (something you might put in a kid’s room).