Rear projection vs. Direct view (1 Viewer)

[Andy Kim]

Hi,

I'm shopping around for a TV.

I was thinking about the Sony Vega's. They are pretty pricey however.

I noticed that Sony also has rear-projection TV's that are much larger than the Vega's top 36" however the price is almost the same...why is that?

For example the Sony Vega 36" will be about the same price as a rear-proection 43".

I know the Vega's picture is much clearer but there must be some other differences between direct-view and rear-projection TV's such as shelf/tube-life that I don't know about.

Can someone fill me in and provide me with some advantages and disadvantages of each?

Thanks

Andy

 

[Hugh M]

a 38" RCA widescreen directview weighs around 300 pounds. (cost $2K)

a 65" Mits. WD-65000 (rear pj dlp) is 300 pounds. (cost $15k)

cost isn't the point here with this comparison. But you can see that a rather large RPTV is the same weight as a 38" wide directview set. some of the price is affected there, shipping cost, materials, etc.

also big directview sets are harder to find, and probably harder to make. especially at high resolutions. XGA is about as high res as large sets can get these days, whether 1376x768 in widescreen models (W or UXGA??) or 1024x768 in 4:3 sets.

If you can find a directview set that suits your needs, go for it. If you need something bigger, and can't drop a load of cash on a Plasma, then the RPTV's are a good alternative.

 

[DaveF]

Here's what I've gathered from HTF and shopping with my brother-in-law for his RPTV:

- Direct View have larger viewing angles than RPTVs

- Direct View are brighter than RPTVs

- Corrolary: RPTV are at much higher risk of phospher burn-in than Direct View TVs. Search this part of the forum for information and prevention methods for this.

- RPTVs have larger screen sizes for a given cost or weight

- Reason: RPTVs essentially have three small, but very bright, TVs inside (3 CRTs) which are then imaged, via lenses, onto the screen. Often, the same size CRTs are used for different sized RPTVs; the size difference is due to the cabinet and imaging lenses. But a Direct View TV requires a CRT the full size of the visible screen. And it's easier, cheaper, and lighter to make three small CRTs than a single large CRT.

- CRT-based RPTVs and Direct Views have the same lifetimes, if taken care of. The newer RPTVs based on LCDs seem to use bulbs for the illumination; bulbs have lifetimes measured in the 1000s of hours. So, a bulb may need to replaced during the life of the TV.

- I've noticed people describing RPTV images as "film-like" and Direct View images more vibrant or video-like.

I believe all that is correct. Hope this helps.