Which HDTV is Right for You? Flat Screen or Projection

HDTV has come along way in the last couple of years. The flat screen seems to get all the hype, but projection TV has been slimmed, too.

Flat panel HDTV has had unbelievable performance gains in LCD and Plasma technology in recent years. The advantages go well beyond the space saving wall mount.

Today, HDTV flat-panels have a dependable long-life and there is no lamp replacement. Both LCD and plasma HDTVs are generally rated for 60, 000 hours of enjoyment. This is the equivalent of viewing 6 hours per day for over 20 years.

HDTV flat panels now have a brighter picture to overcome the glare of daylight or room lights. LCDs are the best here because plasma screens tend to reflect room lights.

Flat panel HDTV also has a wider viewing angle and manages to maintain good color and contrast even when viewed off to the side. Plasma HDTV are a little better at this than LCD.

Projection HDTV

If you want the best money can buy, and you are not cramped for space, a projection HDTV may be the way to go.

In addition to larger screen sizes, rear-projection HDTVs offer:

A user-replacement lamp that restores your HDTV to like new picture quality, it only takes a few minutes to replace the lamp and almost anyone can do it. The average lamp life is from 5, 000 to 8, 000 hours. This is the equivalent of 2.5 to 3.5 years watching TV about 6 hours per day.

High quality rear-projection HDTV out performs almost all flat panel HDTV in the areas of contrast and black level performance. These big screen models are some of the best out there using these criteria.

For maximum picture quality from high-definition sources, especially HD DVD and Blu-ray, your TV needs the highest picture resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels. The top-selling 50 1080p projection models now start around $2300, so this is a little more affordable for 1080p options.