Rear Projection TV - if You Are Really Into Television, That the Bigger the Screen the Better, R

If you were passionate about television and believed that a bigger screen always meant a better viewing experience, rear projection TVs (RPTVs) were once a popular choice. Before flat-panel displays became ubiquitous, RPTVs offered a way to enjoy large-screen entertainment at a more accessible price point than early flat screen televisions. These televisions projected images onto the back of the viewing screen, providing an immersive experience for many households.

What Was a Rear Projection TV?

The term "rear projection TV" comes from the fact that the television sends the image onto the viewing screen from behind it. This differs from a movie theater, where the image is projected onto the front of the screen from a projector located behind the audience. At the time, advances in rear projection TV technology led to a variety of models that offered large screen sizes for home viewing.

What Were the Main Types of Rear Projection TVs?

CRT Rear Projection TVs

Many early rear projection TVs used Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) technology, similar to standard television sets of the era, but adapted to project a larger image. While these units were quite large, especially as screen sizes increased, they offered certain picture quality benefits. Viewers could often experience better blacks and colors. However, if the image was not properly aligned, this type of rear projection TV could sometimes produce improper color blending.

LCD-Based Rear Projection TVs

Another type of rear projection TV was based on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology. It's important to note that this was different from the LCD used in flat-panel screens. This type of rear projection TV offered several advantages, including a smaller unit size compared to CRT models, along with high contrast and brightness in the picture. However, some disadvantages existed; occasionally, the image could appear slightly fuzzy, a phenomenon sometimes described as "watching TV through a screen door."

DLP (Digital Light Processing) Rear Projection TVs

Digital Light Processing (DLP) represented a newer technology in rear projection TVs. As the name suggests, the television image was digitized and processed to deliver a great picture quality, often without some of the disadvantages of the earlier types. One common issue reported with DLP rear projection TVs, however, was what was known as the "rainbow effect," which some viewers might notice if they quickly shifted their eyes from the TV screen to the surrounding room.

If you were considering a large-screen television, it was always advisable to find a reputable dealer, explain your viewing needs, and personally compare the different types of rear projection TVs available. This hands-on approach ensured you could select the best and biggest viewing experience for your home with the technology available at the time.