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Optoma Projector:
For many home theater enthusiasts, a theater isn’t really a theater unless
you have optoma projector. Until the advent of the plasma flat panel , projectors were really the only choice for big screens
(bigger than the approximately 40-inch limit of CRT direct-view TVs, at least).
And while 60-inch plasmas are now on the market, you still need optoma projector
system to get a really big picture. (Front-projection screens can be as big as
10 feet or more across!)
But projection systems don’t need to break the bank either. Rear-projection
systems (RPTVs) are perhaps the best value in home theater, at least in terms
of bang for the buck. For a few thousand bucks — or even less, as new technologies
like DLP (Digital Light Processor) begin to saturate the market —
you can get a picture as big as a plasma, in full HDTV glory. You can’t hang
one of these units on the wall, but visually, the picture is at least as good as
(and often better than) plasma, for thousands less. In particular, RPTVs are
much better than most plasma displays at reproducing blacks on-screen,
which means you get superior reproduction of darker scenes when you’re
watching movies or television.
Choosing between front and rear optoma projection
The first big decision to make when evaluating projection systems is, for
most people, the easiest: front or rear projection. We say this is the easiest
decision to make because we find that most people choose a rear-projection
system. They are cheaper (generally speaking, though high-end rear projectors
can definitely cost more than low-end front-projection systems), and
they are easier to set up and integrate into your home theater.
Having said that, let’s define the difference between these systems. It’s quite
simple, really:
Front optoma projection: A front projector is very similar to a movie projector
(except it doesn’t use film). It includes a projector unit (which is usually
mounted on your ceiling but can also be on a lift, on a floor mount, or in
the rear wall) and a separate screen. Video sources (such as DVDs,
cable, and satellite TV) are routed into the projector, which then turns
these signals into light. Then, the light is (ding ding ding, you guessed it)
projected onto a separate screen that’s mounted on a wall at the front of
your home theater. Figure 14-3 shows a front-projection system.
Rear optoma projection: These are the traditional big-screen TVs that have been
sold for years and years. If your Uncle Vinnie got a big screen back in 1987
for Superbowl XXI, this is what he has. Now some people, having seen the
lousy, washed-out picture on Uncle Vinnie’s TV, think that rear projectors
trade picture quality for size. Nothing can be further from the truth. A
good-quality, well-set-up rear projector can offer an awesome picture. A
rear-projection TV (or RPTV) has both parts of the front projector (the
projector and the screen) in a single, all-in-one box, and the projector illuminates
the back of the screen instead of the front.
Now, we’ve already come right out and said that for most people — most
people, not all people — rear- projection systems are probably the best
choice. As we mention earlier, the lower cost and easier setup make rear optoma projectors
more consumer-friendly. (You don’t have to spend nearly as much
time getting the projector properly aligned and aimed at the screen with a
rear projector — though you do have to spend some time doing this.) But
with the advent of new, computer-based technologies such as DLP (Digital
Light Processor) chips, front projectors have begun to drop in price from the
stratospheric to the reasonable (well under $2,000), and
the setup of these new systems is easier, too
Selecting a projection method
As you move past the rear- versus front-projection decision, you’ll find that
you really haven’t decided anything at all. Four main technologies that are
currently on the market do the actual work of converting electrical video
source signals into light that can be projected onto the screen. Each of these
can be found in either front- or rear-projection units. Keep in mind, however,
that new variants of these technologies, as well as entirely new ways of projecting
video, are being invented all the time.
Catching On To The Cathode Ray |
CTR |
Deciding on a DLP |
Deciding on a DLP 2 |
Deciding on a DLP 3 |
LCD CTR |
LCoS |
Projecting with LCDs |
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