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Posts with tag Rear projection

Will tough times give RPTVs one final breath of life?

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 11:49AM


People love their money, sure, but people still love their style. A thought-provoking article over at CNET has us pondering whether or not these tough economic times will actually increase sales of thick RPTVs during the holiday season. After all, the desire for high-def isn't apt to wane while the belt tightens, but consumers may begin to sacrifice thinness in order to finally bring home a big screen of their own. In our estimation, we can't say in good faith that we think CRT / RPTV sales will skyrocket while flat-panels struggle, particularly when you realize just how cheap these wall-mountable sets will be on Black Friday and during the run-up to that final week in December. It's a cute gesture, but we're still saying the heartbeat for chunky sets is growing weaker by the day.

[Thanks, Anthony]

Samsung's 61-inch Samsung HL61A750 RPTV gets reviewed

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 22nd 2008 at 1:27PM


You're probably dusting the dirt from your spectacles as we speak, but yes, the set you see above is an RPTV. You know, those not exactly wafer-thin rear-projection TVs that used to be all the rage? This 61-inch set provides an awful lot of screen space for not a lot of dough (comparatively speaking), and as with most sets with a little junk in the trunk, picture quality was seen as "excellent" in a recent CNET review. On the downside, off-angle performance was expectedly poor and there was no 2:3 pulldown for SD sources, but the positives here far outweighed the negatives. For under $1,800 (way under in some places), you can get 61-inches of LED-backlit goodness in your den -- just have to make room for it, is all.

[Thanks, Matthew]

Survey says: LCD and plasma TVs highly reliable

by Conrad Quilty-Harper, posted Nov 3rd 2007 at 6:03PM

LCD and plasma TVs are far more reliable than older rear-projection types, according to a report by Consumer Reports. On average, only 3% of flat panel TVs need repairs, with the majority of those repairs being free thanks to warranties. Rear projection TVs had a far higher repair rate of 18%, probably due to the limited life of the bulbs contained in these TVs. When flat panels TVs did need an out of warranty repair, they cost around $260 for LCDs, and nearly $400 for plasmas, with rear projection TV repairs costing around $300. The report also called out expensive extended warranties, saying that they're only worth it if you're particularly paranoid and they're cheaper than any possible repairs.

Luminoz screen could lead to uber-slim RPTVs

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 12th 2007 at 1:48PM

Just hours after getting wind of Sony's plans to unveil a three-millimeter OLED, Luminoz is claiming that it has "developed a screen that can reduce the depth of a rear projection TV to about 12-centimeters." Apparently, the newfangled screen "eliminates the need of a large mirror that is necessary in the existing rear projection TVs," and as if the space savings weren't spectacular enough, we can also expect increased contrast ratios. Reportedly, the firm is hoping to inject its screen into 65-inch or larger rear projection televisions, and if all goes as planned, commercialization should occur sometime next year.




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