Rear Projection Televisions

So you have the desire to buy a flat screen rear projection television and have planned your budget accordingly. But, before you reach out for your wallet, try and understand how to match size and the technology to suit your needs and budget.

Here are some tips before you go ahead and make that big commitment :

Measure what you need : There are many rear projection big screen TVs which come in large sizes. Try and measure beforehand, the location where you will put up this giant screen TV. Also measure the passage through which you will take it to its final destination, the hallway and doorways.

Make sure that the proposed HDTV plasma or HDTV LCD is compatible with other HDTV sources like HD satellite receivers, HD digital cable boxes, and HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc players. For this, you should buy a set with a HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection)-compliant DVI input.

Usually people buy HDTVs looking at displays which are coming from organized sources, like you see in a TV retail outlet. You could try the display quality using a variety of materials like a mediocre cable or satellite signal. Remember any currently available HDTV rear projection TV can handle proper HDTV and DVD signals and display superb images, but can they handle difficult situations ? .

Take a DVD with you which has some very dimply lit images. Then try it on your proposed purchase model of rear projection TV. This way you can check out the black output quality. Can this TV reproduce the minute details in black ?

Walk around the rear projection televisions that you are considering buying. As you walk away to the sides, can you see the same quality of images, as you saw when you were standing in front of the TV ? also, when you compare the images of two different sets, ensure that you view them from the same vertical angle. A screen will always look darker and duller when it is at a greater distance above or below your eye level.

Familiarize yourself with the remote. You can be the king when you have a good remote in your hands. Is it convenient to use ? Does it have back lights or glowing buttons to help you when the lights are out, or you have to fumble to use it properly. Are the buttons user-friendly ?

Check the video settings: Check whether the video output can be adjusted in terms of contrast, brightness, color, tint and sharpness. You could repeat the tests, using a dimply lit movie for instance.