The Unsung Bargain of the Flat Panel World

Have I got a hot tip for you. I was speaking with Alfred Poor, author of the HDTV Almanac, and he convinced me that the best value/quality proposition, especially for bigger sized TVs, are rear projection models. Now hear me (and him) out before you say anything more.

Recently, Hitachi, Seiko/Epson, Philips, and Sony all bailed on rear-projection TVs. The companies are getting out of the business. That leaves Samsung, Panasonic, and JVC committed to the rear-projection market for now.

Poor's argument is that rear-projection TVs are great, however, they get a bad rap for a number of reasons. Retailers never display or discuss them well with customers because all of the demand is for LCD and plasma models. Rear screen is always thought of as a bulkier TV, but in fact it's not. New models are small and light enough to be placed on tabletops or inside home-entertainment centers. They use DLP, LCoS, or LCD technology instead of the bulky picture tubes that were so chubby. Barely deeper than the plasma and LCD models, the new ones, like the Samsung HL-S5087W 1080p DLP TV, feature a "hidden speaker," thin bezel design, and a 1080p picture.

Rear screen gets a bad rap because the old ones required that you replace the expensive lamp every few years. The older sets were also a bit dim because the projector lamp was not bright enough. New sets use better technology, like LiFi from Panasonic. Its light source won't burn out or lose brightness, and it gets bright quicker than most TVs. A 61-inch Panasonic LCD rear-screen system with 1080p sells for $2,200.

This week, Best Buy is selling the Panasonic PT56LCZ70 56-inch 1080p LCD rear-projection set with the solid-state LiFi lamp that never needs replacement for $996.99. Sony and Mitsubishi 52-inch 1080p flat-panel LCD HDTVs go for about $2,600 and up, and 50-inch 1080p plasma HDTVs go for about $2,300 and up. The 57-inch Mitsubishi DLP rear projection (1080p, but has a standard lamp) is $1,599.99 at Circuit City this week. These prices are about $1,000 less than smaller flat panels.

For more on why rear screens make sense, see Consumer Reports.

Retailers and marketers should get 30 lashes for not making rear-projection TVs the best alternative for those looking for low cost, large, and handsome TVs. They're too heavy to hang on the wall, but most people don't hang their TVs on the wall after all. And these babies have lost their baby fat.

Thanks for the tip, Alfred.