You can only get a picture that big with a front projector and a separate screen, and the biggest news is that prices have fallen dramatically. In fact, the Optoma that we're watching here costs about a thousand dollars.
But you need to watch a projection TV in a dark room, otherwise the video washes out and it's hard to see.
If a plasma or L.C.D. T.V. is a better fit for your home, Consumer Reports just evaluated more than 90.
Both can give you a great picture. But plasmas usually do a better job with dark scenes, while L.C.D.'s look better in a bright room. Here's why:
"In bright light L.C.D.'s actually absorb the light so you hold your contrast, whereas plasmas reflect all the ambient light so you lose the contrast and your black levels become brighter," said Chris Andrade with Consumer Reports.
But L.C.D. T.V.'s generally don't look as good when viewed from the side, and Consumer Reports' tests show L.C.D.'s can have difficulty with fast-moving images.
Here you can see the image blurring.
"That can be a problem if you're watching programming with fast-paced action like a football game. But some L.C.D. T.V.'s now have technology that speeds up the T.V.'s frame rate, which can help reduce blurring," said Jim Willcox.
One of them is this 52-inch Toshiba Regza. It has excellent picture quality, and at around $1,400-dollars, it costs $500 dollars less than a similar set a year ago.
Plasma T.V.'s have also come way down in price. Consumer Reports found a 50-inch plasma from insignia for under $700-dollars.
