Rear Projection Televisions Shortcomings

Lamp Replacement: This is the biggest detraction to rear projection televisions because lamp replacement can be expensive. A typical replacement lamp for DLP, LCD and LCoS costs at least $200. Most rear projection owners will have to replace a lamp every 3-5 years. Owners of CRT rear projection have an added disadvantage in that when one of the three guns (red, green, blue lamps) goes bad, it is recommended to replace all three to keep the colors balanced. Replacement of those lamps is even more expensive because a professional technician is likely needed to install and calibrate the lamps.

Price: Prices for some 40-50" rear projection models are creeping below $1000, which means that buying a big screen for the family room won't necessarily put anyone in bankruptcy court. However, prices for DLP, LCD and LCoS start at around $1500. Sizes above 50" can cost thousands of dollars. Generally, it is safe to assume that the higher the price the larger the screen size.

Overall Size: Rear projection televisions are big, which is why some people call them big screens. They are generally large, heavy and occupy a lot of floor space. If they don't fit on the floor then they'll need to sit on a table of some sort, which will take up floor space. This can be an issue when trying to change cables, rearrange furniture or fit in small spaces. A good rule of thumb is to expect at least one foot of thickness up to �e length of the TV. Some of the larger models can occupy 8-15 square feet of floor space depending on the screen size.