Hi there, pretty new to the forum. Is the main benefit to the flat screen the space saving and is the picture quility that much better then a RP LCD. a 50" RP LCD is so much cheaper then a smaller sized flatscreen.

Thanks for the help
Dominic

Viewing angle is also a consderation. In my experience, it has been worse on RP than on LCD. Also, most LCDs swivel so you can turn the screen to compensate for poor viewing angles, while most RPs don't swivel.

Basically an RP allows you to get a much bigger screen for less money. The space they take up is a fraction of what the old CRT based screens used, though an LCD flat screen will still use less. Typically you're going to have a TV stand for either one so if screen size and price are most important to you go with RP.

Flat panel LCD and LCD projection are two very different technologies. Flat panel LCDs are made up of a gride of pixels that create the picture. LCD projection using a very small panel and projects light through it only a screen to create the larger image. Flat panel LCDs are superior in image quality, brightness, viewing angle, black level, etc. Basically, every area except for price.

If you need a bigger set for less money, I think that DLP is better than LCD projection. If you want a bigger set for more money, the Sony SXRD (LCoS) is quite good.

I have an LCD flat screen and an LCD rear projection. Both offer very nice pictures, although the flat screen is clearly better (for reasons mentioned above), which is why they are more expensive. However, I think the rear projection does a better job with SD progamming.