
Introduction
If you’re looking for a TV screen measured in feet and not in inches, then front projection HDTV is for you. The large and flat screen size of front projection will give you the most movie theatre like experience out there. However, like the movie theaters, stray light can significantly reduce the quality of video. This is why basements and rooms with no windows are ideal for setting up a front projection TV in a Home Theater Network.
Upside
- Large screen
- No reflections are glare
- The ultimate flat panel, zero thickness
- Best dollar value on a per inch scale
- No fixed aspect ratio
Downside
- Stray light from windows and other sources will reduce video quality
- Installation and placement
- Short lamp life
- No built-in TV tuner
What To Look For
The What to Look For information in the HDTV section can also be applied to front projection television too. One notable difference is that a front projection’s resolution is measured using computer terminology. See the chart below for a detailed description of what the resolution terminology stands for.
Acronym | Description | Resolution |
SVGA | Super Video Graphics Array | 800 x 600 |
XGA | Extended Graphics Array | 1024 x 768 |
SXGA | Super Extended Graphics Array | 1280 x 1024 |
UXGA | Ultra Extended Graphics Array | 1600 x 1200 |
QXGA | Quad Extended Graphics Array | 2048 x 1536 |
WVGA | Wide Video Graphics Array | 852 x 480 |
WXGA | Wide Extended Graphics Array | 1366 x 768 |
WSXGA | Wide Super Extended Graphics Array | 1600 X 1024 |
WUXGA | Wide Ultra Extended Graphics Array | 1920 X 1200 |
WQXGA | Wide Quad Extended Graphics Array | 2560 x 1600 |
Different Projection Technologies
Similar to rear projection HDTVs, multiple display technologies exist in front projection HDTVs. They include:
The front projection HDTV technologies mentioned above work the same as their rear projection counterparts. The differences are only in how the video is projected. Use the links above to see how the different technologies work, and what their upsides and downsides are.
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