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Q.
Should I Get a Video Projector or a Television for my Home
Theater?
A. Any modern television can be used in a
home theater system. In essence, if you already own a good,
working, television that has at least standard audio and video
connections in addition to a standard cable or antenna connection,
you have at least a basic way of viewing television and DVD
images. The question is whether you need to upgrade to a more
advanced television, or, in home theater lingo, a video display
device.
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Don't
Get Bogged Down With The Techie Stuff
Here is where consumers get bogged down with the terminology
and potential choices. Where once there was only the good,
old-fashioned 25-inch tube TV, now consumers have the choice
of not only a dozen sizes from 27-inches to 73-inches, but
also have to choose between tube, plasma, LCD, rear projection,
and front projection.
The size of the television or video
display device you get really depends on the size of the room
environment you will be using it in and how close you will
be sitting to the screen.
However, the decision as to what type
of television you get is a little more complex. However, no
matter what type of television or video display device you
purchase, make sure it is high definition compatible, even
if you don't access to high definition programming yet; this
will change very soon.
With specific reference as to whether
one should get a television-type video display vs. a video
projector, the main factor you have to take into consideration
is whether you intend to watch a lot of television programs
vs. DVD movies.
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Factors
To Take Into Consideration
Important factors to take note of when considering a video
projector vs. a television-type video display include:
1. Video projectors
do not have RF cable or antenna connections like a television
has. However, if your cable or satellite box has either S-Video,
component, and/or DVI (for HD components) connections you
would be able to hook them up to a video projector.
2. Video projectors
have a very limited bulb life. In other words, if you are
watching TV on your video projector about 3-4 hours every
night, you would have to replace the light source bulb about
once a year at 200-400 dollars a pop.
3. Due to the very
large screen sizes used in video projection, standard TV or
satellite do not look as good as they do on standard large
screen television. In addition, VHS looks very poor, due to
its low resolution. If you have HDTV-cable or HDTV-satellite,
you would get much better results.
Ideally, video projection really best
for viewing DVD movies and, if you desire longer bulb life,
limit your viewing to about 10 hours a week and your projection
bulb will last about two years.
If you are looking for a replacement
for nightly TV watching, it would be more cost effective to
buy a large screen rear projection television, LCD, or Plasma
set rather than a video projector.
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