which technology really has the best picture

Dbw1,

My $0.02 worth. The first thing I would do in your case is decide on screen size. If you are sitting 12' from the display, a 50" screen size is going to look like a postage stamp, especially in the context of a 21' long room.

I sit 9' - 10' from my screen. Currently have a 61" TV, but am planning on replacing that with a 71" TV- I'm a victim of the display size shrinks over time phenomenon!

IMO, if you want to try and recreate a theater experience, you need to size the screen accordingly. I suggest a screen size of 70" or larger.

Given you cannot control ambient lighting, I would avoid a front projector unless you want to get two displays, one for daytime and a FP for nighttime, but that ups the financial ante.

So I would look at RPTV versus flat panel. AFAIK, in this screen size, RPTV is notably less expensive. If you do go with RPTV, I would look at DLP versus LCOS (SXRD from Sony, DiLA from JVC), but not consider rear projection LCD or RP CRT. DLP and LCOS each have their own strengths and weaknesses. One is not better than the other, but individual preferences will lead people to prefer one over the other.

Good luck,
Bruce

If you don't have to have a flat panel, I wouldn't buy one. The SXRD by Sony has a great picture, and a more than reasonable price. If you read AVS forum, you will find that most of the flat panels have problems (banding, clouding, burn in). Not so for the SXRD. The Mitsubichi DLP is right there as well, but DLPs are not for everyone.

Northwoods-maine, I use a Sony as well, but it's an LCD. I thought it was the best taking all things into account. Better than plasma on some points, inferior on others, but overall, it was my preference; although, I thought the Panasonics gave it a run for its money. LCD's don't have the brightness of plasma, but I find the plasma pixels so large and obvious that I find it annoying. Like most pepole, I believe that CRT is the best picture, but the current version is dead, forget it. The market doesn't want it, and they don't come in large sizes. The reason why SED is getting so much hype is because it is a CRT based technology. So you get all the advantages of CRT, but in a flat panel. If it's properly priced, no other current technology will have an advantage over it on any point. And as far as waiting 5-10 years, the head of Toshiba said he plans to put it on the market in less than two, and he said that a year ago. Whether it's true or not, we'll see. It's OLED's that you will be waiting 5-10 years for.

Plasmas have the best image quality

I recall a visit by the head of Sony in which he said 40" was the limit of high quality CRT technology. My current monitor is a Sony 36 XBR.

I've toyed with the idea of a 70" SXRD RP, but after seeing a demo of Sony's new SXRD FP (VPL-VW50), I've concluded that a combination of a 50" plasma (Panasonic or Pioneer Elite) for casual viewing with a 100" pull down screen for movies etc. is the way to go. Nothing seems as immersive as FP right now, but the ambient light problem makes it unsuitable for casual viewing.

db