I’m a flat-panel guy, and I tend not to share the stubborn enthusiasm of my colleagues here at Insight Media for rear-projection television (RPTV). But even my skeptical heart beat a little more quickly when our friends at Pacific Media Associates (PMA) reported on Tuesday "that unit sales for rear projection HDTVs in North America reversed the slumping sales figures from earlier in the summer, and jumped 30% for units and revenues in August.".

Ken Werner
Senior Analyst and Editor
of HDTV Retailer and
Mobile Display Report

Pacific Media VP Rosemary Abowd said, "The overall average street price rose by 0.5% in August. New models from Sony and Samsung appeared on the market, and buyers chose to buy newer models with higher price tags, rather than close-out models with reduced prices."

Full high-definition (FHD or 1080p) models increased their market share to 61%, even though their ASP was roughly $1,000 higher than that for 720p sets. Sony’s new 60-inch SXRD was the best-selling model in August, while Samsung retained top spot for revenue and unit shares overall, PMA reported.

The problem with RPTV sets is that most people really don’t want them. What they want is a large, FHD flat-panel LCD or plasma TV. But many people will accept an RPTV if it’s full high-def and a lot cheaper than a similarly-sized flat panel.

So what’s wrong with RPTVs? First of all, if you’re talking about high-quality models, like the Sony SXRDs, the image quality can be excellent. But the cabinet is deeper than for flat-panel TVs, the viewing angel is significantly less, the brightness is often marginal for well-lit rooms (particularly in larger screen sizes), the limited lamp life and high replacement cost are definite deterrents (if first-time purchasers think about them), and color break-up is an issue for a significant minority of viewers in relation to sets based on DLP technology.

True, the roll-out of LEd illumination sources will solve the lamp-life and color break-up problems, and probably help make cabinets thinner. (See my colleague Steve Seachrist’s Display Daily from October 24th.) But RPTV still has a lot to overcome, so it has to complete on price. And it can’t be just a little bit cheaper than plasma; it has to be a lot cheaper. Laser light engines may help that happen, and they’re getting fairly close to commercialization.

But there is one thing in RPTV’s favor. When the buyer gets a set at a good price, dims the room lights, places a chair at no more than a modest angle from a line normal to the screen’s surface and makes sure his or her eyes are at the level of the set’s "sweet spot," the buyer will enjoy a high-quality picture and will probably still be able to pay that month’s mortgage payment. That’s why RPTV ain’t dead yet.