Micro-display, mega picture TV

With high-definition televisions flying off the shelves at ever-lower prices, you don't have to be wildly adventurous or wildly extravagant to become a high-def household. You do, however, have to decide which type of TV to buy.

LCD, plasma and rear-projection micro-display sets have their own characteristics and strengths, yet each has also had certain weaknesses.

LCDs, for example, are slim and light, with minimal reflections off the screen, making them good choices for a brightly lighted room. But despite improvements, LCDs still can't match the wider viewing angles and deeper blacks of plasma sets.

Known also for their accurate colors and minimal blurring of fast motion, plasma TVs are nonetheless heavy — and they're just now catching up with the movement to 1080p, the highest form of high definition.

Then there's rear-projection micro-display. TVs using the DLP, LCoS, and LCD micro-display technology provide the least expensive, easiest way to get a big-screen experience.

Today's micro-displays are slimmer than the hulking pro-jection TVs of a few years back. Most have screens 50 to 65 inches and up. The $2,000 or so you'd spend on a 40-inch (or larger) LCD set or a 42- or 50-inch plasma set will get you a 50- to 56-inch rear-projection set. And many new models have 1080p resolution.

Your viewing pleasure

Televisions with 1080p resolution have more pixels than sets with lower resolution, often labeled as 720p in stores. That gives them the potential to display all the detail in a high-definition signal, including the new high-def DVDs. You'll pay more for 1080p, though, and the differences aren't easily noticed on all types of programming or on 42-inch or smaller screens — unless you're up close.

None of the 22 rear-projection models we recently rated is smaller than 50 inches, and several are 1080p sets. In past tests of rear-projection micro-display sets, no technology — DLP, LCoS, or LCD — was consistently better than another. Models based on DLP technology might have image artifacts that appear as colored streaks, especially in scenes showing bright objects on a dark background. Viewers sensitive to this "rainbow effect" could find it annoying.

Mega micros

Four Toshiba sets, all using DLP micro-display technology, topped our ratings.

Two 62-inch models — the 62HM196 ($2,500) and the Cinema Series 62MX196 ($2,900) — are 1080p sets with fine detail and excellent picture quality. The Cinema Series 62MX196 has a few more features, while the 62HM196 has better sound.

Two 56-inch, 720p Toshiba sets — the 56HMX96 ($2,300) and the 56HM66 (at $1,800, it's a CR Best Buy) — did almost as well in our tests. The 56HMX96 has more features than the 56HM66, including an Ethernet input port, user-adjustable color controls and a channel-guide menu.

If you think you might be turned off by rainbow effect from a DLP set, consider these two LCoS models from Sony: the 55-inch Grand Wega KDS-55A2000 ($2,700) and the 60-inch Grand Wega KDS-60A2000 ($3,000). Both are 1080p models with fine picture quality that's generally detailed and clear, though not quite as good as the top-rated Toshibas.

Extended protection

All our rated sets carry a one-year warranty on parts and labor. Our survey data show that micro-displays have been more repair-prone than other TVs in their first year or two. Also, rear-projection TVs require periodic lamp replacement (a special bulb creates the light necessary to project an image onto the rear of the screen), which costs about $200 to $350. Because of this, you may want to consider buying an extended warranty. We suggest paying no more than the cost of one bulb or 15 percent of the TV's price, whichever is less.