I've said for a long time that if you want to watch TV or movies at large size, an HD projector plus a good-quality screen is a much better answer—in theory at least—than an HDTV. Now theory is becoming reality.
Sometimes solutions to puzzles come in a flash, often when you aren't even trying to solve the puzzle. A case in point: My sudden realization that my next TV should be a projector.
I've been saying for a long time that if you want to watch TV or movies at large size, an HD projector plus a good-quality screen is a much better answer, in theory at least, than an HDTV. A projector's core advantage is that it will give you a much larger, high-quality image than a TV at a much lower price. But my ideal setup doesn't exist yet, so I had the idea filed under something I'd eventually do at some vague, future time. What suddenly hit me is that even though my ideal isn't available yet, perfectly usable solutions are.
There are several pieces to this particular puzzle. Start with one fact that you probably already know on some level but without ever thinking about the implications. If you're connecting your TV to a cable box or the equivalent, you're not using it as a TV; you're using it strictly as a display. You have no use whatsoever for the TV tuner inside the TV, because you're changing channels by way of your cable, FIOS, or satellite box.
The second key piece is that to a video source—whether it's a cable box, Blu-ray player, or iPod—a projector is just another display. Connecting to a projector is just as easy as connecting to a TV, and it gives you the same result: the ability to display the image.
Of course, you also need sound. Well, some projectors include sound systems. For those that don't, odds are you already have a sound system, in the form of a stereo, somewhere near your TV. We have three TVs in our house, with sound systems sitting next to two of them. (Guests have to do without a stereo, but I'm not thinking of putting a projector in the guest room either.)
The next key piece is one that most people don't realize: Chose the right screen and you can get a bright, high-contrast image, even in a well-lit room. Most people just assume that if there's much light in the room it will wash out the screen. If you think that's true, refile it right now under Things you know that ain't so. (As in: It ain't what you don't know that hurts you; it's what you know that ain't so.)
Without getting into the weeds, I'll just mention that there are screens that effectively swallow up ambient light, screens that can enhance contrast, and even screens that make an image brighter. The right screen will give you an eye-catching image even with the lights on. The right screen will give you an eye-catching image even with the lights on. (To get a sense of the variety of screen materials and how they vary, take a look at this list of materials from one screen manufacturer.)
What's stopped me from using a projector as a TV until now is that I've always thought in terms of an ultra short throw projector—meaning one with a lensing systems that lets it throw big pictures with the front of the projector just inches from the screen. With a standard lens, a projector has to be far enough from the screen so you have to worry about people casting shadows when they walk around the room. Ultra-short throw projectors avoid that problem.
I've reviewed several ultra-short-throw models over the years. (If you're curious about them, take a look at my reviews of the Hitachi CP-A100 ($2,495 street,
,), Sanyo PLC-XL50($2,500 street, 
), and NEC WT610 ($6,000 street, ) From the moment I saw the first one in action, I pictured it taking the place of a TV—sitting on top of a table-high cabinet, right in front of a screen mounted on the wall. Unfortunately, all of the models I've seen were designed as data projectors. This means that they're optimized for data images rather than video. So I've been biding my time, waiting for ultra-short throw home theater projectors.That's all background. Here's my flash of insight: As I write this, I'm halfway through testing an Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 8100. (Keep an eye out for the review.) As part of what we sometimes refer to as the touchy-feely side of testing, I wanted to visually compare the image quality directly with a reasonably good LCD TV in various lighting conditions. I lugged the projector to my family room at home, set it up on an ottoman, connected it to my FIOS box, set up a makeshift white screen, and made a point of comparing the TV and projector images at various times of day under different lighting conditions.
Image quality was pretty much what I expected. Even with my makeshift screen, the projector image was more than usable under all lighting conditions, including bright sunlight streaming through the windows. At night, with the lights dimmed or off, it was comparable to the TV.
More important, when I set the projector up, I immediately found out something I should have realized before. With the projector less than 6 feet from the screen—close enough so you don't have to worry much about people walking in front of it—it threw a 60-inch diagonal image. That's a lot smaller than the 90- to 100-inch diagonal that I always had in mind, but when you consider prices, the projector is easily competitive with a 60-inch TV. (And have you ever tried to move a 60-inch TV or mount it on a wall? It's not just the weight that's a problem; the size gets in the way too.)
With those two observations in mind, all the pieces clicked into place. The next time I go shopping for a TV, I'm bringing home a projector.
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