More and more viewers are turning to rear projection sets when it comes to purchasing a large screen TV. The sets are a great alternative to more expensive widescreen TVs and come in a variety of sizes, including 40- and 60-inch models, and are fairly affordable. Both Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) rear projection sets offer impressive image quality, HD capabilities and are definitely cheaper than Plasma sets.Rear projection sets operate by projecting images onto a screen, like in a movie theater. Projection sets require a darkened room for the best effect. The largest size for a rear projection set is about 70 inches. Although rear projection televisions tend to be rather large and unwieldy, installing these sets in your home theater is relatively simple.

Rear projection sets do not offer the flexibility of viewing that comes with a plasma set. The best angle for watching is in front of the set, at eye level. Any variation of position can lead to diminishing color, brightness and contrast. A 150-degree angle for viewing is what many rear projection sets offer, which is fine for most home theaters. Consumers should find out more about the angle factor before purchasing a set.

Glare can also be an issue with rear projection sets. If viewers utilize a screen saver to protect the screen, this can cause glare during viewing. It's okay to remove the screen saver, but the screen itself is extremely delicate and should be protected when not in use. The screen can be costly to replace.

Overall, rear projection sets require very little maintenance, with the exception of replacing the projector bulb. However, the bulb is pretty expensive - from $300 to $500. These bulbs tend to last from between 2000 to 4000 hours. The sets themselves start at $3000 for a good 46-inch DLP model. DLP, which stands for Digital Light Processing, is a form of TV technology whereby a source of light is reflected off of a chip. The chip is coated with thousands of very small mirrors that move to produce the images a viewer sees on the screen. These sets are good for watching HDTV and feature great image quality, with terrific contrast.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) models operate on the same technology used in computer monitors. These sets feature great resolution, but dark blacks can be a problem. This is because light is reflected through panels in the LCD display to light up the images a viewer sees while watching. Sometimes, the pixels in the set can result in a grid on the screen. However, the HD quality of these sets is very close to that in DLP sets.