Moments of Clarity: Front projectors put viewers in theaterlike setting

Kirk Baird

Monday, June 6, 2005 | 8:14 a.m.

When Gary Caico began building his dream home theater nine months ago, he figured a large plasma-screen TV would do nicely.

Then he saw a front projector.

Similar to a cinema film projector, a front projector emits an image on a white screen or even a wall. About twice the size of a phone book, a front projector is often mounted out of the way on a ceiling, or it sits on top of a sturdy table.

With a picture approximately 50 inches larger than the plasma, and an image as good, if not better, the front projector seemed an easy choice for the bodyshop manager for Integrity Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

Caico (pronounced KY-co) purchased a $1,499 InFocus front projector, which projects a film-quality image onto a 110-inch screen.

"With a screen that size, it puts you into the movie," Caico, 50, said in the darkness of his home theater, with the only light in the room coming from his front projector.

"It has a crystal-clear digital picture. People are shocked by the clarity."

Considering Caico's home theater has all the attractions of a movie theater - a popcorn popper, shelves stocked with candy, a nacho cheese dispenser, a freezer filled with ice cream, a soda machine, stadium-style seating and an exit sign above the room's only exit - his front projector and screen seem more at home.

When the popcorn machine is running, in fact, smoke from the machine wafts in front of the projector, giving the home theater even more of a cinematic feel.

The front projector handles more than DVDs, though. A satellite system is connected to the projector, and Caico said he and his family often gather in the room to watch "American Idol," or friends come over to watch pay-per-view boxing matches.

"I get a lot of company on weekends - people who have DVDs they want to watch," he said. "You do create a lot of friends that way."

Front projectors come in two types: LCD (liquid crystal display) and DLP (Digital Light Processing), a proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments, which is also used in digital cinema projectors.

Typically, LCD projectors are cheaper, while DLP projectors offer a better overall picture.

While there are no sales figures on the popularity of front projectors (sometimes called "home projectors"), recent technological updates and price reductions have made them much more appealing, say home theater experts.

"They're great. It really is the most high-end way to view video," said Al Griffin, senior reviews editor for Sound & Vision magazine, during a phone interview from his home in New York.

"The experience of watching a movie on a front projector is similar to watching it on a film projector."

The main benefit of front projectors over plasma and rear-projection TVs is size.

While the average screen size of a front projector is 100 inches diagonally, the largest rear-projection TV is 80 inches, and the plasma another 20 inches smaller than that.

And front projectors can be connected to almost any type of media -- DVD players, VCRs, DVRs, cable, satellite, video game systems and computers -- producing a sometimes larger-than-life image.

"Once you've experienced that (front-projection screen), it really is hard to go back to a smaller TV," Griffin said. "That's the way movies are supposed to be seen -- as large as possible."

Cost also factors into the front projectors' favor. A front projector can be had for $1,000, compared to $2,000 or more for a plasma or $1,200 for a rear-projection TV.

"They are less expensive now and a lot of people are buying them," said Kim Pasquarello, president and owner of Premiere Home Entertainment, 2300 N. Rainbow Blvd. "The first DLP I had on display five years ago retailed for $10,000. Now, for something that looks better, you'll spend about $2,000.

"They're improving them so much, a lot more manufacturers are making them."

Of course, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for. In this case, a $1,000 front projector has its flaws.

"You can't buy a cheap projector and get a screen and hope for results as good as a big screen. It isn't going to happen," said Richard Hollingsworth, director of sales and marketing for Abbott's Audio & Video, 4601 W. Sahara Ave.

Instead, invest between $2,000 or more on a state-of-the-art, high-definition front projector, as well as a fixed screen, which costs between $900-$1,400 depending on frame style, fabric and size.

Even spending $5,000 on a front projector and $1,400 on a 100-inch fixed screen, the total cost for both is still cheaper than $20,000 for an 80-inch rear-projection TV or $10,000-$15,000 for a 60-inch plasma.

"You get a larger and truly better picture for the same amount of money as those devices," Hollingsworth said.

But there are drawbacks to front projectors.

Much like their film counterparts, front projectors work best in the dark, where the projected image isn't blasted invisible by light.

While newer models handle light considerably better than older or less-expensive models, the standard rule for front projectors is the less light in the room, the better.

Most audio-video specialists recommend a dedicated home theater for a front projector, where the room has little or no access to outside light or, at the very least, the ability to block out the light.

The bulbs to the projectors also have to be replaced usually after 2,000-6,000 hours, depending on use. (Using the front projector four hours a night, for instance, would keep the bulb working for two years.)

While a replacement bulb costs anywhere from $250-$600, the projector itself might last a decade or more, compared to a plasma or rear-projection TV that has a typical life span of between 5-7 years.

There are some additional considerations before purchasing a front projector, too:

Front projectors don't have speakers, so an audio system -- receiver, speakers at minimum -- is a necessity, and is easily connected to the front projector.

And most likely a professional will need to install the front projector and correctly calibrate its picture. The process usually takes a day or two and can cost from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars, depending on the extent of installation, including wiring and mounting the front projector into the ceiling.

Although there are several benefits to a front projector over its plasma and rear-projection TV counterparts, the choice ultimately comes down to the buyer's needs.

"If he watches a lot of news and TV shows during the day, he would be better off buying a plasma or rear-projection TV," Hollingsworth said. "And if he watches a lot of movies in a dark room and he wants a better picture, he should invest towards (a front projector)."