Craig, Craig, oh Craig,
Right. Front projectors, or for that matter any digital displays, cannot beat a good, properly calibrated CRT RPTV in blacks and absolute contrast ratio. However, in pretty much ALL other aspects, FP readily beats RPTV in my opinion. I've watched the Mits 73" many times -- in fact, it was one of the top candidates before I discovered the FP. The other day I watched the 73" in my local UE again, and frankly, it brought me a big smile -- I simply felt "superior" that I went with FP.
For me, the biggest drawback of RPTVs is its "dithered" screen and its quite a narrow viewing angle (especially the vertical angle). The screen dither really gives a "video/TV" look to the picture. Viewing angle may not be a big issue for people who pretty much sit still when watching movies, but for slackers like me, who wants to lay down on the sofa or even on the floor while watching, it is highly frustrating to see the brightness variations. Oh, and the 73" box is nearly 3-feet deep; it completely dominates even a generously sized room. The big box won't do too much good to the Axiom sound, either.
In reply to:
I want my movies to look like film, not video. That is REALLY important to me.
This comment pretty much nails it, doesn't it? -- Craig, you do have to go with the FP then. And you really need to see the FP in action, in order to appreciate its unique virtues (and take your BF, too -- he may well change his view). It is the only display method that produces a truly "film-like" image. After all, the IMAX theater is front-projected, right?
