Rear-projection TVs.(YOUR GUIDE TO HDTVs)

CR Quick Recommendations

The Ratings list models by performance. Quick Picks highlights models that you might want to consider based not only on how they scored but on factors such as price and features.

The Samsung (6) and Mitsubishi (12) DLP sets are 1080p sets, with 1920x1080 resolution. Both displayed very fine detail, with very good picture quality for high-definition and DVDs, but they cost more than sets with comparable overall picture quality. With any DLP TV, be sure you're not bothered by the rainbow effect--a perceived flash of color that some viewers may see when their eyes move along the edges of bright objects on a dark background.

Preliminary survey data show that microdisplays have been much more repair-prone than other TVs during the first year of use, so consider buying an extended warranty. CRT-based projection sets have been more reliable than microdisplays but less so than other TV types. The CRT-based sets we tested were unexceptional, so none are Quick Picks.

QUICK PICKS

For top high-definition picture quality:

1 Sharp $2,500