Front Projection vs. Rear Projection: With Regard to Light Control...

[Hillside Trece]

I started thinking about something with how it relates to front projection setups and rear projection setups, being that they're both based on lamp-driven technologies, etc. and had a question...

It's pretty much agreed upon that to get fully immersed in a front projection setup, the room needs to be completely dark, or close, with a great deal of light control -- but would the same apply to rear projection sets? I'm wondering if that's why I don't really enjoy my SXRD rear pro all that much -- especially during dark sequences in films -- when the room isn't nearly pitch black; when we run a small table lamp in our room during film watching, there is a distracting glare at times during dark sequences in films on the SXRD screen, and it got me thinking about how rear projection technology should be similar to front projection with regard to light control...

Is this thinking skewed or does it make sense?

[Beta Man]

Lower light in the room is beneficial to all display types.... but the Front projection/Rear projection parallels aren't as similar as you think.

The reason light is such a "no-no" for Front projection setups is because the light has to travel through the room and be displayed on the screen..... any light that is already in the room washes out the picture or is cast on the screen to wash out the picture..... the light is all contained within the unit on a rear-projection set like the one you're describing.....

Two totally different animals, but again, light in any proper viewing environment is frowned upon.

[Hillside Trece]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Lower light in the room is beneficial to all display types.... but the Front projection/Rear projection parallels aren't as similar as you think.

The reason light is such a "no-no" for Front projection setups is because the light has to travel through the room and be displayed on the screen..... any light that is already in the room washes out the picture or is cast on the screen to wash out the picture..... the light is all contained within the unit on a rear-projection set like the one you're describing.....

Two totally different animals, but again, light in any proper viewing environment is frowned upon.

Thanks Beta...

I was kind of hoping you wouldn't say what you did in your response, as now I am uncertain as to why I don't like the light hitting my RPTV -- except, of course, that it is most likely what you describe with regard to all displays benefitting from a dark room...

I had a feeling the front and rear projection technologies were different in terms of light control, but I just wanted to ask...

Is it remotely possible that what I experience in dark sequences on my screen when there is no light control is somewhat related to "projection" technology in general? In other words, when I watch films on this 50" set, and there are dark sequences in films, the screen appears to viscerally shrink in impact if there's even a small light off to the side of the viewing position...I figured eliminating the light from my room would be the same as why people with front projection setups eliminate all light...