Which is better for what? That's the real question. Each display format has advantages and disadvantages which should be considered, and take quite a while to actually grasp.
1. CRT is excellent for interlaced video presentation. It is designed around video, and does a great job with it. Plus, the contrast ratio of CRT is phenomenal. Colors tend to be good and the image is bright. But, it is heavy - VERY heavy, this adds to cost, increases shipping weight and may make it unruly to position. If an image larger than about 36 inches is necessary, forget it, and the price of CRT is swiftly becoming the same, or more, than LCD at the same size. Primarily due to weight/amount of materials issues. As well, CRT can suffer from burn-in which is rare, but does occur if a static image (video game) is left on screen for a VERY long time.
2. LCD - This technology can be very bright and has good daytime contrast. Light enough and slim enough to hang on a wall. Color is typically excellent, but off center they can look a bit worse. These are a progressive scan display which makes them ideal for not only 720p and 480p television, but excellent for hooking to a computer. No burn-in is possible with LCD, but the biggest issue seems to be a fairly high price to quality level as well as some of the LCDs having slow response time which can make movement that should be smooth, blur on screen.
3. Plasma - Once you get up to 40" and beyond, if you are talking flat panel, plasma is almost the only option. A few LCD panels hit 46" and Sharp has a 60" monster, but LCD is not very price competitive at this level. Plasma is generally considered to have a better overall image than LCD, but not as good as CRT - but CRT can't touch the size. Hang it on a wall, hook a computer up, etc. plasma is very versatile and can produce an excellent image. But, burn-in seriously affected early models and can still be an issue if people aren't at least a bit careful.
4. Rear projection technologies such as DLP, LCD, and LCoS all tend to offer a very good image in a shallow depth. Not as slim as plasma or lcd flat panels, but at about 12" they are still a lot less cumbersome than their CRT counterparts. The biggest advantage? Size for the dollar! You can get very large screens without paying a ton of money. Downside? Their image is not as bright as flat panels or CRT direct view televisions. They can have brightness issues if there is a lot of light in the room. They also have bulbs that need to be replaced once every 2,000 to 5,000+ hours of usage (2+ years typically). Sharp image though! Progessive format hooks up to computers nicely, and the cost savings may keep several grand in your pocket.
5. Front projection LCD, DLP, LCoS - Yes, you really need a dark room. Not kinda dark, but really, really, REALLY dark for the best image. But, once you have that dark room it is like being in a movie theater. Easily produce a 100" diagonal image with a $1,000 projector! Absolute best bang for the buck in terms of price per square inch of video. Lightweight and very immersive. But, once again, bulbs need to be replaced ($300+ each) once every 1,000 -> 2,000 hours (1-3 years typically). And again, if your room isn't dark, the quality of the image drops significantly.
6. CRT rear projection - Big - HUGE boxes! But, for the money, they tend to be less expensive for the same screen size as rear projection LCD/DLP/LCoS. The image uses 3 separate guns inside the projector which have to be carefully aligned and may get seriously out of whack if you don't know what you are doing. They must regularly be aligned (converged) at least once every 6 months to have a good image and even then it typically doesn't look as sharp as LCD/DLP/LCoS. It most definitely is not as bright as the other rear projection technologies. But, for the money, it looks really good and in a dim room and properly calibrated, the image can be very tough to beat. Keep in mind the weight may exceed 150 pounds on larger CRT rear projectors though and take up 24" of depth in your room!
7. CRT front projection - Dead. Basically this isn't used anymore. The very weight and limitations of CRT front projection has killed it. To much maintenance, to finicky of a setup, not enough versatility. Incredible - in fact phenomenal image when setup correctly - but setting it up correctly may cost as much as a decent entry level LCD/DLP/LCoS projector does on its own which doesn't need that setup at all. And, that setup should be repeated every year at least.
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