However, the size of these LCD sets will probably top out in the mid-40-inch range due to the economics of the flat-panel manufacturing business. Above 46 inches, plasma and rear-projection technologies will be battling for market share.

VIEWING ANGLE

Manufacturers claim viewing angles of 160-170° for both LCD and DLP displays. The viewable picture at these extreme angles is quite impressive for both technologies. The picture on the LCD displays remained consistent throughout all viewing angles. This was not the case with the DLP TVs. Viewing a DLP set from various angles will impact the overall color accuracy of the image. There is a considerable shift in the tints when changing vertical positions. You will notice this if you shift positions (i.e., stand up or sit down) while watching your DLP unit.

Advantage: LCD. If having a sizeable "sweet spot" for optimal viewing pleasure is a must, then an LCD television is your best bet.
 

Advantage: LCD, with the following caveat: The LCD TVs will be brighter and have a distinct color accuracy advantage during the first few years of their lives (each sets has about a 70,000-hour lifespan). An LCD panel will slowly decay with time, as will its backlight(s). This decay will result in colors that slowly shift (towards more red or blue) over time. DLP technology, on the other hand, may not be quite as accurate, but the colors will not shift over the course its lifespan. The lamps can also be replaced in DLP units (sometimes easily), which should return them to their original brightness levels.

What Is The Estimated Life-Span of a DLP Television?
A DLP-based HDTV set should last indefinitely because the digital micromirror device behind it is very reliable. There is no maintenance or alignment required for DLP based sets as they age. The only consumer replaceable component is the DLP light source (lamp) which will last for 8,000 hours and costs around $250 to replace. The micro-mirrors used in DLP are not subject to degradation due to heat, humidity, vibration or "burn-in".

What size DLP TV screen should I purchase?
The optimal screen size to choose is a function of your viewing distance from the screen - usually constrained by the size of your living room. The "rule of thumb" formula to determine screen size is:

	divide the diagonal screen measurement in half to get an approximate screen height for 16:9 aspect ratio HDTVs
	multiply the height by 3.2 to determine optimal viewing distance for 1080i content, or multiply by 4.8 to get the optimal distance for 720p content.

For example, take a 720p Samsung 43" diagonal HLN4365W, the screen height is roughly 21 inches, which when multiplied by 4.8 yields 100.8 inches, or 8.4 feet as an optimal viewing distance. At a typical living room distance of 10 feet, this screen would be too small to see fine detail on the screen. Backing out the optimal screen size, 10ft is 120 inches, and dividing by 4.8, that would require a 25 inch vertical height, or approximately a 50 inch diagonal HDTV for optimal perception of the 720p screen resolution from 10ft.