LCD TV or Projector?

[Lyris]

Hey everyone,

Currently I have a 24" widescreen CRT but I'm planning to get rid of this soon and leave for progressive land

I can't decide whether I should get a 20-24" LCD TV, or a projector. I know very little about projectors but from what I hear, a good one is of a similar price to the size of LCD TV I'd want, and they seem to always be multi-standard.

Whatever equipment I buy it will probably be from the US because of the low $ at the moment, and for the fact that most of the equivalent UK models don't seem to support progressive scan (they have SCART inputs isntead of Component ones almost all the time). So for the TV I'd have to find one that accepted PAL video and also 220v, this seems to be much easier for LCDs because they have switchable power supplies (like the GameCube). I understand I wouldn't be able to use the RF input but that's OK, because I plan to hook up a Freeview decoder over S-Video.

I would just go ahead and buy the LCD TV, but the thought of being able to get an image the size of my entire wall and a much higher chance of PAL progressive support for a similar price is holding me back. Some questions:

Are most projectors multi-standard and multi-voltage?

Is it normal for them to accept PAL Progressive scan as well as NTSC (NTSC is my highest priority).

Is it true the bulb needs replaced, how often, and how much does this cost?

I'm guessing they also suck up more power than an LCD or CRT TV, am I right?

Does the room have to be totally dark for it to be worthwhile?

Thanks for reading!

[mid]

Firstly, most UK projectors should support at least VGA and probably component, so you don't need to import to get progressive scan.

The real question is where you're going to stick the thing. I'd heavily lean towards projection if possible, as you get a far larger screen for less money. But if you're setting it up in a bright area, or watch a lot of normal TV then you may have to go LCD. I've actually ended up with a 32" CRT, because my wife doesn't like watching films in the dark, and projectors look too washed out like that.

I would actually recommend supplementing your TV with a projector, rather than a full replacement, by the way - for everyday Eastenders watching a projector seems overkill, and practically no projectors have TV tuners in them anyway.