DLP
Digital Light Processing is a technology trademarked by Texas Instruments and used in many rear-projection TVs. The heart of the DLP technology is a chip covered with about a million microscopic mirrors. A light source is aimed at the mirrors and each mirror reflects a pixel to create an image that can contain millions, or even trillions of colors.

One of DLP's advantages over plasma and LCD techonology is it can be used to create a much larger screen. Movie theaters in the future might replace their 35mm film projects with DLP projectors. DLP screens are very bright and also have good reproduction of blacks.

Some of the drawbacks? DLP screens are not as thin as LCDs and plasmas. Also, the light source on the DLP will last one to three years. You have to replace the light source at a cost ranging from $99 to $350. However, newer DLPs use longer-lasting LED light sources.

Some people also report eye strain, headaches and migraines from watching DLPs. Of course, Simon Cowell is known to have that effect on people.

[Some industry people claim the rainbow effect is the result of bad marketing and the imaginations of consumers, but Managing Editor Denise Amrich experienced this quite clearly on a DLP, which was immediately returned in favor of an LCoS. - DG]

LCoS
LCoS, or liquid crystal on silicon, is also used for some rear-projection TVs, most notably Sony and JVC models. Lcos is sort of a hybrid between DLP and LCD. Instead of using a slew of tiny mirrors, it has a single mirror. Pixels are rendered by shining light through a panel of liquid crystals.

LCoS displays are capable of much higher resolution than LCDs, with good reproduction of blacks, brightness and color quality. Like DLPs, the light sources can be expensive to replace.

Digging through the clutter
I'm not sure if I've made it any clearer for you as to which kind of HDTV you'll want to buy. Ultimately, there doesn't seem to be a clear winner among all these competing technologies. Each has its tradeoffs.

My advice is to buy your TV from a retailer that will let you take it back after you've had a week or so to try it out at home. That way, you can gauge how well your HDTV presents your favorite "benchmark" movies, TV shows and video games.

When you're dropping a few hundred to a few thousand on a new set, the last thing you want is four-to-eight years of buyer's remorse.

[When we bought our 65" HDTV last year, we went through four separate TVs. The first two caused rainbowing that made Denise nuts, the third died within a week, and we've been extremely happy with the Sony LCoS we've had for the past year. It was an insane month, because upgrading to HDTV also involved upgrading the amp, TiVo, and much more. The result was worth it, but wow! - DG]

Heather Wardell received her first Palm handheld in 1997 (from a boss who couldn't get the hang of Graffiti) and has never looked back. She worked in banking as a systems analyst for four years, and then moved into elementary education, teaching computers at a private elementary school for four years. Heather is now a full-time women's fiction writer, and her first novel, "Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo" is available for free download through her Web site at http://www.heatherwardell.com.