CRT: never was a large display other then projectors that although had great quality their complete lack of brightness rendered them obsolete to even very early LCD. I have a VERY high line CRT projector out back if anyone wants it for no apparent reason. No it does not work. Not to mention needing 16 hours to coverge one was insane.
Its dead and there is no going back.
DLP: Does not rival other technologies like plasma or newer LCDs as:
1. It is NOT a flat screen technology, only projection. I dont care what the two sets are or the person looking at them, 99.99% of the time, a flat panel Tv (LCR or plasma) will look better then a projection TV. Human nature, brighter is better.
2. Almost all sets are only single chip DLP which is substandard to the more modern LCD panels coming out. The last hiding place was contrast ratio and LCD has made considerable strides to fix this.
Other note, 3-Chip DLP is fantastic. We have used several $20K+ projectors that are 3 chip and they are beautiful.
Also contrast ratios in projection are not taken from the display but at the source. Think of the difference between crank and wheel horsepower. There can be a world of difference. On that note there are no regulations such as in the automotive industry to stop marketing departments from making engineering claims about things like contrast ratios. You can see this alot in these $1000 projectors that claim a 5000:1 contrast ratio. However as they are only 1000 lumens and the screen is grey or white, the real measure of contrast done on a screen is rarely higher then 15:1 unless the lights in the room are completly off.
LCD: Not cheap at over 46", plasma is really cheaper at even 42" and up. There is no LCD above 50-ish that is actauly availble. Plasma goes to 103" although it is very expensive. LCD is the only current technology that is front projection, rear projection and flat panel. This makes it VERY attractive to a manufacturer as you will not have to R&D/support multiple technologies. Back light will eventualy fail.
Plasma: Reflective glass surface...thats about the only real problem with it but its a big one. The other is image retention which is alot better then it was but it can still happen. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN FROM PLAYING A VIDEO GAME FOR A FEW HOURS!!!.
Plasma is not made in smaller sizes, although they are trying to make some 32" plasma next year. I doubt anyone will care.
Every consumer needs to keep something in mind, stats and specs should be used to determine what signals you want to look at...THATS IT.
Do not rule out any display by the primary technology it uses. This is foolish. The range in quality of plasma LCD, and DLP is staggering.
With speakers, the only thing that really matters is your ears. Same theory can be applied to a TV. Let your eyes be the ultimate judge. Other then that, if you want to play 1920x1080p material, make sure the system can handle it. Make sure if you want HDMI connectivty that you know which HDMI it is. Just about everything else is a war between marketing departments