Do you want a really big HDTV image? If youre in Las Vegas this week, maybe you can get into the NEC exhibit at the ShoWest 2006 conference at the Ballys and Paris Hotels. The company will be showing their STARUS line of projectors. The top of the line unit is capable of displaying an image 49 wide or wider. Oh, and thats 49 feet, not inches.

These are DLP projectors designed for digital cinema applications. The American movie theater industry has finally started to convert to digital displays in earnest, which promises to make movie distribution faster and easier, and less expensive for the movie studios because they wont have to create costly film prints. And since the digital data cant wear out the way film does, you can watch a movie at the end of its run without encountering scratches and splices.

Why should you care about digital cinema cinema if youre an HDTV fan? Because this also signals the inevitable transition to digital production for video entertainment, from the camera right through to the screen, whether its a movie theater screen, or a living room display, or a cell phone.

Confused about how big an HDTV you need for your room? Check out Professor Poor's Guide to Buying HDTV.