I'm sure this has been asked before but I couldn't find an answer by searching the new forum...

My friend recently purchased a Sony 40" LCD rptv and I noticed that the blacks weren't very, well BLACK, and it seemed to have a hard time keeping up with action during the Rose Bowl as there were artifacts (or blocky images) like ghost trails when a lot was happening onscreen. This could be due to his satellite because the picture improved considerably during dvd playback.

My question is, outside of the obvious size advantage and an apparent wider viewing angle, does lcd/dlp offer any visual advantages over crt based behemoths? I love their size and the options that affords, but I really wasn't all that impressed with the picture (I thought my 32" Ultravision had much better contrast and definition). Was it a bad set-up or am I missing something here. I'm also not completely convinced that manufacturers have a handle on this dlp thing yet (witness the new dlp2 - 7 wheel set now hitting stores). LCoS sounds promising but it is far too expensive and too new for my taste.

OK all you experts, what's your take on this? Do CRT RPTV's still offer the best picture (lord knows they are the cheapest) or do LCD/DLP sets offer a tangible advantage? This is regarding HD sets only.

Thanks in advance for your help.