In the front projection screen market widely adopted in home theaters, Full HD 1080p will become the mainstream resolution specification in 2009, says Taiwan-based DLP projector maker Optoma.

According to research by Pacific Media Associates, worldwide shipments of Full HD projectors are expected to reach 200,000 units this year, up from 167,900 units in 2008. In addition, Optoma expects Full HD shipments to grow by 40 percent this year compared to the 9,986 Full HD projectors it shipped in 2008.

By 2011, worldwide Full HD front projector shipments are estimated to have staggering growth to about 5,154,000 units.

On another note, it will be interesting to see when 120Hz refresh rates become mainstream in this market as well.