DLP

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a technology developed by Texas Instruments and it works by projecting light from projector’s lamp onto a DLP chip, made up of thousands of tiny mirrors. Each mirror represents a single pixel and directs light projected onto it either into lens path to turn pixel on or away from it to turn it off. Most DLP projectors have only one chip, so in order to reproduce color, a color wheel consisting of red, green, blue and sometimes, white filters is used. The wheel spins between lamp and chip and changes color of light hitting chip from red, to green, blue. Each mirror on DLP chip tilts towards or away from lens path depending on how much of a particular colour light is required for that pixel at any given instant.

The key advantages DLP has in LCD v DLP debate is that DLP projectors tend to be smaller and lighter, have better contrast, and don’t suffer same pixelation problems as LCD projectors. There is one problem that some users report with DLP projectors, although it appears to only affect a very small number of people. Because of way DLP works, at any given instant, image on screen is either red, green, or blue. However, images change so quickly, that human eye doesn’t detect this and your brain puts red, green and blue images together to make a complete frame of video. Unfortunately, some people can see individual colours, and others can detect them enough to cause eye-strain and headaches. However, technology has improved significantly with introduction of six-color wheels and faster rotation speeds. The rainbow effect should be a problem for even fewer people. The best way to find out if you’re affected is to try out a DLP projector, perhaps by hiring one, before you buy.

Technology in both LCD and DLP projectors is improving all time. However, at time of writing DLP still has a slight edge in home theater market.