Projectors - LCDs v DLP: the battle continues

In the competitive world of digital projectors, two types reign supreme - the LCD (sometimes also called the 3LCD) and the DLP. But which is better? And what are the pros and cons of both types?

DLP - the market leader

Judging by the number of models available, DLP is the market leader. But many of the best selling projectors are LCD models, partially because they do tend to be a little cheaper than DLP models.

DLP (Digital Light Processing) works in a very different way to LCD. The DLP chip is a reflective surface made up of thousands of tiny mirrors, with each mirror representing a single pixel. Light from the projector's lamp is directed onto the surface of the DLP chip. The mirrors tilt, directing the light either into the lens path to turn the pixel on, or away from it to turn the pixel off.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is the older of the two technologies, and has developed extensively over the past few years. Each LCD projector contains three separate LCD glass panels, one each for the red, green and blue components of the video signal. Each panel contains thousands of liquid crystals that can be aligned in open, closed or partially open positions to allow light to pass through.

DLP has the advantage in that it has a sealed imaging chip. This eliminates the possibility of dust particles landing on the imaging plane, which would be magnified and cause a distortion on the projected image. LCDs do not have sealed panels, so can suffer from ‘dust motes' being projected onto the final image. However, in DLP projectors, the imaging chip is the only sealed unit, which can mean that the projector can suffer from a build up of dust on other components. In particular, dust can build up on the colour wheel, which may affect colour and image quality. Whether you decide to go for an LCD or DLP projector, choosing a model with dust filters fitted may prolong the life of your projector and cut down on maintenance and servicing costs.

LCD - tried and tested?

LCD has been around for longer than DLP, and as such has a provenance and reputation for reliability. They also tend to be cheaper than DLP projectors, which can be a deciding factor for smaller companies. Anti-LCD camps have claimed that LCD suffers from ‘burn-in'. This refers to permanent damage that can be suffered by CRT or plasma phosphor-based displays. Once a static image has been etched onto a phosphor display through long-term exposure, it cannot be removed. Contrary to popular belief, LCD projectors do not suffer from burn-in - when image persistence occurs, it is usually temporary and can normally be erased by displaying a white screen for a while.

The other issue is the degradation of the image over time. This is often where the biggest debate rages between the two camps. DLP tends to suffer less than LCDs from the pixelation of images over time, but LCD manufacturers have countered this by developing smaller interpixel gaps, making any so-called ‘screendoor' effect less noticeable. LCD has had longer to develop its technology, so the shortcomings that it may have had in the beginning as compared to DLP have been eradicated through research and development of the LCD technology.

It really boils down to price and function. How much you want to pay for your projector and what you want to use it for should dictate your decision. Both LCD and DLP technologies are rapidly advancing, and to be honest there is very little to choose between the two as they currently stand.

Article Source: Articles World

About the Author

IT247.com has one of the UK's largest catalogues of IT, consumer electronics and related accessories, at highly competitive prices and best availability.
Alison Brundle
Design Co-Ordinator
alison.brundle@scc.com
www.it247.com

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