What is DLP™ Technology?
Digital Light Processing™ (DLP™) technology was invented by Texas Instruments™ in 1987 and today is the world's only all-digital display solution and a key ingredient in the best digital projectors available today. DLP™ technology uses an optical semiconductor to recreate source material with a fidelity analog systems cannot match.
DLP™ technology is a revolutionary display solution that uses an optical semiconductor to manipulate light digitally. It's also a proven and dependable technology preferred by leading electronics companies worldwide, with more than 2 million systems shipped to more than 50 manufacturers since 1996. DLP™ technology is in use wherever visual excellence is in demand. In fact, it's the only display solution that enables movie projectors, televisions, home theater systems and business projectors to create an entirely digital connection between a graphic or video source and the screen in front of you. The result is maximum fidelity: a picture whose clarity, brilliance and color must be seen to be believed.
How does DLP™ work?
1. THE SEMICONDUCTOR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
At the heart of every DLP™ projection system is an optical semiconductor known as the Digital Micromirror Device, or DMD chip, which was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments in 1987. The DMD chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 1.3 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair. When a DMD chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect an all-digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DMD and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call Digital Light Processing™ technology.
2. DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING I: THE GRAYSCALE IMAGE
A DMD panel's micromirrors are mounted on tiny hinges that enable them to tilt either toward the light source in a DLP™ projection system (ON) or away from it (OFF)-creating a light or dark pixel on the projection surface. The bit-streamed image code entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel. In this way, the mirrors in a DLP™ projection system can reflect pixels in up to 1,024 shades of gray to convert the video or graphic signal entering the DMD into a highly detailed grayscale image.
3. DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING II: ADDING COLOR
The white light generated by the lamp in a DLP™ projection system passes through a color wheel as it travels to the surface of the DMD panel. The color wheel filters the light into red, green, and blue, from which a single-chip DLP™ projection system can create at least 16.7 million colors. And the 3-DMD chip system found in DLP Cinema™ projection systems is capable of producing no fewer than 35 trillion colors. The on and off states of each micromirror are coordinated with these three basic building blocks of color. For example, a mirror responsible for projecting a purple pixel will only reflect red and blue light to the projection surface; our eyes then blend these rapidly alternating flashes to see the intended hue in a projected image.
4. APPLICATIONS AND CONFIGURATIONS
1-CHIP DLP™ PROJECTION SYSTEM
Televisions, home theater systems and business projectors using DLP™ technology rely on a single DMD chip configuration like the one described above. White light passes through a color wheel filter, causing red, green and blue light to be shone in sequence on the surface of the DMD. The switching of the mirrors, and the proportion of time they are 'on' or 'off' is coordinated according to the color shining on them. The human visual system integrates the sequential color and sees a full-color image.
3-CHIP DLP™ PROJECTION SYSTEM
DLP™ technology-enabled projectors for very high image quality or high brightness applications such as cinema and large venue displays rely on a 3-DMD-chip configuration to produce stunning images, whether moving or still. In a 3-chip system, the white light generated by the lamp passes through a prism that divides it into red, green and blue. Each DMD chip is dedicated to one of these three colors; the colored light that the micromirrors reflect is then combined and passed through the projection lens to form an image.
Why choose DLP?
For videophiles as well as video gamers this technology is the obvious choice:
1. NO BURN-IN
a) NO BURN IN from extraneous devices such as video games with built-in hard-lined patterns.
b) NO BURN IN from station/network logos, scrolling cable channel lines such as on screen guides, music channels, info bars on news channels, sports score updates, stock tickers or other framing sources.
c) NO BURN-IN from horizontal or vertical black bars causing uneven screen wear due to different aspect ratio displays.
Burn-in ... Phosphor burn ... Screen burn. What is it?
Screen burn-in can damage displays that rely on a phosphor coating on the screen &emdash; plasma TVs and rear-projection CRT-based TVs are the most vulnerable to burn-in, and it's less likely, but possible with direct-view CRT TVs. Burn-in can occur when a static image such as a video game, stock or news ticker, or station logo remains on-screen for an extended period. Over time, these images can become etched into the phosphor coating, leaving faint but permanent impressions on-screen. The chance of burn-in can be reduced or somewhat eliminated by properly adjusting a display's brightness and contrast settings, however with DLP™ technology this threat is NON-EXISTENT.
Note that this is not the same as the "break-in" period for new equipment. Burn in, phosphor burn, or screen burn are terms that describe cases when certain parts of the screen exhibit uneven wear from the rest of the viewing area. An analogy/demo might help...
Place a wide piece of paper on a window so that the paper covers the window and the excess covering the window frame/wall. This kind of mimics a 4:3 frame on a widescreen.
After a few days of exposure, remove the paper. You will notice that the area exposed is faded and the two sides not exposed are not faded. You should be able to discern the line of demarc between the faded and unfaded.... burn-in. By making the bars gray on the set, enough energy is being sent to the unused portion of the screen to help keep up with the wear on the rest of the screen. The wear rate will admittedly be different but should still help prevent burn-in. If the bar is turned black, then you increase the difference in the wear rates which consequently would also make it more visible. A simple graphic is given below to illustrate the effect of burn in (exaggerated for demo purposes):
Different wear rates cause
the gray/black bar areas to be a bit brighter than the rest of the
screen. Burn-in is very disturbing. You can't ignore it. It's not
something you get used to over time. Since you see it when you look
at the screen, it is very very annoying/disturbing. So, beware.
Plasma TVs are great for watching TV shows and DVD movies. However,
if you're a devotee of sports or news channels, or you play a lot of
video games, it's safest to steer clear of plasma. That's because the
ticker tape, channel logo or game controls that remain stationary on
screen can "burn" into a plasma TV screen's phosphor coating. You
don't want to see a ghostly channel logo floating in the bottom right
corner of every movie you watch. DLP™ technology is definitely
the right choice when considering the above factors.
2. BEAUTIFUL PICTURE
No other display solution can match the visual impact of Emmy
Award-winning DLP™ projection.
a) CLARITY
DLP™ technology comes closer than any other display solution to
reproducing the exact mirror image of its source material. That's why
images projected by DLP™ technology are always crystal clear.
The thousands of mirrors making up the Digital Micromirror Device at
the heart of DLP™ technology are spaced less than one micron
apart, resulting in a very high "fill factor." By minimizing the gaps
between pixels in a projected image, DLP™ projection systems
create a seamless digital picture that's sharp at any
size&emdash;without the pixellation or "screen door" effect apparent
in other technologies.
b) BRIGHTNESS
DLP™ projection systems outshine the alternatives because, being
mirror-based, they use light more efficiently. While other
technologies lose a certain amount of light in transit, the
microscopic mirrors in a DLP™ projection system bring more light
from lamp to screen. The difference is plain to see. With DLP™
technology, home entertainment becomes the visually stunning
experience it should be. Business presentations have maximum
impact&emdash;whether the lights are on or off. And large-venue
displays captivate their audiences with outputs of up to a whopping
15,000 lumens.
c) COLOR
DLP™ technology reproduces a range of colors up to eight times
greater than that of analog projection systems. In televisions and
home theater systems, DLP™ projection creates rich blacks and
darker shades than is possible with other technologies. At the
movies, DLP Cinema™ technology projects no fewer than 35
trillion colors&emdash;over eight times more than is possible with
film.
3. SMARTER PRODUCT
DLP™ technology is helping leading electronics manufacturers
improve the products you use every day. Learn why DLP™
technology enables products to be better designed, more reliable and
more versatile.
a) DESIGN
The Digital Micromirror Device at the core of DLP™ technology
can modulate light much more quickly than other display ingredients.
That means a DLP™ projection system only requires one panel,
while other technologies require three. The result is a projection
subsystem that is smaller and lighter, leaving ample room for
innovative design. So product designers can focus on making their
products lighter, slimmer and more elegant. Think slimmer,
wide-screen televisions that don't eat up the living room. And
portable projectors weighing as little as two pounds that are bright
enough for lights-on presentations.
b) RELIABILITY
DLP™ technology makes projectors, home theater systems and
televisions more robust and more reliable. The digital nature of
DLP™ technology means that, unlike other display solutions, it's
not susceptible to heat, humidity or vibration&emdash;environmental
factors that can cause an image to degrade over time. DLP™
projection systems display an original-quality picture time and time
again with zero hassle and minimal maintenance. And with more than 2
million systems shipped to more than 50 manufacturers since 1996,
DLP™ technology has a proven track record for outstanding
dependability.
c) VERSATILITY
DLP™ projection brings the same peerless visual standard to
entertainment, work, and play. Innovation and flexibility: As far as
we're concerned, you can't have one without the other. DLP™
technology fits into your life wherever visual experience is
important. DLP™ technology delivers stunning images in your
home, while DLP Cinema™ technology delivers unmatched image
quality in the movie theater. The projector you use for presentations
also works its magic in your living room&emdash;or even doubles as
the ultimate PC game enhancer for your kids (if they're lucky). And
the all-digital nature of televisions and home theater systems
featuring DLP™ technology makes them ideal for enjoying
television programming, the Internet, gaming applications and viewing
digital still images, all in one place.
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