If you are at the stage in your life where you are planning of buying a home theater projector that you will connect to your HDTV tuner, then you had probably done some researches and reviews so that you will have the needed ideas making any decision. Then you will probably be aware also that there are actually two technologies competing and making their ways into your budget.

They are LCD and DLP projectors. Both of them are suitable to be used for home theaters, but the function and the results they produce definitely differ from each other. And if you are not an expert or if you don’t go and ask around, you might be in the danger of purchasing something that will not yield the results that you would like in the first place.

At the present times, Digital Light Processing or DLP technology has overcome and surpassed the drawbacks and limitations of the usual LCD technology that is used in projector lamps. The use of DLP technology came into the front when it replaced the poor and somewhat blurred quality image that is produced by LCD. Because of this recent technology, a sharper and clearer image of what you are watching for is obtained.

The projection system of DLP works based on a DLP chip. These actual chips are made up of several micro mirrors that are in turn made up of aluminum so that the purpose of reflecting light and forming clearer and brighter pictures. These micro mirrors are arranged so as they will look like a matrix and each mirror represents a pixel that is meant to refine the image quality that we see.

Another thing to note about DLP is that its projectors tend to be lighter and smaller, it has better contrast and unlike LCD, it does not suffer or have the same pixelation problems. Although there is one problem that has been reported by some users of DLP. It has something to do with the way it works, sometimes, at a given instance, the image one sees on the screen is blue, red, or green. And although these colors appear very fast and instant, some may not even notice them. But for those who do complain of eye-strain and headache.

One other essential advantage of the DLP tech is the Brilliant Color Technology. This is when the light generates white light that is directed toward the chip which in turn filters on its surface and separates the white light into a minimum of at least three other colors: blue, green, and red. In actuality, almost 16.7 million of colors are produced by just a single chip in the projector system of DLP.

Furthermore, DLP-based projectors also have a higher contrast ratio and efficiency in the use of light. Contrast ration is comparing the ration between the darkest black and the brightest white that any projector can produce. Ideally, a better contrast ratio will lead to a better black level, and eventually, a more true to life presentation of the darker scenes in most TV programs and videos.

But of course, like any other thing, this goodness of the DLP technology also has its share of drawback. Although it is offering better performance at a certainly lower average cost, some issues are also attached to it. And one of the most common of it is the lamp life which is actually based strictly on the usage. The estimated average life span of a DLP lamp is between 1000-2000 hours. This is due to the quality of the lamp which can actually and dramatically varies according to the brand that you will buy. So, obviously and expectedly, lower usage would definitely lead to a longer interval of replacement.

Excerpt from: The Technology Called DLP