Technology Explained: DLP vs LCD
LCD projectors
LCD projectors take the source of light and split it into three beams. Each beam passes through its own LCD panel. The LCD panels each have hundreds of thousands of tiny pixels, the higher the resolution, the more pixels. Data determines whether light is allowed to pass through each one.
One panel is a red filter, one a green, and one a blue filter. The light is then recombined, using a dichroic prism. The combined image, now in full colour, passes through the lens and onto your screen.
DLP projectors
(except 3 chip). Again, start with a light source but instead of passing light through an LCD panel, it is reflected off of a DLP chip (which has hundreds of thousands of tiny mirrors), which modulates the light. A colour, spinning wheel (referred to as a colour wheel), combined with timing, allows the light to come out the correct colours, and pass through the lens on its way to the screen.
The vast majority of DLP projectors use a single monochrome DLP chip (officially DMD for "Digital Micro Device), and the aforementioned spinning colour filter wheel to generate colours. Unless specifically noted, when this series of articles refers to DLP projectors, they are discussing single chip models. There is another group of DLP projectors, 3 chip models. These are currently at the top of the food chain, in terms of performance, whether for business or home theatre, but as they currently start with selling prices in excess of £4000, are not widely used, except in high end home theatre, screening rooms, and commercial applications demanding the best performance. Three chip DLP projectors function more like LCD projectors. The light source is split into 3 beams. , Light is still reflected off of the DLP chips instead of passing though as is done with LCD panels, however, like with LCD projectors the three beams are recombined into a single beam and pass through the lens. It should be noted that 3 chip DLP projectors often use the exact same DLP chips that are used singly in one chip models.
