PROJECTOR HISTORY

LCD projectors were the first to be introduced in the display market. In fact the first LCD-based projector was launched in 1989. Five years later in 1994, Texas Insruments introduced the DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) that would be the engine of all DLP projectors. Incidentally, the first DLP projector was launched in 1995.

LCD Projectors: Strengths

• Richer color dynamics for better results in rooms with ample ambient light 
• Draw less power
• Throw less heat
• No color filter wheel = No "rainbow effect"
• Slightly quieter Seemingly sharper image on data 

DLP Projectors: Strengths

• Smoother video
• Smaller box
• Pixels far less visible, (although normally not an issue for business use)
• More “film-like” on DVD and HDTV
• Generate "blacker" blacks
• Higher contrast  

LCD Projectors: Disadvantages

• More visible pixels
• Screen door effect on certain video images 
• Physically larger - Even for the same number of lumens
• Poorer contrast
• Blacks come out lighter gray than DLP projectors

DLP Projectors: Disadvantages

• Rainbow effect bothers some
• Color saturation
• Need more lumens than LCD, for rich colors, when dealing with ambient light

LCD投影機投射圖像中像素點的間隙要比DLP投影機明顯，尤其是低分辨率產品。

DLP投影機：對比度高，黑白圖像清晰銳利，暗部層次豐富，細節表現豐富；在表現黑白文本時黑色黝黑純正，文本清晰，尤其是一些小字號文本時非常清晰，但色彩飽和度不好，色彩表現不夠生動。

LCD投影機：圖像色彩飽和度好，色彩層次豐富，但在文本邊緣大都有陰影和毛邊，在近距離觀察大尺寸圖像時，可以明顯分辨出像素點間隙，尤其是一些SVGA產品更加明顯。

在顯示動態視頻圖像，LCD投影機顯示彩色圖像時更加清晰，色彩更加生動，而DLP投影機在顯示一些暗部場景時更加清晰，細節更加豐富。

3000多小時的使用後，LCD投影機與DLP投影機的實際投影表現，以強調 DLP投影機的優勢。LCD面板在經過長時間強光照射後，由於光學系統先天上的技術瓶頸，會產生明顯的圖像衰 減，如投影圖像偏藍等，或出現大面積暗點、對比度降低等。一般LCD投影機在經過3千多小時的使用後，就會出現上述狀況，而且更換燈 泡也無法改善，而DLP投影機平均使用壽命達10萬小時，在投影機壽命期間，不會出現光學性能退化的狀況。