I'm looking to get a projector to use at home as we have the perfect spot for it: large room (about 11m long by approx 6m wide) with a big clear white wall onto which to project it onto.  Now I've been looking into projectors and it seems to come down to the two types LCD and DLP.  I've been researching into them a bit through wiki and google and the like but there doesnt seem to be much to split between them.  I was wondering if anyone has any projectors of their own and have an opinion as to whether one type is better than another and why?

Also, not that this is the main point of this thread, does anyone know where the best spot would be to buy projectors at a decent price?

I honestly have no idea so my opinion probably shouldn't be taken in high regard BUT based on a quick wikipedia search on the 2 types you mentioned, it would appear that LCD is the superior and more modern technology than DLP which seems like an almost ancient method of data projection.

LCD uses a light source which is split into 3 primary colours and passed through liquid crystals which are stimulated by small electric currents and in turn limit the amount of red/green/blue in each pixel to produce an image.

DLP uses a similar light source which is split into 3 primary colours (depending on the type, single-chip projectors take turns sequentially flashing red, green and blue lights which can sometimes be seen as a flickering of each individual colour) and has a series of mirrors which rapidly rotate in order to reflect the colour on to the display or not.
Since DLP has literally hundreds of thousands of moving parts (up to 3 mirrors per pixel) and can possibly cause the 3 colours to flicker it seems like it might be the poorer choice.

As I said, I haven't compared either of them in action but based on this information it would appear that LCD was the way to go if you want a longer lasting and better quality device.

DLP's a lot better apparently

Unless you're going to be using it for professional displays it won't make too much of a difference either way.

LCD usually has richer colours than DLP and the image is very slightly sharper (not that the DLP's image is blurry or fuzzy) which is better for highly detailed displays. LCD is also more efficient as it takes less power to run a lot of the time.

LCD however is prone to pixelation and are often shunned by home theatre enthusiasts as the black level and contrast are not quite so impressive. XGA projectors have better resolutions, so more pixels and thus less of a "screen door" pixelation.

Since the DLP light engine consists of a single chip rather than three LCD panels, DLP projectors tend to be more compact and also feature a contrast ration of upto 3000:1.

quote:

---

If there is one single issue that people point to as a weakness in DLP, it is that the use of a spinning color wheel to modulate the image has the potential to produce a unique visible artifact on the screen that folks refer to as the "rainbow effect," which is simply colors separating out in distinct red, green, and blue. Basically, at any given instant in time, the image on the screen is either red, or green, or blue, and the technology relies upon your eyes not being able to detect the rapid changes from one to the other. Unfortunately some people can. Not only can some folks see the colors break out, but the rapid sequencing of color is thought to be the culprit in reported cases of eye strain and headaches. Since LCD projectors always deliver a constant red, green, and blue image simultaneously, viewers of LCD projectors do not report these problems.

---

quote:

---

Texas Instruments recently released the results of a lab test conducted last year which highlighted a failure mode in LCD technology that does not exist with DLP. Given enough time, it appears that LCD panels, primarily those in the blue channel, will degrade, causing shifts in color balance and a reduction of overall contrast. The test did not include a large enough array of test units to draw any conclusions about anticipated rates of degradation under normal operating conditions.

However it is possible that those who invest in an LCD projector may find that eventually the LCD panel and polarizer in the blue channel may need replacement. This is not much of a problem if the unit is under warranty. But if it isn't, the replacement of an LCD panel will represent an unpleasant incremental investment in your projector that you were not anticipating.

---