DLP home theater projector

A DLP home theater projector replaces the standard liquid crystal display with a chip called a digital micromirror device (DMD). The DMD contains thousands of micromirrors, each representing one pixel in the image. Each micromirror tilts at high speeds and precise angles to make up moving images, which are then projected on the screen. This process allows newer home theater projectors to display smooth, solid images at the highest resolutions.

There are two basic types of DLP projectors: single-chip and three-chip. A single-chip projector reflects light through a color wheel and has a minimum rendition of 16.7 million colors, the high standard for most LCD models. Three-chip home theater projectors make use of a prism that divides light into red, green and blue rays. The result is a high rendition of at least 35 trillion colors. Three-chip systems are seldom found in home theater projectors; they are more commonly used in commercial cinemas and theaters.

DLP leads modern projector technologies and is found in most high-end home theater projectors. As such, DLP projector prices are often much higher than standard LCD and CRT models. A ‘cheap’ DLP projector can still cost close to $1,000, whereas an LCD projector in the same range can cost about half as much.

When choosing a DLP projector, it’s important to note that the technology only allows a fixed resolution. This means you can’t scale down to display smaller images, or scale up to do the opposite. Before settling on a model, make sure you know exactly which resolution you need according to your viewing preferences and the material you have on hand. It’s best to overestimate your resolution as videos will generally get larger over the years.