LCD Vs. DLP

When it comes to the field of consumer electronics today, technologies such as liquid crystal display (LCD), digital light processing (DLP) or Plasma don't need an introduction. Even though all of us are familiar with these terms, not many people out there will be comfortable explaining the difference between LCD and DLP technology, or Plasma technology for that matter. Going through LCD vs. Plasma vs. DLP comparison can help you differentiate between the three, but a three way comparison is not as good as comparison between two products. In this article we will stress on LCD vs. DLP technology comparison to find out which of these have an edge over the other.

LCD Vs. DLP Technology

We use these technologies in a number of electronic devices in our homes, and the most common among these devices is the television. Basically, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is an electronic visual display which works on the basis of light modulating properties of liquid crystals to project an image. In this technology, a liquid controls each pixel and changes its color. LCD displays are typically characterized by their thin and flat appearance. In case of digital light processing (DLP), on the other hand, a small computer chip, with thousands of mirrors - the Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), is used to project the image. A source of light is aimed at the mirrors on this chip, which is eventually reflected by the mirrors onto the screen. In course of this process, the light is guided through a color wheel which causes pixels to change colors by altering the amount of light that falls on each of these pixels.

LCD Vs. DLP TV

Both LCD and DLP technology have taken giant strides in terms of progress over the last few years, thus making the comparison between two a daunting task. However, there do exist some areas wherein each of these have a definite advantage over the other. The foremost advantage that DLP TVs have over their LCD counterparts is the fact that they reproduce black color more efficiently. In LCD TVs, the screen size will determine how rich the black color will be, with rule of the thumb being smaller the screen better the picture. On the other hand, LCD TVs give a better picture among the two when it comes to bright and vibrant colors. While LCD TV picture seems to be consistent from all viewing angles, the slight tint that you are likely to come across in the DLP TV is one of the most prominent DLP TV problems which has to be taken into consideration. While both these types qualify for flat screen TVs, LCD TVs are much more sleek as compared to DLP TVs. In terms of pricing, DLP TVs are at definite advantage as they are comparatively less expensive among the two. However, LCD TVs do have two advantages to their credit - firstly they consume less power and secondly they have a longer lifespan as compared to DLP TVs.

LCD Vs. DLP Projectors

The rich 'black levels' advantage that DLP technology has over LCD technology continues in case of home theater projectors as well. LCD projectors score in terms of brightness and power consumption. Even though the image produced by LCD projector is sharper than that of DLP, at times such sharp images make pixellation obvious, which can be quite annoying. In DLP projectors, the stray light around the picture can cause a halo effect, which can be quite disturbing at times. DLP projectors are easy to handle owing to their size, and their sealed optics make sure that they are not affected in dusty environment. While the older versions of DLP projectors had the problem of rainbow effect, the same has been resolved in the newer versions. At the end of the day, LCD projectors have an edge in terms of color reproduction which is by far the most important attribute of a projector.

Those were the details about various points of distinction in LCD vs. DLP technology comparison. The fact that both these technologies have undergone tremendous progress in terms of achieving the perfection makes it difficult to choose between the two. While the bright picture that LCD TVs and projectors boast of may make these products quite tempting, the price factor gives DLP products a slight edge in the race. At the end of the day, what matters is personal preference and therefore the onus is on you to decide whether you are ready to shell out some extra money to get that perfection.