Which is better DLP or 3LCD?

DLP TVs

• Has Texas Instruments made any deals with the big TV brands such as Sony and Panasonic to sell DLP TVs? Do they have a timetable of when they will "rollout" this technology? Curently they have allowed only a few manufacturers (such as Samsung) to use their DLP technology. Do they have any plans of expanding this to the mainstream? Is DLP better than LCD or Plasma?

• Answer:

  Howdy smhstraws-ga, I don't think it is so much a matter of Texas Instruments (TI) "allowing" a few companies to license the Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology, but rather some companies choosing not to use it in their consumer products. I think TI would love it if DLP went "mainstream," but there are many factors (price, investment in other technologies, market perception, etc.) that goes into a company's decision making when it comes to adopting new technology. Some companies (more on this later) appear to be choosing other systems that they might think is better or less expensive than DLP. First, to companies that have licensed DLP for use, which includes Panasonic, Sharp and Sony. "Texas Instruments and Panasonic form partnership" written by Cindy Holst and from the "Sound & Video Contractor" web site. http://www.svconline.com/mag/avinstall_texas_instruments_panasonic/ "Texas Instruments, Dallas, signed an agreement under terms of which Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Japan, will use Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology to develop an all-digital ... rear-projection television." Mitsubishi has licensed the TI DLP technology. From their web site. http://www.mitsubishi-tv.com/dlp.html "To that end, Mitsubishi developed the WD-65000. We selected DLP, one of the most significant technological advances in projection TV displays since the introduction of the CRT." Sound and Vision's Rich Warren covered Sharp's DLP entry in 2003. http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=2&article_id=388&page_number=1 "Sharp also joined the rush to DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology, but with a front projector, not a rear-projection model. The XV-Z1000U is said to deliver a contrast ratio of 2,600:1 and is currently available for $12,000." This PC Magazine online article "Texas Instruments Closes the Gap with DLP" by Loyd Case and dated January 10, 2004, covers TI's DLP push. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1433533,00.asp "The DLP rear projector market is about to heat up. As the shift away from CRT rear projectors continues, Texas Instrument's (TI) DLP technology is the current leader in digital rear projection technologies." The above article goes on to point out what might be one the "problems" that TI is introducing in the (long time) "rollout" of DLP. TI has always (in my opinion) been guilty of "feeping creaturism," or creeping featurism, as it is known to others. More from the PC Magazine article by Loyd Case. "The piece de resistance, though, is the new 1080p chip, which the company is tentatively calling 'xHD3'." So, some companies might be waiting until TI "gets it better" before they move ahead with the next generation of sets and move away from LCD/plasma. Sony, among others, has licensed DLP technology, but doesn't appear to be applying it to consumer sets, according to the article titled, "THE BETTER MOUSETRAP? - Texas Instrument's DLP technology will be challenged by JVC's D-ILA" by Peter H. Putman, CTS, appeared in the November 2000 issue of "Sound and Video Contractor" and reproduced on the ROAM Consulting site. http://www.projectorexpert.com/Pages/mousetrap.html "Sony, Panasonic, and NEC are also manufacturing 3-chip large venue DLP projectors in a variety of sizes, resolutions, and brightness levels." Sony might have plans to jump to the next new technology, Grating Light Valve, or GLV. From the Silicon Light Machines' web site. http://www.siliconlight.com/htmlpgs/masterframeset/pressreleasepgs/sonypr1frame_5.html "Sony Corporation and Silicon Light Machines, a developer of a silicon-based digital display technology used in high-performance imaging applications, today announced an exclusive licensing agreement for Silicon Light Machines' Grating Light Valve (GLV) technology to accelerate its development for successful market introduction." More on GLV from the EE Times web site article titled "Sony display sports 3,000:1 contrast ratio" by Yoshiko Hara and dated June 17, 2002. http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020614S0126 "As it put grating-light-valve (GLV) technology on its priority R&D list Sony also announced that it will not invest in Fuijtsu Hitachi Plasma Display Ltd., a question that's been hanging fire for two years." As for DLP versus LCD or plasma, it is probably better to compare DLP with GLV or LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon)/D-ILA (Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier.) This Audioholics (got to love the name!) web page has a comparison of some of the technologies. http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_LCD_DLP_plasma8.html D-ILA has higher resolution (2048 x 1536) but DLP has a greater contrast ratio, which is something I look for, while LCOS is in the middle of them. Some parts of comparing LCD/plasma with DLP is "apples and oranges" because a big reason people buy LCD/plasma sets is because they are 6 inches or less "thin." People like this because of space concerns and the "status" of having a TV they can hang on their wall. Here are some other links to Audioholics web pages that might be of interest. Display Technologies Guide http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_LCD_DLP_plasma1.html Display Technologies Guide: DLP/DMD http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_DLP_technology2.html Display Technologies Guide: D-ILA Projection http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/specsformats/displays_D-ILA_projectors6.html They have much more, so you might want to spend some time browsing their site. ProjectorCentral compares LCD and DLP (and mentions LCOS) in their fourth(!) update of "The Great Technology War: LCD vs. DLP" by Evan Powell. http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcd_dlp.htm "You might not even know what LCD and DLP are before asking the obvious question 'which one is better?' The answer is simple. Sort of. LCD and DLP each have unique advantages over the other. Neither one is perfect." Mr. Powell goes on and points out what might be one of the reasons that Sony is not making DLP sets; they have invested lots of time and money in LCD sets. "The largest developers and manufacturers of LCD technology are Sony and Epson. These companies have no interest in standing by and letting Texas Instrument sweep the digital projector market with its competing DLP technology. So competition has driven both the LCD makers and Texas Instruments to improve their respective products in the ongoing battle for market share." Other people share your frustration with TI, but again, make the point that DLP might be "yesterday's" technology. From a ZDNet forum posting. http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/5208-6118-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=311&messageID=6643&start=18 "Here's an idea for Texas Instruments... Next time you have a revolutionary idea that will change the world... BRING IT TO MARKET!" If you need any clarification, feel free to ask. Search Strategy Google search on: "Texas Instruments" DLP Panasonic ://www.google.com/search?q=%22Texas+Instruments%22+DLP+Panasonic Google search on: "Texas Instruments" DLP Sony ://www.google.com/search?q=%22Texas+Instruments%22+DLP+Sony Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher