You don't have to research projectors long before you notice that there is a difference between LCD and DLP projection units. You might not even know what LCDs and DLPs are, so how can you ask the obvious question of "which one is better?" This is the reason I put this page together, in order to explain the difference between these units.

LCD and DLP projection units each have their own unique advantages. So, it's important to understand what each one offers you. Then you can make a better decision about which one is better for your needs.

What Is The Difference Between LCD and DLP Projectors?

LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors usually contain three separate LCD glass panels, one for each color. The three colors (red, green, and blue) form the image signal being fed into the projectors lens. As light passes through the LCD panels, individual pixels can be opened to allow light to pass through the lens or closed to block the light. This activity modulates the light and produces the image that is projected onto the screen.

DLP (Digital Light Processing) is a proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments. It works differently than an LCD projector. Instead of having glass panels through which light passes, the DLP chip is a reflective surface consisting of thousands of tiny mirrors. Each of these mirrors represents a single pixel.

In a DLP projector, light from the projectorýs lamp is directed onto the surface of the DLP chip. The mirrors move back and forth, directing light either into the lens to turn the pixel on or away from the lens to turn it off.

In expensive DLP projectors, there are three separate DLP chips, one each for red, green, and blue. In order to define color, there is a color wheel that consists of red, green, blue, and sometimes white filters. The color wheel spins between the lamp and DLP chip and alternates the color of the light hitting the chip from red to green to blue. The mirrors turn on and off based on how much of each color is required for each pixel at any given time. This activity modulates the light and produces the image that is projected onto the screen.

The primary benefit of an LCD projector is that it controls red, green, and blue independently through three separate LCD panels. This means you can adjust the brightness and contrast of each color channel individually. In most single-chip DLP projectors, color is fixed, so what you see is what you get.

LCD projectors deliver a sharper image than DLP projectors do at any given resolution. The difference is more relevant in data than in video. This is not to say that DLP is fuzzy. Itýs just that when a DLP projector is placed side-by-side with an LCD projector, the LCD projector typically looks sharper in comparison.

A third benefit of an LCD projector is that it is more light efficient. LCD projectors produce significantly higher ANSI lumen outputs than DLP projectors do with the same lamp wattage.