LCD Lamps vs. DLP Lamps

So, you�re shopping around, looking into different projectors, televisions and screens and you start seeing the acronyms �LCD� and �DLP� but don�t quite know what it means, the differences between each one, pros and cons, how they match in price, quality, and which one may be your best bet. Well, we hope to answer a few of these questions here.

LCD Lamps

An LCD lamp, or Liquid Crystal Display, is a kind of video projector for showing images, data and/or video on a screen, whether it�s a television, projector or computer screen, among others. To put it simply, they use a bulb in the television that generates light, which in turn passes through countless red, blue and green liquid crystals. An electric current turns the colors on and off to produce the right colors on the screen.

DLP Lamps

DLP Lamps, or Digital Light Processing, is a type of technology used in some video projectors and televisions. It is also used in the projection of digital cinema. To give an easy explanation of how it works, it has thousands of mirrors on a small computer chip. A light bulb is pointed at the mirrors and light is reflected onto the screen through a color wheel. This is considered a rear projection, but the quality is much better and it provides an improved picture and viewing angle than previous rear projection lamps.

Advantages and disadvantages of each

LCD Advantages: LCD Lamps are bright, which makes it a great choice for areas in which you cannot limit the lighting, such as rooms with windows. Televisions made with LCD lamps are usually 4 inches deep or less, giving the advantage of being hung on the wall. They also have a greater viewing angle, which comes in handy for areas where you want to see the TV from places that are not right in front of the television.

DLP Advantages: One of the first advantages of DLP Lamps is that they usually provide a better quality picture for a longer period of time. Since the light on the screen is created by a light bulb, this can be replaced if needed after time. Overall, DLP Lamps will give you a better size to dollar ratio. In other words, the same amount of money will give you a bigger and higher quality DLP as opposed to an LCD. DLP screens are usually available in larger sizes than their LCD counterparts. DLP Lamps will give you a good, steady picture for longer periods of time. LCD�s tend to distort the colors over time. It is expected that DLP Lamps will go gaining in popularity and the increase in demand will bring a better price.

LCD Disadvantages: One of the first disadvantages is the size limitations. LCDs don�t come in as large sizes as DLP and Plasma. Currently, LCD TVs are less than 50 inches. They also have a limited life, usually somewhere around 70,000 to 80,000 hours. With time, the green starts fading which is what gives everything a blue or red tint. Since this comes from the crystals as opposed to the source of the light, the only way to fix it is by getting a new TV.

DLP Disadvantages: The first and biggest is what is known as the Rainbow effect, where if you look away from the TV and then look back quickly, a colored streak appears across the screen. You may want to test this out before deciding to buy one, though this is only a problem for some people. This is one of the areas that is being worked on as far as DLP Lamps go, and manufacturers hope to overcome this issue altogether. Since DLP Lamps are not as thin as LCD, you can�t really hang them on the wall. Another disadvantage of the DLP has to do with the rear projection, so the viewing angle is not as a good. In other words, if you are using the television for a wide room and are off to one side or the other, you may not be able to see as well. A general calculation for DLP viewing is that you won�t need to see them from more than a 40% angle.

Price comparison

As mentioned above, if you are comparing the size of the screen in comparison to the total cost, you get a larger DLP screen for your money. A lot of it is up to see according to what you need and take it from there. Some of the questions you may want to ask yourself are:

� Are you looking to hang your TV on the wall? LCDs can, DLPs can�t.

� Do you need a wide viewing angle? LCDs can, DLPs are not as good at this

� How many hours of use will you give it? Would you like to replace the bulb after the 70,000 � 80,000 hours or get a new one? DLP�s lamp can be replaced, LCDs can�t

� Will you be using your screen in a room with a lot of light? LCDs are good for this, DLPs don�t work as well in these situations

When it comes down to it, both LCD and DLP lamps have excellent qualities and make great screens.