AV News 192 - May 2013
LCD v DLP
These are the two most common display technologies used in projectors.
The Canon is an LCD projector (actually a variation of that called LCoS),
whereas a lot of 'home cinema' projectors are DLP. I was always led to
believe that LCD was better for data projectors while DLP was better for
proper photographs, and have always been very pleased with our Plus
projector which is DLP. Technology has moved on though, and this is
probably no longer so clear cut. The advantages of LCD seem to be better
performance where there is ambient light, no colour filter wheel so no
'rainbow effect' (although I have yet to meet anyone who has experienced
this), and a perception of more sharpness. The advantages of DLP seem to
be smaller size and weight, pixels less visible, 'blacker' blacks, higher
contrast, and more 'filmlike' quality to the pictures. You'll find any number of
websites which will tell you that one is better than the other. Obviously, if you
are going to use it in daylight go for LCD, whereas if your rooms are going to
be mostly blacked out as they usually are in our case, maybe lean towards
DLP. In my humble opinion however, I think there are more important issues
to influence your choice.
Size and Weight
This is important if you are going to be carting your projector about giving AV
shows. Everybody agreed that the Epson projector used at the Internationals
was absolutely stunning, but it was
massive, probably weighed over 8
kilograms, and would need a large
suitcase to carry it, so it's probably best
suited to a permanent installation. If you
are in the market for something like this
there's an ex-demo Themescene HD83
going for £1750 at Progressive AV
(I'll give some links to retailers at the
end).
The BenQ W1200 weighs 3.6 kg,
Themescene HD83
and the Optoma HD33 is 4.5 kg.
BenQ W1200
I would have thought that 5kg was
just about the maximum weight to be
manageable.
Optoma HD33
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