DLP Versus Plasma And LCD
Dear Terry:
I always love your ?One Installers Opinion? in WSR, and am always going, ?yeah, Terry!? when I read it.
I seem to remember some comments regarding your liking DLP technology as a display.
I own a three-year-old Mitsubishi WD-57831 display, and was recently seriously considering an upgrade, as my light engine has started to show an anomaly of a haloing, or light scattering around bright areas, and I am told replacing the engine is the only solution.
I have compared plasmas, LCDs, and DLPs, and think I still prefer the DLP rear pro to the others.
For us, 3D is not an option, as my wife would, again, be cut off, as she wouldn?t watch with glasses.
I noticed, on most plasmas, a slight color fringing on lettering, akin to the old CRT days, looking more like a ?TV? than ?film,? and LCDs, along with the limited viewing angles (not an option for me, as my wife watches on a couch, about 60 degrees off axis), and the LCDs, while sharp and clear, seem too ?digital looking? to me.
My DLP started to look better, and I am now pursuing a warranty light engine replacement from Mitsubishi, which it appears they may do, as they seem to be moving fast to get my issue resolved...kudos to them!
Anyway, your thoughts on the technologies would be appreciated, if you have some time.
The DLP is more film-like, to my taste.
Mike Colwell
Contributing Editor Terry Paullin Comments:
Thanks for the kudos on the column!
With regards to display technologies, my thoughts haven?t changed that much. ?Features,? gimmicks, and buzzwords come and go, but the laws of physics (even display physics) are immutable. The same things that underwhelmed us about LCD years ago continue to give us pause today, even though the current crop is LED backlit and 3-D ready. ALL technologies have their respective strengths and weaknesses, and they aren?t likely to change with window dressing.
First of all, a word about nomenclature. Despite the wishes of the marketing departments, there is no such thing as an LED TV or Laser TV. There is only LED backlit LCD and DLP TVs and laser backlit DLP TV. This kind of intentional deception would land marketeers in jail in many other countries! Same technologies, different light engines.
To review, although the venerable CRT may remain the videophile?s reference for all time, they just aren?t practical anymore, even for high-end front projection. Besides, DLP technology has been refined over several generations of product, such that I will take a 1080p three-chip DLP any day over any previous front projector (until the ?4K? versions become abundant and hence ?somewhat? affordable). For tighter budgets, single-chip DLP would be my next choice (like your Mits) in either rear or front projection. Your taste is consistent with most videophiles I know. We like DLP technology for its film-like smoothness, fast response time, ability to achieve fully saturated colors, and since it is only available in front and rear projection, the ability to render images in XXL screen sizes.
If you must hang your imagery on the wall, plasma remains a hands-down favorite over LCD (see the many authoritative articles on this comparison by Dr. Ray Soneira in this magazine and on his DisplayMate Web site). In fact, the recent 85-inch plasma offering from Panasonic is not only the best flat panel I have ever seen out of the box??period?its sheer size and 30K price point make it the first legitimate flat panel challenger to a projector/screen combo in our home theatre market!
LCD is, well, LCD. While they have unquestionably gotten better (swapping LEDs for cold cathode lamps was HUGE for real contrast ratio) I still don?t recommend them for anything but secondary viewing environments. LCD?s better, smarter cousin, LCoS is a different story (Sony calls it SXRD and JVC calls it D-ILA). Although an LCD variant, the manufacturing process gets the pixels much closer together and the resultant product, for that and other reasons, makes the eye much happier. For my client?s dollar, I think the best projector out there right now under $10K is the JVC DLA-RS35U, a product of LCoS technology.
What will the future bring? Who knows??that?s the neat thing about the future. The buzz is mostly about the promise of OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes), but my short-term money is on brighter (read that three-chip) LED backlit DLP. The claim of ?infinite? contrast ratio with LED engines is actually correct. You can?t get any more OFF than OFF... and with just a little more full-on luminance, they will be well suited for our larger screens. I?m ready to buy the first one out!
With regards to your Mitsubishi in repair, and even with all the long-standing, oft-posted light engine problems, if they are willing to take another swing at it for your $300, I?d let them. If successful, that should last you until the next new thing comes along... ... which you'll read about first, of course, in WSR.
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