There are about as many different opinions about video projectors as there are video projectors. There are so many different kinds, it can be hard to make sense out of it.

I’m not going to discuss business projectors. This is for the home theatre enthusiast who is looking for their first real projector. Business, sanctuary, and other application are discussed elsewhere in this section.

So let’s start with the basics:

4:3 or 16:9?

These numbers reference the native aspect ratio of the projector: NTSC (4:3) or widescreen High Definition (16:9). The first number refers to the width of the projected image, and the second, smaller number, to the height. These numbers define a relationship – for every 16 inches wide, the screen is 9 inches tall, for example. Substitute feet, millimetres, whatever you’d like – you still define a rectangular box. You may also see aspect ratios as a number, say, 1.33 for NTSC. Divide 4 into 3 and you get 1.33. Same for 16:9. It’s also referred to as 1.78.

4:3 is what we are used to watching. More square than rectangular, it provides for limited vistas. The infamous term “pan and scan” is derived from floating a 4:3 window over a widescreen movie. You don’t see the full picture.

16:9 is a convenient dimension for a display. It provides for a more panoramic scene, and allows directors more territory on-screen. Most DVDs are now encoded for widescreen (16:9 and up!), and all HDTV is 16:9.  Get used to it folks. It’s here to stay.

Any decent projector will switch between 4:3 or 16:9. So that takes care of that, right?  No. A 4:3 projector switches to 16:9 by turning off pixel rows at the top and bottom of the picture. I won’t bore you with the math, but your 4:3 projector set for 16:9 is working at about 2/3 of its optimal brightness and resolution. That’s a problem. Widescreen material, like HD and DVD movies, are made and transmitted at much higher resolutions than 4:3 is capable of, so when you want the best picture, you’re using only 2/3 of what the projector was is capable of.

The same is true when watching 4:3 material on a native 16:9 projector, but because 4:3 source material (“actual” pixels 640x480) is a lower resolution than 16:9, the only thing you really lose is a little brightness. Considering that 4:3 is on the way out (really out, not out in a Paisley shirt kind of way), it’s an acceptable sacrifice.

DLP or LCD?

for all applications, that day is still in the future.  There are some very interesting developments on the way from the LCD guys, so keep your eyes peeled.

LCD:  Liquid Crystal Display. A current is passed through a crystallized organic compound, changing its shape on a molecular level. Zap them, and the crystal molecules change their shape, allowing red, green, or blue light to pass. On moderate to mid-range priced projectors, you get better bang for the buck from LCD. LCD colours tend to jump out at you more, and tend to be richer and more vibrant. Because there has to be a physical separation between pixels, LCD projectors can suffer from a “screen-door” effect. It’s referred to as this because it can be like looking out a screen door; everything is divided into little squares separated by a thin black line. The screen-door effect of modern LCD projectors has been minimized – the pixels are much closer together than previous versions.

Eventually, all that molecular shape changing takes its toll – the crystals begin to react slowly, or may even break. This means that eventually, your LCD projector will age, the liquid crystal becoming so unresponsive that the panels become useless. The organic compounds the liquid crystals are made from will also eventually discolour and burn with exposure to bright light, turning yellow with time. While this is a fact of life, it takes an incredibly long time to achieve, years of operation, so shouldn’t really concern you.

DLP:  Digital Light Processing. White light is shone through a spinning colour wheel (red, green and blue). The coloured light is bounced off a panel made of millions of micro mirrors, then from the mirrors through a lens assembly. The chief advantage of DLP is texture. Because of how it works, there literally is no space between pixels on a DLP projector, and as a result, no screen-door. Colour has been improving as well, and on more expensive DLP projectors, colour accuracy and intensity surpass even the best LCD projectors. The chief liability of DLP is the spinning colour wheel. Less expensive DLP units spin the colour wheel at a lower speed (2x) than more expensive chips (4x and above). This can result in a disconcerting colour oscillation (aka “The Rainbow Effect”) that is very uncomfortable for some people. Again, the effect is minimal on higher end, faster spinning, DLP chips.

DLP colour wheels are often segmented. This improves the performance of the chip by increasing the effective speed the wheel spins at, thusly increasing the speed at which the colours are refreshed. We recommend avoiding 2x or 2 segment colour wheels particularly, as these tend to be most prone to the Rainbow Effect. These chips tend to be found in entry-level DLP projectors. Opting for a 4x or better, while costing more money, significantly reduces the possibility that your movie or presentation will give your audience a headache.

So there’s no clear winner in DLP vs. LCD – they both have significant strengths and weaknesses. A good rule of thumb? LCD for low to mid-range units, and DLP for higher end installations.

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