Choose Between LCD and DLP Projectors

Confused about the differences between DLP and LCD rental projectors? This may help.

Steps

  1. Understand the difference between LCD and DLP. See the "Tips" section for detailed comparisons of the two types.
  2. Consider your budget. DLP is significantly more expensive than LCD, but requires less ongoing maintenance.
  3. Consider your environment. Will you use this projector in the same place all the time, or will you need to transport the unit from place to place? LCD projectors are portable and lightweight.
  4. Consider your audience. How important is the quality of the projected image? DLP quality is superior to LCD (although LCD is sufficient for most usage).
  5. Consider what you're projecting. Film, photography, highly detailed graphics and images, etc., will all appear crisper and brighter with DLP technology as compared to LCD.

Projector Information

  • LCD stands for “liquid crystal display,” a term used to indicate that the unit contains two transparent polarized panels, with a liquid solution between them.
  • With LCD, light shines through the panels from behind, causing an image to appear. Polarized panels will only pass light waves in one plane, and the panels are positioned at a 90 degree angle to each other, which means light from one plane cannot pass through the other panel. But when electricity passes through the liquid crystals, individual pixels are switched on or off, to produce a specific image.
  • With regards to projectors, LCD projectors typically send light through a prism from a metal halide lamp that separates the light into colors (green, red and blue). The video signal is essentially split by color, and the prism sorts the colors and projects the specified image.
  • LCD projectors are the most popular because they are lightweight and extremely portable. Typically, metal lamps are used for their ideal color temperature and ability to display a large amount of colors. Additionally, metal lamps can produce a vast amount of light in a small area, making them ideal for high-lumen outputs.
  • DLP stands for Digital Light Processing. With a DLP projector, white light is projected through an array of movable mirrors that control the intensity of each pixel of light as well as the color.
  • DLP projectors generally feature brighter, more defined display outputs than LCD, but are certainly more costly. Many businesses and educational companies prefer DLP over LCD.
  • Although DLP projectors are more expensive, they hold a distinct advantage over LCD projectors with regards to maintenance. Projector maintenance and cleaning are required to keep each unit in good functioning order.
  • Every interaction with a projector ultimately costs time and money; therefore, it is important to understand how often you will need to maintain your projector throughout its lifetime. DLP projectors can save a bundle on time and money since no filter is required, and DLP projectors features a lamp free design.

Warnings

  • If you need a projector only infrequently, and you would prefer not to manage any time or costs associated with maintenance, then it probably makes sense to rent a projector when you need one, as opposed to investing in such a costly purchase for only occasional use.

Related Articles