How Bright Are Your Colors?

In this very geeky episode, Lumita color scientist Karl Lang and 3LCD product manager Tim Anderson explain the difference between measuring white light output and color light output, which should yield the same result but sometimes don't, especially in single-chip DLP projectors, whose color-filter wheels often include white, cyan, magenta, and/or yellow segments to boost the white light output. Unfortunately, these extra segments also sacrifice color accuracy, which is clearly illustrated here.

Run time: 1:05:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by stitch1 

I don't think they are saying single chip DLP's are bad. Or that lcds are always better. But more to the point that just because lumens are rated higher the actual light output could be much lower than what they are rated. I think they were using single chip DLP's as an example because they are probably the worst offenders. I believe they even mentioned that a single chip dlp could be rated just as good as any other type of projector if they build it correctly.

You are exactly correct. Single-chip DLPs don't necessarily measure poorly in terms of color light output, but they do tend to be the worst offenders because the manufacturers include white and secondary segments in the color wheel to boost the measured white light output. But when you measure color light output on such projectors, you get a much lower number, and when you watch real-world material, it often looks dull. And you're also right that a single-chip DLP can be made to measure as well as a 3-chip design, but its white light output would not be as high as those with white and secondary segments. And as we all know, marketing is definitely a numbers game for the manufacturers...the larger the number, the better, even if it actually means nothing. So it's up to consumers to set them straight by buying products that perform the best, regardless of the specs.