|
|
 |
Definitions of Display Types |
| |
Not sure what the differences are between a LCD and a plasma screen TV or
a LCD and a DLP projector? At PresentationMart.com, we’ve taken the liberty of
finding out the definitions to even the simplest of terms for you in order to help you find
the perfect business projector or display screen to fit the ultimate home theater or
business presentation.
|
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Definition
Liquid crystal display is one of the two technologies behind flat-panel displays, with the other being plasma technology.
LCDs use two sheets of polarized material with a liquid crystal solution between them. As electricity is
passed through the liquid, it causes the particles to align so that light cannot pass between them. Each crystal
particle acts like a shutter, either allowing the passage of light or blocking it in order to form the image.
Since the particles (or crystals) themselves do not give off any light, this is known as a “non-emissive”
technology. This means that a LCD TV does not give off radiation like older versions of the TV. Light is
given off by fluorescent tubes that are behind one of the polarized panels. This unique technology allows LCDs
to be thinner than their rival plasma screens as well as be lighter and more durable. Advancing technology will
soon be allowing for a larger screen size in order to compete with plasmas.
DLP™ (Digital Light Processing) Definition
Digital Light Processing is a product of Texas Instruments which uses a single chip that is
made up of up to 2 million microscopic mirrors to project light. This chip is called a Digital
Micromirror Device (DMD). Each of the microscopic mirrors that make up the DMD represents a
single pixel. These pixels are hinged so that they can tilt back and forth to create different
shades of light when pointed at a light source. This first stage of light is in the form of a
grayscale, comprised of over 1,000 different shades of white and black. In order to produce a
color image, the white light that travels to the DLP™ chip is shown through a color wheel
which is coordinated with the tilting back and forth of the microscopic mirrors. This produces
a pixilated image of red, green, and blue that when these mirrors move thousands of times per
second or eyes naturally blend to make up the real color. This is how the 1-chip DLP™
projection system operates. There is another form of this technology, the 3-chip DLP™
system, which operates with the same basic idea, but contains three chips instead of one.
Each of the three chips represents a color, blue, red, and green. The white light that comes
into the projector passes through a prism that divides the light into blue, red, and green light.
The same process of reflecting the light using the microscopic mirrors then happens.
The outcome is similar, but produces a wider range of richer color to form the image.
Plasma Definition
Most people use the term plasma in reference to any flat-panel display, when they are
only correct a percentage of the time. Plasma technology is very different from liquid crystal
display technology, although the final product generally looks very similar. Plasmas are
comprised of a flat, lightweight surface that is coated with millions of tiny glass bubbles that are
filled with gaseous Xenon. Inside each of these bubbles are three smaller hollow spaces, one
blue, one green, and one red. Each of these bubbles, containing the three colored spaces, is
equivalent to one pixel. In order to display an image, electricity is pumped through the
space, exciting the pixels, and causing them to give off ultraviolet light which then will cause
the surface of the plasma panel to glow. Since the gaseous bubbles are actually giving off
light, this technology is emissive, which is one of the major distinguishing characteristics between
it and LCDs. However, this emissive technology allows plasmas to display colors that are
richer, more vivid, and truer to life. |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
