Hitachi CP X5 - LCD projector

DLP-based projectors come in all prices, resolutions, and picture qualities, so it's tougher than usual to generalize about them. That won't stop us from saying, in general, that DLP projectors can produce a brighter image than their LCD counterparts, and their black-level performance is also usually slightly better. DLPs suffer from the same rainbow effect as their rear-projection brethren, although very expensive three-chip models do not.

Historically, 720p resolution DLP units have cost significantly more than the LCD competition, but in the last year, a slew of more affordable 720p DLP projectors have begun to hit the market. They still cost a bit more than the LCDs and usually don't offer features such as lens shift, but nonetheless, they're destined to seriously increase the popularity of HDTV-resolution DLP models. At the other end of the spectrum, true 1080p resolution DLP projectors are available, such as the Marantz pictured above, that cost a bundle and perform extremely well. The extra resolution of 1080p is especially evident when an image is blown up to projector size.

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LCD and DLP are very close in terms of performance, and even LCD's ability to produce good blacks has improved quite a bit. DLP still enjoys a slight edge in contrast ratio, however, mainly because its projectors can get a bit brighter than those of LCDs. The screen-door effect, which appears as a fine grid of pixels overlaying the screen, is also more noticeable on most LCD projectors. As we mentioned above, however, 720p LCD projectors still enjoy more features than their budget 720p DLP competition, including highly desirable items such as horizontal and vertical lens shift. No consumer-priced 1080p LCD projectors are currently available.

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