LCD Projection Systems: The pros and cons
Are you in the market for a projection systems and considering LCD? We take a look at some pros and cons you should keep in mind.
Advantages of LCD projection systems
- An LCD front projector can offer quality 720p renderings and will cost less than £8000. This is why many new entrepreneurs go for it.
- LCDs feature more compact RPTVs. This is because the panels and lamps are generally small. The RPTV system on most LCD systems are less than 15 inches deep.
- LCD projection systems, as offered by companies like Videonations, offer brighter pictures. This is because of the lamp used in their manufacturing. The result is a picture that can tolerate as much ambient light as reasonably could be expected. Some of the LCD projection systems take things further by using LED lights instead of traditional bulbs. This leads to even better brightness and colour reproduction.
- There is no need for convergence in LCDs. This is because, even though the LCD projector features three panels, it only has one light source. This means there is no need to converge a picture like you will have to with older projector technologies, making the setup a whole lot easier.
- You don’t have to worry about burn-in. LCD systems don’t make use of phosphors so they will not get permanent burn-ins, as can be witnessed with CRTs or other flat-panel setups.
Disadvantages of LCD projection systems
- LCD projection systems offer a relatively poor black performance, just as it is with LCD direct view sets. This means they can show true black tints making dark scenes end up appearing gray.
- The lamp life on LCD projection systems is short. They rarely achieve beyond 2,000 hours of use, but this is due to the high out-put. This life span is a lot lower than the life span of the average plasma TV. This is why some people will consider buying TVs instead of projectors. However, these lamps cost a lot less to replace.
- LCD projection systems have the ‘stuck pixels problem’. These are minor manufacturing defects that make individual pixels fail to light up when the display tells them to. Since the relative size of pixels in a projection system is large, you may notice dead pixels on the screen from time to time. Most manufacturers do not see a problem with this, so they won’t replace your system unless the situation is extreme. This is why you should confirm the dead pixel policy of your manufacturer before you make a purchase.
The above are some of the pros and cons you should keep in mind when you are looking to purchase a projection system. The key is to know what your projection requirements are, and you are normally best served sticking to LCD projections systems if they are good enough to take care of these requirements.
All technologies have their pros and cons, but if you go for other projection technologies, like DLP or LCoS, you will probably have to pay more.
