ABSTRACT :

Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a technique used to project images and is based around a specialized optical semiconductor chip a digital Micromirror device(DMD),developed by Texas Instruments(TI).Today,DLP powers general purpose conference room projectors, and over the years has spawned a new category of small, ultra portable mobile projectors. The soul of any DLP system is the Digital micromirror device (DMD) chip developed by Dr.Larry Hornbeck at Texas Instruments (TI) in 1987.A DMD chip consists of an array of two million microscopic hinged mirrors that can be individually tilted using digital signals. The tilting motions allows them to be used as a switch to modulate light in a particular direction, and are often referred to as light switches or Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) The current generation of DMDs has a mechanical switching time of 15microseconds and an optical switching of 2 microseconds.

In recent years, the motion picture industry has opted for multi track sound formats such as Dolby or dts, resulting in a dramatically improved aural experience. The visual experience though, remains outdated. An exciting development in DLP Technology is all set to change this with the introduction of DLP cinema. The goal of DLP cinema is to make the entire motion picture industry a digital industry, right from the production and distribution, to the final presentation of the film.

Digital Light Processing (DLP) Background Background Information: Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a display technology developed by Texas Instruments. DLP imaging systems employ either one or three large (large for electronic chips, that is) devices called Digital Micromirror Devices, or DMDs. The micromirrors are mounted on the DMD chip and tilt in response to an electrical signal. The tilt directs light toward the screen, or into a "light trap" that eliminates unwanted light when reproducing blacks and shadows. In DLP projectors, the image is created by microscopically small mirrors laid out in a matrix on a semiconductor chip, known as a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD). Each mirror represents one pixel in the projected image. The number of mirrors corresponds to the resolution of the projected image: 800600, 1024768, and 1280720 matrices are some common DMD sizes. These mirrors can be repositioned rapidly to reflect light either through the lens or on to a heatsink (called a light dump in Barco terminology). The rapid repositioning of the mirrors (essentially switching between 'on' and 'off') allows the DMD to vary the intensity of the light being reflected out through the lens, creating shades of grey in addition to white (mirror in 'on' position), and black (mirror in 'off'

position). There are two primary methods by which DLP projection systems create a color image, those utilized by single-chip DLP projectors, and those used by three-chip projectors.

Who Invented DLP

DLP was invented in 1987 by Dr. Hornbeck of Texas Instruments Inc. He developed the Digital Micromirror Device, or DMD: an optical semiconductor capable of steering photons with unparalleled accuracy. This digital micro-mirror greatly refined - is the basis of modern DLP technology. In 2002 Dr. Hornbeck was elected Fellow of the International Society for Optical Engineering. The first commercial sub-systems using DLP were shipped in 1996 by nView for use in projectors. In 2001 the one-millionth DLP subsystem was shipped. By 2003 the number of DLP shipments reached 2 million.
How does DLP TV Technology work? 1.

THE SEMICONDUCTOR THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

At the heart of every DLP projection system is

an optical semiconductor known as the Digital Micromirror Device, or DLP chip, which was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments in 1987. The DLP chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 2 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than onefifth the width of a human hair. When a DLP chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect an all-digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DLP chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call Digital Light Processing technology.
2. DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING I: THE GRAYSCALE IMAGE A DLP chip's micromirrors are mounted on tiny hinges that enable them to tilt either toward the light source in a DLP projection system (ON) or away from it (OFF)-creating a light or

dark pixel on the projection surface. The bit-streamed image code entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel. In this way, the mirrors in a DLP projection system can reflect pixels in up to 1,024 shades of gray to convert the video or graphic signal entering the DLP chip into a highly detailed grayscale image. 3. DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING II: ADDING COLOR The white light generated by the lamp in a DLP projection system passes through a color wheel as it travels to the surface of the DLP chip. The color wheel filters the light into red, green, and blue, from which a single-chip DLP projection system can create at least 16.7 million colors. And the 3-chip system found in DLP Cinema projection systems is capable of producing no fewer than 35 trillion colors. The on and off states of each micromirror are coordinated with these three basic building blocks of color. For example, a mirror responsible for projecting a purple pixel will only reflect red and blue light to the projection surface; our eyes then blend these rapidly alternating flashes to see the

intended hue in a projected image.

single-chip projectorsIn a projector with a single DMD chip, colors are produced by placing a color wheel between the lamp and the DMD where it is reflected out through the optics. The color wheel is usually divided into four sectors: the primary colors: red, green, and blue, and an additional clear section to boost brightness. Since the clear sector reduces color saturation, in some models it may be effectively disabled, and in others it is omitted altogether. The DMD chip is synchronized with the rotating motion of the color wheel so that the green component is displayed on the DMD when the green section of the color wheel is in front of the lamp. The same is true for the red and blue sections. The red, green, and blue images are thus displayed sequentially at a sufficiently high rate that the observer sees the composite "full color" image. In early models, this was one rotation per frame. Later models spin the wheel at twice the frame rate, and some also repeat the color pattern twice around the wheel, meaning the sequence may be repeated up to four times per frame
Three-chip projectors :-A three-chip

the lens. Single-chip DLP systems are capable of displaying 16.7 million colors, whereas three-chip DLP systems can display up to 35 trillion colors.

Pros: Smooth, jitter-free images; good color depth and contrast; no burn-in; DLP rear projection TVs are smaller, thinner and lighter than CRT-based models. Cons: In single chip designs, some people observe a "rainbow effect".

INTERNAL WORKING TECHNOLOGY OF DLP THE MIRROR HAS MANY FACES At the heart of a digital light processing projector is TI's patented Digital MicroMirror (DMD) device, a small RAM chip with an array of mirrors mounted on its surface. Each of these tiny mirrors tilts in response to varying electrical charges on the mirror's mounting substrate. Depending on the degree of tilt, individual mirrors reflect a greater or lesser amount of light from the projection lamp. Because the degree of reflection varies from 100% white to black - and all steps in between - a wide grayscale can be created. Using thousands of mirrors, a grayscale image starts to appear, resembling the

DLP projector uses a prism to split light from the lamp, and each primary color of light is then routed to its own DMD chip, then recombined and routed out through

individual dots in a screened photograph. The quality of color obtained from the wheel is not nearly as good as that from a dichroic filter arrangement, especially when it comes to color saturation levels. Not only that, there is a noticeable strobing effect from the color wheel when you blink your eyes, resulting in a rainbow- like effect on otherwise white or gray areas of the image. For multimedia applications, these light valve DLP projectors have superior video signal processing than lowerpriced desktop models, resulting in cleaner, sharper pictures with less noise and artifacts. DIGITAL VS. ANALOG As for DLP being the only true digital imaging system for large-screen displays, there is a bit of truth to that statement. While both LCD and DLP display panels use digital addressing to activate individual mirrors/pixels, both must convert an analog signal to do so. In theory, the DMD could handle digital modulation directly from a variety of program sources, if the appropriate digital "handshake" existed.

. Digital video display technology that uses a vast array of tiny mirrors (around 500,000) that pivot on or off to reflect or not reflect red, green and blue light. The square mirrors, only 16 microns wide and tall, are contained on a small microchip called a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device). Each mirror represents one pixel or picture element. When a video signal enters a DLP-based video projector, it first is digitized and goes through several digital signal processing steps to prepare it for display. Light is output from a powerful bulb (typically 500 watts or more). As the light hits the mirrors, they turn on or off very rapidly (up to 1,000 times per second). They may be completely off for an area of darkness, or they may switch on and off very rapidly to display varying amounts of light. For instance, the mirror could be fully on for a single field of information (1/60 second) displaying a full light output. Conversely, it may be fully off for a single field of information displaying no light output. To display an intermediate amount of light (something more than

no output but less than full output), the mirrors turn on and off several times during the 1/60 of a second a field is presented. For a bright but not full output signal, the mirror may turn on 70 times and off 30 times resulting in an aggregate or average light output that is fairly high but not equal to the mirror being on the entire time. This process occurs for each of the three additive primary colors (red, green and blue) to display a full color image. One-chip designs use a single mirror for all three colors of light. Between the light source (the bulb) and the mirrors is a quickly rotating disc with red, green and blue light filters. At any given time, the filter only allows one color of light to pass through. The mirrors are synchronized to the timing of the spinning disc and the three filters on it so that as blue light is passed through the filter, the mirrors are processing the blue signal and so on. This process results in a good picture but one that is not as bright or detailed as a three-chip design. Two chip designs fall in between the one and three chip varieties. A rotating disc with only two filters, yellow and magenta, allows

all red light to pass while blocking blue and green light half the time. The red light is directed to its own mirror while the green and blue lights are directed to a shared mirror. A special bulb is used that outputs less red light than blue and green light. With its own set of mirrors, the red light is output at full power while the blue and green lights are output at half power (since they are each on half the time). The red deficiency of the bulb used (the light source) equalizes with the higher passthrough of red light creating an even amount of red, green and blue light projected onto the screen. This two-chip process results in higher light output than a single chip design while not being as costly as a three-chip design (three-chip designs have the highest light output). Digital light processing systems are capable of displaying 16.7 million colors or true color. Based on digital technology, they can accept and project signals from computers and traditional video sources (DVD, laserdisc, etc.) with the effect of serving as a data grade projector. Compared to cathode ray tube and LCD projection

systems, DLP systems offer much higher light output (particularly the three-chip designs). This is based on the fact that the mirrors used in the system reflect back light at nearly its full intensity losing very little light compared to a LCD design and using a higher output light source compared to CRT systems. DLP systems also largely overcome a major shortcoming of LCD projectors, the screen door effect that makes individual pixels visible in many cases. In any LCD projector, when you approach the screen (and many times from a proper seated position), you can make out thin black lines separating the individual pixels (square dots making up the picture). DLP projectors also use individual pixel elements based on the use of individual mirrors, but the mirrors in a DLP system are very close to one another (separated by a mere one micron). The result is that the mirrors in a DLP system occupy 90 percent of the projected image (the remaining 10 percent being accounted for by the spaces between mirrors). By contrast, LCD projectors feature liquid crystals occupying at most 70

percent of the image (thus making the spaces between crystals larger and more visible in the image). With the same resolution picture, DLP systems project an image with a perceived higher resolution than that of a LCD projector because of the tightly packed mirrors versus the more spaced out liquid crystals. APPLICATIONS AND CONFIGURATIONS : 1-CHIP DLP PROJECTION SYSTEM Televisions, home theater systems and business video projectors using DLP TV technology rely on a single DMD chip configuration like the one described above. White light passes through a color wheel filter, causing red, green and blue light to be shone in sequence on the surface of the DMD. The switching of the mirrors, and the proportion of time they are 'on' or 'off' is coordinated according to the color shining on them. The human visual system integrates the sequential color and sees a fullcolour image

3-CHIP DLP PROJECTION SYSTEM DLP TV technology-enabled video projectors for very high image quality or high brightness applications such as cinema and large venue displays rely on a 3DMD-chip configuration to produce stunning images, whether moving or still. In a 3-chip system, the white light generated by the lamp passes through a prism that divides it into red, green and blue. Each DMD chip is dedicated to one of these three colors; the colored light that each micromirror reflects is then combined and passed through the projection lens to form a single pixel in the image.

Beautiful Picture:
CLARITY:The thousands of mirrors making up the Digital Micromirror Device at the heart of DLP TV technology are spaced less than one micron apart, resulting in a very high "fill factor." By minimizing the gaps between pixels in a projected image, DLP TV projection systems create a seamless digital picture that's sharp at any sizewithout the pixellation or "screen door" effect apparent in other technologies. BRIGHTNESS DLP TV projection systems outshine the alternatives because, being mirrorbased, they use light more efficiently. While other technologies lose a certain amount of light in transit, the microscopic mirrors in a DLP TV projection system bring more light from lamp to screen. The difference is plain to see. With DLP TV technology, home entertainment becomes the visually stunning experience it should be. Business presentations have maximum impactwhether the lights are on or off. And large venue displays captivate their

audiences with outputs of up to a whopping 15,000 lumens. COLOR DLP TV technology reproduces a range of colors up to eight times greater than that of analog projection systems. In televisions and home theater systems, DLP TV projection creates rich blacks and darker shades than is possible with other technologies. At the movies, DLP TV Cinema technology projects no fewer than 35 trillion colors-over eight times more than is possible with film.DLP TV color is becoming even more brilliant as we introduce Sequential Color Recapture or SCR, an innovation that will enable DLP TV projection systems (video projectors) to bring up to 40 percent more lumens to the screen than was previously possible RELIABILITYDLP TV technology makes video projectors, home theater systems, and televisions more robust and more reliable. The digital nature of DLP TV technology means that, unlike other display solutions, it's not susceptible to heat,

humidity, or vibrationenvironmental factors that can cause an image to degrade over time. DLP TV projection systems display an original-quality picture time and time again with zero hassle and minimal maintenance. And with more than one million systems Shipped since 1996, DLP TV technology has a proven track record for outstanding dependability. CONCLUSION: