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Texas Instruments Scrambles to Keep DLP Relevant

Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 4:35 PM - by

Back when Plasma TVs cost $10,000, the rear projection TVs using the Texas Instruments DLP technology were a cost-effective alternative. Now, however, the wave of inexpensive LCD and Plasma HDTVs that can be hung on the wall and the imminent demise of rear projection TVs has Texas Instruments scrambling to keep their Digital Mirror Device technology viable, according to the on Monday.

Both Sony and Philips got out of the rear projection TV business in December. The market is rapidly moving to LCD, and about 80 percent of all new HDTVs are LCD. That has Texas Instruments, the developer of the Digital Light Projection technology (DLP) based on its micro mirror Digital Mirror Device (DMD) working hard to maintain interest in the technology.

For now, sales are holding, and Samsung, Mitsubishi and Toshiba still sell DLP TVs. Recently, LED driven DLP HDTVs have emerged that eliminate the rotating color wheel found in older DLP sets. In addition, the mirror wobble used in the 960 x 1080 mirror array allows for 3-D TV that other TVs are not capable of. T.I. believes that continued improved technology will keep the DLP system in the running.

"Most analysts use a rear view mirror when forecasting results," said TI's Doug Darrow "They do not think of trends in the technology. We serve a different type of customer: the home theater enthusiast." Even so, the fear is that the thin TVs than can be hung on a wall will squeeze out the rear-projection TV in the long run.

At CES, the company showed some other advanced technology that allows slimmer TV sets (7 inches deep) and creates brighter images, higher contrasts, and smoother motion than before. Some projectors are small enough to fit in a cell phone.

Mitsubishi has reported excellent sales for now, especially for TVs over 70 inches (1.8 meters) where current Plasmas and LCDs cannot compete. Finally, TI is looking at many different types of devices where the technology can be showcased in order to ensure the future of DLP. "All of a sudden,” said Mr. Darrow, "we’re into a market of 100 million game machines, cellphones, iPods, and other portable devices used to consume media." Those are devices that no one thinks about hanging on a wall.

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Tiger said:

member since 17 Jun 2003 with 1018 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:06 pm

Funny thing about it is, I get asked all the time by friends, family, and co-workers to recommend flat screen TVs. I always tell them DLP over LCD and Plasma. And they always buy them because it is sound advice.

Plasma still fades. The gas leaks. LCDs do suffer some burn in.

DLP lasts a WHOLE lot longer and has a consistent picture. It's just good all around technology.

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Bosco said:

member since 03 Jun 2002 with 1002 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:13 pm

I agree with Tiger. Any TV that doesn't take up a whole corner of your living room is crap. What would you do with all the extra space anyway? Put a Bowflex in there?!?

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jimothy said:

member since 04 Jun 2004 with 612 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:21 pm

Call me another DLP fan. As mentioned above, plasma fades; so do LCDs (though I don't think LCDs suffer burn-in, plasmas can). With a faded plasma, you have to replace the the entire TV. Replacing an LCD backlight is an expensive service. If a DLP bulb burns out or becomes dim, you can replace it yourself, and the picture is as good as it was day one. And, with LED DLPs light those from Samsung, that bulb could last 20 years or longer. From an energy efficiency perspective, nothing beats an LED-lit DLP. Nothing comes close on price-per-square inch. Also, a DLP TV weighs about half what a plasma of the same size, despite their relative bulk.

Besides, most people don't mount their TVs on the wall, but instead have them on a stand that is deeper than a DLP anyway, so you're not really giving up any space. The only disadvantage of DLPs is their viewing angle, but in most rooms, it should be more than adequate.

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Partsmutt said:

member since 16 Nov 2004 with 28 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:31 pm

Tiger wrote:
The gas leaks.

That's hilarious. And completely false.

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Jan 21, 2008 8:40 pm

The gas doesn't leak-- the phosphors loose their luminosity with use. This is why plasmas burn-in more readily than others; the illuminated phosphors of a static image will "wear" faster than ones that aren't constantly illuminated. But over time, the entire array will fade because of this same effect.

LCDs will also "burn in" but it's because of the latent image retention phenomenon. They're MUCH harder to burn in than Plasmas, but it is still possible (as I am currently witnessing on my Apple 20" Cinema Display in front of me as I type this)

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Jan 21, 2008 9:17 pm

Plasmas do leak as no one will waranty repair them if over used or stored over 5000 feet. They last about two years and burn out.

I live at 4200' and they wont sell them even here.

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A guest said: (hide)

Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:39 pm

Yes, the plasma can escape, and it's serious for the TV if it does. But it's not a health risk. Just an expensive annoyance.

This according to the experts on digital technology.

http://www.dtvcity.com/plasmatv/plasmatv-leak.html

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:12 am

Isn't that the technology behind Microsoft's Big Ass Table?

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j.martellaro said:

member since 07 Dec 2006 with 97 posts, TMO Staff, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:22 am

This is what I learned at CEDIA in September from Panasonic. Plasma displays are in their 10th generation. Gas leakage has never been an issue.

The phosphors now reach half brightness after 100,000 hours. Acoustic coupling between the plasma and glass plates, which leads to a buzz, has been

eliminated below 10,000 ft above sea level. Pixel shift technology in the latest Plasma electronics reduces burn in. UV filters stop

the UV from the gas discharge from reaching the viewer, and only the visible light from the phosphors gets out. I live in Denver, and many, many

modern Plasma displays are sold and used here.

-JM

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