Digital Light Processing (DLP) is a trademark owned by Texas Instruments, representing a technology used in projectors and video projectors. It was originally developed in 1987 by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments. DLP is also one of the leading technologies used in digital cinema projection. 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 micro-mirrors measures less than one-fifth 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 a digital image onto a screen or other surface.
The DLP® chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call DLP® technology. One application is DLP front projectors (small standalone projection units). DLP, along with LCD and LCoS are the current display technologies behind rear-projection television, having supplanted CRT projectors. These rear-projection technologies compete against LCD and Plasma flat panel displays in the HDTV market. DLP® technology delivers crystal clear, razor-sharp and lifelike images for the ultimate in picture quality. DLP® technology is capable of extremely high contrast ratios (up to 12,000:1), providing a stunning viewing experience - crisper whites, ultra-rich blacks and images that "pop" on-screen.
