For video displays, bigger has always been better, or at least until higher degrees of resolution became just as important. Now, as 4K ultra-high-definition (UHD) content moves into the mainstream, the next wave of applications is emerging to display it. Of course, screen size and resolution still matter tremendously, but qualities like portability, low power, versatility and others which come with 4K UHD DLP® technology are just as essential for enabling next-generation applications like mobile smart TVs, smart projectors, laser TVs, digital signage, smart appliances and more.
Much has been made of 4K UHD display technology and rightly so. The rich, vibrant detail that 8.3 million pixels on a screen can display is truly breathtaking.
Now that more and more 4K UHD content is becoming available and the cost of 4K UHD displays has come down, demand for 4K UHD equipment is increasing rapidly and so are the claimsof technology providers. To reap the full benefits of 4K UHD, certain criteria must be met—8.3 million pixels must be displayed on the screen. Some supposed 4K UHD displays come up short, displaying as few as 4 million pixels. Each DLP technology 4K UHD solution exceeds the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) definition for 4K UHD technology.
Contrast is another critical parameter. Simply comparing a full white screen to a full black screen doesn’t demonstrate the contrast the display is capable of, but a more accurate measurement of contrast can be made when both bright whites and dark blacks are both in an image on the screen.
This value can be found by looking for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) contrast. Precise pixel alignment is also essential. Some 4K UHD projection systems have multiple imagers, one for each of the three basic colors. Aligning 8.3 million pixels with three different imagers can sometimes be problematic; however, TI’s 4K UHD DLP technology alleviates these concerns using a single display chip.
At the heart of DLP technology is a digital micromirror device (DMD), which can contain more than 8 million highly reflective, switchable, tiny mirrors each about the size of a human hair. Each of these mirrors can represent one or more pixels. Combined with optics and controlled by sophisticated signal-processing algorithms which modulate each mirror independently, the DMD drives stunning 4K UHD video and still images.
The recent expansion of the DLP technology family of chipsets has brought the richness of 4K UHD displays not only to traditional projection systems for business, education and home theater, but also to a variety of new applications. These applications are taking advantage of the lower power and increased portability offered by products based upon DLP 4K UHD chipsets, without sacrificing the screen size, resolution, brightness, or contrast that consumers expect in a 4K UHD display.
More traditional long-throw projector segments of home theater, business and education are beginning to migrate from 1080p high-definition systems to 4K UHD as the cost of this new equipment comes into line with older technology. Users that migrate to 4K UHD will be future-proofing their organization with the highest resolution projectors for years to come.
Business meetings, for example, could be more effective when everyone in the conference room can read the spreadsheet on the screen because it’s being projected with the clarity and crispness of 4K UHD. Students may be drawn into the content the teacher is showing because it will be more compelling and immersive. Even applications such as advertising or promotional signs will be transformed by 4K UHD projection technology.
Today’s digital signs can be changed in real-time. With projected 4K UHD digital signage, extremely lifelike images and real-time information can be displayed together practically anywhere, on the windows or walls throughout a store.
In addition, these established projector applications can take advantage of the smaller form factors
that 4K UHD DLP chipsets enable. More compact projectors are easier to move to different classrooms or conference rooms. Home theaters can easily be taken down and set up, giving users the option of taking their home theater experience from room to room.