DLP TVs may fill cozy spot between pricey thin screens, traditional bulky sets

[Gregg Lengling]

The Dallas Morning News
By Alan Goldstein

Sleek plasma sets so thin they can hang on a wall are eye-grabbers, but they can cost as much as a compact car.

Big-screen televisions that use traditional cathode ray tubes are far more affordable, but they can be so bulky they practically swallow up the family room.

TVs based on Texas Instruments Inc.'s Digital Light Processors occupy an attractive middle ground that's winning over experts and consumers in the small but rapidly growing market for sets that display high-definition programs.

HDTV technology has been around the corner for years, and it's finally capturing much of the high-end video market.

The DLP sets offer "the biggest bang for the buck," says Steve McKewin, who sells digital TVs at Tweeter Inc.'s Caruth Plaza store in Dallas. In a showroom, he demonstrates the high contrast and crisp whites of DLP sets. A 43-inch Samsung model boasts a sharp, bright picture in a cabinet that's less than 16 inches deep.

"It's one of our best-selling TVs," he said.

Priced at $3,500, it's still expensive, though price is relative. Using a variety of technologies, HDTV-ready sets now sell in a price range starting around $700 for a 27-inch tube-based set and running up to $25,000 for a top-of-the-line plasma model.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but DLP has an amazing, amazing quality and brightness to it," says Mark Cuban, chairman and president of HDNet, a Dallas-based television network devoted exclusively to high-definition programming.

"I'm a big fan," said Cuban, who is also the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, in an e-mail.

DLP technology is based on an optical semiconductor developed by Dallas-based TI. The chip, which is no larger than a postage stamp, is packed with 1.3 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors. Each mirror measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair. Coordinated with a digital video signal, a light source and a projection lens, the mirrors reflect a crisp image onto a screen.

Because each mirror corresponds to a pixel on the projected image, a close look at the wide-screen TV reveals row and rows of tiny squares.

Samsung Electronics Co. launched its first DLP-based sets in the United States a year ago at a trade show in New York, and the response has pleased the giant Korean manufacturer.

"Consumers like the lightweight, compact design, that it fits into spaces using the least amount of cabinet," said Steve Panosian, senior marketing manager of Samsung's visual display group.

Thin is in, to be sure, but consumers also like lighter sets that can be moved around easily, whether to make room for the Christmas tree during the holidays or simply to get behind the set to plug in the cords for a new DVD player. The 43-inch Samsung DLP set weighs 67 pounds, less than half the weight of a typical 32-inch CRT model.

DLP advocates also note that the technology doesn't suffer the quirks of other formats.

TI says the chip's unique design makes it relatively impervious to heat, humidity and vibration, so clarity and color accuracy remain consistent and reliable. Under typical conditions, TI says, a DLP display is expected to last 100,000 hours _ or almost 35 years of running eight hours a day. Samsung figures 15 to 20 years of service would be reasonable to expect.

Also, CRT sets and, to a lesser extent, plasma and liquid crystal diode displays are susceptible to burn-in. Over time, static images from video games or programs that aren't in the 16:9 wide-screen format can leave permanent ghosts on the television screen. DLP doesn't suffer these kinds of memory effects.

Finally, with rear projection sets in particular, viewers can't see the picture well if they sit off to the side. Viewing angle isn't an issue with DLP-based models.

The main downside to DLP sets is that the light bulb needs to be replaced every few years; the bulb costs around $250.

"The good news is when you replace the lamp, it's like a brand-new TV again," Panosian said.

Prices for DLP sets will continue to drop, and Samsung expects to deliver models priced well below $2,000 within two or three years, Panosian says, though they will be sold alongside other technologies rather than replace them. LCD will grow stronger for smaller sets, he says, and plasma will be around for the larger models.

"DLP technology looks very promising," says Dale Cripps, publisher of HDTV Magazine, based in Alsea, Ore. "It's going to be around for a while."

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