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WHAT IS A PLASMA DISPLAY AND HOW DOES
IT WORK?
Plasma display panels consist of two thin panels of mounted
glass found within the screen. The panels are made up of an
array of cells, known as pixels, which are tiny pockets composed
of compressed gas. Each pixel contains three sub pixels made up of
red, green and blue phosphors.
When an electrical current is applied to a pixel, the gas reacts to form plas-
ma, which in turn produces UV light. The light reacts with the phosphors to
produce the colors you see on the screen. Because all the pixels emit light at
the same time, the viewers never see a flickering screen.
Pixel: The smallest discrete component of an image or picture on a screen (usually a colored dot); "the greater
the number of pixels per inch the greater the resolution." -- WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
™
LCD
AND
DLP
PROJECTOR TECHNOLOGIES. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Projectors are categorized into the following two primary technologies, which reference the internal mechanisms
used to compose an image:
LCD (LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY)
components of the image. As light passes through the LCD panels, individual pixels can be opened to allow light
to pass or closed to block the light. This activity modulates the light and produces the image that is projected onto
the screen. LCD advantages include images with deep saturated colors that are sharp and accurate, bright
images and low costs for greater affordability.
DLP (DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING)
of thousands of tiny mirrors. Each mirror represents a single pixel. In a DLP projector, light from the projector's
lamp is directed onto the surface of the DLP chip. A color wheel consisting of red, green, blue and sometimes
clear segments spins between the lamp and the chip to modulate the color. The mirrors move back and forth,
directing light either into the lens path or away from the lens path. DLP technology offers a very high contrast
ratio, with less space between pixels (reduces screen door effect) for smoother images, along with fewer
components, allowing the projector to be packaged into an extremely compact design.
For more information on NEC's industry-leading large screen displays,
please contact us at 800 NEC-INFO or visit www.necvisualsystems.com
The opinions expressed in this document are those of NEC Solutions America,
Inc., based on the current state of large screen display technologies as of
September 2004.
NEC 090403
rear glass substrate
grid barrier rib
phosphor
display electrode
front glass substrate
projectors contain three separate LCD glass panels, one for red, green, and blue
Developed by Texas Instruments, the DLP chip is a reflective surface made up
NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. All other trade-
marks are the property of their respective owners. All specifications
and programs are subject to change without notice. DLP
trademark of Texas Instruments.
©2004 NEC Solutions (America) Inc
Visual Systems Division
1250 Arlington Heights Rd., Suite 400
Itasca, IL 60143-1248
black stripe
data electrode
is a
™
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