TECH SUPPORT

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Each pixel is generated by a DLP chip equipped with millions of individually hinged micro mirrors. Light for the system is driven by an array of 18 LEDs (six each of red, blue and green) laid out on a postage stamp-sized circuit. The added bonus of using LEDs as a light source is that it reduces the heat generated by a bulb and significantly shortens the time it takes the screen to achieve full brightness.

The technology uses less energy to operate than a typical plasma or LCD TV and roughly the same amount as a rear projection set with a UHP bulb, though the goal is to further reduce consumption, manufacturers say.

Beyond the environmental benefits, the technology is said to produce better picture quality than bulb-based rear projection sets, because it dispenses with the color wheel, used in other signal-chip DLP TVs. (Some people claim to see rainbow patterns when viewing fast-motion scenes on color wheel-equipped TVs.)

Another company planning an LED-based DLP set this year is NuVision, a supplier of high-end electronic products. NuVision is working to meet a fall delivery of a 52-inch model with 1,920-by-1,080 (progressive) pixel resolution and very high contrast and brightness levels.

NuVision will use a proprietary LED system that controls light output through a Digital Switching Deep Black System (DSDB) that is said to produce deeper blacks by precisely controlling the LED output during dark scenes. This is said to be an improvement over the use of the hinged mirrors on the DLP chip to close off light to produce blacks, which is how most DLP-based rear projection sets work.

While both manufacturers have made bold claims about the advancement in picture quality that these two LED TV approaches will produce, perhaps the biggest benefit this technology will deliver is a somewhat healthier planet, and that's something we all can enjoy.