Do I Need An LCD Or A DLP Projector?

Okay, experts in the audience, I’m sorry, because by now you’ve probably already made this decision so I”m not giving you anything new.  This one’s for the new folks in the audience.  But I’d appreciate it if you went down to the comments section and kicked in for their sake!

All right, if you haven’t already bought a projector yet, you might be puzzling over the lists of available models and wondering, just what exactly do I need?  I’m going to try and help you with that by explaining some of the ups and downs of each type of projector to help you make that decision.

In general, LCD projectors are commonly believed to offer “richer colors”, and are said ot have “excellent contrast” which in turn makes dark scenes show better details, as well as making outdoor scenes look brighter.  Plus, LCD projectors tend to operate cooler and have quieter fans, giving you possibly a longer life span (less risk of overheat) as well as a quieter experience in which to watch your movies.

Sounds good, I know, but DLP projectors love to talk about their “rich and deep contrast levels” that will actually make pretty awesome looking images even in a brightly lit room.  And, there’s less clipping involved in fast-paced action scenes.  Perhaps the strongest point in their favor is that they can be built without air filters, meaning that dust is less of an issue and maintenance is simpler, less often required, and less problematic when it is.

Based on that, an easy rule of thumb would be, if you watch mostly horror flicks, go LCD.  There’s better detail in the dark, and brighter outdoor scenes, and that’s where most horror takes place–in the dark, outdoors.  DLP users should be action buffs, especially martial arts action fans, because they can keep up with all the flips and jumps and wire-fu.

So hopefully, that’ll help give you an idea of what to buy as far as projectors go.