LCD Technology
For a long time, this technology was the most widespread in the home and professional projector sector. LCD remains an alternative often used by makers of video projectors because of its low manufacturing costs and due to greater mastery of the technology.
How Does It Work?
The liquid crystals let the polarized light through in a single direction while orienting it. The crystals are placed between two electrodes and change orientation under the influence of an electrical field. This modifies the structure of the crystals, the electrical field rendering them either opaque or transparent. The display, made up of millions of liquid crystals, then creates an image. Projectors using LCD technology can be tri- or mono-LCD.
Mono-LCD (now a disappearing species) uses a single liquid-crystal display to produce an image. Tri-LCD projectors form one image per color (red, green, blue). These images are then superimposed using a prism, then projected.
Advantages And Disadvantages Of LCD Technology
Advantages
LCD projectors are very affordable (under $1,500) and often of high quality. On the most recent models, the image is excellent and bright.
Disadvantages
Blacks are never completely black, since the crystals are not completely opaque. The crystal matrix is sometimes visible, but that depends above all on the viewing distance of your setup.
