George Walter Reflects on 25 Years of DLP Evolution

George Walter Reflects on 25 Years of DLP Evolution

In the latest issue of Systems Contractor News, Digital Projection’s George Walter takes a deep dive into the 25-year journey of DLP technology—from its early days to its current cutting-edge capabilities.

From large three-chip systems to today’s advanced single-chip RGB Pure Laser projectors, DLP has seen remarkable progress. One of the most significant improvements: the elimination of the distracting “rainbow” effect, made possible by moving beyond the traditional color wheel configuration.

Here’s a snippet from George on that topic from the SCN cover story:

As technology advances, the latest evolution in DLP projection is the introduction of RGB pure laser technology in combination with single-chip DLP projectors. Traditional lamp-based projectors require color wheels or phosphor-based light sources to generate colors. While effective, these methods introduced certain limitations, such as potential color separation artifacts and mechanical noise.

With RGB pure laser projection, individual red, green, and blue lasers are used as direct light sources. As a result, RGB lasers produce more vivid, true-to-life colors, achieving nearly 100% of the Rec. 2020 color gamut—the widest color space available in consumer displays. Lasers have a much longer lifespan compared to traditional projection lamps, reducing maintenance costs and enhancing durability.

Without a spinning color wheel or high-wattage lamp, RGB laser projectors generate less heat and operate more quietly, making them ideal for home theaters and professional environments. And because RGB lasers don’t rely on color wheels, the risk of color separation artifacts is completely removed. That means no more rainbows.

Read the entire article at Systems Contractor News.