What is DLP®?

At the heart of DLP® technology resides an optical semiconductor known as the DLP chip or Digital Micromirror Device (DMD).

The DLP chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 2 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micromirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair. More than 18 million devices have been sold worldwide into imaging applications such as HDTVs and video projectors.

When integrated with a light source, optics and electronics the mirrors on the DLP® chip can reflect a binary data pattern or video image with speed, precision and efficiency far surpassing that of other spatial light modulators. The DLP chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call DLP technology.

A DLP chip's micromirrors are mounted on tiny hinges that enable them to tilt either toward the light source in a DLP projection system (ON) or away from it (OFF) - creating a light or dark pixel on a projection surface.

The bit-streamed binary data entering the semiconductor directs each mirror to switch on and off up to several thousand times per second. When a mirror is switched on more frequently than off, it reflects a light gray pixel; a mirror that's switched off more frequently reflects a darker gray pixel.

The DLP Products division creates world-class digital technology that empowers leading electronics manufacturers, scientists, and engineers to innovate. Our technology continuously enables breakthrough development in light-steering applications ranging from digital cinema and home entertainment to optical networking and 3D optical metrology.

For more information regarding DLP® HDTV’s or projectors, please visit DLP.com.