Is DLP dead in the water???

If you look at the size of DLP companies such as Marantz, Sim, Optoma, Ben Q - and then look at the size of the companies backing LCD technology like Sony,Panasonic,Hitatchi,Sanyo - I think it speaks for itself. The LCD backers I believe have realised that they could overcome the pitfalls of LCD weaknesses (VB/dead pixels/black levels etc) and make a affordable product, whereas affordable DLP machines will have a colour wheel which will always produce RBE. If DLP was the future I'm sure most of the big players in home electronics would be producing PJs and pumping lots of cash into R&D.
 
DEANO-B said:
We all know of the forthcoming LCD PJs (Panny/Sony/Hitatchi/Sanyo) - They are going to retail at below £1500ish, what DLP PJs are going to be there competition :confused:

The Benq PE7700. Still easily the best bang for the buck in the DLP world.

Interesting to consider what affect these new LCD projectors, will have on the (sub £3k) pj market. I note that quite a lot of us contributing to this thread are interested in LCD due to our sensitivity to some of the negative qualities of DLP (namely RBE and headaches). We want them to trounce DLP so we don't feel like second class citizen in our little techno avforums microcosm. Yet, despite the extravagent claims within the spec sheets, will these new boys be able to top DLP images? The HS50 doesn't and the specs (on paper) of most of these new beasts aren't as good as it. I suggest that most of them will get near (though we have reports that VB is still on D5 panels), but maybe only the HS60 will get there. Thus, will DLP (whose +£6k pricing strategy has been blown out of the water by the Ruby) continue to differentiate itself as being superior to LCD due to its aforementioned filmic images? I thought the Benq would cause the DC2 chipped machines to fall to around £2k. Instead Optoma plopped in the improved (but not greatly) DC3 chip, dropped the price £500 and it's take your pick. The H79, does after all, kick out a better image than the Benq and quite a few people are willing to pay that premium over the (undemoable) Benq. So maybe at this end the pricing structure will remain intact: significant premiums for 720p DC3? Maybe this can last another two years until 1080p SXRD machines start hitting £3k.

All the interest is in the price range above. Sony's Ruby has effectively sabotaged DLPs strategy of drip feeding us the newest technology at sports car prices. So how do DLP manufacturers (who, I would say, do not have the financial clout of the LCD manufacturers: which sound richer: Sony, Panasonic, Sanyo or Infocus, Optoma, Benq???) respond? I really don't want them to go under due to the Sony, but how do they grow and sell their new technology and cover their R&D costs?

Interesting times, but I'm unsure what it means for us down here with real world wallets.

Squibbly
 
Hello all

Just a quick note re Panasonic and LCD vs. DLP.

In the Presentation market in Europe Panasonic now have a product line-up that consists of :

Five (sub 2.6Kg) 'Portable' LCD projectors.

and

Four (3500 ANSI to 7000 ANSI) 'Installation' DLP Projectors

Its not a case of every company only going with one technology.

Best regards

Joe
 
Joe Fernand said:
Hello all

Just a quick note re Panasonic and LCD vs. DLP.

In the Presentation market in Europe Panasonic now have a product line-up that consists of :

Five (sub 2.6Kg) 'Portable' LCD projectors.

and

Four (3500 ANSI to 7000 ANSI) 'Installation' DLP Projectors

Its not a case of every company only going with one technology.

Best regards

Joe

Surley this applies to the 'Presentation market' though and not the 'Home Cinema' market.
 
squibbly said:
We want them to trounce DLP so we don't feel like second class citizen in our little techno avforums microcosm.

As I've said before the last thing anyone should want is for one technology to get a significant march on the other. DLP did a while back and look where it got us, overpriced DLP machines, retailers and magazines (living in a techno microcosm?) who poo-poo the very thought of LCD being in any way comparable to DLP.

To be honest all this "filmic / cinematic" sentiment doesn't impress me. Strikes me as the argument to use when all the spec differentiations run out. I want clarity, punch, contrast, brightness, detail, smoothness. Don't care how it's delivered. DLP or LCD, I'll be there...PJ :)
 
Hello DEANO-B

I thought folk were 'Crystal Ball' rubbing and discussing where the 'smart money' is - a few folk have listed Panasonic (Matsushita) as an 'LCD' company!

I was making the point that very few companies are truly in one camp only - most will develop parallel product ranges.

Best regards

Joe

PS And keep in mind too that Panasonic have a range of DLP RPTV's - I wouldn't rule out seeing an 'affordable' Panasonic DLP Home Theatre projector; they are already marketing the PT-DW7000 (3-chip 16:9 DLP) as a Home Theatre projector (for folk with big wallets and big Theatres!).
 
Unless dlp pj's overcome the rbe problems and prices drop dramatically for hd units then as far as im concerned lcd machines will always have the largest chunk of the budget market. At the moment I just cant afford a dlp unit that will match/better what my current lcd model does , to get the same resolution and no rainbows I would have to spend 5 times as much and have a unit that rivals a crt in size, it would probably completely blow my lcd away but so it should for 5 times the price. If dlp manufacturers want to make a mark at the budget end of home cinema they still have some serious work to do. Meanwhile lcd manufacturers are swiftly overcoming lcd's flaws whilst keeping prices at the same level. The next gen of lcd's should be very intersting indeed.Has anyone actualy done a poll to see what the % of dlp and lcd machines is on this forum, could give a bit of insight as to how people are buying.
 
According to the recent TI bulletin, DLP has 69.8% of the US consumer market.

Of course, that might not be an accurate figure from the people who make the DLP chips!

Squibbly
 
Well,
at least these new products will blow away DLP NTSC products from europe.
 
I note that quite a lot of us contributing to this thread are interested in LCD due to our sensitivity to some of the negative qualities of DLP (namely RBE and headaches)
And bank balance :D

Interesting Link Joe $730m turnover and founded in 1992, wow thats some growth :eek:


According to the recent TI bulletin, DLP has 69.8% of the US consumer market.

Does that include both front and rear projection though or is it just front projection?


last thing anyone should want is for one technology to get a significant march on the other

Totally agree, it is very good for us as consumers to have two competing technologies, especially now that they are starting to come ever closer on specs (if you believe the marketing blurb).

When the price differentials between the two get closer then it really is excellent news, they are starting to though with the introduction of the Benq.
 
Hello inzaman

As you say a 'decent' level of growth - we started The Media Factory in May 1993; though we've yet to hit the annual sales figures Coretronic are quoting :)

Best regards

Joe
 
inzaman said:
Does that include both front and rear projection though or is it just front projection?

Well the press releases exact wording is:

"According to market-watcher Pacific Media Associates (PMA), DLP technology holds 69.8% of the consumer front projection market in the U.S. as of 2Q05"

Sony have now announced that the Ruby will retail in the US at around $10k. Wow. Obviously, we will not get that here, but imagine if we did? £5.5k, then factor in the usual market discounts on Sonys (ie pick up the £2k HS50 for £1.5k) and we get to £4,125. I'm dreaming of course, this product hasn't even been seen, but happy to get hyped by the hype (even if I still couldn't afford it)! I doubt Europe will see it for ages. If it delivers, at that price they'll be able to sell all they can make to the US.

Squibbly
 
we started The Media Factory in May 1993; though we've yet to hit the annual sales figures Coretronic are quoting
And if you were hitting those Joe you would have probably typed that from your beach front mansion :D

According to market-watcher Pacific Media Associates (PMA), DLP technology holds 69.8% of the consumer front projection market in the U.S. as of 2Q05"
Thats a good bit of market share to try and chip away at then for the likes of Sony and co, especially with the Ruby.

Also there is the digital commercial cinema market to go at as well, all those cinemas which will require digital projection units once hd arrives (assuming they start to use dvd style media as opposed to the current projection methods).
 
inzaman said:
Also there is the digital commercial cinema market to go at as well, all those cinemas which will require digital projection units once hd arrives (assuming they start to use dvd style media as opposed to the current projection methods).

From what I've read, the digital cinema initiative in the UK involves cinemas downloading the film over broadband etc onto Hard Drive and then projecting from there via the digital projector. This completely sidesteps film costs. There is also a Government funded initiative which allows distributors to convert existing films to digital for download, because the focus is on making the whole history of film available to us as consumers and not per se the newest blockbusters (thus cinemas would be able to draw on a vast bank of films, if the films had been converted to digital). There seems to be a cinema in just about every town in the UK involved in this.

It's actually quite exciting, though I can't remember the link due to being half cut after a couple of pints this Friday lunchtime :smashin:

Squibbly
 

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