neat video.
small nitpick though - this is how 3LCD projectors work. DLP is a completely different principle.

As the former owner of a DLP rear projection TV, I can say that the Ti DLP chips will not last 11 years before some of the tiny mirror elements begin to fail (on a TV, it would show up as a stuck-on white pixel).

Your video, How Digital Light Processing (DLP) Works, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

Worked in the TI wafer-fab in the late 90's when They first started producing the DLP chips. OH god where they hard to produce. The failure rate was through the roof. We had companies begging for more of the chips and we just could not produce them fast enough. On a standard 6 or 8 in. wafer (the largest we produced at the time) you may of gotten one good chip. The upper management was on our case constantly and we kept telling them we are doing the best we could with the equipment we had. Everything went downhill from there. They killed our vacation and sick days, Changed the way people could get fired. Moral tanked and we just stopped giving a shit. One bout of flu and then an accidental food poisoning and poof I was gone. Seven years wasted. Have not looked back since.

The Ti DLP chip is the most commercially successful MEMS device created. I own a DLP projector(720p) and a rear projection Mitsubishi DLP TV (1080p). I like that DLP chips can give you 3D (in a checkerboard pattern) basically for "free", and it looks better, IMHO, than other 3D displays which also use active-shutter glasses.

Some nitpicking - most home DLP projectors use a 6-color wheel, not 3.

He also didn't mention that most digital movie theaters use DLP - although this is a a more expensive system, because there are 3 light sources and 3 DLP chips (RGB) instead of having a color wheel - and they are larger chips with more mirrors.

Great timing on this video. I just ordered an HD DLP last week. I should have it in 6-8 weeks, as I live in a 3rd world country now.

I was shocked they had highly rated SD DLP projectors for LESS THAN $100. I went with the $600 true HD version though with 20x more light output.

But this video also really helps me further conceptualize and realize my solar powered death ray. I want to have a 10,000 one inch mirrors hooked to independently, hyper accurate micro-servos, then have the whole array on a large servo controlled panel that angles towards the sun. With the right control logic, you can have 10,000x the power of the sun focused onto a single, movable, virtual target 1 inch in size. Hot.

The thumbnail image for this video has been updated - thumbnail added by lucky760.

followup (3D DLP) - I found out about neat feature available on newer DLP's by mitsubishi and samsung - they have built in Stereoscopic 3D support. Check out www.dlp.com/3D and it'll list available models and more information.

it requires you to wear glasses (wireless) which are active- meaning they block each eye, 1 at a time, at 60fps. So the screen is refreshing at 120Hz, and it has a checkerboard pattern even pixels left eye, odd pixels right eye. Because it's spread out on a checkerboard and has a high refresh rate, it should look better than older tech. (I've not seen these in person yet)

I've seen different forms of this technology over the years, and it's gotten more and more impressive. Most of it has been very expensive, but these DLP sets with it built in are around the same price as other DLPs (which are cheaper than LCD and Plasma). You can get the glasses kit for $150, and video cards that support it are not that expensive.

There is also a company, Blitz Games, that has just shown a tech demo of this working on both PS3 and Xbox360, so you might see it built into games in the near future.

Even if you don't buy it for the 3D feature today, there will be more 3D content in the next 2 years, so it's easy to upgrade later. This definitely makes me lean more toward DLP now...

Wow, I hope we don't have to see that long couch scene again. Can't wait! Does that mean the new episodes will be in HD? I saw the movie in DLP. It was nice!

KP, I have seen a TV from HP and 1 other brand that have built-in streaming features, but the unit was much more expensive than just buying an HDTV + game console (or that Roku player), so I would find a TV you like first.

Some other points related to some comments above:
1080p- a few years ago this cost a lot more, but nowadays it's only marginally more expensive than a 720p, many blu-ray discs are encoded 1080p, so it's worth getting a 1080p screen today. (I have a 720p LCD TV that I bought 2 years ago, and it's fine, though I use it mostly for games).
^MycroftHomlz, p (progressive vertical lines) is not dpi (dots per inch) (a 46" 720 dpi display would cost over a million dollars and have 225 times the resolution of 1080p)

120Hz- this is the new fancy feature on higher-end hdtv's. it doesn't magically make your content any better. Even the best Bluray movies are still recorded and encoded at 30fps. It will make some DVD content look better, because 120 is an even multiple of 24, whereas to display 24fps content at 60Hz (standard refresh rate of LCD's) you have to drop or add frames (called inverse-telecine) so sometimes you see tearing. So movies, sports, games, with lots of motion or many small moving details will look better. I've asked several Best Buy "tv specialists" some specific questions about 120Hz that I already knew the answers to, and NONE of them got it right. and instead of just saying "I don't know" they talked out of their ass and tried to sell me some special hdmi cable that supports 120Hz... epic lolz. If your total budget is $1500, don't waste your money on this feature.

LCD vs Plasma vs DLP- The quality depends a lot on the manufacturer. It used to be that LCD screens simply could not be made as big as plasma, but they are getting larger and cheaper each year. Plasmas still have burn-in problems (more problem for games than movies), and a shorter life span (about 7 years vs 10+ years for LCD- both assuming you use the TV several hours per day). Plasmas are also more fragile, so be careful when moving them. That said, I think the picture does look slightly better on plasma, but would still get LCD. (samsung, sony, mitsubishi- all great choices. other brands, try to look at it in person before you decide). DLP is a rear-projection TV, and I've found these to not be as crisp as LCD/plasma (sometimes the pixels blur and/or you can see horizontal scan lines). They are usually 80+ lbs vs an LCD being 30 lbs (base detached). Some people can see a flickering of the color-wheel with DLP (personally I can't, depends on lighting conditions and how sensitive your eyes are).

streaming content- if you have a PC with windows XP media center or Vista premium/ultimate, and all your content is windows compatible, an xbox-360 will make a nice front-end that you stream videos from your PC. If you use other formats, the PS3 has a better chance of playing them (also recommended since it plays bluray). I have both consoles, and the PS3 is much better at playing H.264 videos from CD-R/DVD-R and wired network. I haven't seen Roku player in person, and I don't have netflix, but it looks like a nifty device. If you subscribe to cable or fios, many of their DVR's can stream content that was recorded in other rooms.

projectors- not sure if you will find a decent 1080p one under $1500, but you can get a very large screen. Keep in mind the cost of replacing the lamp/bulb can be several hundred $$ (lamps usually last 2000+ hours in eco-mode). I have a 480p (widescreen but not high def) projector in my bedroom with an 8' diagonal screensize. Upon advice from someone else, I bought a 4'x8' foam board, and painted it with brightest white but non-glossy paint, and hung it on a wall for my screen. $380 projector + $30 screen + $37 progressive DVD player + $15 component cable + $30 black curtains. Compgeeks has a electric roll-up screen for pretty cheap.
Choosing a projector also depends on your room size, visit www.projectorcentral.com and use their calculator for any given model you are considering.

cables- buy online. someone mentioned monoprice, they are good, just check their in-stock status to be sure. they always ship ground from CA, so can be slow depending on where you live. HDMI and DVI are electrically identical, so it's a passive adapter. HDMI includes extra pair for sending digital audio. Component and VGA are analog, HDMI/DVI is digital - means more accurate colors, less ghosting/interference effects. Although analog is capable of carrying a full 1080p signal, content creators (namely Sony blu-ray) will cripple devices stating that you need HDMI to do 1080p output. This is because HDMI support encryption in the form of HDCP, which they think will reduce piracy (obviously they have been proven wrong already). fiber (sometimes called TOSlink) vs digital audio over copper (RCA jack) doesn't make a difference in quality, digital is digital. Look for a stereo receiver with many inputs and outputs.

antennas- hdtv's can pick up all the local broadcast channels with perfect picture and digital surround sound, if you get the right antenna. check www.antennaweb.org to see where channels are broadcasting relative to your home and to pick the correct antenna. It's a 1-time fee, unlike month-to-month cable/satellite. www.titantv.com is a tv-guide style website, lets you sort by broadcast type.

internet speed- 1.5Mbps should be fine, as long as you have patience to download the video before watching it. Will stream standard def no problem, but high-def or netflix downloads would take longer-than-realtime. Most services let you download in advance, so I wouldn't upgrade your 'net connection until you try it out for a month or 2.

buying online- go to best buy or walmart, and look for a screen you like, so you can see it in person. a lot of times the specs "on paper" look good, but the display is mediocre at best. Then look for exact model online, try to get a pricematch. Get the extended warranty if it's not outrageous (a single repair could be $500+ without it). We bought a 46" LCD for work from www.lcdtvs.com, they are New Jersey based, and their salespeople might try to up-sell you some cables, but we got free shipping and a free hdmi cable from them, and 3rd-party warranty was cheap (service is actually provided by best buy locally). Took about a week to arrive (western PA). If you buy online, make sure you factor in shipping costs, it could be $150+ since it's considered freight.

wireless vs wired- Roku, Wii, PS3 have wifi built in. xbox-360 is $99 for the wifi adapter (all except wii have wired ethernet built in). It's not too hard to run cat-5 cable if you are a DIY'er, but would be really expensive to get an electrician to do it. Ethernet hubs/switches are cheap, put a 4-port hub at your TV, run single cable between hub and DSL/cable/fios router, and all devices are online.

hope that helps. sorry for the long post. I'll answer specific questions if you have any.

Err, sorry to burst your bubble MGR, but DLP TVs look fucking awful. CRTs look better.

I meant wait for your answer before I rambled on with a longer response. Everything Farhad said was great, but I will reiterate a few major points. Don't. Get. 1080. Unless you're sitting four feet from the TV, there's a 98% chance that you won't notice a difference.

As far as LCD/Plasma v DLP - I'm a DLP fan simply because you can get a bigger screen with equal quality for the same price or less. It's my opinion that the only reason that LCD/PLasma screens sell so well is because you can hang them on a wall. If you have no intentions of doing that, you should open your options to DLP as well.

And for streaming: Wireless HDMI systems are not cheap. Might I ask why you want it wireless? Just so you don't have wires sticking out, or is it a distance issue? (Your computer is far away from the tv)
I currently have my computer set up right next to the tv/reciever, and use a 15' DVI-HDMI cable to transfer the video feed. My sound feed is embarrassing - 2.55mm jack to an RCA jack cable feeds it. But my receiver does a great job of taking that two channel sound and splitting the sounds up to put them in appropriate locations - it's almost as if it was 6 channels.
By having your computer next to/near your TV, you eliminate having to buy something extra just to do something you already can. If your computer is moderately powerful (HD signals are a bitch) and you have a decent graphics card with DVI out, then you're set. Just get the cable, which brings me to my most important piece of advice. If you ignore everything else I say, heed this:

PRICE SPENT ≠ PERFORMANCE GAINED

We're talking about cables here.
People all over the place see these "Monster" cables and think that because they spent $40 on a 6' RCA cable, they got a good product. I'm not saying that it won't be good quality, but I am telling you that a $10 cable will give you the exact same performance.
I spent $12 on my DVI-HDMI cable and use it constantly. I'm perfectly happy with it and it has no flaws. Don't be the guy that buys a shielded digital signal cable, lest you find the $500 6' Denon ethernet cable on Amazon (read the reviews - they're HILARIOUS.

To simplify:

1) Price
2) Size
3) Specs

Your choice of brand should come after all that.

Why LCD? Why not projection? Inch per inch, DLP is cheaper.

Though I have no clue how you would wirelessly stream anything without dropping a HUGE amount of cash.

I remember reading about this in a magazine a good time ago, glad to see that its finally a reality.

Farhad you pretty much described my situation, I think I'm lacking in decent sunshine as well from the harsh florescent lighting here.

The video likely does not convey how brilliantly bright this is. Guessing from existing HID lamps, at 1300W this thing must be able to light a huge space by itself.

Or a better analogy, the HID lamp in even a quality high end LCD/DLP projector is at most 300-400W.