Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions DLP Technology and Rainbows Question

Hi mdrew,

It's extremely rare for anyone to see a DLP's rainbow effects unless you are trying to see them or have read about them and are curious. Since I write about this stuff, I taught myself to see them when DLP was first introduced so that I could speak to the issue with some knowledge. But in normal viewing I am rarely conscious of them. In my six years with Axiom, I've only encountered one Axiom customer who returned a DLP because his wife was acutely sensitive to them.

As Anthony11 and Cap'n Pickard have pointed out, the newer sets with faster color wheels with more segments have largely eliminated the effects. I have not been able to see any rainbow effects even when I try with the new Optoma DLP projectors.

The LED light engines on the new Samsung sets have eliminated the "problem". Although the red, blue and green LEDs fire sequentially (and they are synced to the DLP mirrors), they do so at such a fast rate that it's impossible to see any rainbows.

Regards,

Hey Alan, I've been forced to be undecided in my choice for an HDTV. I had planned on getting a Pioneer Elite Kuro, but now the Samsung LED has peeked my curiosity. It has a lower power consumption than the plasma, But I have heard about problems in the past with Samsung. Do you know if there has been any reported problems with the LED sets. This might help me to choice one option over the other.
Thanks
Mel N.

Hey Onn. You might try checking out the rear projection forum at avsforum. I found it very helpful when making my decision because there are so many people posting there.

I beleive that Samsung (and a few others) were having geometry issues because they went to a super slim format and the TV bezel was not quite stiff enough for the screen. This is something they may have solved by now.

I basically went through all the threads for different brands and kept track of how many people were having issues. At the time, Sony seemed to have the least.

Thanks Fred I will go to the avs forum and Happy Canada Day.
Mel N.

As I was gearing up to order my Samsung LED DLP (TV, not projector), I read a few complaints of hourglass problems with thin-chassis LED DLP's. I have the same understanding of the problem that FredK does, that the bezel wasn't strong enough and people were complaining of drooping screens.

I also read that Samsung has corrected the problem. It's hard to really say for sure - the nature of information on the 'net, ya know. But I went ahead and took a chance and ordered mine. I'm happy to say that my Samsung 61" LED DLP doesn't appear to have any sag in the frame. The picture is as rectangular is you'd expect. I see no geometry problems. The picture quality is superb.

/Samsung Cheerleader mode
Overall, I'm extremely happy with the TV. No fan noise, low energy usage, no bulb to replace, beautiful picture, and the price is much lower than a plasma of similar size and picture quality. With the LED technology, the only drawback to a DLP set is that you can't mount the TV on a wall.
/Cheerleader mode off

Keep in mind that the LED-source DLP's don't have a spinning color wheel, and therefore there can't be a rainbow problem (that is my understanding, anyway).

I suspect that browsing through more recent posts on avsforum will show whether or not the issue has been resolved. Its an easy one to deal with though. If your set is out of geometry, send it back. Since it is mechanical, it is also an easier issue for Samsung to resolve.

I would have considered the Samsung but, here in Canada around Christmas, it was almost a $1,000 premium to go this route on a 50". When I figured in one bulb change every 4 years for my low level of usage, it wasn't worth it for me.

Samsung has been one of the leaders (along with Mitsubishi) in the DLP field for a long time. I have quite a bit of experience with their older sets and found them all to be quite acceptable, especially given their low price points relative to other technologies. They definitely had detractors in the past, though. Lip Synch issues, rainbow effect, fan noise, etc. have all (it seems) been addressed. You should feel comfortable with a Samsung if you're talking about DLP. Samsung's track record with plasma, on the other hand, is decidedly not the same. Complaints in the past ranged from poor clarity to downright unacceptable black levels.

Nowadays, though, both technologies are fairly mature (LED DLPS, not so sure about those), so the choices are getting easier.

Sooo,I'm in the process of looking around town to see if anyone carries the Samsung LED's so I can compare to the Pioneer and make a decision. Thanks for the input.

Onn, Mitsubishi also has an LED DLP.

That's sorta what I was thinking as well. Unless someone tells you there's a problem, it usually is never noticed. I stared at the DLP TV for quite a while, looking at it sideways, turning my head, off center, center...etc. I didn't see nothing. The only thing I did notice that bothered me was a very slight jerky panning movement. I suspect that is the TV's video processor though, and not the DLP chip.

Thanks Alan.