www.colorlightoutput.com
www.3lcd.com
EPSON 3LCD TECHNOLOGY – FOR BRIGHT, FAITHFUL COLOURS
COLOUR LIGHT OUTPUT – TRUE COLOURS SHINING THROUGH
3LCD projectors offer brighter and more accurate colours as they
produce different shades and hues by fi ltering, then mixing beams
of the three primary colours (red, green and blue).
In a 3LCD projector, white light is fi rst split into the three beams of
primary colours. Each beam is then fi ltered through its own LCD
that will give each individual pixel of the image its exact brightness
for each colour. The colour beams are then perfectly recombined in
a prism before being projected out as a complete image.
• An independent test by projector review media ProjectorCentral.com in 2009 of about 800 projectors found that on average, 3LCD projectors use 25% less power than
single-chip
projectors.
3LCD projector : RGB are projected at the same time, which makes the single composite image easy on the eyes.
The Brightness Myth
Did you know that the brightness specifi cation (in lumens) for
projectors is only a measurement of its white light output?
In fact, many manufacturers artifi cially boost their projectors’
brightness rating by increasing their white light production capability
at the expense of colour brightness.
CLO to Enlighten
To help buyers make better-educated decisions, colour scientists
at the U.S. government’s National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST – www.nist.gov) have developed Colour Light
Output (CLO) as a specifi cation to provide critical information on a
projector’s ability to deliver colour.
Colour Light Output is critically important because it measures
the brightness of Red, Green and Blue. In a 3LCD projector,
these primary colours create white when combined in the right
proportions. Beautifully balanced colour is possible when Red,
Green and Blue combine to produce the exact colours required.
Colour Light Output provides users with an additional way to
evaluate a projector and make more discerning buying decisions.
How is Colour Light Output measured?
Brightness (or White Light
Output)
measures the
total amount of white light
projected in lumens on a
nine point grid. It does not
measure colour.
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x
Colour Light Output
uses
3 sets of a nine-point grid to
measure the primary colours
- red, green and blue, using
the same approach used to
measure White Light Output
in lumens.
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x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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x
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x
x
Red
Red
Green
Green
Blue
Blue
Red
Blue
Green
Brand X
Low CLO
White Light Output
Colour Light Output
800 Lumens
=
/
2200 Lumens
=
2200 Lumens
2200 Lumens
White Light Output
Colour Light Output
3LCD
Projector
High CLO
This compares to projectors using single-chip technology that
actually project individual colours sequentially by fi ltering their
single white light beam through a colour wheel, and then relying on
human colour perception to combine the colours in the viewers’
minds.
As a result, 3LCD projectors also offer greater detail, smoother
gradations, no “colour breakup” effect, are easier on viewers’
eyes, and consumer about 25% less power to achieve the same
brightness compared to a single-chip projector using a lamp of the
same wattage.
