DLP - HD2 Mustang vs 3rd Gen

[soundjunkie]

Still looking at DLP's that I hope to purchase in the early spring. I've noticed that Toshiba used the TI HD2 Mustang chip, while most of the other brands are using the 3rd Gen chip from TI. Just so I can eliminate, is it understood that the 3rd Gen chip is better? Also, I recently read something about the DLP fixed chips, that eliminate the color wheel. This sounds like LCoS to me. If so, has anybody heard when they may be hitting the market?

 

[BMXTRIX]

There is a very slight improvement over the newer 3rd gen chips over the HD2 chip. DLP seems to work in incremental improvements instead of drastic ones, so I am not sure how much additional value you receive... but if the price is the same, then it's worth it to look newer.

The elmination of a color wheel only works (as far as I know) with triple DLP chip projectors. These are currently available but run at about 3 times the cost of a single DLP projector. I have heard good things about the Sony Qualia for example. No color wheel and no rainbow = awesome.

With new high contrast LCD available, DLP may not be the way to go for a lot of people before long though. TI is really milking their money out of DLP technology and everyone else is pushing LCD to a new level to make it look nearly as good for a ton less money. I love my LCD, but I also don't have $10,000.00+ to throw at a front projection system.

 

[Jazzwyld]

DLP tech

Yeah the Mustang chip is a relatively old chip set. They came out with the HD2 chip which was an improvement, Then the HD3 chip came out about a year ago, the new chip out there that Samsung is boasting is the HD2+ Chip which is right now the best chip out there. Always check on samsung they are the leaders of DLP technology and in my opinion the best implementers of it. The new Chip xHD3 is expected to come out around fall of next year. Most of the improvements are in the black level and the motion. Some of the bigger improvements in DLP weren't in the chip set but in the color wheel, instead of a RGB wheel, they made an RGBRGB wheel and I believe are to the point of 4 sets of RGB, so the rainbow effect is minimized.

 

[BMXTRIX]

??? Not sure what Samsung is doing with a Texas Instruments technology. TI makes all the DLP chips, they have the patent on it and all manufacturers have their ways to work with it.

Multi-segmented color wheels have been out for a while and many use different versions, some with clear, some with black, some with pure colors to create the best possible images. 7 segment color wheels at 3+ times rotational speed is common.

As far as I can tell, the HD2+ chip is sometimes referred to as the Mustang chip. I have seen zero front projectors utilizing the HD3 chip yet. www.dlp.com really doesn't look like it contains a lot of basic information about the different chips that may be out there with specificiations. The newest 16:9 DLP front projection systems are using the HD2+ or Mustang chips inside of them. These run from about $5K for a basic single chip 1280x720 model to $30,000+ for the latest 3 chip DLP models (no color wheel!).

Wait... found something...
http://www.digiupdate.com/105_DLP_RPTV.html

There is your differences in chips pretty much laid out. The HD2+ (Mustang) chip is still the front runner in DLP 1280x720 technology. The 1920x1080 chips will be the bad boy before long though.

Give me a triple chipper xHD3 projection system and I will never come out of my basement.

 

[Jazzwyld]

Mustang Chip is the HD2 chip
Then came HD3
Then HD2+
Soon to come out xHD3

The mustang is not the HD2+ chip

 

[soundjunkie]

Does anybody know if any of the DLP's are using the new xHD3 chip? It definitely appears to be a big step forward in DLP technology. Samsung usually leads the way, but I haven't heard anything new.....

 

[BMXTRIX]

Not that I have seen. Odds are that you will see them in front projection models first, then you may eventually see them in smaller rear projection units. The resolution is really high for a smaller rear projection unit, but may be idea for larger rear projectors.

The real question is how much the chip and electronics to run it will cost to produce a high quality image. It may be $8,000.00 for the set, which is more than manufacturers may want charge. On front projection, it will likely be in the $10K range for a decent projector. The same price that the HD2+ chip models cost when they first came out.

I would expect www.projectorcentral.com to have early information on the release of new 1920x1080DLP machines.

 

[soundjunkie]

I just received a B&H catalog and was looking through it and I noticed they listed the new Pedestal DLP sets, HL-P5085W and the HL-P5685W utilizing "TI's latest .8" microdisplay, Samsungs high performance Gen 4 HD projector features switching speeds that double the previous DLP micro-display design." In another spot it says "The latest enhancements in DMD technology, combined with Samsung's proprietary Cinema Smooth Gen 4 HD optical engine, provide film like images..."

In English, what does that mean? I don't think they are talking about the DLP chip itself, but maybe the projection system. I did notice the contrast ratio was up to 2500:1 also.

 

[soundjunkie]

I think I answered my previous question. The 4th gen is the light engine, not the chip itself, but I did run across another statement that confused me a little. Look at the following link at Crutchfields on the Samsung DLP, as they refer to the HD2+ as Mustang. I'm not sure it matters that much, but anyway...

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-yTGU4UnTMfW/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=153950&I=305HLP5685

Thanks!