Today's modern teaching techniques require the teacher to harness the latest classroom technology, which normally incorporates the use of an interactive whiteboard in conjunction with a DLP projector to project the latest interactive school software. Now the company that brought us this DLP projector technology, Texas Instruments have now developed a 3D ready projector. The DLP projector is now commonplace within our schools and colleges. At the heart of every DLP projection system is an optical semiconductor known as the DLP chip, which was invented by Dr. Larry Hornbeck of Texas Instruments back in 1987.

The DLP chip is probably the world's most sophisticated light switch. It contains a rectangular array of up to 2 million hinge-mounted microscopic mirrors; each of these micro mirrors measures less than one-fifth the width of a human hair. When a DLP chip is coordinated with a digital video or graphic signal, a light source, and a projection lens, its mirrors can reflect a digital image onto a screen or other surface. The DLP chip and the sophisticated electronics that surround it are what we call DLP technology. But now TI has took it to the next level by using the same technology to produce 3D image on the screen.

The tiny mirrors on the chip move at such a speed they can generate 2 images simultaneously one for the left eye and one for the right eye to create the 3D image.

If you have ever seen a recent 3D movie in the movie theatre, chances are the 3D effect was generated by a DLP Cinema projector. That same, basic technology has now been applied to the typical, affordable classroom projector to allow immersive 3D content to engage students in class. When you purchase a DLP 3D ready projector your classroom will be ready to add 3D content to the learning experience.

1-CHIP DLP® PROJECTION SYSTEM
Televisions, home theatre systems and business projectors using DLP® technology rely on a single chip configuration like the one described above.

White light passes through a colour filter, causing red, green, blue and even additional primary colours such as yellow cyan, magenta and more to be shone in sequence on the surface of the DLP® chip. The switching of the mirrors, and the proportion of time they are 'on' or 'off' is coordinated according to the colour shining on them. Then the sequential colours blend to create a full-colour image you see on the screen.

3-CHIP DLP® PROJECTION SYSTEM
DLP® technology-enabled projectors for vey high image quality or very high brightness applications such as cinema and large venue displays rely on a 3-chip configuration to produce stunning images, whether moving or still.

In a 3-chip system, the white light generated by the lamp passes through a prism that divides it into red, green and blue. Each DLP® chip is dedicated to one of these three colours; the coloured light that the micromirrors reflect is then combined and passed through the projection lens to form an image.

More information on DLP and Texas Instruments can be found at http://www.dlp.com/