The Rainbow Effect

Don't settle for technology that can have this phenomenon

Most projectors with 1-chip DLP technology use a rotating color wheel to project colors sequentially, which causes some viewers to see a phenomenon known as the "Rainbow Effect". Avoid the Rainbow Effect with Epson's 3LCD projector technology.

On this site, projected images showing the Rainbow Effect are simulations intended to approximate the experience when the effect is seen.

The Rainbow Effect Phenomenon

The Rainbow Effect is a phenomenon where someone viewing a projected image perceives flashes of color around the image. Instead of seeing a crisp edge to the image, the viewer sees color artifacts.

Quick Movement

The Rainbow Effect is most visible when the viewer's eye moves quickly across light areas of a projected image, or with video scenes showing rapid movements like in an action movie.

Rainbow Effect

Instead of a crisp edge, the viewer sees color fringe that resembles a rainbow.

 

Why does the Rainbow Effect happen?

At the core of most 1-chip DLP projectors is a spinning color wheel which can only display one color at a time. When these individual, one-color images are shown in rapid succession, our brain usually merges them into a single, unified image. However, a viewer may perceive flashes of these individual color images, creating the Rainbow Effect. According to projectorreviews.com, this is “...a ‘stroboscopic’ effect that has some people seeing flashes of red green and blue....”

3-chip 3LCD vs. 1-chip DLP

Unlike 1-chip DLP projectors, all Epson projectors use 3 individual LCD chips to generate red, green, and blue light that is projected simultaneously.

This technology eliminates the conditions that can create the Rainbow Effect, thus making 3-chip LCD projectors immune to that phenomenon.

In a recent study by Morpace Research (sponsored by Epson America, Inc.), a percentage of consumers viewing a black and white test pattern noted the Rainbow Effect on all three leading 1-chip DLP® projectors.

Summary of the Study

 Avoid the Rainbow Effect with Epson 3-chip 3LCD projectors

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