[Technology Connections] Video projectors used to be ridiculously cool [34:39] (www.youtube.com)
from FenrirIII@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 18:32
https://lemmy.world/post/37074312

#technology

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probable_possum@leminal.space on 08 Oct 18:41 next collapse

And then they invented the colour wheel. And the DMD with lots of tiny mirrors. And afterwards they used LEDs and laser diodes…

dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 18:58 next collapse

The micromirror arrays are the wildest of the bunch to me. That is just such a prima facie batshit insane idea and it’s astonishing that it actually works.

“Yeah, we need to be able to individually display and shut off these pixels, so we’re going to go ahead and design a chip with 6,220,800 tiny mirrors that physically tilt when you poke them with electricity. Rather than, I don’t know, literally any other solution that presents itself.”

Krudler@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 19:42 next collapse

It sounds insane, but the array that drives it is functionally not that different from the array that individually causes LCD crystals to shift.

I have DLP parts sitting around because they’re cool.

Edit pics: <img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/5286025a-ae99-4a00-8ace-7a61d3ad3265.jpeg">

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/d8348a51-25b8-484c-97bd-c479ae628e68.jpeg">

Edit2 explanation: A white light is focused onto the DLP mirror chip through a kind of kaleidoscopic lens, I’ll spare you the details on that. The individual microscopic mirrors are aligned with charges to bounce light. The light pulses and different frames are sent through the spinning color wheel to create a composite image. It’s a fucking insane idea that barely works… and people like me, with low persistence of vision, are not fooled very well and we see color banding and all kinds of weird artifacting lol

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca on 08 Oct 19:51 next collapse

still used for a type of advanced microscopy.

TimeSquirrel@kbin.melroy.org on 08 Oct 20:03 collapse

There was an idea I read about, sorta along the same crazy track, (might have been Popular Science or something like 25 years ago) where they came up with an idea for a jet that didn't use traditional control surfaces like ailerons, but rather line the wings and fuselage in thousands of tiny flaps that would all be precisely computer controlled. It would be able to basically mold and shape the airstream around itself to make precise movements.

acosmichippo@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 19:11 next collapse

So they used to be ridiculously cool, but they’re still ridiculously cool too.

Beacon@fedia.io on 08 Oct 20:02 collapse

RGB flashing sequentially is the wooooooorst. Most people can't see it but holy shit i can and it's like random colored strobes flashing everywhere. Bleh

Steve@startrek.website on 09 Oct 00:15 collapse

I believe the crt projector doesnt have that issue

Beacon@fedia.io on 09 Oct 00:52 collapse

I was referring to the spinning color wheel that op was taking about, but yeah the simultaneous three color projector likely doesn't have that problem

NABDad@lemmy.world on 08 Oct 23:53 collapse

We had one in an auditorium where I work. Only problem is it was underneath an MRI scanner. Every time they’d open the door to the MRI, the magnetic field would knock the projector tubes out of alignment.

The technician who came out to work on it said it was hopeless. He told us he had a customer whose projector would get out of alignment if he moved a speaker in the room.

I was so happy when we finally replaced it with an LCD projector.