Have you ever thought about buying a large screen TV? But then you looked at some - and didn't really like what you saw? Image quality not nearly as good as on your present TV - and you have to be right in front of it to see it? And with the others, the image was great - but look at the size of that thing!

What you were looking at are the limitations of the two display technologies most commonly found in large screen TVs: CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). Direct view CRT gives you excellent image quality but a 40" screen comes with a weight of over 250lbs, and a front-to-back measurement in excess of two feet. LCD technology is a little more compact and lightweight - but you can see every pixel in the image, which appears dim and fuzzy.

And, of course, you might have looked at plasma technology: that's what's behind those cute TVs that you can hang on the wall. Nice image, cool looks - but sticker shock!

Wouldn't it be great if you could get CRT image quality in a slim, elegant package - but at a price much more affordable than plasma?

Well, you can: there's a new home entertainment display technology that really can give you the best of all worlds. It's called Digital Light Processing™ technology, and it was invented by Texas Instruments. Already at the heart of close to a million business projectors, DLP™ technology is now finding its way into the home.

Why is it the 'best of all worlds'? First, because the clarity of the image rivals that of direct view CRT-based TVs. It's sharp, it's bright, the colors are vivid and realistic - and the contrast ratio enables you to see all the subtle details in the dark and bright areas of the picture. And for video game enthusiasts, DLP™ technology is just as at home with computer and game console graphics as it is with video: either way, the image looks great.

Secondly, DLP technology allows you to get the big screen experience without all the 'big' that goes with it. DLP™ technology uniquely enables TV manufacturers to design products that are slim, lightweight and elegant - an asset to any family room. Manufacturers have recently been demonstrating prototype TVs based on DLP™ technology that feature 43" screens, yet which weigh less than 70lbs and which measure around fifteen inches front to back - so small and lightweight, you can put them on a table or credenza.

Products based on those prototypes will likely hit your local Best Buy and Circuit City in the second half of next year. And the best news about them? They'll be much more affordable than today's large screen TVs that feature DLP™ technology - and much more affordable than TVs based on plasma technology.

If you want to check out what's going on in the world of large screen TVs, visit the Texas Instruments booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas (8th - 11th January 2002). There, you'll be able to see a broad range of large screen TVs enabled by DLP™ technology from the world's leading manufacturers.

And you won't just see TVs there, either. You'll also see examples of the many exciting new front projection systems, designed specifically for home theater and home entertainment use. If you're a real movie buff, you'll want to see the units from Sharp, Yamaha, Marantz, Runco, DWIN and SIM2 Multimedia, to name a few. But if what you prize more is flexibility, you may be intrigued by products like Plus Corporation's tiny 'Piano' HE-3100 projector. Claimed by Plus to be the smallest, lightest projector ever developed specifically for home entertainment, its 4.4lb weight means you can easily set it up in any room - even take it with you when you visit the family or friends. Business projector market leader InFocus will likely be showing its long-awaited new entrant into the home entertainment marketplace.

So what is it about DLP™ technology that's making all these new products possible? Digital Light Processing™ technology is based on the Digital Micromirror Device™ optical switch semiconductor developed by Texas Instruments. The DMD™ comprises a standard memory cell on top of which is mounted a rectangular array of around one million hinged, microscopic mirrors, each of which corresponds to a single pixel in the projected image. Red, green and blue light is shone alternately onto the mirrors which switch on and off - at around 5,000 times per second - in response to a video signal being fed into the underlying memory chip. The light reflected by the mirrors is directed through a lens and onto the screen, creating an image.

What all this means is that, first, a DLP™ subsystem can be very small - thus enabling very small, very lightweight products. Second, because it's based on semiconductor technology, it can be made relatively inexpensively. Third, it's reflective, meaning that it's very efficient - delivering more brightness per pound of projector weight than is possible with other technologies. Fourth, where other display technologies are analog, DLP™ technology is digital - along with everything that means in terms of accuracy and repeatability.

That's one of the reasons why DLP Cinema™ technology - which is derived from DLP™ technology - is now the de facto standard as the movie industry moves from the world of celluloid to the world of bits and bytes. Right now, close to forty movie theaters around the world are equipped with these projectors, and over three million moviegoers have seen them in action. Major motion pictures that have been made available on DLP Cinema™ projectors have included 'Star Wars Episode 1', Toy Story 2', 'Shrek' and 'Jurassic Park III'.

For anyone thinking of buying a large screen TV or a front projector, it all adds up to what looks like a winning combination: DLP™ technology is helping manufacturers bring you clear, bright, sharp images from products that are small and lightweight - and that are becoming increasingly affordable.