Plasma TV's have long enjoyed singular billing as the "Big Thing" in consumer electronics, but a new display technology has begun to make some headlines of its own. Digital Light Processing (DLP TV) technology was developed by Larry Hornbeck at Texas Instruments (TI) in the 1970s, perfected in the '80s, and finally introduced to the public in 1996. Since then, DLP TV has started making waves in the fixed-pixel display market by meeting the surging demand for less expensive--though no less capable--large-screen TVs. Some analysts think DLP might wind-up being as ubiquitous as Dolby sound is in stereos.



After years of experimenting with fingernail-sized computer chips that hold a million or more microscopic mirrors, TI is finally seeing a payoff--and it may be in your living room before long. Some major players in the consumer electronics industry have gotten behind this new display technology. With its DLP chip now at the heart of new high-definition television sets from RCA, Samsung, LG, Toshiba, Zenith, and Panasonic (to name a few), TI shipped its 3 millionth DLP chip in April 2004. Which is quite a feat, given that, as recently as 2002, DLPs accounted for just 0.8% of new TV sales.

With so many manufacturers adopting this technology, DLP TVs are expected to account for a full 8.5% of total domestic TV sales by the end of 2004. Analysts think 2005 will be a breakout year for DLP, when it will finally surpass the 10% mark in its share of U.S. television market. If TI has its way, you'll be seeing the benefits of DLP technology first-hand the next time you buy a new TV. Consider how DLP has penetrated the product lines of companies like:

* RCA/Thomson DLP TV, which utilizes DLP technology to power its Scenium line of HDTVs and is making headlines with its new Profiles series of under-seven-inch-deep HD DLP TVs;

* Sharp DLP TV, which plans to have its line of DLP TVs on store shelves by early 2005;

* Panasonic DLP TV, which introduced four new 50" and 60" DLPs with 10-bit image processing, built-in tuners, and photo-viewing capability at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas;

* Samsung DLP TV, which will be the first manufacturer to offer the next-generation TI HD3 DLP chip in its 63 series of 46", 50", 56", and 61" DLP TVs.;

* Toshiba DLP TV, which will start shipping its new line of DLPs in Fall 2004

* LG DLP TV, which recently got into the DLP TV business with a 52" monitor of its own; and

* Mitsubishi DLP TV, which plans to expand its microdisplay-based rear-projection television assortment to include 52" and 62" high-def DLP televisions.