Single Chip

Sony's design program for SXRD projection called for the closest possible fidelity to the original picture. For this reason, SXRD projection does not resort to color wheels, optical actuators, special dithering or sub-pixel processing.

Color Wheels. These are a throwback to the mechanical color television proposals of the 1950s. Color is separated by a rotating color wheel that is timed to coincide with a subframe for each color segment on the wheel, such as Red, Green and Blue. Contemporary color wheels now use as many as eight segments. Regardless of the number of segments, this system can only flash one color at a time. In fact, the colors remain completely separate until they are combined by the human visual system.

This single-chip system generates adequate color under many viewing conditions. However, under certain high-contrast conditions, rainbow flashes of the individual colors may be seen. This can occur when looking away from the screen or even blinking.

Color separation	One panel	Screen	Colors
via rotating filter		flashes Red,	combined by	Color breakup
wheel		Green & Blue	human visual	Color breakup
wheel		Green & Blue	human visual
			system

Three Chips

Color separation	Three SXRD	Colors combined	Stable, natural	No color breakup
via dichroic	panels	by prism	color to viewers
mirrors

Projectors with a single microdisplay panel and color wheel are subject to color breakup, which may be visible or concern certain viewers. SXRD projectors use three separate panels for Red, Green and Blue to display all the colors all the time. So color breakup is never a problem. (Sample illustration of color breakup that may be visible to viewers with a high-contrast image.)

Even the least expensive consumer SXRD televisions use three independent microdisplay panels, one each for Red, Green and Blue. In this way, SXRD projectors display all the colors, all the time. Thanks to this three-panel

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