The term Unishape (Universal Shaped Lamp Light Technology) may not mean much to most but upcoming Digital Light Processing (DLP) products that take advantage of the technology, promise reduced video artifacts and dithering, diminished rainbow effects, higher resolution in low-light scenes, brighter images in general, higher color accuracy, and improved contrast ratios. These major improvements could dramatically change the video display offerings available today.
DLP is a technology used in projectors and video projectors and is the primary technology for rear projection television, the third competitor along with LCD, Plasma flat panel displays in the HDTV market.
Unishape technology has been developed by OSRAM and consists of a matched lamp and DLP DMD paired by a custom lamp driver. The end result is an optic system that can adjust the lamps waveform pattern, creating the same benefits of an auto-iris but at the source (LCDs and Plasmas developers do not address this problem at the source). The result is, as OSRAM claims, up to 40% brighter images, up to 80% better color saturation and up to 100% higher contrast ratios compared to the DLP projection systems on the market now.
A few companies are experimenting with this new technology in their DLP developments now so expect to see improved DLP products in the next 6-12 months
