One of the negative things people talk about with DLP televisions is the rainbow effect. It turns out that the rainbow effect is a known consequence of previous generation DLP televisions. From our research, it specifically impacted many earlier generation Samsung DLP TVs.
Audioholics does a great job of explaining it.
The DLP ‘Rainbow Effect’ (or RBE) is an artifact unique to single-chip DLP projectors. The artifact appears as a rainbow or multi-color shimmer briefly noticeable when changing focus from one part of the screen to another. It appears as a secondary image that appears at the viewer’s peripheral vision and is generally noticeable when shifting focus from a high contrast area or bright object.
Fixing it isn’t impossible. The best way to fix this problem is to replace the color wheel with a faster one or a multiple segment one. Ultimately, it’s an issue that may show itself until you get a different television. Newer LED-based DLP televisions don’t have this problem. The same is true for 3-chip DLP televisions, LCoS, Plasma, LCD, and Laser TV sets.
Not everyone notices it, and not everyone is impacted by it. Before you buy a used DLP television, consider this and how it could impact your enjoyment.
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