Audio Video News

Want the best big picture available for under a quarter million? Madrigal lays claim to that title with its new MP-D1.

Madrigal's projector is a D-ILA™ * (Direct Drive Light Image Amplification) device using three 0.9" ultra-high contrast Liquid Crystal On Silicon (LCOS) chips, each with an S-XGA resolution level of 1365 X 1024 pixels. Each LCOS chip contains 1.4 million pixels, yielding a total pixel count of more than 4 million pixels in a 4 x 3 image. Both the high pixel count and high "fill factor" yield moving pictures free of edge artifacts, stair stepping, pixelization and other annoying distortions. Madrigal claims the MP-D1 offers the most three-dimensional image available for under $250,000.

Madrigal believes there are inherent flaws in the outputs of the most commonly used Digital Mirror Devices (DMD or DLP) and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) projectors, primarily a "grid" or "screen door" effect arising from the space limitations of DLP chips themselves or from the necessary control switches that surround each pixel in LCD panels.

The MP-D1's 550:1 contrast ratio insures true blacks, according to Madrigal, and also helps maintain color purity as light levels change. Its D-ILA technology uses a Xenon source light whose spectral balance is closer to that of sunlight, yielding more natural colors in the projected image. Similar to the lamps used in commercial theaters, the MP-D1's Xenon light will remain more accurate over its lifespan than the lamps used in cheaper projectors, the manufacturer claims. Unlike DLP projectors, the MP-D1 does not rely on a spinning color wheel to filter its images. Madrigal says the MP-D1 is completely free of "rainbow effects."

The projector accepts a wide variety of inputs, including computer graphics at VGA (640 x 480) and S-VGA (1280 x 1024) levels of resolution. The MP-D1 can handle "legacy video" at 480I as well as common DTV signals, including high-definition video at 480P, 720P and 1080I. Component video inputs accommodate these signals. The MP-D1 also has an RGBHV connection use with an external scaler.