It’s like a hybrid between LCD and DLP rear-projection technologies. LCoS stands for liquid crystal on silicon and follows the same reflexive concept from DLP; only instead of a tiny mirror-covered chip, it uses a coating of several individual liquid crystals. The light hits the silicon chip and is reflected by each stimulated liquid crystal forming the image. Color is generated through two methods: a spinning colored wheel akin to DLP technology, or a display chip per primary color, with the images being combined optically. Screen resolution reaches Full HD (1080 pixels). Sony’s SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) and JVC’s D-ILA (Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier) are proprietary variations of LCoS technology. Heralded as the future of rear-projection, LCoS is being dropped by several companies such as LG and Sony.

Model example: JVC HD70FH96 (70")

Strong points

• Reaches higher resolution than those of LCD rear-projectors.
• No “screen-door effect.”
• No risk of defective pixels.
• Chip substitution can be expensive.
• High contrast and color fidelity.

Weak points

• Expensive.
• Dropped by major companies.