Available screen sizes: 52" - 82"
Advantages:
Smooth picture - Due to the very small pixel gap, the images are smooth as glass
High resolutions - Many options are available at 1080x1920
Disdvantages:
Price - These sets tend to be more expensive than DLP and LCD options
Black Level - Many LCoS sets don't handle blacks as well as DLP or LCD
LCoS technology is like a combination of DLP and LCD technologies. It's a reflective technology like DLP, but uses liquid crystals instead of individual mirrors. In LCoS, liquid crystals are applied to a reflective mirror, and as the liquid crystals open and close, the light is either reflected from the mirror below, or blocked.
LCoS was thought to be dead when Intel decided not to manufacture chips, but is making rebounds by two variants that have emerged from JVC and Sony. JVC has been selling their D-ILA products for a while, and are finally starting to achieve some success. Sony is introducing their own derivative called S-XRD. According to most reports, Sony's version is more refined and offers significant performance improvements, especially in black level.
Though all derivatives are based on LCoS technology, each has their own strengths and weaknesses, so you should view each kind carefully before making a decision.
What's common among all of them is the silky-smooth picture. Since the pixel gap on LCoS is extremely small, the screen door effect is not visible, even at close viewing distances. Plus, since 3 LCoS chips are used to drive each primary color, there is no rainbow effect from a color wheel.
Currently, there are few LCoS options available, but that number is expected to increase as Sony brings S-XRD into lower priced products. Stay tuned...
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