Patent ID: 8520149

Claim:
An apparatus for improving the operation of a digital image projector, the apparatus comprising: a variable luminance control mechanism configured to modify light generated in the digital image projector; and an adaptive luminance control module configured to receive video signals, the adaptive luminance control module producing a control signal, wherein the variable luminance control mechanism includes a dynamic iris configured to be altered in size in response to the control signal to change the luminance of the generated light and the variable luminance control mechanism provides a corrected video signal for the projector, and wherein the adaptive luminance control module comprises: a video receiver for receiving video signals and buffering the video signals; a luminance level processor for deriving a characteristic of the buffered video signals and producing a luminance content signal; and an adaptive gamma processor, configured to receive the luminance content signal from the luminance level processor and configured to generate and output the corrected video signal based on the buffered video signal and the luminance content signal and wherein the size of the dynamic iris is used to control, at least in part, gamma correction of the luminance content signal performed by the adaptive luminance control module.