Patent ID: 7365721

Claim:
A projection display comprising: a light source; a light valve that is illuminated by light from the light source and forms an image in accordance with a picture signal; a projection lens for projecting the image formed on the light valve on a screen in a magnified state; and a birefringent element for spatially separating the light from the light valve, the birefringent element comprising: a first birefringent plate that the light from the light valve enters; a second birefringent plate that light from the first birefringent plate enters; and a third birefringent plate that light from the second birefringent plate enters, wherein a polarization direction of the light entering the first birefringent plate forms an angle of n×45° (n is an odd number) with an optic axis of the first birefringent plate projected on an incident surface of the first birefringent plate. an optic axis of the second birefringent plate projected on an incident surface of the second birefringent plate is orthogonal to the optic axis of the first birefringent plate projected on the incident surface of the first birefringent plate, and an optic axis of the third birefringent plate projected on an incident surface of the third birefringent plate is parallel or orthogonal to the polarization direction of the light entering the first birefringent plate, thereby allowing a pixel grid as ineffective portions of respective pixels of a light valve to be made inconspicuous on a projected image, wherein the light valve is a reflective liquid crystal light valve, and the birefringent element separates light from the liquid crystal light valve into four light beams that are separated in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction by an amount corresponding to 10% to 30% of a pitch with which fixed pixels of the liquid crystal light valve are arranged.