Patent ID: 7131729

Claim:
A projection display apparatus comprising: a color separating and synthesis optical system comprising a first polarized light separating means, a second polarized light separating means, a third polarized light separating means and a fourth polarized light separating means wherein said first, second, third and fourth light separating means are disposed in respective diagonal directions therein, said first polarized light separating means is disposed on that side on which illuminating light is incident and said fourth polarized light separating means is disposed on that side at which projection is performed, a first reflective type spatial light modulating elements disposed on either the opposite side with respect to that side of said second polarized light separating means on which said first polarized light separating means is disposed or the opposite side with respect to that side on which said fourth polarized light separating means is disposed, a second reflective type spatial light modulating elements disposed on the opposite side with respect to that side of said third polarized light separating means on which said first polarized light separating means is disposed, and a third reflective type spatial light modulating elements disposed on the opposite side with respect to that side of said third polarized light separating means on which said fourth polarized light separating means is disposed, in which the color separating and synthesis optical system, after light including light of the three primary colors made in advance into light of determined polarization from light of indeterminate polarization is separated into the respective primary colors by said first, second and third polarized light separating means, and after each respective color undergoes modulation coordinated to an image signal for each respective color and is reflected by the respective said first, second and third reflective type spatial light modulating elements, color synthesis is performed and a color image is generated by said second, third and fourth polarized light separating means; and a projection lens for expansively projecting said color image generated by said color separating and synthesis optical system; wherein said first, second and third polarized light separating means comprise a wire grid polarized light separating plate, respectively, and a lens for correcting astigmatism is disposed near the side of the reflective surface of at least a reflective type spatial light modulating element from among said first, second and third reflective type spatial light modulating elements, respectively.