Patent ID: 8773036

Claim:
A projector that outputs a first picture and a second picture alternately while performing switching between the first picture and the second picture with given switching timing, comprising: a discharge lamp including a first electrode and a second electrode; a discharge lamp driving section that supplies, to the discharge lamp, a drive current that drives the discharge lamp; and a control section that controls the discharge lamp driving section, wherein a period sandwiched between a time at which switching is performed and the next time at which switching is performed starts with a first period and ends with a second period, the control section performs first control in a first control period which continues at least for a period sandwiched between a time at which switching is performed and the next time at which switching is performed and performs second control in a second control period which continues at least for a period sandwiched between a time at which switching is performed and the next time at which switching is performed, the second control period different from the first control period, in the first control and the second control, the control section controls the discharge lamp driving section so that the absolute value of the drive current becomes relatively small in the first period and becomes relatively large in the second period, in the first control, in the first period, the control section controls the discharge lamp driving section so that the discharge lamp driving section supplies an alternating current to the discharge lamp as the drive current, and in the second period, the control section performs first control processing by which the control section controls the discharge lamp driving section so that the discharge lamp driving section supplies, to the discharge lamp, the drive current by which the energy provided to the first electrode in the second period becomes greater than the energy provided to the second electrode in the second period, and in the second control, in the first period, the control section controls the discharge lamp driving section so that the discharge lamp driving section supplies an alternating current to the discharge lamp as the drive current, and in the second period, the control section performs second control processing by which the control section controls the discharge lamp driving section so that the discharge lamp driving section supplies, to the discharge lamp, the drive current by which the energy provided to the second electrode in the second period becomes greater than the energy provided to the first electrode in the second period.