Image display apparatus and image display method

An image display method, comprising:

• a first image light generation step of generating image lights individually corresponding to a plurality of color components, which form a first color component group;
• and
• a display image light generation step of synthesizing the image lights of the individual color components generated by the first image light generation step to generate a single first display image light;
• the first image light generation step setting color component values of the individual color components, which form the first color component group, so that the first display image light may be generated with a chromaticity point and a luminance equal to those of a second display image light to be generated by synthesizing image lights individually corresponding to color components of a second color component group whose color components in combination are different from those of the first color component group, the first image light generation step generating image lights individually corresponding to the color components, which form the first color component group based on the set color component values;
• a second image light generation step generating image lights individually corresponding to the color components, which form the second color component group;
• the display image light generation step synthesizing the image lights of the individual color components generated by the second image light generation step to generate the single second display image light;
• and
• a switching step of switching the image lights to be synthesized by the display image light generation step between the image lights generated by the first image light generation step and the image lights generated by the second image light generation step based on data provided through a predetermined image pattern input to a switching means.

An image display apparatus, comprising:

• first image light generator that generates image lights individually corresponding to a plurality of color components, which form a single first color component group;
• and
• display image light generator that synthesizes the image lights of the individual color components generated by said first image light generator to generate a first display image light;
• said first image light generator setting color component values of the individual color components, which form the first color component group, so that the first display image light may be generated with a chromaticity point and a luminance equal to those of a second display image light to be generated by synthesizing image lights individually corresponding to color components of a second color component group whose color components in combination are different from those of the first color component group, said first image light generator generating image lights individually corresponding to the color components, which form the first color component group based on the set color component values;
• a second image light generator that generates image lights individually corresponding to a plurality of color components, which form said second color component group;
• the display image light generator synthesizes said image lights of the individual color components generated by the second image light generator to generate the single second display image light;
• and
• a switch that switches the image lights to be synthesized by the display image light generator between the image lights generated by the first image light generator and the image lights generated by the second image light generator based on data provided through a predetermined image pattern input to said switch.