Rear projection type image display device

A rear projection type image display device comprising:

• a projection optical unit including:
• a white light source;
• a light beam splitting portion for splitting a visible light beam emitted from said white light source into light beams of three primary colors of red, green and blue;
• an image display element, provided correspondingly to the light beams of the three primary colors resulting from splitting by said light beam splitting portion, for modulating intensity of each of the light beams pixel by pixel in accordance with amplitude of an inputted image signal;
• a light beam synthesizing portion for synthesizing the light beams of the three primary colors modulated by said image display element;
• and
• a projection lens for projecting on a larger scale the synthesized light beam obtained by said light beam synthesizing portion;
• a chassis including a drive circuit for driving said image display element and a power circuit;
• a turn-back mirror for reflecting the light beam projected from said projection lens and directing the light beam to a screen;
• and
• a housing for housing therein said projection optical unit, said drive circuit and said turn-back mirror,
• wherein when looking at a front side of the image display device from the image-viewing side, said chassis is disposed on one of the right and left sides in the interior of said housing and said projection optical unit is disposed on the other, so that said chassis and said projection optical unit are arranged side by side.