Laser TV unveiled...

10-10-2006, 03:07 PM

IT'S being hailed by its developers as the next revolution in visual technology - a laser television that will make plasma screens obsolete.

Soon-to-be-listed Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux unveiled what they claimed to be the world's first laser television in Sydney today, with a pitch that it would be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs.

Manufacturing company Arasor produces the unique optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device being developed by Silicon Valley-based Novalux, which is being used by a number of television manufacturers.

And displayed beside a conventional 50 inch plasma TV this afternoon, the Mitsubishi-built prototype does appear brighter and clearer than its “older” rival.

With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma.

“If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see,” he said.

“But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see.

“All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display.”

Combine that with energy efficiency, price advantage and the fact that the laser TVs will be half the weight and depth of plasma TVS, and Mr Pelaprat says “plasma is now something of the past”.

Mr Pelaprat predicted LCD TVs would come to dominate the market below 40 inches, and laser television the market above that screen size, displacing plasma.

The optoelectronic chip-laser technology won't be confined to TVs.

The technology is also being trialled in mobile phones, where it will be used to project images onto any surface, and in home theatres and cinemas.

The unveiling of the laser TV prototype was held on the eve of Arasor's public float on the Australian Stock Exchange next week.

This should be interesting as this technology unfolds. I still think it will be tough to dethrown DLP

Scrum · 10-10-2006, 03:13 PM

Half the weight and depth of plasma? My 37 inch is light and small. These things are going to be tiny.

I can't wait to see one.

I'll be shopping for a replacement for my 60 inch rear projection in a couple years. Maybe these will be affordable by then.

JaJae · 10-10-2006, 03:40 PM

This sounds fun. But wouldn't it be limited by the video cameras used?

10-14-2006, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

This sounds fun. But wouldn't it be limited by the video cameras used?

i can't fund much on them

WickedLou9 · 10-17-2006, 01:35 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

This sounds fun. But wouldn't it be limited by the video cameras used?

Garbage in garbage out I guess. If the feed isn't high quality then your image can't be.. however if there is a market created, someone will step up to supply it. Much like HD TV. At first there were like 2 channels? You could watch the occasional football game in HD and a few other programs. Now Digital cable and satelite TV have stepped up and are providing more a richer selection of HD programming. If Laser TV becomes the next biggest thing, surely there is money to be made by supplying Laser TV programming.

motivez · 10-17-2006, 03:41 PM

If it brings down the price of DLP and LCD.. I hope it hits the market soon!

Thomas Crown · 11-13-2006, 01:11 PM

My next purchase will be a 52" LED DLP panel. Next year, after they drop in price by about 2k.

Ardentfrost · 11-19-2006, 02:41 AM

Interesting... wtb laser projector

I want to know about bulbs on these things. Thomas Crown has the right idea getting an LED DLP since they have over 10 years worth of life in the bulbs (and that's with non-stop use). Most lasers are similar to LEDs in that they last as long as the silicon inside of them doesn't break down, so already that would be an advantage over Plasma (damn things gotta be recharged every other year). And LCD panels, I mean, how fast they go bad depends on the manufacturer, but nothing looks worse than an image from an LCD panel that's going bad (not to mention dead pixels). Don't get me started on delineation (it's something I'm battling with 4-year-old Sharp projectors I support at work)

Can't wait to see these things. Shame they weren't at Infocomm this past year. But I can't complain too much, I got to drool over all the new DLP technology coming out.

motivez · 11-19-2006, 10:36 AM

I thought the major problem with LCD was being able to hit true black, and image burn in? Not as bad as with plasma (for the burnin), but still pretty bad.. especially on news channels with that ticker tape

Thomas Crown · 11-20-2006, 11:24 AM

I presently have an LCD panel (30") that I love and a 42" rear LCD projection. They both have their strong points. I prefer the panel though.

I am buying, just before christmas, four 32" next generation dell LCD panels for a TV bank I am putting together. The expensive part is the four HD TiVO's and the extra dish I have to buy (I am up to two dishes already, with 8 LNBs, doh!).

DirecTV is supposedly changing out their HD and DVR boxes soon, so I will probably wait for that.

As for my panel, I have had no burn in issues and the blacks are great. Not as good as plasma, but nothing to detract from image quality. Discovery HD is on pretty much 24/7.

Thomas Crown · 11-20-2006, 12:17 PM

I just ordered a new DirecTV HD DVR and I'm getting it for $99. Woot. I guess my HD TiVO is moving to my 42" projection.

Ardentfrost · 11-21-2006, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by motivez

I thought the major problem with LCD was being able to hit true black, and image burn in? Not as bad as with plasma (for the burnin), but still pretty bad.. especially on news channels with that ticker tape

contrast ratio (the difference between white and black which is basically how close it can get to system black) is a performance issue. LCD will never be as good as DLP in that area since DLP redirects the light, and LCD "projects" black (which is impossible as anyone should know from high school physics).

Burnin can be reduced and/or prevented by displaying a solid white screen for a while every now and then. In LCD and Plasma TVs, you should do that as a part of your initial setup.

Projections are a different though. In emissive technology (LCD and Plasma TVs, for instance) you are actually watching the pixels. In transmissive technology, like LCD projectors for instance, light is passing through an unlit LCD screen. This greatly reduces how noticable burnin is. In reflective technology, like DLP, there is nothing to burnin. The mirrors will never take on a tint which is what would be required to exhibit such a thing.

Laser, it appears, will be a bit different. No mirrors, no panel through which light must transmit, no panel which lights up, just a 3-stage laser (as far as I can tell) that has a few million positions (the resolution), each containing information on which of the lasers is on or off. Contrast ratio will rival DLP, and burnin will similarly be a nonissue.

Thomas Crown · 11-21-2006, 05:18 PM

I demo'd an LED tv from one of my home theater contractors the other day. He brought it in for another Robert Horry's (sp) house to show him. It was nifty. I didn't get to see an HD signal on it though. =(

Ardentfrost · 11-21-2006, 05:23 PM

the oled displays, although cool, are still a bit too pixelly for my taste. I saw the pimpest ones the industry has to offer at a conference a few months ago and I still feel that way. They're awesome for situations where you're not showing a high quality something, but otherwise I don't see much use for them.

Barco especially had some badass ones though.