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Laser TV: Plasma/LCD Killer for 2008, explained! 120 inch?!
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Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:13 pm Reply and quote this post
Laser TV is a proposed new video display technology using laser optoelectronics. A decision of the commercial availability of laser televisions may be made early in 2008.

Laser TV demo from the bay area:


The Inquirer wrote:


THE launch of the device which was supposed to sweep theplasma television off the shelves this Christmas, the Laser TV, has beendelayed.
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, has told the television industry to expect amajor laser TV announcement at a US trade show in January. However it will notsay how long it will take before the technology goes on sale afterwards.
Either way the first laser TV was supposed to be in the shops in time forthis Christmas.
Laser TVs can produce twice the range of colours of current flat panel modelswhile being thinner, lighter and use less juice.
It was believed that the technology would take over from plasma at the 40inch screen size and above leaving the smaller screens to LCDs.
The delay appears to be at the production side of the release rather thananything to do with the television technology.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a couple of other keycomponent manufacturers haven't quite ramped up as fast as was expected,"Wilkie said.




In a recent interview with the New York Times, Mitsubishi's vicepresident for marketing Frank DeMartin, revealed that his company willbe showing off its very own laser TV at CES 2008.
In the interview, Mr. DeMartin explained that "[Laser TVs] will spawn a new category for the premium end of the market."
And while his words are true, does Mitsubishi (or any other companyfor that matter) really want to be known as the "premium end" in amarket that is being dominated by companies who are trying to dropprices as quickly as possible? The current state of the HDTV market,much like the cell phone market, dictates the best possible quality atthe cheapest price. Next time you hit up a Costco or Sam's Club, take alook at the $3000 Sony and the $1700 Vizio. Can you tell a difference?And if so, how many times does the Vizio look better than the Sony? Ifmy tastes are the same as yours, you would probably say 99 percent ofthe time.
With that in mind, would you really want to pay twice or three timesthat for a laser TV just because it is the next big thing and providesa somewhat better picture than your current plasma or LCD? Not me.
While some believe lasers will supplant UHP lamps as the medium ofchoice for HDTVs, I don't. Although current HDTVs can only display upto half of the visible color spectrum and laser TVs can show almost 90percent of that spectrum, inky blacks and red reds are not as importantto me as benefits for the cost.


In case you were wondering, Laser TVs works with the help of threelasers in their own distinct wavelengths: red, green and blue. Althoughred lasers are easily available right now, as far as I know, no greenor blue lasers can be purchased for inclusion into the TVs. Because ofthis, manufacturers are required to use a technique called frequencydoubling to create artificial blue and green lasers. Once these lasersare properly configured, they shoot beams at a vertical cavitycontaining two mirrors. The laser light is then converted into visiblelight and this is carried to a Digital Micromirror device where themirrors either shoot the light onto your screen or into a dump.
Sound complicated? Well it's expensive too. Although this techniqueeliminates many of the components you would find in projection TVs(namely the color wheel and filters), laser costs are extremely high atthis point, and to mass produce these HDTVs, companies may end upcharging more than $10,000 for first-generation devices.
Even worse, laser TV technology uses laser power that is dangerousto human vision without the use of filters that will only add to thealready exorbitant price tag.
Interestingly, proponents of laser TVs have consistently touted theadvanced image technology that helps create a so-called "perfect"picture, but they never seem to mention the price of producingthousands of these TVs for the home. Like everyone else, I would likean HDTV that provides the best picture, but at what point are thereturns on what I am getting, too little to justify the price?
As an avid HD user who believes SD bands should have been destroyedyears ago, I understand and enjoy the benefits of a crystal-clearimage. And while I can never go back to a standard-def image afterenjoying sports games in HD, I don't think the jump from my LCD to alaser TV will be dramatic enough to warrant that reaction. IfMitsubishi and the rest of the laser TV proponents really had somethingspecial up their sleeves, don't you think they would be touting the newscreens as HD killers or the next-gen of HD? Instead, they have theirvice president of marketing spewing his company's ideas of a "premium"alternative to the current options.
Laser TV was doomed before it was even announced. The Internet isabuzz with the promise of this new technology and what it may providefor us in the future. I'm not so ready to jump onto the laser TVbandwagon. The technology will be too costly and the jump in quality istoo little to justify the price of these HDTVs. The average consumerwill not buy a more expensive TV that looks nominally better than theaffordable set right next to it. So before you start asking your localtech guy if you should wait for laser TVs to hit CES before you pick upthat new HDTV, give the guy a break and head down to your localwarehouse store. Those Vizios are awfully nice.
Advantages
One major claim of laser advocates is the ability to produceundiluted, perfect colors allowing precise hue mixing. With the colorenhancement capable with lasers, up to 90% of the visible spectrum canbe displayed.Other improvements that laser advocates claim are bulbs that will neverblow out, and increased efficiency by using two-thirds less power thantraditional rear projection televisions. Historically, however, lasers have been too bulky and expensive for widespread adoption.
The laser technology advocates claim that the technology will allow displays with a richer, more vibrant color palette than the conventional plasma, LCD or CRT displays.[3]
They also claim the displays will:

  • be half the weight and cost of Plasma or LCD displays
  • require around 25% of the power required by Plasma or LCD displays
  • be very thin like Plasma and LCD displays are today
  • have a very wide colour gamut
  • have a 50,000 hour life
  • maintain full power output for the lifespan of the laser, resultingin a picture that doesn't progressively degrade over time, such as withplasma and LCD technology



Drawbacks
Together with the advantages of laser sources, there are reportsthat also describe some of the current shortcomings of laser displays, such as the following:

  • Safety. The high power emitted by the coherentlaser sources is inherently dangerous to human vision. Proponents claimthat integrating the devices with the needed diffusion filters removesthis risk.
  • Speckle. Due to the narrowband coherent light source, speckle will be an issue at the display. This has also been a problem in laser lighting displaysand has been solved through modulation of the light source thuswidening the bandwidth and reducing the possibility for coherentinterference. Proponents claim that this issue can be minimized by theuse of diffusing elements and multiple sources. These, however, mayimpact display resolution and system cost.



Contributed by Editorial Team, Executive Management Team
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