As news and information continues to trickle in regarding Mitsubishi’s $7,000 LaserVue Laser TV, one finds it hard to believe it’s actually on sale.  However, the rumors must be true because Mitsubishi is proudly offering a LaserVue Premier Account to all LaserVue owners.  There’s even a secret toll free hotline.  For those of us who cannot enjoy an evening of irradiated glow from a new 65-inch LaserVue, there’s always the specs:

Spec Sheet

Dimension Sheet

Owner’s Guide

Height:39.8",Width:54.7", Depth w/o base:10.6", Weight w/ base:136.4 lbs

Bitstream recently broke the news that the 65-inch LaserVue laser TV, shipping later this month to select Mitsubishi Diamond retailers, will retail for $6,999.  While this price does not come close to some of the early and overly-optimistic price projections by Novalux et al., this confirms Mitsubishi is targeting the high-end big screen market.  Is the market ready for a 130-pound, 10-inch deep RPTV costing $7,000, while domination by cheaper flat screen alternatives is all but a forgone conclusion?  A larger 73-inch LaserVue is planned to be released prior to Christmas.

Mitsubishi has been publicly criticized for the lack of details on the availability of its forthcoming LaserVue laser tv, but perhaps we are on the verge of a media blitz. The official website has been renamed to laservuetv.com and the following 30-second spot has surfaced.

Stay tuned as always.

Each of our 3D Ready large-screen DLP HDTV’s feature a slim design, lightweight construction, and energy efficient operation,” said Frank DeMartin, Vice President of Marketing for Mitsubishi. “The first 3D content will be PC video games, followed by movies, then later sporting events and television sitcoms or other broadcasts.”

DeMartin says 3D content is already gaining in popularity and points to the recent theatrical success of movies such as Beowulf, The Hannah Montana 3D Concert, and this summer’s 3D Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Another exciting introduction is Mitsubishi’s LaserVue TV.

“LaserVue will raise the bar for large screen television by delivering twice the color at half the power of today’s HDTVs while at the same time providing an unparalleled 3D viewing experience. Mitsubishi has effectively engineered laser beams to function as the ultimate light engine for this premium large screen television product. Making laser TV a reality represents another history-making milestone in a long legacy of industry firsts for Mitsubishi.”

Look for the 65″ Laser TV - Model L65-A90 to begin shipping to retailers in North America by the end of September (3Q).  Details on when it actually goes on sale are not yet known, but speculation is that it might be not be available to buy until after Thanksgiving.

Note:  Mitsubishi’s answer to my question for clarification on shipping and availability was “I wish I had more information to provide at this point but please stay tuned.  Mitsubishi will be releasing more information within the next 60 days.”

Read more from RTO Online

QPC Lasers Inc, the manufacturer of lasers for consumer, industrial, defense and medical markets, revealed that the customer involved in its initial $12m laser TV development deal is Taiwan-based Asia Optical Co Inc (AOCI), a manufacturer of optical consumer electronics equipment and components.

“Less than eight months later [after agreeing the contract], we have delivered our lasers to spec and Asia Optical has already demonstrated a very large and impressive first image,” says co-founder and CEO Dr Jeffrey Ungar.

Mitsubishi is scheduled to release its laser-lit LaserVue TV this fall in the United States.  While the fanfare hasn’t been spectacular, the Asian electronic market may prove to be the testing ground for laser based display systems.  Australia based optoelectronic manufacturer Arasor and electronics firm ZTE of China have also secured the strategic support of the China Development Bank to provide large scale financing for their joint venture to produce six million laser engines for use in Asian displays, in a deal worth up to US $300 million.

Read the full Semiconductor Today article.

These are the two major raps about Mitsubishi’s forthcoming LaserVue laser tv. A press release from June provided us with a little more information, but not enough for the fans who have been following the development of laser television for several years.

Screen Sizes: 65-inch models (L65A90) under the Diamond Line will ship to retailers in the third quarter of this year, and the 73-inch model (L73A90) to follow by Christmas.

Thickness: approximately 10 inches deep, designed for both floor stand and wall-mount applications.

Weight: 130 pounds (65-inch)

Brightness: 500 nits

Color Gamut: BT.709 (a standard for color measurement in televisions) approximately 200-percent

3D Capability: REALD (3D) chip

Power Consumption: < 200 watts

Viewing Angle: 160 degrees

Other Features: Smooth 120hz and x.v. Color

120Hz, 500 nits of brightness, under 200 watts of power consumed…click the pic for more.

It’s very quiet on the Laser TV Front.  Mitsubishi is still scheduled to release its LaserVue model in the 3rd Quarter of 2008 in North America.  The initial models will be huge; a 65-inch model will debut in the Fall, and a 73-inch model is scheduled to be available by the end of the year.  Why such large screen sizes many people ask?

Rear-projection TV (RPTV) is a dying breed. Mitsubishi probably realized it would be suicidal to introduce a new line of RPTV in the mainstream TV market, which is already flooded with scores of affordable flat screen TVs. A first production LaserVue will not be cheap, so Mitsubishi’s plan to initially target the big screen TV market could be brilliant.  Big screen TV consumers probably don’t analyze cabinet depths or even worry about getting the best overall value.  They simply want the biggest and the best picture.

If LaserVue delivers the stunning picture quality we’ve all read about, look for laser engines to be integrated into smaller TVs and other products such as cell phones, computer monitors, projectors, etc.  As the manufacturing costs of laser engines begin to fall rapidly in the next year or so, laser lit displays could become commonplace.

Mitsubishi Electric has updated its LaserVue website with some new FAQs and a couple of snapshots from its April dealer Line Show in Huntington Beach, California.

As Laser TV inches closer to market, let’s take a moment to consider what we know. Mitsubishi, announcing at a press conference on April 4, 2008, will be selling a laser based TV under the brand name LaserVue.  Initial models will be arriving at select dealers this summer and will go on sale by Fall of 2008 (3Q 2008).

Screen sizes and prices will be determined and announced at a later date. Mitsubishi’s LaserVue site has not been updated in several months, so hopefully new information will be posted in the coming months.

First Hand Review:

“The Mitsubishi LaserVue looked quite impressive to this reviewer. The colors were deep and rich with amazing reds and blacks as compared to competitive plasma and LCD 1080p panels. Contrast and clarity were among the best that this reviewer has seen in a long, long time. Surprisingly, it appeared that the depth of the LaserVue HDTVs appeared to be about 10-inches deep, and could easily be placed on the wall.” - Dennis Barker, Digital TV Designline

Laser TV is the next generation television display. Laser TVs employ a laser light engine as the light source - a compact trio of red, green, and blue lasers. Laser light is capable of reproducing up to 90% of the visible color spectrum, twice what the current HDTV market can offer. Laser TVs capitalize on the unparalleled qualities of laser light; which is capable of producing a brighter, sharper and more colorful image than current LCD and PDP models. Manufacturers are also claiming Laser TVs will cost less and use less energy than current technologies.