Laser TV

© 2007 Laser-TV.org

Reminiscent of the old VHS versus Betmax and the recent Blu-ray versus HD DVD skirmish for market dominance, the stage may be set for the battle over the future of big screen television displays. Plasma and LCD displays reign supreme now, but newcomers like SED and Laser TV are beginning to make waves.

SED (surface-conduction electron-emitter display) is a flat-panel, high-resolution display jointly developed by Canon and Toshiba. SED displays contain millions of individual electron emitters upon a layer of phosphors, separated by a nanometer-measured space within a vacuum. Each pixel in the display has its own individual electron emitter which activates the phosphor layer, creating a red, green or blue pixel. This technology improves upon the traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) based TV, which contain only three emitters (one for each color).

The advantages of SED TV includes low power consumption, superior imaging, and better color and brightness qualities over the current HDTV market. Exhibition displays have featured a very impressive contrast and sharpness — especially on fast-moving images. SED displays also weigh considerably less than standard CRT displays, making it feasible for displays in the range of 100 inches or more, according to Canon.

Before you get too excited, there are a number of disadvantages to this technology. The number one disadvantage may be the price. Canon has been developing this technology since 1987 and recently purchased Toshiba’s stake in their joint project. Toshiba will continue to have license to the technology, but the release date of SED TV has been delayed several times over the years. The delays have been mainly due to legal problems and Canon’s repeated efforts to reduce the mass market cost. As of the date of this article, a limited fall release is possible, but initial models are expected to cost around $10,000 for a 50-inch model –hardly consumer friendly.

Laser TV uses three small lasers (red, green and blue) as the light source. By replacing the traditional light source, a UHP (ultra high performance) lamp, with lasers, manufacturers claim this technology will ultimately cost less, be thinner and lighter, and use less energy than a traditional lamp-based TV. As evidenced by Mitsubishi’s recent demonstration of its 65-inch Laser TV at the 2008 CES, lasers are an extremely stable light source. Mitsubishi’s model, available later this year, impressed the audience with extremely bright and vivid colors, boasting twice the color gamut of regular HDTV. In addition, the contrast was described as stunning. This is not surprising, as one of the benefits of laser technology is that the light source can be completely turned off or powered very low, creating very intense black and gray levels.

The technology behind Laser TV was pioneered by the Australian chip maker Arasor and its U.S. based partner Novalux. Arasor recently bought out Novalux, allowing Arasor to provide end-to-end service for laser light engines in a broad array of products. Arasor already has a pact with China’s ZTE Corporation to produce millions of laser powered microdisplays for use in cell phones and navigation equipment. Sony and Samsung are also purportedly developing their own line of laser televisions.

There will be critics of Laser TV, and safety and pricing will be the dominant issues. Coincidently, both of these concerns are broadly misunderstood. Lasers are extremely bright and can obviously be harmful to your eyes, but there will be several layers of safety. Among the options are filters and interlocks, making it virtually impossible for one to be exposed to the harmful laser components. Because laser light is so perfectly focused, there is the illusion of speckling when a laser is viewed on a surface. However, this will easily be remedied by a de-speckling modulator or passing the light through some other filter, breaking up the light before its viewed on the screen.

As with any new technology, the first production models will probably cost more than comparably sized LCD or plasma models. Mitsubishi has not announced a price for its Laser TV, but it will initially target the high-end market. I firmly anticipate the sticker price will be well below the expected $10,000 price tag for a large screen SED TV. Over time, as laser engines become mass produced (and based on its performance, it will be), the cost of a large screen Laser TV will be very competitive within the market. Manufacturer’s claim the cost of laser components will be less expensive to produce in mass quantities than the traditional UHP components (bulb, color wheel, iris and filters).

Rear Projection TVs (RPTVs) are not known for being slim, but if one is worried about depth and weight, Laser TV has the advantage. Mitsubishi’s debut model was surprisingly sleek and a mere 10 inches thick. SED displays use a heavy glass-plated substrate, which comes with practical size and weight restrictions. The bigger the screen, the heavier the glass will weigh, making wall mounts harder. Laser TV will not have any practical size limitations, and will incorporate lightweight plastics, less parts, and feature a lower center of gravity.

The list of positives goes on and on for Laser TV, including low power consumption (nee green), durability (the lasers will last the lifetime of the TV), superior motion blur control (unlike the rumor of nasty flicker problems encountered on larger SED TVs). Laser TV will be multi-sync, unlike SED, which has a fixed resolution, meaning anything less than 1080p or the native resolution will have to be scaled — resulting in a distorted image. There is no denying SED is amazing technology, but it has taken too long to reach the market, and it will be outdated by the time it can be mass produced.

This year’s CES was proof that technology is rapidly evolving and there are many manufacturers reaching for a piece of the multi-billion dollar television market. Consumers have more than one impressive option (LCD, OLED, plasma, etc.). LCD and plasma have dominated the market in recent years, but their market shares are slipping. With moderate improvements and price cuts, these models will attract bargain buyers in the short term, but better technology is on the horizon. Laser TV could prove to hold the winning hand — possessing the best technology and the best value — a rare combination in this market.

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Portable devices. A laser-powered backlight is very bright, features a high color gamut and consumes very little energy. This type of backlight translates into a bright and colorful image, all contained in a very efficient and long-life package. To put this in perspective, laser diodes developed by Novalux are reportedly six times brighter than LEDs. Battery technology has really not caught up to the burgeoning portable device market, so it makes sense for more energy efficient lighting sources to pick up the slack. Most cell phone displays are hard to see at best, even in the most optimum light. Cell phones are not the only portable device which will benefit from the superior brightness and energy efficiency of laser-lit displays. Portable video devices, GPS, laptop monitors, PDAs, and even portable projectors will shed pounds, lose the heat and noise and never need a $500 replacement bulb.