Laser TV

Engadget is reporting a rumor that LASERVUE may be the designated brand name for Mitsubishi’s forthcoming line of Laser TV. Their anonymous tipster is also reporting an announcement from Mitsubishi may come as early as April. This corroborates with our own recent intelligence suggesting new information from Mitsubishi will be “coming in the next month or so.” LAZRTV and LAZRTELEVISION have also been reported as potential brand names for the Laser TV line.

Since its debut at the 2008 CES Show, Mitsubishi has closely guarded the details surrounding the release of its laser television. Hopefully, release date, price, and availability details will be shared soon.

Laservue Trademark Application

At the core of Laser TV is a trio of red, green, and blue lasers. Historically, the color red has been one of the harder colors to reproduce on television. Black light can be difficult too, often resulting in shades of gray. In the still above from the apocalyptic planet, Mustafar, as seen in the Star Wars movie, Mitisubishi Electric shows off its impressive red laser capabilities at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Mitsubishi is the world leader in manufacturing red laser diodes, capturing a large portion of the overall market share. Laser TV also boasts very high contrast ratios and black levels, simply because the lasers can be completely turned off, creating amazing blacks.

Mitsubishi’s Laser TV is expected to debut this Fall under the LAZRTV brand name.

QPC Lasers Inc.

Lasers are hot. Defense contractors, research companies, medical device manufacturers, industrial companies, and electronics makers, all have a growing need for laser diodes and semiconductor lasers. QPC Lasers, based in Sylmar, California, is poised to capitalize on just such a demand for lasers.

As a recent article suggests, Laser TV and laser based displays, will provide new markets for laser manufacturers. QPC Lasers secured a potentially huge contract last year to develop and deliver lasers to be used in television displays. An unknown international manufacturer of consumer electronics, secured the rights to QPCI’s proprietary BrightLase® semiconductor lasers. The contract carries a top value of up to $230 million over the 10 year life of the pact. An initial $11 million purchase order is expected to be filled by 2011.

QPC trades on the OTCBB and has been in a steady decline since reaching a share price of $3 in 2006. It currently trades near $0.57 which represents a market cap of a little over $22 million. While shareholders may be disappointed, they may take some solace in the new patent awarded to the company for combating weak beams operating at high power. Also, the secret may be getting out as QPC recently announced revenues grew 158% in 2007.

March 16, 2008 Update:  “Pursuant to the contract, we recognized $1 million of initial milestone revenues in the fourth quarter of 2007, and continue to expect deliveries under the $11 million purchase order over the next three years,” said QPC co-founder and CFO George Lintz.”

Press Release

*Any information contained in this article should not be construed as investment advice, but strictly as the thoughts and opinions of the author.*

Microvision Inc.

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, Microvision Inc. is a leading developer of miniature display and imaging engines based on integrated photonics modules. Microvision is marketing a standalone microprojector called a Pico Projector, and this technology will be affordably embedded into cell phones and PDAs in the very near future. While this company does not produce parts for Laser TV, the use of laser engines in portable electronics could have a significant impact on the television and display market.

Microvision’s portable projector is laser based and uses a single mirror system, which is purportedly more affordable than the competition’s (TI) multiple micromirror system. Microvision has contracts in place with Motorola and two unnamed parties, an automotive supplier and Asian electronics manufacturer, for use of Microvision’s proprietary technology in cell phones, digital cameras and personal media players.

Microvision’s stock is coming off of highs near $6 a share last summer, and currently trades near $2.50 a share. According to one recent report “Companion and integrated pico projectors are now forecast to reach nearly 30 million units in 2012.” If this report is true, now may be the time to start looking at some of the key and novel players in laser engine technology.

Arasor International Ltd.

Arasor International Ltd. recently acquired Novalux, Inc., which focuses on laser technology, for $7 million in Arasor stock and the assumption of $13 million in debt. Sydney, Australia-based Arasor is an optoelectronics firm, specializing in chips for use in laser based displays. By acquiring Novalux, Arasor said the acquisition will let it provide an end-to-end solution in the manufacture of light sources in the laser display industry.

In November of 2007, Arasor entered into a $300 million joint venture with ZTE Corp. (Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Co. Ltd.) of China to develop and manufacture up to six million laser engines for use in Asian displays in televisions, projectors and mobile devices including cellular phones, PDAs and notebooks. Arasor will own 51 percent of the joint venture.

Arasor’s stock has been pummeled recently, it trades publicly on the Australian Exchange, but is trading under $1 on the Pink Sheets in the U.S., off of highs over $3 only one year ago. Arasor may have made some early PR blunders, but it does appear revenues are growing handsomely, and this company is certainly well positioned if Laser TV and laser based monitors become the new market standard.

*Any information contained in this article should not be construed as investment advice, but strictly as the thoughts and opinions of the author.*