“As a pioneer in the 3D television market, Mitsubishi is bridging the gap for consumers to experience this break-through technology,” said Frank DeMartin, vice president of marketing, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. “3D is definitely a large screen experience, and Mitsubishi offers the most models and largest screen sizes of 3D-ready TVs available today, including one of the world’s largest, mass-produced 3D-ready TV’s at 82 inches.”

At CES, Mitsubishi will be rolling in its massive and impressive 53-foot Mobile Marketing Showroom (MMS) into the “Experience 3D Tech Zone”. The MMS will provide a 1000-square-foot showroom showcasing a wide variety of new 3D content displayed on both LaserVue(TM) and Home Theater TVs. 3D entertainment will be demonstrated on a laser-powered television, using a 65″ LaserVue TV and MDEA’s Home Theater TV product line will be displaying cross-platform content on its 60″, 73″ and 82″ televisions.

Watch the video here.

Read more about HDI’s accomplishment here.

Mitsubishi’s world’s first 65-inch Lasevue laser tv is 3D ready and feaures wide viewing angles, 120-Hz refresh rate, conversion of lower resolution signals to 1080p and x.v. Color.

CES: The Laser Cutting Edge

While the reviews for Mitsubishi’s 65-inch Laservue laser tv have been overwhelmingly positive, they have also been relatively sparse.  A 73-inch version was supposed to ship in late 2008, but obviously these plans have changed.  Hopefully more reviews will be forthcoming from this year’s CES.

Long overdue and much speculated about, Mitsubishi’s LaserVue laser television has arrived just in time for Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. Priced at $6,999 for the 65-inch model, this laser-powered luxury shockingly stands out when compared to the surplus of affordable flat screen models. However, LaserVue is attempting to bring back market interest in rear-projection TV with cutting edge technology and arguably the best looking picture quality your eyes have ever seen.

The LaserVue is 3D-ready, wall mountable, and happens to be energy efficient – using less power than a comparable LCD or plasma set. So if you are looking for the purest picture imaginable, and price is no object, Mitsubishi has this one of a kind TV for you.  Crutchfield is apparently out of stock, but Amazon has a few left in stock.  A 73-inch LaserVue is due to be released later this year.

“Our experience with Mitsubishi’s newest tech was great, but we’re reserving judgment until we do some in-depth testing with some different source material and in a more suitable viewing environment to get a better idea of real-world performance.”

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.

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

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.*