26 Jul 2007 05:38 am
Laser TV FAQ
What is Laser TV?
Laser TV is the next generation television display. Laser TV employs a laser light engine as the light source, composed of 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 offers. Laser television capitalizes on the unparalleled qualities of laser light; capable of producing a brighter, sharper, and more vivid screen image than all current LCD and PDP models. Laser TV manufacturers are also claiming this technology will cost less and use less energy than contemporary HDTVs.
How much will a Laser TV cost?
Mitsubishi’s 65-inch LaserVue will retail for $6,999. Prices have not been announced for the 73-inch LaserVue debuting later this year.
Can I buy a Laser TV online?
How much will a Laser TV weigh?
Televisions powered by lasers will weigh significantly less than plasma, SED, and traditional rear projection TVs. Laser TVs will have a slimmer carriage, because of less parts, and employ lightweight plastic screens, instead of heavy glass substrates. Mitsubishi’s LaserVue 65-inch Laser TV weighs in at 130 pounds.
How come Laser TV has been delayed for so long?
Until recently, lasers have been too expensive to manufacture for mass production in televisions. Mitsubishi is a leader in the market of red lasers which will allow it to manufacture economical laser engines for its Laser TV. Novalux has developed an inexpensive laser it calls NECSEL (Novalux Extended Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), which is enclosed in a case about the size of a matchbook. Novalux already has an agreement with China’s ZTE telecom to produce 6 million laser engines for use in Asian cell phones and microdisplays.
Will watching Laser TV be uncomfortable or dangerous?
No. Laser TVs will employ safety filters and other technology to protect consumers from exposure to the laser engine. The shimmering effect caused by viewing laser light on a surface, will be solved by the use of diffusers or other optical disturbances, filtering the laser light before it’s viewed on the screen, making it comfortable for viewing.
Is a Laser TV picture really that much better than LCD or plasma?
You will have to decide for yourself, but the reviews from Mitsubishi’s Laser TV debut at the January 2008 Consumer Electronics Show have been overwhelmingly positive. The technology behind Laser TV and the laser light engine is capable of producing a very bright, colorful and sharp image, due to the extremely stable properties of laser light.
on 21 Jan 2008 at 12:22 am 1.Marco said …
Hello people,
The laser TV is an interesting product.
But can you tell me; What’s the refresh rate / response time of the Laser TV?
Greetz from The Netherlands.
Marco
on 21 Jan 2008 at 8:01 pm 2.admin said …
Hello Marco, thanks for checking out the site. While each Laser TV model will have its own specs, the refresh rates will be very fast. Lasers offer a continuous stream of red, green and blue light, which means the response time will be quicker than anything else on the market!
on 22 Jan 2008 at 11:57 am 3.Marco said …
Thanks. That’s clear.
Marco
on 23 Jan 2008 at 1:28 pm 4.Eric Helton said …
I’m happy to see someone posting a lot of info on these sets. I have been waiting since 2006 to upgrade my current system for one of these since I first saw them.
I read a while back that it was estimated that with all the moving parts removed for the most part this made production cost a lot less making the TV’s able to sell for $1000 or less for a 50 inch TV. Reference “http://gear.ign.com/articles/738/738336p1.html”
I could only dream that was true however it would make much more since even if this was true to have a higher price to maximize profit.
Anyway great site can’t wait to read the first reviews when they hit the market…
on 29 Jan 2008 at 9:24 pm 5.Jessica said …
How is the response time measured? Black to Black, or Grey to Grey????
on 29 Jan 2008 at 10:30 pm 6.admin said …
Response time is typically measured from black to white and then back to black. A lower measured response time is preferred, leading to a crisp image with less distortion and ghosting. There is no publicly available information on the response time for any laser based tv, at this time. However, Mitsubishi’s DLP HDTV models have very impressive response times, as the reflecting micromirrors can change angles very fast.
on 10 Feb 2008 at 12:08 pm 7.Karel said …
I have to say I was just about to buy a plasma when I saw the news on this laser TV. After doing some research I am absolutely convinced I will be waiting a couple of months so I can buy a laser TV.
How ever I do have some questions…
Will Mitsubishi be the only brand launching Laser TV?
Are there any negatives to a laser TV? As upto now I’ve only heard positives, and that just sounds too good.
When will these laser TV’s start reaching Europe?
on 10 Feb 2008 at 2:37 pm 8.LaserTV said …
Karel, unfortunately you may be waiting more than a few months for a Laser TV to be available in Europe. Mitsubishi plans to release its model, likely to be sold under the newly trademarked brand LAZRTV, available later this year in North America. Other companies may be interested in laser technology, but they have not formerly announced any release dates. Some of the downsides probably include low availability, models will only be rear-projection (not flat screen), and the initial price will likely be more than that of similarly sized LCD or plasma. Laser TV is probably at least 18 months away from being a viable alternative to the current display market.
on 21 Feb 2008 at 1:47 am 9.Jason said …
Hi, can you explain the angled view quality of the laser TV? LCD and DLP TVs lose brightness if you view the screen from an angle. Plasma and picture tubes are the only technology I know of that remain the same brightness from all directions.
on 21 Feb 2008 at 6:59 pm 10.LaserTV said …
Laser TV will have not have any practical angled view distortions. Mitsubishi’s demo model has been described as having amazing viewing angles. The wide viewing angle screen coupled with superior brightness and color saturation promises to deliver a tremendous picture.
on 29 Feb 2008 at 12:58 pm 11.Greg said …
How will Laser TV be affected by the up and coming OLED TV? They are claiming 1,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio. What will the contrast ratio be on Laser TV and the eventual thickness of the screen? This technology really interests me.
on 29 Feb 2008 at 6:18 pm 12.LaserTV said …
Laser TV will initially target the bigscreen HDTV market (TVs 50 inches and larger). OLED TV looks fantastic, but it’s a new technology and very expensive to produce right now. It will be several years before home models are affordable. Laser TV will produce a brighter and more colorful picture, and will have very high contrast ratios. No stats have been published yet, but the equation is real simple for the light source: low laser light = gray levels and no laser light = true blacks. I imagine Mitsubishi’s model debuting this fall will have a 5-inch thick cabinet, with future rear-projection models slimming down even further. Look for laser engines to eventually be integrated into front-projection models.
on 07 Apr 2008 at 11:26 am 13.stan said …
can i hang this laser tv on my friggin wall?
on 25 Apr 2008 at 11:07 pm 14.LaserTV said …
Stan: Mitsubishi says yes.
on 16 May 2008 at 12:05 am 15.Alexander said …
Hey =)
This is amazing for me, for a gamers point of view, this will be my nr.1# gaming screen, low responce time, huge screen and “perfect” picture!
Im realy looking forward for an review, and i think this thing will turn heads in the marked.
Very few people know about this screen, and i bet this will, in a way, change the marked dramaticaly. I’ve been waiting to buy a LCD for a couple years. Due to the big diference in colours and responce time.
Ntt only that, but it will look impressive in my livingroom
Everything that has the word laser, is cool to me ,)
on 11 Jun 2008 at 7:37 pm 16.Alex said …
I don’t like how lower res stuff looks on fixed pixel displays. Will lower resolution content look better on Laser TV?
on 12 Jun 2008 at 7:55 pm 17.LaserTV said …
Alex: Yes! Laser TV is multi-sync, which means it is fully capable of displaying an image less than its native resolution. Plasma and LCD TVs have a fixed resolution and lower resolution images have to be scaled to fit the screen, often resulting in terribly distorted images. Laser TV will be fully capable of displaying 1080, 720 and 480 resolutions.
on 17 Jun 2008 at 6:46 am 18.Bjorn said …
Any news on upcoming projectors incorporating this technology? Laser TV technology looks very interesting to me (as a CRT projector owner I think of this as the only alternative worth cosidering) and a projector based on the technology used in laser TV displays would be more than welcome in this world of grey “blacks” and fixed resolutions.
on 28 Aug 2008 at 6:05 pm 19.peter said …
When will Laser Tv’s be coming to Australia, will it be before or after Europe
on 04 Oct 2008 at 2:35 am 20.MATT CRAWFORD said …
HI, IVE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND WAS WONDERING IF LIKE EVERYTHING ELES, WILL I BE WAITING LONGER THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD TO GET IT.
DO YOU HAVE AN AUSTRALIAN RELEASE DATE YET???
REGARDS…
on 29 Oct 2008 at 8:11 am 21.curt said …
i wouldnt mind paying the, well to me steep price for 7 grand. but the price of the laser tv will go down like all the other tv’s before we know it right? i would just like to know so win i can get my hands on one. i dont pay 7 grand and to find out a month later it went to like 5 grand. if possible, would you know like would it be about a year or what? thx
on 05 Nov 2008 at 1:41 pm 22.Glen Robinson said …
Is the Mit. 65″ tv a rear projection? I’m confused. Mahowlo, Glen
on 18 Nov 2008 at 7:35 am 23.hagar said …
Mitsubishi France says:
”The manufacturer was able to confirm that these products will not be brought to market in Europe.
Too Thick
These first laser TVs could be held back by the fact that, compared to many other TVs available today, they are very thick.
Measuring 25 cm from front to back, Mitsubishi’s laser TVs seem unduly bulky compared to the latest generation of LCD TVs.
The American market, which is more closely orientated towards Home Cinema fans with a dedicated entertainment room, is, it seems, more tolerant of these large sizes than Europeans with cramped apartments.”
I think any tv less deep then my dvd player is just fine
I hope Mitsubishi will see this in and would bring out these laser tv’s in Europe also as a tv with those stats but is a bit thicker then the other flat screens on the market I would say ”when can you deliver”
on 07 Mar 2009 at 2:38 pm 24.TV Face said …
Hello. Great job. This is a great post. Thanks!
on 25 Apr 2009 at 9:42 pm 25.Hans said …
I am waiting for a long time for this system,
but can you tell me, when will the 32″ screens come into the market.
on 03 Jun 2009 at 2:12 pm 26.David said …
It´s very interesting, however can you tellme whwn are theses TVs going to be comercializated in a high term?