It looks like DLP TV's are going to make a come back with this new technology. Bulb now lasts 60,000 to 100,000 hours and has better colors. How long before we see this new lighting system in projectors?

Hopefully not long. And they better be affordable.

PhlatLight home theater projector

Luminus demonstrated a home theater front projector prototype powered by PhlatLight LEDs that produces over 700 ANSI lumens. The company says the front projection system is on track to break the 1,000 lumen barrier in 2008.

This will enable home cinema front projector manufacturers to provide the benefits of LED technology, which include instant-on operation, ultra-high contrast, uniform brightness and wide color gamut performance with the elimination of the need to replace lamps during the life of the product.

http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/5/1/12

Hopefully not long. And they better be affordable.



http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/5/1/12

Not to be a pessimist, but what good is a 60,000-100,000 hour lamp life when the color wheel, LCD panels/polarizers, etc. go bad after a couple of years?

Not to be a pessimist, but what good is a 60,000-100,000 hour lamp life when the color wheel, LCD panels/polarizers, etc. go bad after a couple of years?

It looks like this is aimed at DLP and because there are separate color LEDs, there won't be any color wheel. In addition this has got to be cheaper to manufacture than lamp and Color wheel assemblies which should bring down prices. In general, what I see coming out of the front projector future is all good. Better quality and lower prices.

JIm

It looks like this is aimed at DLP and because there are separate color LEDs, there won't be any color wheel. In addition this has got to be cheaper to manufacture than lamp and Color wheel assemblies which should bring down prices. In general, what I see coming out of the front projector future is all good. Better quality and lower prices.

JIm

You are correct. Sorry - I was a little sleepy when I posted that. I'm okay now. I have some coffee in my system. :)

I'd also guess that the life expectancy of the entire path would increase due to the lower temps throughout.

Someone (Phlatlight?) is going to figure this out and change everything.

My guess is that we are looking at three years (min.) down the road before we see anything that is reasonably priced.

Well I contacted Luminus and asked if the lamp will be compatible with current projectors, how much they will cost, and when they are expected to become availble for purchase. Ill let yall know what their reply is. This technology is going to change eveything no doubt about it!:)

Well I contacted Luminus and asked if the lamp will be compatible with current projectors, how much they will cost, and when they are expected to become availble for purchase. Ill let yall know what their reply is. This technology is going to change eveything no doubt about it!:)

I doubt that we will ever be able to convert existing projectors over to this system.

I did not realize that PhatLight is the same system that has been in use in Samsung's LED DLP's for a couple of years. Those were out in 2006 and the brightness uniformity of the screen was not as good as the regular DLP TV's. I looked at those when I was shopping for a TV at that time. It might be better now.

While LED based lamps are cool technology, the industry appears to be moving away from rear projection TVs. I state this based on what I've read of CES 2008 coverage which indicated this trend. Other supporting data is the number of manufacturers who have phased out their RPTV offerings as of this year.

The challenge - as has been pointed out in this thread - is to get an LED based lighting system that is bright enough for a FP setup. This will eventually happen, it is really a matter of time.

What would be really slick, is if someone figures out how to retrofit the existing bulbs with an LED based solution. Imagine, buy your next (and last) projector bulb.

Roo

While LED based lamps are cool technology, the industry appears to be moving away from rear projection TVs. I state this based on what I've read of CES 2008 coverage which indicated this trend. Other supporting data is the number of manufacturers who have phased out their RPTV offerings as of this year.

The challenge - as has been pointed out in this thread - is to get an LED based lighting system that is bright enough for a FP setup. This will eventually happen, it is really a matter of time.

What would be really slick, is if someone figures out how to retrofit the existing bulbs with an LED based solution. Imagine, buy your next (and last) projector bulb.

Roo

I think there are too many variables to make it profitable to make an LED that could replace the lamps in existing projectors. As an example my projector uses a DC bulb.

I think there are too many variables to make it profitable to make an LED that could replace the lamps in existing projectors. As an example my projector uses a DC bulb.

I'm curious why you consider this to be a negative factor: LEDs are by their nature DC: Light Emitting Diodes: diodes are strongly biased to one polarity or another. AC power applied to LEDs, like the Christmas lights so popular now, result in LEDs that light up for only half the cycle, AFAIK.

But maybe I'm wrong...

shinksma

I believe a few mfrs will launch an initial round of low res & low lumen phlatlight based pj in the market by end 2008. Hope to see some 720p or 1080p led based or even laser based pj by CES 2009.....

Oh man that will totally revolutionize home theaters as we know it.

I'm curious why you consider this to be a negative factor: LEDs are by their nature DC: Light Emitting Diodes: diodes are strongly biased to one polarity or another. AC power applied to LEDs, like the Christmas lights so popular now, result in LEDs that light up for only half the cycle, AFAIK.

But maybe I'm wrong...

shinksma

I do not think the retro fit market is a big enough market. If it was a one solution fits all it would be a great market, but if you have to manufacture a different solution for each different type or wattage of bulb then economy of scale goes way down.