Dig this! You can bundle small laser chip's output through the use of fiber optics to produce light canons suitable for pro-theater use, up to 20,000 lumens! :eek: :) :) :)

http://www.novalux.com/display/solidstatergb.php

"Specifically, fiber-coupled Necsel modules can simply be grouped together to produce the desired lumens: 5,000 for a small theater and over 20,000 for the biggest screens. The result is unparalleled bright light from a compact, efficient device with no rigorous cooling requirements. Moreover, Necsel’s color-saturated output provides the most life-like colors possible, so the vivid images filmed in digital format can be reliably projected onto the screen. And since the unit is based on the same, versatile Necsel platform as other smaller projection devices, it exhibits the same reliability and affordability as its home theater and portable counterparts.

For the integrator, Necsel means a bright, efficient illumination source; for the cinema owner, an affordable, superior projector; and ultimately for the viewer, a more vivid image than they’ve seen before on the big screen."

Now if we can get these on sharks heads...

We'll need it for when Bob Sorel complains that there's twice the color of NTSC. Even though the rest of the world thinks it the best image they've seen.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Dr_Evil.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Dr_Evil.jpg

Where did you get that picture of me without my toupee?

IB

I want one. I see possibilities for DIY laser eye surgery. Plus the sharks like it.

Dig this! You can bundle small laser chip's output through the use of fiber optics to produce light canons suitable for pro-theater use, up to 20,000 lumens! :eek: :) :) :)

http://www.novalux.com/display/solidstatergb.php

"Specifically, fiber-coupled Necsel modules can simply be grouped together to produce the desired lumens: 5,000 for a small theater and over 20,000 for the biggest screens. The result is unparalleled bright light from a compact, efficient device with no rigorous cooling requirements. Moreover, Necsel’s color-saturated output provides the most life-like colors possible, so the vivid images filmed in digital format can be reliably projected onto the screen. And since the unit is based on the same, versatile Necsel platform as other smaller projection devices, it exhibits the same reliability and affordability as its home theater and portable counterparts.

For the integrator, Necsel means a bright, efficient illumination source; for the cinema owner, an affordable, superior projector; and ultimately for the viewer, a more vivid image than they’ve seen before on the big screen."

so, when can i get one for my 'ht' , under $2k, blah, blab, blah (seriously !), no lamp issues, no heat issues, mebbe dey got sumtin, dere!

I heard a home theater version front projector with over 1,000 lumens should be out in 08. In January of 08, Mitsubishi will launch its rear projection TV line using these lasers. The Novalux guy told me that with lasers you can go as bright as you want without hurting the contrast ratio, unlike bulbs.

IB

Yeah, let's see the HT version before they start trumpeting 20kL.

It's actually harder because large venues needn't be concerned with size constraints.

The fact that they can connect multiple laser units together via fiber optics means we should see 3,000 lumen home theater projectors with contrast ratios of 100,000 to 1 in the near future. There are no big technological hurdles left to make these things. It's just a matter of putting it all together in a package for market. I know JVC and Mitsubishi are working on this and I am sure the others are as well. Once one company comes out with this product, who would want to buy anything else? This is bulb killing technology, and theaters will love them as they will reduce bulb and electricity costs dramatically. You can expect a mass switchover to digital projection as soon as the commercial versions are available.

If they are smart, they will have the lasers in a separate standardized box and the projector works in another box, connected via fiber optics. That way companies can build several standard laser boxes that could work with a number of different projector boxes. Also, if you got tired of your projector box and wanted too upgrade, there would be no need to throw out the standardized laser box, which should last 30,000 hours. The first product to hit the market will be rear projection TVs by Mitsubishi, then other products will follow. I would like a laser driven 3 chip LCOS from JVC myself.

IB

I don't know. What happens when you turn down the juice to a laser?

Few people complain of a projector being too bright.

IB

Perhaps you could pulse the laser at a high rate, and get whatever lumen output you wanted up to the max by increasing the "off time" between pulses.

I heard a home theater version front projector with over 1,000 lumens should be out in 08. In January of 08, Mitsubishi will launch its rear projection TV line using these lasers. The Novalux guy told me that with lasers you can go as bright as you want without hurting the contrast ratio, unlike bulbs.

IB

This sounds very good. Who will manufacture the projector? Will it need a cooling fan? If they can do this with the current $3-5000 1080 performance in blacks, CR and color accuracy AND NO COOLING FAN under $10,000, I would buy one as soon as it comes out.

"If they are smart, they will have the lasers in a separate standardized box and the projector works in another box, connected via fiber optics."

I don't think that will fly well w/consumers; I certainly want as few boxes as possible, and more boxes always cost more $.

"Perhaps you could pulse the laser at a high rate, and get whatever lumen output you wanted up to the max by increasing the "off time" between pulses."

I believe that's possible, and discussed as such in regard to using lasers with 1-chip DLP pj's.

Please let this be true, I got one more bulb for my PLV-70 and I can go right to this.

I am very worried about Ohlson, he has allowed this thread to go 15 posts without saying anything. I hope he is all right...

I just got the AE2000U. But I bet it will take a couple of years to get the street price down to $4000 or less. I hope they can make a laser DLP with a decent vertical shift and zoom.

Let's say a LASER projector puts out 1000 lumens. What if you want D-Cinema 14 Foot Lamberts and don't have a 155" 16:9 screen? Let's say you have 110" 16:9 which only take 504 lumens to get 14 Foot Lamberts? Then what? Would you be able to modulate the light value to be half? A filter would reduce ANSI CR :(

If lasers actually provide near-infinite contrast, you don't have a problem: Turn down the contrast control (which should be labelled white level), and you decrease light output. The reason you wouldn't do that with today's high-power projectors, is that you would not decrease black level, and the result would be poor black level. If black level is good enough, there'd be no problems just controlling the white level with the contrast control.

I'm very looking forward to the first one that hits the shops. If one came out in Jan 2008 i'll upgrade, even though i've just spent 6k on a pj a month ago.

Lasers are powerfull. You can project a red dot in a black screen and it will still be vivid and bright. Imagine a super bright image with a chaotic CR in a black screen... The CR will boost up to unbelievable levels...

It appears that this quote from the article:

Necsel sources project saturated RGB primaries directly onto the microdisplay, resulting in a bright, colorful, true-to-life pictures

Indicates that the light modulating devices is still a panel of some sort (be it DLP, LCD, or LCoS/SXRD). Thus the ultimate image will still be contrast constrained by the performance of those panels.

The advantages would be separate discrete R, G, & B light source, potentially higher lumens, and perhaps less internal light scatter, and therefore some contrast improvement (both on/off and intrascene).

But it doesn't appear that they are modulating the laser itself, so blacks will still be limited to how well the panels can shutter the light, which still isn't at the level of turning the light source off completely.

It appears that this quote from the article:



Indicates that the light modulating devices is still a panel of some sort (be it DLP, LCD, or LCoS/SXRD). Thus the ultimate image will still be contrast constrained by the performance of those panels.

The advantages would be separate discrete R, G, & B light source, potentially higher lumens, and perhaps less internal light scatter, and therefore some contrast improvement (both on/off and intrascene).

But it doesn't appear that they are modulating the laser itself, so blacks will still be limited to how well the panels can shutter the light, which still isn't at the level of turning the light source off completely.

So it looks like ,at least in this case the improved color and life of the lamp are the advantages not contrast.

Art

So it looks like ,at least in this case the improved color and life of the lamp are the advantages not contrast.
Art

Also it will (should) virtually eliminate fan noise as pjs will produce FAR less heat, provide for "instant on" viewing (no more warm up), no more cool downs, and draw far less power.

I just got the AE2000U. But I bet it will take a couple of years to get the street price down to $4000 or less. I hope they can make a laser DLP with a decent vertical shift and zoom.

Lasers will be the saving grace for DLP by eliminating rainbows as I understand it.

Also it will (should) virtually eliminate fan noise as pjs will produce FAR less heat, provide for "instant on" viewing (no more warm up), no more cool downs, and draw far less power.



Lasers will be the saving grace for DLP by eliminating rainbows as I understand it.

Well ,this would make the panel alignment problem that is nearly ubiquitous with three panel devices moot.

Art

All I want is frickin' projectors with frickin' laser beams attached to their frickin' heads.

You know I think too much is made of contrast ratio specs that go beyond 15,000 to 1. The latest plasma TVs that have a rated 15,000 to 1 contrast ratio almost seem exaggerated to me. We boost the contrast to artificial levels to get a sense of super-reality and make the image pop, but the real problem is that our displays do not provide us with real 3-D images as yet. We exaggerate contrast beyond what we experience in real life in order to produce a kind of quasi-3D effect that is pleasing, but not realistic. In real life all blacks are not so inky, but we do see in 3D.

IB

I am alive and happy! :D
Lasers

1 Should allow you to tune your screen brightness much like a dimmer instead of a light switch.

2 I am sure a "dynamic laser" can be implemented and do what a dynamic iris does today only better, that is without affecting color balance.

3 Native contrast can be increased most for lcos and perhaps some with dlp. However it is NOT a fix for pixel to pixel contrast. We are not talking about a scanning laser.

The cost for these good things must be paid for but how? The good news is that the technology itself will safe you cost by eliminating a few components in the projector. Novalux goal is to be cost competitive with UHP!

You know I think too much is made of contrast ratio specs that go beyond 15,000 to 1. The latest plasma TVs that have a rated 15,000 to 1 contrast ratio almost seem exaggerated to me. We boost the contrast to artificial levels to get a sense of super-reality and make the image pop, but the real problem is that our displays do not provide us with real 3-D images as yet. We exaggerate contrast beyond what we experience in real life in order to produce a kind of quasi-3D effect that is pleasing, but not realistic. In real life all blacks are not so inky, but we do see in 3D.

IB

What?

Go from a gamma corrected liquid coupled CRT projector to any digital and you will see that we have far to go above 15,000:1. We are talking on-off contrast here, the ability to be bright and not have washed out gray coloured dark scenes.

In real life black is black.

So it looks like ,at least in this case the improved color and life of the lamp are the advantages not contrast.

Art

Sounds like it, at least for on/off, anyway.

It may be that the coherent nature of laser light and the delivery by fiber optic might allow for less scatter, and that might improve intra-scene contrast.

That's just a guess, however.

Also it will (should) virtually eliminate fan noise as pjs will produce FAR less heat, provide for "instant on" viewing (no more warm up), no more cool downs, and draw far less power.



Lasers will be the saving grace for DLP by eliminating rainbows as I understand it.

Why?

3-chip DLP does not use sequential color, so no rainbows from that.

Single chip DLP must use sequential color, regardless if the light source is a filtered full-spectrum lamp, or discrete RGB laser sources.

Are you inferring that the speed increase alone (i.e.- > 6x framerate) is what will eliminate it?

Well ,this would make the panel alignment problem that is nearly ubiquitous with three panel devices moot.

Art

I wonder about that for single-DLP, Art.

Unless I'm missing something, as long as you have a single panel having to pull triple-duty for each color, you have a sequential color system with rainbow potential.

Unless perhaps it's the update speed. In that case then from a practical standpoint maybe so... I wonder if the DLP chipsets can update much faster then today's 5-6x (which admittedly seem to eliminate rainbows for most folks).

"You know I think too much is made of contrast ratio specs that go beyond 15,000 to 1."

Haven't you seen an RS1?

"Black" is plainly visible on mine.

Dont threaten me with a goodtime.

DeMartin said in his presentation he expected laser TV would "revolutionise big screen television and create a new TV category".

It would become even more popular once the production of 3D movies, which laser TVs support, ramped up.

There are already more than 700 3D movie theatres in the US and big names such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas have committed to making films in 3D.

I cant wait to see this technology in action

Are you inferring that the speed increase alone (i.e.- > 6x framerate) is what will eliminate it?

That's a fair assumption.
LEDs can switch on and off hundreds of thousands of times per second.

If you have a 1-DLP projector with 3 distinct LED sources (1 each of RGB) PCM switching (which would also work as a color specific dynamic iris ;))

I'll bet you none but a solitary anti-DLP lunatic will be able to see rainbows (Hi Tyrg! :p))

Why?

3-chip DLP does not use sequential color, so no rainbows from that.

Single chip DLP must use sequential color, regardless if the light source is a filtered full-spectrum lamp, or discrete RGB laser sources.

Are you inferring that the speed increase alone (i.e.- > 6x framerate) is what will eliminate it?

The discrete R-G-B nature of the lasers along with their instant on-off abilities should free the designers to use "color wheel" speeds substantially in excess of 6x. As I understand it the current limitation on color wheel speeds is not only processing speed, but spoke time which reduces light output because the DMD is "off" as the transition between colors sweeps across it.

Also, the perfectly polarized nature of laser light should provide a substantial boost to LcOS on : off contrast.

Exciting news!

Andrikos
The question that is never answered is how fast can a dmd be controlled and switch, surely much slower than LEDs. The latter part is not the problem. Are you thinking about converting to laser? :)

Are we willing to start taking bets on when we will see these in units for the home ?

Art

. Are you thinking about converting to laser? :)

If it's solid state, I say "Bring it on!" (sorry Mr. President... :rolleyes:)
Will "Laser sparkle" be a problem though?

DeMartin said in his presentation he expected laser TV would "revolutionize big screen television and create a new TV category".

It would become even more popular once the production of 3D movies, which laser TVs support, ramped up.

There are already more than 700 3D movie theaters in the US and big names such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas have committed to making films in 3D.

I cant wait to see this technology in action

Don't all the realistic 3D movie techniques require special glasses? Do you expect people to wear them in large numbers? If you already wear glasses, you will have to wear glasses upon glasses.

IB

inky blacks
I opened the link. I could not find the 20000 ANSI lumen number? Where should I look or what link do I need to follow?

inky blacks
I opened the link. I could not find the 20000 ANSI lumen number? Where should I look or what link do I need to follow?

Go to http://www.novalux.com/display/solidstatergb.php Look for the bar below the top picture that says says "DIGITAL CINEMA" and hit it twice (it takes time to load a second page -screwed up web site!), which slides in a new page that reads:

"Specifically, fiber-coupled Necsel modules can simply be grouped together to produce the desired lumens: 5,000 for a small theater and over 20,000 for the biggest screens. The result is unparalleled bright light from a compact, efficient device with no rigorous cooling requirements. Moreover, Necsel’s color-saturated output provides the most life-like colors possible, so the vivid images filmed in digital format can be reliably projected onto the screen. And since the unit is based on the same, versatile Necsel platform as other smaller projection devices, it exhibits the same reliability and affordability as its home theater and portable counterparts.

For the integrator, Necsel means a bright, efficient illumination source; for the cinema owner, an affordable, superior projector; and ultimately for the viewer, a more vivid image than they’ve seen before on the big screen."
---
On that page there is also a picture of a mean looking projector which is connected via fiber optics to an external RGB laser light source. As I said before, I like the idea of having the laser light source separate so you do not have to replace it if it ain't broke. With a 30,000 hour lifespan, why waste the lasers when you only want to upgrade the LCOS, DLP, or LCD display device?

IB

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Dr_Evil.jpg

Brilliant

Hmmm, 20,000 lumens...Looks like I'll have to break out my special edition Bootsy Collins sunglasses... :D

http://i.rollingstone.com/assets/rs/13/502/images/16739_lg.jpg

Are we willing to start taking bets on when we will see these in units for the home ?

Art

Under $3K...I'd bet 5+ years...manufacturers are way too good at letting the technology trickle out...incremental inprovement, that's what keeps profit margins consistently high. Buy the best you can afford today and enjoy until then...

Laser PJs can't arrive too soon for me.

Just imagine three narrow RGB lines in the spectrum, instead of that horrible blue-green mush that UHP lamps put out. The constituent colours can engineered to be whatever we want, instead of what we can get (then filter most of it away).

And they can be switched on and off faster than DMDs - lasers have incredible bandwidth, they must have if they can scan images rather than just strobe or shine. Yes, single-DLPs will still have sequential illumination, but I bet most folks won't even remember what rainbows were.

Efficient, cool, quiet, too, but the real deal for me is being able to switch the damn source off when the picture demands it - real blacks instead of pretend black.. please.

HOWEVER, this idea, which I've been banging on about for a year, might also be expected to work for LED sources as well. But what about those second generation Samsung LED RPTVs? A golden opportunity to implement source modulation, but they didn't even have a dynamic iris, and were criticised for POOR blacks?! I think there might be something we don't know about there. What happens when you reduce the duty cycle of a laser during a dark scene? Well, I guess it cools down some. And what will that do to it's efficiency and colourimetry?

Well, I don't know. But I bet things like that get worse when you're not running at a continuous, stable, optimum temperature. I expect they will find a way round, but you don't get mature products at the first itteration.

Nick

I remember reading somewhere that Samsung was switching to lasers as well.

IB

"The question that is never answered is how fast can a dmd be controlled and switch"

No one has asked in awhile. IIRC, it's 5 microsec. I'm sure it could be found on TI's site.

"Just imagine three narrow RGB lines in the spectrum..."

That also raises the possibility of RGB (reflect only narrow bands around those colors) screens that could be used in a fully lit room.

"lasers have incredible bandwidth, they must have if they can scan images rather than just strobe or shine. "

Actually it's not relevant how the image gets put on the screen, the framerate determines how fast the devices need to be.

Lowly CRT has plenty of BW for scanning.

Anyone here having dreams about a laser equipped JVC RS3? :D

Exactly, and I would not be surprised if one does not already exist in prototype form somewhere in a lab in Japan.

IB

See. Sony and Samsung are also mentioned in this article. I am sure all of the major players are working on this technology, as well as many lesser Chinese companies. Note the part about a 50" RPTV that does 1080 for less than 1k.
-------------------

http://gear.ign.com/articles/837/837953p1.html

Laser HDTV Update

Displays miss Q4 2007 launch, but developers claim tech is ready for production.

by Gerry Block

November 27, 2007 - More than a year ago we reported on news that a technology startup, Novalux, had announced major progress in developing solid-state RGB laser light sources that could be paired with unique optoelectronic chips developed by an Australian company called Arasor International to build laser-driven projection HDTVs that could blow every other established display technology out of the water in terms of both performance and cost (link). What made the news particularly exciting was the fact that both companies stated that consumer products would be available by Q4 2007, promising 50-inch 1080p displays for less than $1k to be sold under major brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung.
Q4 2007 is here, and there's not a single laser HDTV to be seen at retail. Earlier today, the Sydney Morning Herald spoke with the vice president of Arasor, Scott Wilkie, to discover the reasons the companies have failed to deliver on their promises. According to Wilkie, it's not Arasor's fault. His company is fully ready to scale its production techniques, he claims, yet "it's fair to say that a couple of other key component manufacturers haven't quite ramped up as fast as was expected."

That statement sounds like a veiled jab at Novalux, but delays of this sort can also have a lot to do with the product-planning schedules of the major manufacturers. Mitsubishi, for its part, is currently promising a major reveal of laser HDTV at CES 2008, which will begin a bit more than a month from now in Las Vegas. Sony and Samsung are also expected to reveal Laser-driven products and announce release schedules at the show. Though delayed, there may still be hope for the large-screen, low-cost laser HDTV. We'll know more pretty soon, so stay tuned.
---------
Front projectors cannot be far behind, and the business market will use them too and produce even more profits for the companies that sell laser models. Everyone will want to upgrade and get rid of the old bulb stuff. This is a big money making invention, and every company knows they have to get a product out there fast or be creamed by the competition. Once lasers hit the market, presuming there are no major glitches to the technology, those who are slow to the draw will lose mega-millions in sales.

IB

or the US ;) :D

I've been keeping tabs on Novalux for a while. They were pretty busy a year ago, but they don't appear to have issued a press release for several months. They have a roadmap for increasing the power of their red NECSEL laser devices in particular, but things seem to have gone quiet.

Nick :(

I am alive and happy! :D
Lasers

1 Should allow you to tune your screen brightness much like a dimmer instead of a light switch.

2 I am sure a "dynamic laser" can be implemented and do what a dynamic iris does today only better, that is without affecting color balance.

3 Native contrast can be increased most for lcos and perhaps some with dlp. However it is NOT a fix for pixel to pixel contrast. We are not talking about a scanning laser.

The cost for these good things must be paid for but how? The good news is that the technology itself will safe you cost by eliminating a few components in the projector. Novalux goal is to be cost competitive with UHP!

Glad to hear you are alive Ohlson. But can we get rid of the fan with lasers?

Can we get rid of the fan with lasers?

Not for a 20,000. lumen theater projector, but maybe for a 1,000 lumen home theater projector. Carver's Sunfire power amps have no fans as far as I know, or if they do, they are not turned on often. The increase in efficiency will be similar to these new projectors.

I heard that Paris Hilton was being stalked by a "fan with a laser."

IB

welwynick
Hopyfully Novalux is busy making sure we get products and not busy just talking up the technology.
What is also interesting is how many competitors there are to Novalux out there that are just as ready and having lasers that are just as good.
Clearly the laser race has started. Who will make the sprint start and who will finish first in the first round of this battle.

ive researched building a direct display laser projector. the main problem is that lasers have 0 decay time, so as soon as you move off the pixel the screen goes dark and you get lots of flicker.

a real solution requires many lasers, up to what point is not clearly defined.. i think it will be the 'color wheel' issue of tomorrow :)

We are not talking about that type of projector here. Here the laser just acts as a bulb, not pixel to pixel projection.

IB

Wow- hadn't noticed this part until now:

Mitsubishi, for its part, is currently promising a major reveal of laser HDTV at CES 2008, which will begin a bit more than a month from now in Las Vegas. Sony and Samsung are also expected to reveal Laser-driven products and announce release schedules at the show.

welwynick
Hopyfully Novalux is busy making sure we get products and not busy just talking up the technology.
What is also interesting is how many competitors there are to Novalux out there that are just as ready and having lasers that are just as good.
Clearly the laser race has started. Who will make the sprint start and who will finish first in the first round of this battle.
Novalux is apparently competing with Coherent which hasn't been heard from either since this story:
http://www.slashgear.com/slashgear-exclusive-video-demo-of-coherent-laser-tv-tech-203032.php
The proper unveiling of Laser TV tech has been promised for CES08. We'll see.

If it doesn't show up soon.... it wouldn't be far fetched to believe that this has been "shelved" by the corporations until deemed appropriate due to large investments in current display technologies.

The switch to lasers is like the change from vinyl LPs to CDs and VHS tapes to DVDs. It cannot be stopped and it gives corporations a chance to sell us all new projectors. It's a win-win situation.

But, when we have projectors that put out an honest 2,000 lumens, have contrast ratios of over 30,000 to 1, and lasts for over 30,000. hours, what will be left to complain about? With accurate colors and 1080 performance, we will hit a wall of perfection very soon.

IB

IB

Price :).

[QUOTE=inky blacks;12366944]The switch to lasers is like the change from vinyl LPs to CDs and VHS tapes to DVDs. It cannot be stopped and it gives corporations a chance to sell us all new projectors. It's a win-win situation.
But, when we have projectors that put out an honest 2,000 lumens, have contrast ratios of over 30,000 to 1, and lasts for over 30,000. hours, what will be left to complain about?
[/UOTE]
The compressed, 8 bit, non cinema color and color subsampled sources...

Projector bulbs will be a well-forgotten thing of the past before we know, so I've been practicing my bulb jokes in anticipation.....

I used to change my bulb so often I had to buy one with a loaf of bread.

I was so fit when I had a bulb projector. I had time to jog round the block while I was waiting for it to cool down.

My laser projector was soo cool, I was able to take my air conditioning unit out when I got rid of that bulb projector.

Hey, do you remember being able to see your screen your bulb projector was doing black?

Nick :)

Thank God. Now I can finally get an unreasonably large screen :)


On a side note, does anyone think we'll see a 3d laser projector for the home or is that an unreasonable thought.

A long time ago a household had one TV. Now every individual wants to select what they watch and we have multiple displays.
When manufacturers has sold us 1 projector per household they can go on to reach multiple projectors per household, especially if projectors can be made to be bright so that they fit almost any room.

Ohlson,

WAF factor will be a major detriment to multiple projectors, unless they can become tiny because they do not need to be cooled...

A long time ago a household had one TV. Now every individual wants to select what they watch and we have multiple displays.
When manufacturers has sold us 1 projector per household they can go on to reach multiple projectors per household, especially if projectors can be made to be bright so that they fit almost any room.

I don't know about multiple projectors per home, but I certainly think projectors are going to become much more common when the bulb life issue is gone (look out movie theater business). Also, I predict people will set up waterproof projectors on their front lawns that beam images on their white houses as Christmas displays.

IB

NBC Universal to Serve as CES’ First Official Broadcast Partner and Showcase Multi-Platform Content

2008 International CES

ARLINGTON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–New content developments from major players in the entertainment industry will connect with the latest distribution platforms at the 2008 International CES®, making CES the global hub for all that’s new in digital entertainment. The 2008 International CES, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, returns to Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2008.

As CES’ first-ever “Official Broadcast Partner,” select NBC Universal broadcast and cable entities will be broadcasting live from the CES exhibition floor, covering the many exciting product debuts and special events. In addition, NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies, will debut an interactive and multi-faceted show floor exhibition at CES


I will be watching just to see these new laser projectors.I was saving to get a new projector but I might as well wait to see what this can do.

I will be watching just to see these new laser projectors.I was saving to get a new projector but I might as well wait to see what this can do.

We don't know if laser front projectors will be ready for the big show. We do know that there will be laser rear projection televisions at the show.

IB

"the main problem is that lasers have 0 decay time, so as soon as you move off the pixel the screen goes dark and you get lots of flicker."

Not a problem if they're scanned fast enough. Swing a ball on the end of a string increasingly fast, and at some point the ball looks like a hoop.

"certainly think projectors are going to become much more common when the bulb life issue is gone "

Lamps didn't keep people from buying RPTV's.

The big issues with pj's are still the restriction to use in a dark room and the setup required.

Naoh you have the big bucks, so bulb costs do not bother you. The average Joe buys a $1,000. 720 projector and then learns he has to pay $400. every year for a new bulb and he complains to friends and they don't buy a projector.

Rear projection TVs are in trouble because of bulb costs, and they usually have the bulbs set at half power so they last 8,000. hours theoretically. If you get bright projectors with a 30,000 hour lifespan people will be projecting them on white walls with no set-up.

IB

Also the projector industry does not have the luxary of waiting with lasers. Big flat screens in the 50 inch and above are becoming so affordable that projector manufactorers can not play the waiting game, they must act.

Also the projector industry does not have the luxury of waiting with lasers. Big flat screens in the 50 inch and above are becoming so affordable that projector manufacturers can not play the waiting game, they must act.

Right, and the rear projection TV market will be totally dead without lasers as well. Some people have posted to this forum who work for big corporations, and their job is just to change bulbs and keep all their corporate front projectors working. I wonder if lasers will threaten their job security. Bill Gates has dozens of projectors in his own home. Just imagine his upgrade costs.

Most people will win financially from the laser revolution, but Phillips bulb division and the bulb changers and projector maintenance guys will have to find something else to do. I wonder how many companies are competing and will compete in the future to actually produce the lasers in the large numbers required to satisfy market demand. There are huge amounts of money to be made for the company with the best product.

IB

Perhaps you could pulse the laser at a high rate, and get whatever lumen output you wanted up to the max by increasing the "off time" between pulses.

Once you are above threshold, the laser output increases linearly with current and this happens with only a couple of nanometers shift in wavelength so controlling lumen output would be like controlling the light output of a rheostat light bulb

The switch to lasers is like the change from vinyl LPs to CDs and VHS tapes to DVDs. It cannot be stopped and it gives corporations a chance to sell us all new projectors. It's a win-win situation.

But, when we have projectors that put out an honest 2,000 lumens, have contrast ratios of over 30,000 to 1, and lasts for over 30,000. hours, what will be left to complain about? With accurate colors and 1080 performance, we will hit a wall of perfection very soon.

IB

i love the idea but w alledged 'planned obsolescence' syndrome being 'planned':eek:, we'll eventually get the laser pjs but they probably wont last much longer than current ones do. thay might even have to 'dumb' them down as far as durability goes in order to sell us more pjs, not to mention lamps, etc.

what, u say, have i no faith in the manufacturing corporations? probably not.

i hope im proven wrong.:D

If anyone has any information on prototype laser FP's to be demo'd at CES, please post. Very interested in news on that.

http://www.projectorcentral.com/jvc_dla_rs2_home_theater_projector.htm

"The contrast improvement on the RS2 derives from improved light polarization which reduces light scatter into the lens. The net effect is that contrast and black levels are improved, but actual lumen output is reduced by about 18%, as measured against comparable operating modes on the RS1 (on our two particular test units)."
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That statement was regarding JVCs new bulb driven LCOS projector, but this is why lasers will increase projector contrast, not just improve colors, AND, lasers will do this while potentially increasing light output depending how many laser modules are coupled to produce each color. Some projectors might have just one laser per RGB color, while others might have 3 lasers per color for greater output, all coupled via fiber optics.

IB

http://www.photonicsonline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID=%7B5B97C94D-B847-4FBC-9443-C01704E30D2A%7D&Bucket=Current+Headlines&VNETCOOKIE=NO

Novalux Sells Silicon Valley Wafer Fab 12/13/2007

Company Outsources “Necsel” Wafer Processing to Ramp-Up for High-Volume Consumer Display Applications

Sunnyvale, CA — Novalux, Inc., developer of Necsel™ laser technology, has sold its Sunnyvale wafer fabrication facility to an undisclosed Silicon Valley company in a transaction that closed November 21, 2007. Novalux is now outsourcing Necsel wafer processing to large-capacity contract manufacturers in Taiwan. This is a key step in the company’s transition from low-volume prototype manufacturing to mass-producing lasers for high-volume consumer electronics applications.

“We’ve qualified and frozen our chip design and processes,” said William Mackenzie, Novalux chief operating officer. “This has enabled us to move our Necsel wafer processing from our prototype quick-turn fab, with its very limited capacity, to much larger contract manufacturing facilities in Taiwan. We’re preparing to ramp up laser production very quickly and efficiently.”

Novalux grows its epitaxial wafers at its main Sunnyvale facility. The wafers are then shipped to two contract manufacturers in Taiwan; one that processes the wafer through dicing and another that attaches the die to sub-mounts and performs the final testing. Novalux provides the resulting laser array to partner companies, including Oerlikon, Young Optics and Seiko-Epson. These partners finish and package the visible RGB lasers for delivery to consumer electronics companies.

“As per our business roadmap, Novalux is evolving into a fab-less, high-volume, low-cost Necsel laser producer for consumer electronics applications,” said Mackenzie. “The contract manufacturers we’ve chosen for wafer processing are sophisticated operations that can mass-produce higher quality, more consistent lasers at a lower cost than we could do locally. This is a critical step toward meeting customer demands for Necsel production parts in early 2008.”

Necsel lasers are slated for use in host of lighting and display devices. These range from laser high-definition projection TV (HDTV) to embedded projectors in cell phones and PDAs. The company also recently demonstrated the first laser LCD-TV Back Light Unit (BLU) and prototype laser architectural tube lighting.

About Novalux
Founded in 1998, Novalux has developed proprietary Necsel™ laser technology. Necsel technology combines mass volume manufacturability with excellent optical performance. Necsel device attributes include bright, reliable, consistent, speckle-free light output from a compact, low-cost package, making them ideal for current- and next-generation display and lighting applications.