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Hardware Laser TV to Take On Plasma and LCD
Marcus Yam (Blog) - April 4, 2007 9:32 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 103 comment(s) - last by Xietsu.. on Apr 12 at 7:12 AM

Sony's laser TV using Novalux technology at CES

The key benefits of the Laser Light Engine

Laser hardware replaces lamp and color wheel to deliver superior picture

Traditional UHP technology with lamp and color wheel
Laser TV will be here within a year to best plasma and LCD picture quality

Plasma and LCD represent the two main technologies of choice for today’s high definition televisions, but by this time next year a third technology called laser TV will emerge in hopes of bringing the best picture quality yet.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Novalux Inc. is one of the main developers of the upcoming laser TV technology, and promises that its products will deliver appreciable benefits over plasma, LCD and CRT televisions. When compared to plasma and LCD, laser TV technology boasts half the production cost, double the color range, and three-quarters less power consumption.

Laser TV technology is suited for projection (either front or rear), and is likely to become the replacement for the UHP lamp currently used in today’s projection displays. Novalux unveiled its technology last fall by demonstrating a Mitsubishi 50-inch rear-projection with lasers side-by-side with another Mitsubishi plasma television, with the special-made laser TV producing a richer image.

While Mitsubishi products were used as a part of the demonstration, the Japanese electronics company played no part in Novalux’s event. Rather, the use of a standard consumer Mitsubishi television was to prove that lasers could be fitted into existing rear projection cabinets.

“We took the off-the-shelf Mitsubishi projection TV and removed the lamp and color wheel, stuck our lasers inside the box, and then we had our TV,” explained Greg Niven, vice president of marketing at Novalux, also adding that the retrofitted projection TV was for demonstration purposes, and that upgrading existing sets would be cost prohibitive.

Mitsubishi has since then been planning a laser TV product, though Niven was unable to comment on the whether or not the Japanese electronics giant is using Novalux technology. Sony, however, has publically displayed Novalux-powered laser TV technology at its booth at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, though the company has yet to formally announce a laser-based product.

“At CES we had a laser TV beside a plasma TV, an LCD TV and a traditional UHP lamp TV,” said Niven, speaking about Novalux’s showroom in at this year’s CES. “So that’s four TVs lined up running our own produced high definition content, and I mean, it was a no brainer. The laser TV had a way, way better picture than any of the other conventional technologies.”

One area where laser TV may give up to the flat panel technologies plasma and LCD is in profile. The thin profile of flat panels allows users to hang their televisions on a wall, like a picture or painting. Rear projection televisions, by nature, are thicker than flat panels, but thanks to recent developments in the DLP market and the weight savings of laser technology, clever manufacturers may be able to put laser TVs on the wall too.

“The one that Sony had on the show floor was one that they built themselves using our lasers, and it was a thin cabinet TV—maybe 8 to 10-inches—thin enough to mount on the wall,” Niven added.

Novalux is currently in discussions with various OEMs for bringing TVs to market using its lasers and remains confident that its technology will hit consumers within a year’s time. “We now have over four design wins in laser TVs for four different brands that are scheduled for launch in 2008,” said Niven.

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Interesting.
By Mitch101 on 4/4/2007 11:06:22 AM , Rating: 3
This is very interesting tech because there would not be any bulb replacement and no fear of rainbow effect or color wheel stray. Im a sensitive person to color wheels. I would imaging the lasers utilize less heat over the bulb method as well increasing the life span.

In simple less heat and moving parts is a good thing.

I wonder what kind of laser output is required to produce a bright enough picture to put plasma out?




RE: Interesting.
By Fnoob on 4/4/2007 11:22:41 AM , Rating: 5
I wonder what kind of laser output is required to produce a bright enough picture to put plasma out?

Technically, probably a "Class 1" laser device. The company I work for has been using these for about 8 years for digital imaging. The laser itself does not generate much, if any heat, however the SHG (2nd Harmonic Generator) and the AOMs (Acoustic Optical Modulators) for each color do get rather warm. Nothing like a plasma display though, which can heat a small room in winter...

There are definite advantages in point resolution and color gamut using a laser over either LCD or Plasma. What I am most curious about is how they will manage to make this cheaper than a simple bulb. We are migrating away from laser driven devices in lieu of LED exposure systems to cut costs in half. Seems backwards from a cost standpoint to say laser will make the manufacturing cheaper.


RE: Interesting.
By abhaxus on 4/5/2007 1:40:44 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Nothing like a plasma display though, which can heat a small room in winter...


This is a common misconception. A current generation 42" plasma (actually, last year's panels, haven't done it with this year's panels) consumes about 180-200W of power as opposed to a 46" LCD which draws around 200-250W. Plasmas are no longer the energy hog they once were. I had to see it myself to believe it, but we hooked both up to a power supply with wattage readings and those were the numbers.


RE: Interesting.
By Fnoob on 4/5/2007 2:04:56 PM , Rating: 2
Well, I would expect a 46" LCD panel to consume more than a 42" Plasma, as it is substantially larger. However, heat dissipation is a matter of efficiency. Just because your 'test' showed a larger LCD drawing more power than a smaller plasma, it has nothing to do with my comment. Next time try measuring the thermal output of each (hopefully identical sized units). I think even with current plasma panels you will find that they radiate far more heat than an LCD. Or better yet, I could perform the opposite test for you right now... I have a current gen 46" LCD and a 42" Plasma in my office - and yes, the plasma is HOT whereas the LCD is just barely warm. The fact that the LCD may draw more power is irrelevant.


RE: Interesting.
By Hoser McMoose on 4/5/2007 3:58:42 PM , Rating: 3
Just as a note: energy in = energy out, always. So if two TVs consume the same amount of power then their heat output is going to be damn near identical. The only other type of power going out is light (about even between all TV technologies and less probably less than 5% of total power) and sound (independent of the type of TV and less then 1% of total power). Basically everything else is heat.

Of course, I'm not sure that the original numbers are correct. Panasonic lists their 42" Plasma (TH-42PX600U) at 399W, while Sony lists their 46" LCD (KDL-46S2010) for only 120W.

Note that an ACTUAL small space heater (the $20 kind people like my mom like to have under their desks to keep their feet warm in the winter) will use about 1500W. Just to keep things in perspective.


RE: Interesting.
By cheetah2k on 4/9/2007 4:48:17 AM , Rating: 2
and 1500W being about the max amount you can draw from 1 wall socket!


RE: Interesting.
By masher2 (blog) on 4/5/2007 2:16:34 PM , Rating: 3
> "This is a common misconception..."

The Panasonic 58" Plasma draws 665 watts. A typical 60" LCD or DLP usually takes about 250w.


RE: Interesting.
By Eris23007 on 4/6/2007 2:54:55 PM , Rating: 3
Do people just mod masher2 down because he's masher2???

Why does this post deserve a low mod rating? It's hard data, hard evidence. The only way it could be argued to be potentially questionable is because he doesn't cite a source.

It's ridiculous to mod someone down just because you don't like them. Attack the argument, not the person - ad hominem is bullcrap.


RE: Interesting.
By bldckstark on 4/4/2007 12:23:09 PM , Rating: 1
I thought the problem with DLP was that a few people could see a rainbow effect, which was essentially the mirrors moving around under the light. If this is the case this wouldn't change with the lasers. The mirrors are still used.


RE: Interesting.
By saratoga on 4/4/2007 12:27:30 PM , Rating: 2
Depends how its implemented. You can build DLP systems without the effect, and with it. Same here.


RE: Interesting.
By masher2 (blog) on 4/4/2007 12:54:43 PM , Rating: 5
The rainbow effect isn't due to the mirrors; its due to the color wheel. The problem is that, whereas an LCD display generates colors by mixing RGB values simultaneously, a color wheel generates reds, then greens, then blues, a tiny fraction of a second apart. So your eye not only has to perform a spatial translation, but a temporal one as well.

Most people aren't sensitive to the effect, especially with a fast-spinning color wheel (4X or faster), but a few see it regardless.


RE: Interesting.
By cingkrab on 4/4/2007 1:02:55 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, and DLP TVs that use LEDs in place of the traditional colour wheel/light should eliminate the rainbow effect. The laser should not present the effect either.


RE: Interesting.
By masher2 (blog) on 4/4/2007 1:10:16 PM , Rating: 1
LED (or Laser) illumination won't eliminate the rainbow effect, but it should reduce it sharply.


RE: Interesting.
By Moishe on 4/4/2007 1:48:01 PM , Rating: 2
Not that the rainbow effect is a big deal where modern systems have 4x color wheels, but... as far as I can tell, LED or laser (without a color-wheel) would eliminate the rainbow effect. This is backed up by sources online. The effect is because of the color wheel. With LED or laser color (3 separate color lights) there is no spinning, wheel lag, or delay. The red and blue LED turns on and off at the same time. There is no need to shine light on the red and then wait for the wheel to spin around to blue and then shine light on the blue for the same pixel again.

I have a new(er) DLP HD projector and it's really very nice. I only want more pixels so that I can get a bigger screen without SDE.


RE: Interesting.
By masher2 (blog) on 4/4/2007 1:58:07 PM , Rating: 2
Rainbowing isn't due to any of those factors...its due to the brain having to integrate monochrome images temporally. If you take a fast "freeze-frame" snapshot of a DLP image, its a single color only...whichever color is illuminating the chip at the time.

With a tricolored LED or laser, you still have the same problem. You can't display three colors at once and still form the image...the individual mirrors can only form a single color component at a time. The only way to eliminate it totally is to display three different colors simultaneously...and that requires three DLP chips.

However, electronic solutions can obviously scan at a much higher rate than a mechanical wheel, and so should eliminate the effect sharply.


RE: Interesting.
By luhar on 4/5/2007 11:48:53 AM , Rating: 2
I presume that there is either a focal issue or maybe just cost issue with using three DLP chips? My bet is focal, as LCoS sets have three chips often and they should have similar cost issues. My RP TV is three LCD panels. The reason I went with LCD was at the time I could still see the rainbows (2x wheels I believe). Seems to me that there shouldn't be an issue with 3 DLP chips so you can simultaneously display all three colors.


RE: Interesting.
By masher2 (blog) on 4/5/2007 12:14:08 PM , Rating: 3
It's just a cost issue...3 DLP chips are pretty pricey.


RE: Interesting.
By InsaneGain on 4/5/2007 1:22:50 AM , Rating: 2
I can see the rainbow effect from a DLP projector with a 4X color wheel with a 92" screen. I notice it if I move my eyes slightly, and I can actually see the separate red green and blue components on the edges of the image. It would be eliminated if the system used a separate DLP chip for each color, but those are very expensive. I would think that laser could still cause a rainbow effect because the DLP chip would still have to reflect the 3 colors one at a time. It would then be a matter of switching the lasers and the chip quick enough that no human eye can detect the component colors individually.


RE: Interesting.
By DocDraken on 4/9/2007 6:43:18 AM , Rating: 2
Same here. Doesn't seem to make any difference with if it's 2X, 4X or 5X color wheels for me either. I haven't seen a home DLP projector that doesn't have the rainbows or color separation for me yet. Drives me crazy. It's a bummer since they have very nice black levels and colors. On the other hand LCD projectors are really getting very good. Like the new JVC D-ILA 1080p..