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Gadgets Mitsubishi LaserVue HDTV Now Available
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - October 30, 2008 3:12 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 62 comment(s) - last by tastyratz.. on Nov 4 at 11:36 PM

Mitsubishi 65-inch LaserVue HDTV  (Source: Electronic House)
LaserVue promises more color with less power demand

Behold the power of the laser. Humanity can do all sorts of cool things with lasers from mounting them on the heads of sharks to shining them into the eyes of an attacker to induce temporary blindness. We can now also buy HDTV's that use lasers.

Dr. Evil will be truly proud to hear that Mitsubishi is now selling its 65-inch LaserVue TV. Laser TV was hailed as the successor to LCD and Plasma technology when first announced in 2007. The TV uses laser beams to generate the picture and promises two times the color of the typical HDTV while using less power. The green brigade will like that last part.

Mitsubishi claims that the LaserVue HDTV uses  only 135W which is claimed to be 1/3 of the energy needed by the average LCD TV and 1/4 the power needed by the average plasma TV. The LaserVue set also has a 120Hz refresh rate, x.v. Color and a full 1080p HD image. The set is in a cabinet that is 10-inches thick. That is more in line with the profile of a projection TV than the plasma and LCD sets we are used too. One other cool feature is that the TV is that it is 3D ready. The dawn of 3D TV is coming and from 3D game demos, previewed so far 3D TV will be huge.

Frank DeMartin, VP Marketing for Mitsubishi told Electronic House, "The consumer demand for LaserVue has simply exceeded our expectations and the product is a terrific example of Mitsubishi’s technology leadership within the home entertainment market. Bringing laser TV to market is a significant industry accomplishment and we’re very proud to be the only TV manufacturer to date that has delivered on the promise of a laser-driven TV."

DeMartin continued, “With operating power at approximately 135W, LaserVue is environmentally friendly, consuming approximately one-third the power of today’s LCD TVs, and one-fourth of plasma TVs. Living in today’s green-conscious environment, consumers can enjoy this color-brilliant, ground-breaking home entertainment product while being mindful of energy consumption at the same time.”

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Ack!
By Motoman on 10/30/2008 3:21:39 PM , Rating: 2
...the retail price is $7,000. Hope it comes with the hot chick for that price.

In all seriousness, I'm sure it's better in every way than my Mitsubishi Diamond-series projection TV, which is practically a dinosaur by today's standards. But I only paid like $1,800 for it (55") on closeout. And I love it. I *wish* I had all my finances in such order that I could spend $7,000 on something like this...people in hell want iced tea too.




RE: Ack!
By 3DoubleD on 10/30/2008 3:24:56 PM , Rating: 2
Yes, the price is too much, but this is Gen 1 technology so it is expected. I'm excited to see this technology one or two generations from now. I don't doubt these TVs will become nearly as thin as the thicker/regular LCD/Plasma offerings, just give them some time. 10" isn't all bad though. I'm excited to read some reviews!


RE: Ack!
By jkresh on 10/30/2008 3:33:46 PM , Rating: 3
Price will come down, but I would not expect these to be as thin as plasma/lcd at any point in the near future (probably similar thickness to the thinnest dlp's) as I am pretty sure this is a projection technology. What I am interested in is seeing front projectors using this and how they compare to dlp/lcos/lcd in terms of price/features/brightness...


RE: Ack!
By 3DoubleD on 10/30/2008 4:56:17 PM , Rating: 2
I'd expect that when working with laser light, much of the bulk of traditional DLP screens would not be needed. I argue this because the lasers basically replace the need for a lamp and laser light can be easily routed via mirrors or fiber optic cables. Thus you can squeeze the lasers into the TV casing, oriented in whatever direction makes the unit most compact. As the lasers themselves are improved (eg, more efficient, smaller designs, ect) we could see the screens shrink in thickness. Who knows though!

I agree with another poster about this technology making its way into projectors, it would be perfect (although perhaps a bit heavier).


RE: Ack!
By mcnabney on 11/1/2008 9:10:01 PM , Rating: 2
You would be wrong. It is just a DLP rear projection TV with a laser lightsource as opposed. It is very much like the current LED DLP TVs that Samsung is selling. All of the problems that the current Samsung and Mits DLP RP TVs have this will have too. The LaserVue might have a little better black rendition, but the added color depth is pointless since even the most advanced media available today, BluRay, does not support the increased color bit depth.
This RP TV is way overpriced. It should be about half that amount, or maybe even less. Now front projection Laser should make a much bigger splash. Increased brightness and the elimination of the bulb-replacement cycle is just what the projector market needs. Sadly, we will have to wait a little longer for that.


RE: Ack!
By Oregonian2 on 10/30/2008 8:41:57 PM , Rating: 3
AFAIK this is just a projection TV with the traditional lightbox (with big hot lamp and a rotating color wheel) replaced with laser LEDs that "electronically" rotate the colors (why the rate can be much higher). This was demonstrated a couple years ago by an Australian company (in conjunction with a U.S. silicon valley one I think).


RE: Ack!
By vapore0n on 10/30/2008 3:26:30 PM , Rating: 5
I remember when 42" plasma TVs were $10k

If it really is the dlp successor and hits the spot, price will come down in a couple of years.


RE: Ack!
By FITCamaro on 10/30/2008 11:34:26 PM , Rating: 2
Looks like I might have found the technology of my next TV. I love my current DLP. This looks even better.


RE: Ack!
By inighthawki on 10/30/2008 3:43:48 PM , Rating: 2
keep in mind it's not only the newest technology available, its also 65" in size. Last time I checked, TVs this size were quite expensive even for lcd/plasma.


RE: Ack!
By Mitch101 on 10/30/2008 4:51:15 PM , Rating: 3
When my wife gave me the approval for a big screen HDTV I went for the largest practically priced unit. At the time that was 65" The gap was insane to get to 73"

If I had to do it all over again today I would buy a projector. Some very nice 1080P units out there today you could buy 3 of them for the price of this HDTV.


RE: Ack!
By Jasio on 10/30/2008 4:22:21 PM , Rating: 3
What's the matter with the price?

The Pioneer Kuro Elite 60" 1080p is $7000 at Best Buy.
(http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8982... -- and Panasonic's flagships are only a bit less.

Considering this LaserVue is "new" technology, this isn't all that expensive/over priced.


RE: Ack!
By 3DoubleD on 10/30/2008 4:46:56 PM , Rating: 2
You raise a good point. For the Pioneer you are paying a premium for best-in-class picture. Since the laser TV is new and "untested" technology (eg. hasn't earned a name/brand for itself among customers), one would have to suspect that you are paying the early adopter fee. Admittedly, it is hard to know for sure until we see a review.


RE: Ack!
By Chernobyl68 on 10/30/2008 5:49:14 PM , Rating: 2
originally this was touted as a much less expensive technology, when it was estimated to be released 2 years ago. They need to make up that R&D, and are pricing it with other premium sets. hopefully in 4-5 years it will have come down significantly.


RE: Ack!
By adiposity on 10/30/2008 6:41:37 PM , Rating: 2
Pioneer may be overpriced, but the price difference from 60 to 65 should also be considered here. It's usually quite significant.

The Panasonics are usually considered more reasonable in price:

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-tvs/panasonic-v...

This is the most common 65" Panasonic display on cnet, and it goes for $6800 at amazon. Yes, there are a couple places selling it lower, but MSRP looks to be about 7K. So this price is eminently reasonable.

The question is, how does the quality compare? Most TV buyers care about that first. A more expensive TV that takes less power but looks worse is not going to sell.

-Dan


RE: Ack!
By hr824 on 10/30/2008 8:28:36 PM , Rating: 2
http://www.dailytech.com/Laser+TV+to+Take+On+Plasm...

How dose Half the production cost translate into a 7k dlp tv? If anyone buys this tv at that price a will find you and slap you in the face. :)


RE: Ack!
By tastyratz on 11/4/2008 11:22:29 PM , Rating: 2
How does it translate? Easily.
Consider this: how does someone spend 7k on a new lcd/plasma screen in that class when you can get something with a superior picture for the same cost?

Right now its the top dog. Why sell for less when yours is the best?


RE: Ack!
By TimberJon on 11/4/2008 11:56:48 AM , Rating: 2
Is the diamond series you speak of the same as the WD-60735 and WD-65736 and probably that other 73" model they have?

If not.. You could always go pickup the 60" WD-60735 from Rentacenter or any other TV store that has it. Theyre super cheap.


By Creig on 10/30/2008 3:35:05 PM , Rating: 2
I know that "thin is in", but after Samsung released their LED DLP based televisions, I knew that RP was staging a comeback. From what I've read, these new laser TVs offer a substantial increase in color quality over LCD, Plasma and standard/LED DLP, especially reds which can be problematic.

Eventually these sets should be even cheaper than LCD or Plasma televisions as they are simply three lasers (red, blue, green) aimed at a Texas Instruments DLP chip. No moving parts (other than cooling fans) and no image degradation over the life of the set). But for now, they'll be only for the wealthy or hard-core television/movie aficionado.




By Oregonian2 on 10/30/2008 8:44:19 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
No moving parts (other than cooling fans)


Well... technically the DLP has a LOT of moving parts, it's just that they don't move all that far. :-)


By gramboh on 10/30/2008 9:15:20 PM , Rating: 2
That's the problem, consumer preference is LCD/Plasma because of the thin factor. You barely see any DLP sets on display at retail outlets.


By grath on 10/30/2008 9:43:03 PM , Rating: 2
The question is how thick does the thin factor actually extend? Its not so much a matter of inches as one of sleekness, how close vents and connectors allow it to be placed against a wall, and mounting capability which is largely dictated by structure and weight. Panels are heavier but flat backed which makes for sturdy mounting. Projection sets while lighter are bottom heavy and improperly structured for a typical flat wall mount, requiring a surface a surface. Even flat against the wall a typical projection sets 16" or so of protrusion is outside the limit of the thin factor, but the 10" of this laser set probably isnt, and if it can use panel wall mounting then I bet the factor would apply.