Laser-based projectors target consumer market

摘要

Rear-projection TVs now offer superior image quality, but price is still a sticking point. For consumers, it's all about the "viewing experience." For consumer electronics companies, it's all about the cost. Currently, the market for laser-based projection displays--that is, rear-projection televisions (RPTVs), front-projection systems, and pocket projectors--is caught between a technology that offers superior image quality and a price tag that makes it a hard sell. At the heart of this dilemma is the laser. Today's compact solid-state lasers enable the image brightness, greater color gamut, and resolution that make for great viewing, with the added bonus of longer lifetimes than lamp-based light sources (see Fig. 1). But these lasers cost a lot more than the ultra-high-pressure (UHP) arc lamps they are trying to displace. For example, the light sources used in RPTV systems require 300 to 600 lumens of brightness and 3 to 5 W of power per laser, at a total cost of less than dollar100 for all three lasers. But solid-state lasers sell for much more than that.