Will laser TVs be the next big thing?

Frank DeMartin, general manager of Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, was nice enough to talk a little laser TV with us just before the unveiling of the new laser TV -- we're not exaggerating about the "little" part. While it all sounds fantastic, we were disappointed that he wasn't willing to even begin to satisfy our unlimited thirst for technical details. But he was confident that a laser TV could provide the ultimate in picture quality because "laser has the ability to hit color points that no other technology can." We understand his desire not to spill trade secrets, but any technical information beyond, "it's the best" would've been better than nothing. So while we don't know how the TV works, we do know that the principal makes sense; lasers offer the purest form of light, while at the same time use less power than other light sources. The problem of course is that the competition in the HDTV market is a fast moving target, and with the delays Mitsubishi has been dealing with, we wonder how competitively priced this new technology will be -- though Frank assured us that Mitsubishi's dominance in the red laser market will help . Frank says, "it'll be competitive with flat panel prices," and that's great and all, but price isn't the only factor needed to compete against flat panels, people like thin TVs and the laser TV isn't thin -- it's about as thin as a DLP. But regardless of being the same price, Mitsu thinks the superior picture quality will trump thin because "people want it flat, but they want it large too." Either way, we'll have to wait until some unknown time this year to see if the laser TV can live up to the hype, but with what we know right now, we're not sold just yet.

[Wesburl @ Jan 9th 2008 4:50PM]

Don't laze me bro!

[aguiluz @ Jan 10th 2008 4:14PM]

I won't buy this.

That laser may burn out my retinas.

How would I live life then?

No more videogames! Nooooooooooo!

[aguiluz @ Jan 10th 2008 4:14PM]

I won't buy this.

That laser may burn out my retinas.

How would I live life then?

No more videogames! Nooooooooooo!

[aguiluz @ Jan 10th 2008 4:15PM]

Argh. Stupid me. Clicked refresh and sent that POSTDATA again. Double posted. Sorry.

[shanoboy @ Jan 9th 2008 4:51PM]

Someday I'll be old and my kids will talk about the crappy picture of Plasma and LCD HDTVs compared to lazer TVs (or whatever technology prevails) the way we talk about how big and clunky CRTs are compared to flat panel monitors today.

[shaka999 @ Jan 9th 2008 4:56PM]

I'm not sure how a laser TV would be better than an LED based TV. The frequency of light emitted by a material is based on the badgap of the material. By tweaking the bandgap you can get various colors. This is how an LED works. A laser just takes a single frequency, as produced by a LED, and adds that its coherent (all the waves aligned).

So, how does adjusting the polarity of the light make a better picture? A laser may be more directional???

[thethirdmoose @ Jan 9th 2008 5:00PM]

because its a frickin' layzer... duh!

[reallynotnick @ Jan 9th 2008 5:20PM]

Are there even LED tv's out there to buy? I don't think there are and that's what makes laser so great, is that it will actually come to the market and look awesome.

[bethel03 @ Jan 9th 2008 5:12PM]

I'm no genius when it comes to LEDs and Lasers but I imagine that lasers are brighter and can define edges much better than a LED can. Just a thought...

Anyone know what the lifespan of a laser can be?

[tinder @ Jan 9th 2008 5:39PM]

non-laser LEDs (like a backlight would be) do not produce a single
frequency and are a mostly incoherent light source. they typically
have a bandwidth of at least a few nanometers.

a diode laser is different in that it puts the gain material (the
LED) inside a laser cavity to produce a coherent output through the
effect of stimulated emission. an unpulsed (diode or otherwise) laser
usually has much less bandwidth and is therefore more spectrally pure. it
would also be much much brighter than an incoherent LED too.

there are things that are called superluminescent LEDs that are
constructed kind of like a noisy laser. they are a partially coherent
source.

diode lasers probably used in these TVs can last years if not tens of
years. there should be no comparison on brightness with anything else
out there

[Gnaget @ Jan 9th 2008 6:00PM]

well, without the technical details, I'm shooting in the dark.

I would assume since a laser has a very focused beam, you'd see a huge contrast ratio, and true blacks. Put that into a fairly thin television, and at a decent price point, and I'd buy it.

Understand, when I buy a TV it is the black levels I look for.

[Mii @ Jan 9th 2008 8:23PM]

Perhaps they plan to modulate the brightness with the laser itself, rather than the DLP, then let the micromirror array scan the image across the grid. You couldn't do that with an LED and DLP. You may be able to achieve better detail in blacks since the intensity is controlled by an electronic process rather than mechanical like DLP.

[Mii @ Jan 9th 2008 8:34PM]

Second thought, unlike a DLP that needs a micromirror per pixel or every 2, a laser could get by with a much simpler arrangement (one mirror per line and one mirror to scan between the lines). You can also have all the lasers light the active pixel at the same time, so you get no rainbows since all three+ colors are in sync. This could actually be an attempt to get off the TI patent train.

[edgore @ Jan 9th 2008 9:10PM]

"Are there even LED tv's out there to buy?"

Yep, there are. I have a Samsung with an LED light engine, and it's pretty excellent - great color, great contrast and no rainbows (and I saw them all the time with my old DLP set). Also, there is no bulb to replace, so there's that too..

[rxse7en @ Jan 9th 2008 5:07PM]

He didn't go to Evil Engineering School just to be called Frank. You obviously pissed him off.

[AlienSoldier @ Jan 9th 2008 5:23PM]

screw Laser TV, give me laser projector with a lifetime enduring lightsource

[Fuzz @ Jan 9th 2008 5:32PM]

They really should be using a polychromatic acusto-optic modulator(try saying it in the voice of Marvin the Martian). Besides having a freakin' cool name, it is relatively simple. You shine a pure white laser beam(yes, they have those) at a special type of crystal that allows a specific wavelength of light to pass through it based on the frequency of sound that is directed at the crystal. Then you get one wavelength. It can modulate through colors ridiculously fast, so you take that beam and scan it across your display, just like a CRT would, fast enough that the eye can't detect it, and make your image that way. I would think this would work best in a projector.

[tinder @ Jan 9th 2008 5:41PM]

these are in Leica laser scanning confocal microscopes.

[Fuzz @ Jan 9th 2008 5:47PM]

Can I watch Transformers on one of those? I would think looking through the scope for 2 hours would give you a headache.

[Carlos Montoya @ Jan 9th 2008 5:34PM]

CRT TVs have the best image quality for a non-HD signal hands down. If you do not have an HD source and are buying a plazma or flat screen today..you are buying a more expensive tv with worse picture quality, period..end of story

[MrBill @ Jan 9th 2008 5:38PM]

I would think that OLED will be the next big thing for TV's, but the Lasers have some serious potential for portables.

Speaking of which... we are still waiting for the hands-on: http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/02/microvision-to-launch-pocket-sized-projector-at-ces-2008/

[ssuk @ Jan 9th 2008 5:50PM]

Aw, and here was I thinking of that brain-laser-TV from Batman Forever...

[Matt @ Jan 9th 2008 6:18PM]

OLED TVs will be the next big thing. Laser projectors could be big, though.

[bcollinstex @ Jan 9th 2008 6:19PM]

Now I can get lasik when I watch TV.

[Jason @ Jan 9th 2008 6:21PM]

@reallynotnick: many of the current DLP tvs use LEDs as the light source now.

[TheWakeUpCall @ Jan 9th 2008 6:23PM]

hmm, is it safe to shoot thousands of lasers into our eyes? lol The things that are used to change the focus of our eyes...

[Ryan @ Jan 9th 2008 6:46PM]

I didn't think you were supposed to look into those things...
Fantastic!

[bbosley2 @ Jan 9th 2008 6:57PM]

Now when your wii remote slips and cracks the TV, the TV fires back... awesome.

[ColonelSmith @ Jan 9th 2008 7:29PM]

Im chargin muh layzuh!

[jmill9126 @ Jan 9th 2008 7:39PM]

I believe that laser projectors will be the future.

Imagine a tiny projector that has the capacity to produce a very high resolution image (the laser can scan to produce an image and I'm guesing that resolution is limited by spot size). This projector can then be wirelessly connected to a central in-home server that contains all of your media that can be downloaded through an internet connection. You could use an IPOD like device to browse through your media and select a movie to send to the projector. The projector could be very cheap because most of its functionality (except for the hardware needed to generate the laser and cause it to scan) could be on a single chip.

The next thing I suppose would be walls that can reconfigure themselves into screens. (nanotech)

[darkflame @ Jan 9th 2008 8:26PM]

I bet 99.99% of people wont be able to tell the difference.
These technologys are getting silly.
Contrast, Colour, and Lattacy are important. Resolution is important upto a point (of which, in motion I think we reached).

Give us 3D or smellyvision.

"Imagine a tiny projector that has the capacity to produce a very high resolution image (the laser can scan to produce an image and I'm guesing that resolution is limited by spot size). This projector can then be wirelessly connected to a central in-home server that contains all of your media that can be downloaded through an internet connection. You could use an IPOD like device to browse through your media and select a movie to send to the projector. The projector could be very cheap because most of its functionality (except for the hardware needed to generate the laser and cause it to scan) could be on a single chip.

The next thing I suppose would be walls that can reconfigure themselves into screens. (nanotech)"


Thats the big, stupid, very human way to deal with tech.

The more sensible technology is augmented reality systems that can *simulate* any screen size we want, whereever we want, at a fraction of cost and power consumption.
Its also very much within our technological reach, just refinements of existing tech.

Having a tiny cube projecting high quality large images isnt.
If nothing else, it would be impossible to get decent contrast.

[CaliforniaKid @ Jan 9th 2008 9:03PM]

Wouldn't Laser TVs be a step down from Quasar TVs?

This just into the newsroom...laser TV glass shatters. Entire family turned red, blue, and green by escaping laser beams. Details at 11.

[Glenn @ Jan 9th 2008 10:36PM]

If you believe lasers are the future, here is a press release you want to read (and a company you want to invest in)
QPC Announces $12 Million Development and Production Order for Laser Television Applications

excerpt - "This contract marks the successful expansion of QPC's technology into the large and growing market for visible wavelength technology," said QPC co-founder and CEO Dr. Jeffrey Ungar. "Utilizing our high powered, compact, and cost effective semiconductor laser technology, these rear projection laser televisions will offer a dramatically improved viewing experience compared to other older and/or more expensive technologies available today such as those based on lamps, plasma, LCDs, and conventional cathode ray tubes. Consumers should enjoy substantially more vibrant, life-like colors with the high resolution and wide viewing angles from a lightweight, less expensive, slimmer profile unit."
"Major consumer electronics manufacturers such as Sony Corp. and Mitsubishi have exhibited laser TV prototypes in the recent past, however, we are not aware of any Laser TV's that are currently available for consumer purchase. We believe that QPC's laser technology should enable a more rapid ramp to production and availability to consumers," said Dr. Paul Rudy, QPC's Senior VP of Marketing & Sales.
"This contract award not only signals QPC's entry into the multi-billion dollar high growth consumer electronics sector for Laser TV, but opens up numerous possibilities for utilization in a wide variety of display applications including miniature mobile projectors for mobile phones, PDAs, and laptops, along with displays for automobiles and cockpits. Our technology offers high-speed direct modulation, low power consumption, and low cost in high volume production. We believe that QPC can become a leader in providing lasers for a new generation of consumer electronics displays, and are committed to realizing this vision," added Dr. Ungar.

[Lissa_001 @ Jan 10th 2008 1:40PM]

I can't believe this as if I wasn't inconvienced enough when they made us switch from VHS to DVD with out a choice now the expensive Home theartre system that my family just bought a year ago is going to be forced in the trach becaue BLue Rays son't play as well as regular DVD's and the lasers that read it really well don't exist in my television so I get to go out and replace that two as I am replacing my new DVD collection because only new machines play Blue Ray so I also have to get a new Blue Ray player and then I can replace that in one year because something new with come out then. i remember when i was little how big of a deal it was when records went to tapes and Beta went to VHS but at least for the longest time you had a choice to ease into it gradually. We got forced into DVD's I just wonder how many other things we will be forced in to in the future and I am not just talking about entertainment. I am a concumser I should be forced to change if I am comfortable with what I have. I think coporations have forgotten this when it comes to making the big sale.

[boe @ Jan 10th 2008 2:16PM]

While Mitsubishi has made some great looking TVs - they never offered a recall for the thousands of models sold that just don't turn on after a while. They need about $10 worth of capaciters replaced but you can be charged anywhere from $50 to $1000 for repairs depending on who you have repair your TV. It is a shame they aren't stepping up and just sending out replacement dm boards for all of us suffering the blinking light of death.

[Lissa_001 @ Jan 17th 2008 2:51PM]

i meant to say I should't be forced into buying more electronics when I am comfortable with what i have and i feel that When Blue Ray takes over DVD we will fee the prssure again. What do you do with all the DVD's now that you have to throw out because they don't make that machine anymore. So you have any idea how many VHS i still have try finding a player for them. I just feel that consumers opinion really doesn't matter any more as i stated above and that this just demonstrates the things to come.

[gokada @ Jan 24th 2008 7:23AM]

is there anybody got laser tv?