Mitsubishi's LaserVue 65-inch and 75-inchers due this fall

We got a first glimpse of Mitsubishi's brand new rear-projection-ish laser-based TV tech, LaserVue, back at CES, but now the sets are just about primed for action, and should be hitting store shelves, as previously noted, Q3 2008. LaserVue will debut in 65-inch and 73-inch, with the 65-inch version hitting the scene first. Mitsubishi is still pretty coy about what exactly makes the technology tick -- other than the "zomg, lasers" aspect -- but is quick to point out the 200 percent color gamut that LaserVue provides, more than twice that of most traditional HDTVs. The sets also run at 120Hz, and boast 500 nits of brightness. Head to head against LCD and plasma sets we had trouble finding the differences, other than the color depth (particularly in the reds, almost too much so, though we're sure you can tweak that). Have no fear: the blacks are black, the brights are bright, and the viewing angle puts DLP to shame. That said, we're hearing price points are going to be more comparable to plasma and LCD than DLP, so Mitsubishi might have its work cut out for it in convincing consumers that these new "chubby," 10-inch thick TVs are the way to go. We're not entirely convinced ourselves, though one aspect can't be disputed: LaserVue draws under 200 watts, about half that of LCD and a third of plasma.

Gallery: Mitsubishi's LaserVue 65-inch and 75-inchers due this fall

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[HalfJoey @ Jun 25th 2008 12:18AM]

I would love to see one of these in person. I was hoping they would have one on display at NAB this yet, but they did not. I'm willing to sacrifice space for better picture quality over LCD and even plasma. I hope the 120Hz isn't a stupid frame duplication process like the LCD gimmick.

[Tom Robertson @ Jun 25th 2008 4:10AM]

Wow, 65 and 75 inchers and still amazingly thin!

[Willen @ Jun 25th 2008 6:03AM]

Unless you are intending to hang a TV on your wall, people forget that the table stand that LCD and Plasmas are attached to are 10 to 12+ inches deep. So the footprint of these rear-projection TVs may be the same as or possibly even less than that of similar sized flat panels.

[OneLove @ Jun 25th 2008 12:39PM]

wow a 10-inch chubby...

[MastrCake @ Jun 25th 2008 12:25AM]

I am really stoked about this TV... imagine the image quality of my Wii on this thing!

/sarcasm

But seriously, I DO also have an Xbox 360, am I cannot wait to buy this TV (given the right price) and try it out. Now, about that damn Cable service...

[Blackstar @ Jun 25th 2008 8:14AM]

Um, no one wants to see your Wii Wii.

[Keith @ Jun 25th 2008 12:26AM]

That is so SEXY! who needs limewire anymore when you got this T.V.

[MastrCake @ Jun 25th 2008 12:30AM]

You sir, are sick.

Electronical Fetishes are NOT socially acceptable.

[letstakeawalk @ Jun 25th 2008 12:37AM]

LOL @ mastrcake:

I think you want the next blog over - everbody here HAS an electronics fetish!

/spank me, Helio! Why do you treat me so bad?

[MastrCake @ Jun 25th 2008 12:58AM]

Oops... Wrong word.

I meant Sexual Attraction to Electronical Objects.

I was waaay off, eh? After all, one of the definitions of fetish is:

Any object or nongenital part of the body that causes a habitual erotic response or fixation.

-Dictionary.com

[gad get @ Jun 25th 2008 3:11AM]

You know, when you think about it, calling aesthetically pleasing gadgets or cars or whatever "sexy," could be seen as quite bizarre. But hey, we're geeks after all. We're generally considered a bit weird.

[IK84 @ Jun 25th 2008 12:30AM]

Damn.. I saw the huge recognizable tv and thought finally they are releasing their prices and more info.. nope just more same oh that I already know.. Anyhow I really am looking forward to this technology, LCD is just too slow and gets a heat glow around fast moving objects (and this is the 120hz ones). Plasma is great but a bit dark.

However I got no need for 65 + when 2nd gen comes out and if they have 40-50 then your talking.

[Information Central @ Jun 25th 2008 2:11AM]

"if they have 40-50 then your talking."

YOU'RE talking.

I wonder how they keep this thing from flickering? An electron beam across phosphor leaves a glow, and other technologies have continuous lighting. But a laser sweeping across a surface will not leave a glow, thus creating flicker.

[COM-4 @ Jun 26th 2008 8:10AM]

It uses DLP technology so all they need to do is pulse the lasers at the same frequency as the little mirrors. This happens thousands of times a second so there is no flicker.

[rmcanadian @ Jun 25th 2008 12:32AM]

Sounds interesting, what with good specs and all. Does anyone know how the lifespan compares to plasma and lcd?

[Jason @ Jun 25th 2008 12:42AM]

rmcanadian:

From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_TV
# have a 50,000 hour life
# maintain full power output for the lifespan of the laser, resulting in a picture that doesn't progressively degrade over time, such as with plasma and LCD technology

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Jun 25th 2008 12:34AM]

If this thing can multiscan like a CRT, we will have a serious winner on our hands and it will spell the death of up converted video.


(No need for a scaler when you have a Sony Trinitron KD-34XBR960)

[Jason @ Jun 25th 2008 12:41AM]

So...nothing about the lifespan of the TV? Is that not an issue anymore with LCD and Plasma? Isn't it with DLP? Even if it's not an issue with LCD/Plasma, the displays still get dimmer over time, right? Will these TVs maintain their brightness for much longer periods?

[HalfJoey @ Jun 25th 2008 12:45AM]

I basically want this thing to be a CRT quality HDTV, none of this BS we have to deal with using LCD or plasma.

And like the poster above me, i have nowhere to fit a 65-75 inch TV right now, 46 to 50inches would be perfect

[Jope @ Jun 25th 2008 1:28AM]

Holy MFballs, please get rid of the distracting/stupid/completely unnecessary blue lights and I will buy it right now.

[Abdo @ Jun 25th 2008 5:04AM]

Actually that looks kinda cool, like an evil glare. Reminds me of the Evo IX.

[SimbaDogg @ Jun 25th 2008 2:05AM]

plasma is dark...are you kidding me? what the hell have you been watching, an insignia 50"?

[HalfJoey @ Jun 25th 2008 2:19AM]

I believe what he meant to say is that plasma is darker than LCD, which is true. However plasma has been getting better and better as the generations progress. The Pioneer 5080HD looks dark in a retail store, but amazing in a house. :)

[Ian @ Jun 25th 2008 2:17AM]

If the reds were over the top then ZOMG - RED PUSH. A Mits tradition.

Boffo color gamut doens't mean sqaut if your content cannot support it.

[Conor Kirkpatrick @ Jun 25th 2008 3:28AM]

IMA FIRIN MY LAZOR!!!

[James Cameron @ Jun 25th 2008 3:31AM]

Would love to see how this stack up against LCD and Plasma.

[collide007 @ Jun 25th 2008 3:54AM]

Notice non of the pictures show the side or back. Don't have complete faith in your product much?

[Snowdog @ Jun 25th 2008 7:01AM]

"the viewing angle puts DLP to shame."

They do know that it IS DLP, don't they? It is highly unlikely the light source will afffect viewing angles. Pictures I have seen of demos also show severe loss of contrast off angle just like every other rear projector.

[Snowdog @ Jun 25th 2008 7:05AM]

Wide gamut is no benefit because all movies are standard Gamut, it can even be a big problem.

Wider viewing angles than DLP? IT IS DLP. I saw the sample images that showed the same viewing angle issues as other DLP rear projectors.

The last gasp of the rear projector before it disappears is more like it.

[dan @ Jun 25th 2008 8:40AM]

I was thinking the same thing about the color gamut. It would make people orange and pink. (photographer)

[Bad Beaver @ Jun 25th 2008 8:55AM]

I am pretty sure one will be able to adjust the picture so people will not look orange & pink *sigh*

I'm looking forward to see these displays. Cheaper than LCD, take much less energy, better colors, no degrading of the picture with age... sounds very, very good.

[Snowdog @ Jun 25th 2008 9:15AM]

Beaver:

You could say the same thing about LED-DLP and they didn't exactly sell like hot cakes. Almost everything is the same between LED-DLP and Laser-DLP. Laser brings almost nothing to the table that LED didn't already have 2 years ago. Except marketing with the word "Laser".

Having a totally different color gamut (much wider) is actually a very hard thing to correct if you are into realistic colors.

[dan @ Jun 25th 2008 10:00AM]

Beaver,

You don't know much about color spaces. Video sources are made with a particular gamut in mind. If the monitor has a wider gamut, then everything gets over-saturated. This looks unrealistic. The only way they could adjust it and keep the colors accurate and as intended by the artist who made the video source, would be to reduce the monitors color gamut for playback. This also makes color gradients less smooth and negates any benefit of the larger color gamut. So their choices would be to have unrealistic over-saturated colors or standard gamut with worse gradations. But keep sighing because you probably don't understand any of this anyway and/or like gaudy unrealistic overs-saturated colors.

[John McDole @ Jun 25th 2008 8:56AM]

I can't wait for this sucker to come out. Hope Fry's has them in stock :)

[stalkythefish @ Jun 25th 2008 9:05AM]

IMO, Mitsubishi used to make the absolute best large CRT sets out there in the pre-HD days: razor-sharp, great black levels, and spot-on NTSC color demodulation. They were also rugged and easy to service (unlike a certain other manufacturer whose initials are S.O.N.Y. Trinitrons were a nightmare.) But then they got heavy into rear projection, almost exclusively, and still seem to be clinging to it now. I think they need to let the RP concept die. I'd love to see what they could do with plasma or even OLED when it's ready. Mitsubishi gear always had a few extra features that nobody else did that you didn't think of much at the time of purchase, but missed dearly when moving to a competitor's product. (Off hand, I can think of the s-video passthrough-when-off, bluescreen-disable, and jog-wheel-on-the-remote abilities of their SVHS VCR's.) Okay rambling...

[tekdroid @ Jun 25th 2008 12:18PM]

"LaserVue draws under 200 watts, about half that of LCD and a third of plasma."
-------
Green! Organic! Eco!
Where are Mitsubishi's marketing team? Those catchphrases just need to get out there. Save the world while watching TV, etc. Joe wants to feel no guilt.

Go marketers go!

[Hooterman @ Jun 25th 2008 12:44PM]

"we're hearing price points are going to be more comparable to plasma and LCD than DLP"

I hope they don't mean prices will be comparable to comparable sized plasma/LCD's. I'm ready to upgrade from my 65" Mitsu CRT RPTV. I don't want to lose size, but I also don't (can't) spend the amount of money it takes to get a flat panel in that size.

I've been banking on these, but if the price is dumb then it's 67" LED DLP Sammy for me.

[COM-4 @ Jun 26th 2008 8:17AM]

Pricing will be very competitive, I'm looking forward to testing out one of these myself when it becomes available. I'd rather have a nice 73" LaserVue DLP for my living room than a smaller LCD/Plasma.

http://www.tvsnob.com/archives/018019.php

[Andy @ Jun 26th 2008 8:02PM]

The laser technology comes from an Australian company Arasor (who aquired Novalux in January 2008

[dotty @ Jun 29th 2008 7:38PM]

the laservue view will be from 1800 t0 4700.

http://www.uberreview.com/2008/04/mitsubishi-laservue-at-a-price-you-can-afford.htm

[dotty @ Jun 29th 2008 7:38PM]

http://www.uberreview.com/2008/04/mitsubishi-laservue-at-a-price-you-can-afford.htm

laservue cost to range from `1800 to 4700