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There is a saucy new item on the projector menu called lamp-less laser projection. Not only is it dripping with solid state lighting goodness but it is also served with a large side order of benefits.
Laser projection, albeit topical, is not just the flavour of the day. With light-source life expectancy of up to 20 000 hours and almost no maintenance, the low cost of ownership is the main appeal. This makes for nearly 10 years of operation on an 8 hour daily, 5-day week basis. The advantages pile up, with higher brightness levels, higher contrast ratios and better colour and brightness uniformity. Also, low thermal emissions result in low noise due to the reduced cooling requirements. Along with a near-instant on/off feature, these projectors really tickle the taste buds and also if that is not enough, lamp-less technology results in an absence of mercury, which makes for a fully recyclable, environmentally friendly product.
Traditionally, projector selection has been based on resolution and brightness, irrespective of the light source. The imaging-technology did play a role but unless it was specified in a system design, it didn’t influence the decision process. Conventional projectors use UHP (Ultra High Performance) and HID (High-Intensity Discharge) lamps. These high-cost lamps operate at extremely high temperatures and offer on average only 2000 to 4000 lamp hours depending on the projection conditions. Such limitations just accentuate the giant leap forward achieved by laser technology. With projector imaging engines being light-source agnostic, laser is an added advantage to current DLP (Digital Light Processing), 3-LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technologies. Laser – along with LED and OLED – is classified as Solid State Lighting (SSL) and utilises a collection of semi-conductors to convert electrical energy into artificial light as opposed to traditional bulbs with energised filaments and gasses (fluorescent and incandescent lamps). The benefits of SSL technology include life longevity and high-quality light intensity sustained over time. It’s also durable, compact and energy efficient. Laser light systems use low intensity beam-expanded laser and can be divided into three sub-technologies namely, RGB laser, laser phosphor and hybrid laser. RGB laser systems have three primary colour laser sources: Red, Green and Blue laser light in distinctive frequencies is delivered directly onto a DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) or LCD imaging chip. RGB laser systems produce a very bright image with extra wide colour gamut and brightness uniformity. Unfortunately, they are bulky and expensive, but are ideal for the digital cinema market.
Laser phosphor systems optimise one blue laser beam onto a coated phosphor surface which excites a variety of primary colours that are processed to create a full colour spectrum image through a 3-LCD or colour-wheel DLP engine. Great colours, with a fairly compact design and high brightness are all positives. Hybrid laser projectors use a combination of laser and LED light to enhance certain primary colours. Contrary to this enhanced colour technology, it results in a narrower colour gamut and struggles to reproduce some colours in the spectrum accurately. Lower brightness is another limitation. Laser projection is a game changer with an extensive list of benefits which cannot be ignored. It brings a new dimension to the projector market and will remain in the limelight for quite some time.
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