Welcome to Laser Pointer Forums - discuss green laser pointers, blue laser pointers, and all types of lasers

LPF Donation via Stripe | LPF Donation - Other Methods

Links below open in new window

ArcticMyst Security by Avery

Help with Laser Projector (versus LED Projector)

Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Messages
20
Points
0
Hi all,

I hope this is the right place to post this thread. I am hoping the experts on this forum can help me with my question regarding a laser projector.

I am looking to purchase a micro projector - I bought the 3M MPro projector which is an LED Projector and rated at 10 lumens before but it just wasn't bright enough for me. I have returned it but now I am looking at the AAXA P2 micro projector. This projector is rated at 33 lumens has 800x600 resolution and uses a white LED and LCOS for projection. The specs are here:

AAXA P2 Pico Projector - LCoS Based Hand-held Pocket Projector - LED Micro Projector

However I have been reading that Microvisions news 10 lumen laser projector will be much brighter and better even though it is rated at 10 lumens.

http://www.microvision.com/pico_projector_displays/

However it is supposed to be more expensive too, I've read $500. The AAXA P2 is already expensive at $350. So I am wondering before I spend this kind of money if you guys can help me understand what makes the Microvision laser projector so much brighter than the AAXA P2? Specifically what about laser projectors is better (and worth waiting to pay an extra $150). Are lumens ratings meaningless?

TIA!
 





Joined
Sep 2, 2009
Messages
10
Points
0
wait for the showwx to come out.

Its like the difference between buying a business projector thats high in lumens and great for power points, and buying that new plasma tv.

People equate a brighter lumen rating with a better projector, when in actuallity picture quality and watchability is actually perceived by the way it can reproduce colors.

the laser projector will have you stunned.

YouTube - SHOWWX Experiment 1.4.08 - Going Down

thought i'd throw out a quick reference for example.

I used to own a 2000 lumen 2000:1 contrast projector
My first projector. it cost me 300 dollars used and was outdated by like 2 years.

I upgraded to an epson home cinema 6100. 1800 lumens and 18000:1 contrast ratio.

the picture is way more watchable on my second projector. Infact i ended up building an outdoor screen at 200 inches just for this projector. I could never have used my first projector for the outdoor. never.

oh yea... one more pic of the showwx. i believe this is a 4:3 picture being projector out of the showwx on to a tent. screen size is somewhere around 50 inches (16:9)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a107/Counterbond/deer.jpg

hope this helps!

counterbond
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 25, 2007
Messages
2,007
Points
63
From wikipedia:

"Typically sharpness, colour space and contrast are higher than that of other projection technologies (on – off contrast is typically 50,000:1 and higher). In comparison to conventional projectors laser projectors provide a lower luminous flux output, but because of the extremely high contrast, the brightness appears greater."


Also OP, not sure if this was clear, but the ShowWX that counterbond recommends is the projector by Microvision.

And lumens aren't "meaningless", but they can be misleading for something like a projector. Lumens don't just depend on the amount of light, lumens also takes into account the eye's sensitivity to light. So make your projector project a blue image, and that'll be a different lumen measurement than when projecting a green image, even if they're at the same power, etc. And there's more to making a good, bright image too, like counterbond mentions.

Like counterbond said, the color gamut available for laser is much higher than other technologies too (although not as high as it will be soon, because the lasers aren't perfected yet). Really any laser display being sold now is just biding its time for the real lasers are ready, especially the green lasers. Right now, the laser projectors depend on DPSS, which means they're bigger, less battery efficient, and have a slightly lower color space than the laser projectors of the future. In the future, with green laser diodes and some creative MEMS work, these things will be AWESOME. Laser diodes will really be the ultimate for possible colors, as well as portability and efficiency.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
1
Points
0
You don't have to focus the Microvision projector - no focus button, no auto-focus; the nature of a laser projector means that focus is not an issue. Irregular surfaces, half the screen projected on an object 2 feet away and the other half on an object 20 feet away - both halves in focus. I see this as the unique selling proposition for the Microvision projector.
 




Top