Microvision begins Shipping World's First Laser Pico Projector

[counterbond]

If you havent heard of microvision before you should really check them out. Going to be huge. I've been investing money into them since march. I bought in back at 1.44 and look where it is today. They have a great product and am very excited to let everyone know that it will be avaiable very very soon!

specs are 5000:1 contrast
image size 12 to 150 inches diagonal (completly dark room for larger screen sizes
aspect 16:9
resolution 800x480

Microvision: A World of Display and Imaging Opportunities

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....6805&highlight=

YouTube - Laser Pico projector by Microvision

counterbond

 

[ZRTMWA]

I've seen another pocket projector like that before. Way different technology though.

 

[Benm]

Ah well, its still $5k for the evaluation kit, so there is at least a 100 to 1000 fold price cost decrease required to get it into a lot of consumer devices. The 442 nm blue is interesting though - its probably a very expensive diode right now, but developments like these projectors are good news for us laser builders too

 

[ElektroFreak]

442nm diodes are becoming more and more commonplace in the laser projector world. Many people swear by them because they say they provide deeper hues in RGB systems, but personally I prefer 473nm because the beam is several times more visible. The power stability of a diode system vs. DPSS is something to consider when using the laser for graphics, and without these diodes a micro RGB system would not be possible.

 

[Krutz]

hmm, for these projectors (called beamer in german), is it milliwatts or lumen?

i dont know any other product which would call for blue or green diodes. so we better hope those projectors will come, huh?

i read that discussion about 442nm vs 473nm, similar on the red end. my conclusion is to get the deeper blue and higher red for nicer colors, and that they arent really dimmer. with a 442nm laser you will get a similar output of 473nm when mixed with a bit of green, so you lose nothing but have the option of deep blue.
sure, i'm years away from scanning, anyway!

oh, and welcome on LPF, counterbond!

manuel

 

[ElektroFreak]

You're definitely right, krutz, you don't really lose anything in terms of visibility since you can fine tune the balance in a stage laser projector using your software settings. Also the linearity of a diode system's modulation response is always superior to DPSS. I guess it would be more accurate to say that I prefer 473nm for three reasons: The beam is more visible, I'm a sucker for the idea behind DPSS and the superior beam quality, and they generally cost less than 445nm (for now).. The most cost effective way I know of to get those deep hues without going to 445nm is to use 473 and add a little 405 in the mix.. And then there's also 457nm DPSS. Not necessarily too cheap, but what a beautiful color!

 

[Benm]

Its true, there is a bit of a trade off between best possible gamut (color range) and apparent brightness for both blue and red.

On the red side it matters very little: 635 looks as saturated as 660, but on the blue side there is definitely color range to gain from switching from 473 to a somewhat shorter wavelength (450 seems spot on).

We're very used to seeing 473 as blue lasers, though the actual color is a bit towards cyan. For a pointer this is fine, since its a pretty color and highly visible per-mW, but for projecting a picture with a dark blue sky its far from optimal.