This Is Not Your Grandfather's TV

I remember the first time I went to a Laserium show, thinking: "lasers can do a lot more than I thought." Now an Australian company has developed laser television that surpasses plasma tv technology in just about any way you can imagine.

Soon-to-be-listed Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux yesterday unveiled what they claimed to be the world's first laser television in Sydney, with a pitch that it will be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs.

Manufacturing company Arasor produces the unique optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device being developed by Silicon Valley-based Novalux, which is being used by a number of television manufacturers.

And displayed beside a conventional 50 inch plasma TV, the Mitsubishi-built prototype does appear brighter and clearer than its "older" rival.

With a worldwide launch date scheduled for Christmas 2007, under recognisable brands like Mitsubishi and Samsung, Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat is so bold as to predict the death of plasma.

"If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see," he said.

"But for the very first time with a laser TV we'll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see.

"All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display."

Source.

With better energy efficiency, better price and half the weight and depth of plasma TVS, laser televisions are expected to take over the plasma niche.

I never did like the power-hog plasma sets. But if lasers can provide over 50% more colour content than plasma, I cannot wait to see the new laser displays. Next stop--laser hologram displays.