Gizmodo
Mitsubishi put together quite a spectacle to introduce its Laser TV last night at the Moon Nightclub at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, unveiling a 65-inch rear-projection set that uses a unique laser backlight. The result is some of the most vivid color we've ever seen on any TV, especially the primary colors of red, green and blue. The blacks were midnight-dark, too, and there was even a 3D version of the TV (goofy glasses required) that only made us slightly cross-eyed. Mits officials said to look for the TV to appear on the market "later this year" at an undisclosed price, and added that it will cost about the same as flat panel TVs of the same size. On the next page, let's explore how this laser backlight works and gawk at a slightly NSFW gallery.
When pressed for details, they kept repeating their mantra about laser being the "purest light source," but from what we could see, we think it must have something to do with hot-looking dancing girls, frickin' lasers, smoke and maybe even mirrors. We were taking shots of the TVs, but all these women kept getting in our way. Oh, well.
Comments
LOL.
I don't know where the TVs were in those pictures but the quality was superb.
Great pics... you can even see the surgery scar in picture 7!
I hate to be the negative on this one - but they´re beating a dead horse, backscreen projection monitors and TV´s will no longer succeed after Flatscreens took over the marked.
It´s very simple - really! People don´t want BULKY screens that fill up half your space, nor do they want to carry them around. Even if you can present the worlds absolutely best image ever - will this ever sell again. Why do we know this? Again simple...look... CRT are still known for WAY better image quality and colors than both LCD and PLASMA sets, still...they´re literally GONE now, why? People WANT FLAT SCREENS. They´re easy to move, the quality is acceptable now due to improved technology and they don´t fill up your personal space more than an image hanging on the wall, why would you EVER go back to that bulky projection thingy?
I am sure there are specialized needs for ultra-high quality, but honestly - you can get LASER projectors for that...that fills less space than this would. These units are doomed to fail, sorry to say Mitsubishi.
And to think you managed those upskirt shots without the tailcam... pure skillz.
@Hvedhrungr: It couldn't have been too hard - are those even considered skirts? Not that I'm complaining. ;)
@iiviip3: People who read this site and know their stuff buy these TVs. I know I will.
Who on earth moves their television around when it's over 22 inches anyway? My parents just bought a 40'' TV and they mounted it to the wall. Rock solid. They will not be moving it around.
My grand parents have a 22'' TV in their kitchen, on a cart. They move their TV around. By the way, theses TV stes won't be very thick, really.
Regarding image quality, for geeks and perfectionists it is important. People who like their movies with real colors have kept their CRTs (up until now when LCDs and plasmas have increased color range and contrast ratios) and rear projection is really the best there is.
Taking up space isn't really an issue is it. You can draw things to extremes but really, where the hell do I fit the cords in to that thing without mounting it 6" out from the wall? And the speakers just seem to take up more space than ever before.
I have been waiting for theses TVs ever since I heard there was a new technology coming. What worries me though is the fact that they pushed the promotion with ladies on stage. What are they hiding that the journalists weren't allowed to see? They have a great TV, why the hell did they have to have naked people backing it up? No one else seemed to have that problem.
correct me if im wrong but dont lasers generaly use cathodes as a light source?
also.. you would need a laser for every pixel, sounds expensive.
JOONGLE has a point, but I don't think it's just the depth of screens that killed CRTs. I think it's the overall size, HD, and the general public believing LCD's give a better picture than CRT because it's newer.
CRTs can't go beyond 32 - 36" in size, and even then they weigh a ton (not literally, of course) and they're much bigger backed than these laser TV's. Plus I assume you could buy them in the states, but here in NZ at least, there were no HD CRT TVs on the market.
Working in electronic sales myself, I have to say few customers check the depth of a new TV. I'm sure they'll be impressed by a 9mm Plasma, but if the price is right, the TV's ass not gigantic, and the picture quality is great, I think many people would still be interested in a laser TV.
Dear Joongle (above),
Who will be buying this TV? Just the people that want a picture that blows away Plasma & LCD TVs, that's all.
Laser TV is the next generation of televisions. Lasers are brighter, more vivid and more energy efficient than any existing television on the market.
Laser TV has a sharper picture, better motion characteristics, twice the color range, deep, deep blacks, incredible contrast, no burn in (reportedly) and has the same picture quality and brightness throughout the life of the televsion.
Your picture will be the same in Year 10 as it was on Day 1.
Who would buy this? Just anyone who puts HD picture quality first. This TV is flat enough :)
Flat is to tvs like small is to MP3 players - not necessarily better, but definitely more cachet.
I hear you! But the people don´t. Here in Denmark we already have the statistics in - and it´s widely discussed both in the newspapers and on business tv.
The numbers are astounding. Last year we sold 25.000 CRT based televisions in a country with a population of 5 Million citizens. This year we expect to sell around 10000 - and next year 5000 Crt screens. A few years back - we sold over 100.000 crt screens. As you can see - the numbers are pitiful, and that was even when the CRTs where SUPERIOR to LCD and Plasma (still is - in many ways), but peoples money have spoken, people buy what they want - not what we think.
In the shops in Denmark today you´ll find 99 percent flat-screens, they´ve removed ALL back-projection screens, and there are a few measly CRT screens left, usually "used" trade-in models from customers switching to flatscreens.
This doesn´t mean that the laser-based back-projection screens won´t be showcased, it probably will - and I bet a "very" few will buy them too.
However - I do believe that laser projectors have a very bright future ahead of them (just not the back-projection screens based on whatever technology to beam it up via such a system...it still require too much space)
Speaking of lasers - I do also believe that you will see the first true holographical monitor devices that will utilize multicolor laser projectors, they will also be incorporated in portable video games and cell-phones.
The first off - will be the cellphones!
If you look close at one of the blonde girl's pics you can see her implant scar. No Joke
I really want to know how much the price would be so i can start saving up..:D
@Terminator12139:
Good eye. I missed that first time through.
Near NSFW anyone? ahh whatever.. everyone at work wanna see it too anyways.. lol
I thought these laser TVs where supposed to be cheaper then the alternatives. Didn't you guys mention that in another laser TV posting?
juiciest is the gal at the right in the feature photo. Doesn't look like she is wearing her undies.
I will definitely be getting one of these. I personally have a CRT hdtv now and love it. I hadn't bought either a lcd or plasma because of the picture. I've been waiting for these for a while. All I can say is it's about time.
Charlie... why the hell are you this slow? Primary colours are red, YELLOW, and blue. Green is the only consideration in technology because of the inability to properly produce yellow light (CRT's, mainly; yellow seems greenish at times). In newer TV sets (LCD, LED, plasma), they've dropped much of the blue tint that yellow used to have, so yellow would seem MUCH more vivid, but still, that doesn't help me with this "green is a primary colour!" phenomenon. GOD!
Anyways, seems interesting. What's the response time? Over one nine thousandth that of an LCD screen?
would this be a tech used on any projection system (crt, dlp, lcd)? i've heard great things about the led driven dlp's.
@deathscent: In printed or mixed color, Yes, Yellow is a primary color. Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and Black are primary colors used for printing, but with kid's crayons it's usually thought of as Red, Yellow and Blue. However, when you're dealing with light it's a different story. White light breaks down into Red, Green and Blue.
--
My main issue with a laser TV is for the eyes of the viewer. Imagine whatever TV you're watching without the picture tube, just the backlight. Most LCDs and plasmas use a fluorescent backlight. This isn't so bad, but if you watch TV a lot it's like staring at a fluorescent light bulb all day long. that's not good for your eyes as it is. Now, imagine staring into a laser beam all day long. Sure it looks good, then you get involuntary lasik.
I think Joongle's right. Just like audio quality takes a backseat to MP3 player capacity and size, the TV display quality is not at the top of the list for consumers. Which is not to say that it doesn't play a part of the buying decision, but I think consumers at this point want the sleek and slim first, then quality. Folks have become accustomed to expect that flat-panel means HD, and that's good enough.
@weatherman: for sure, but cost also comes into play. i'm not sure how much these will be, but if they are better quality and 25% less, then the larger size will be acceptable. this should be more true in a few years when cheap crt's are no longer available and people just want a cheap tv.
that said, i was at future shop in november for a gander, and they had over 50 tv models on display...1 was dlp, 4 in total were projection, yet dlp had the best cost to picture quality/feature ratio by far.
If CRT sucked so much power, wonder what these suckers vacuum up! Frickin' LASER BEAMS on its head! Seriously, the women (albeit quite nice and should have their own dedicated Gizlovely site), seems to be a very tacky maneuver to streer direction towards a tech which is very limited for the general public. I'd say it's great for visual-presentation and graphic artist studios where color is critical.
If they can make these TV's priced with plasma or LCD of equivalent size, I might just be sold. They're almost guaranteed to be lighter than those 2 TV types and the light source would be easy to change and I would doubt any chance of burn-in. I'm sold!
Where did they picked those girls? From the highway? Geez.
@Dead Ghost:
naw ...not the highway ...Waffle House ...[www.d-nice.com]
Terminator posted what I was going to post. Anyway, I agree with most posters, that Flat is the to go. Now if they could turn the Laser Projection into a Front Projected Image, that would be nice. Anyone looking at that?
I hate rear-projection for the size.
@Terminator12139: I was just going to call that. Ick!
My HD CRT looks better than my Dad's Plasma and my buddy's LCD.
Of course, it weighs over 200 lbs and is about a foot and a half deep.
Uggh!...you can see the scars from the blonde chick's boob job!
Let's talk ports. In the one shot I see component + audio and what looks like a USB port. In the second I see 2 co-ax, 2 component and 1 composite with audio, maybe an S-video, then 2 rows I don't recognize, Red, Red, Red, then Orange, Red, White. The section with the power cable looks like 2 HDMIs and what is that, a serial port?
So:
2 co-axial, 3 component, 1 composite, 2 HDMI, S-Video
USB, Serial, and unknown others...
Just like others I've been waiting for something that can compete with my CRT for colour contrast and clarity. This looks like it might actually be the set I've been waiting for.
As for the thickness issue, most plasma's and lcd's are what, 3 inches thick? Look at the side shots on this, it's maybe 10" thick. Big frickin deal! so it doesn't look like a picture on my wall. It'll look frickin awesome sitting in a custom made book shelf wall unit!
Does it use a polychormatic acusto-optic modualtor? Because if it does, I'm all over it!
eww, you can see the implant scar on pic num 7.
[gizmodo.com]
You've got 2 component inputs with corresponding audio. The Orange plug is digital coax out, and the rest are standard composite and analog audio in/out. I see 2 HDMI, and, correct me if I'm wrong, but that really fat cable looks like it might be DisplayPort, maybe? And maybe a VGA cable input?
@Sgt. Bilbo: Bad port counting on my part on the component and audio. That explains my mystery red plugs.
@Terminator et al
Implant scars are either in the armpit or on the edge around the areola. What we are seeing here is a good old-fashioned scar from something else. Geez, turn off your computer, get outside for some fresh air, and then go get an actual lapdance.
I wonder how many of the thumbnails got(will get) printed out and stuck in wallets to tout as the latest "new girlfriend" picture for the irkel-set... Wow did-ja check out the RCAs (Real Chest Adapters) on that baby?
Will they make front projectors based on this technology ? Laser projectors :P
If so, I would definitely be all over it. A 100" image with absolute black and superb primaries in my home theater... drool...
@The Lab: yup, likely an arthroscopic scar looking at a breast lump, or biopsy. similar to someone i know...but doesn't mean it's the same thing. could also be a surgeon not knowing what their doing. we had a plastic surgeon up here do an appendix operation and the guy died...maybe hers was a gynecologist insisting they could do implants.
@franssukse:
I hope so, then I can get it mounted on my sharks' heads.
@JoOngle: These are not the "BULKY screens" you're looking for. ;)
You can expect thickness to be only MARGINALLY thicker than current LCD or plasma displays (~5"), with half the weight.
Laser-based projection displays can be expected to fit/mount the same as comparably-sized LCD and Plasma screens.
[www.necsel.com]
i love moon nightclub. mmmmm
@numlok: AWESOME LINK!
there was more info here that answered my question above...most are dlp.
@deathscent: Take an art class. Basic color theory: when talking about additive colors (i.e. projected light), Red, Green, and Blue are your primary colors. When talking about subtractive colors (i.e. paints and pigments), Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta are. The Red/Yellow/Blue mix we all learned in elementary school is an oversimplified version of the latter.
Scar or no scar, Blondie's got a stellar posterior.
Oh right.....the TVs nice too.
@franssukse: [www.novalux.com]
under the necsel/home theatre section they have front projection. way to go numlok on that link.
Fuck the TV. Who is that blonde?
So 3D the girls jump out at you. A real fine STDtv.
I have no issues with RPTV - my current 65" is RPTV and it looks almost as good as any TV that is being sold currently for significantly more money. I would like them to use this technology for those of us who want to upgrade from 65" to something bigger though - like 80" but don't want front projectors.
Wow Laser-TV is really amazing!
@HeartBurnKid: Thanks Kid, you kept me from having to go into the whole additive/subtractive color space argument.