Nov 14, 2008:
Check out the latest offer at Amazon.com
Nov 1, 2008:
Laser TV: First Reviews
Until we get our hands on a demo Laser tv LaserVue we must rely on others for reviews. The thetechlounge guys doing it, this time they came with Blu-ray discs to compare Mitsubishi’s LaserVue L65-A90 with a similarly priced Pioneer Kuro PRO-151FD 60 inch Plasma.
“At the end of the day, I think this tech is going to make a significant impact on future generations of DLP sets. The advantages run across the board, and the only real limiting factor at this point is price. It’ll bring you Grade-A, bona fide HD satisfaction. Once the price inevitably drops, it’s going to be even more attractive.”
Read the tech-laden and very positve HD Guru review of the LaserVue.
Oct 1, 2008:
As news continues to flow regarding Mitsubishi’s $7,000 LaserVue LaserTV, we find it hard to believe it’s actually on sale. What is gooing on? The rumours must be true because Mitsubishi is proudly offering a LaserVue Premier Account to all LaserVue owners.
The sizes of the first Laservue :
Height:39.8",Width:54.7", Depth w/o base:10.6", Weight w/ base:136.4 lbs
Sept 10th, 2008:
Bitstream recently broke the news that the 65-inch LaserVue laserTV, shipping later this month to select Mitsubishi Diamond retailers, will retail for $6,999. While this price does not come close to some of the early and overly-optimistic price projections by Novalux et al., this confirms Mitsubishi is targeting the high-end big screen market. Is the market ready for a 130-pound, 10-inch deep RPTV lasertv costing $7,000, while domination by cheaper flat screen alternatives is all but a forgone conclusion? A larger 73-inch LaserVue lasertv is planned to be released prior to Christmas.
June 25th, 2008:
IRVINE, Calif. — June 25, 2008 —
Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. today announced additional details surrounding the performance and functionality of its LaserVue TV. The LaserVue lasertv will be available in 65″ and 73″ models with the 65” Diamond shipping to authorized retailers in the third quarter of this year and the 73” Diamond to follow.
The LaserVue lasertv will raise the bar for large screen television by delivering twice the color at half the power of today’s HDTVs while at the same time providing an unparalleled 3D viewing experience. Mitsubishi unveiled the laserTV category at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2008, launching a new category of large-format televisions with ground-breaking lasertv technology.
“As a result of our majority share of the world-wide high-performance red laser market, Mitsubishi has an unparalleled, acute understanding of laser technology, and the corresponding expertise to effectively engineer laser beams to function as the ultimate light engine for this premium large screen television product,” said Frank DeMartin, vice president, marketing, at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. “Several TV manufacturers have attempted to bring laserTV to the market, and have failed. Making laserTV a reality represents yet another history-making milestone in a long legacy of industry firsts for Mitsubishi.
” Laser beams provide the widest range of rich, complex colors, along with the most clarity and depth of field. Precise and focused, the purity of laser light far surpasses current high definition technologies. The color gamut as a percentage of BT.709 for LaserVue lasertv prototypes, has been measured at approximately 200 percent, delivering over twice the color of many of today’s HDTVs. Brightness has been demonstrated at about 500 nits. Additional features for LaserVue laserTV include Smooth120hz and x.v.Color.
June 25th, 2008 :
We got a first glimpse of Mitsubishi’s brand new rear-projection-ish laser-based laserTV tech, LaserVue, back at CES, but now the sets are just about primed for action, and should be hitting store shelves, as previously noted, Q3 2008. LaserVue lasertv will debut in 65-inch and 73-inch, with the 65-inch version hitting the scene first. Mitsubishi is still pretty coy about what exactly makes the technology tick — other than the “zomg, lasers” aspect — but is quick to point out the 200 percent color gamut that LaserVue lasertv provides, more than twice that of most traditional HDTVs.
The sets also run at 120Hz, and boast 500 nits of brightness. Head to head against LCD and plasma sets we had trouble finding the differences, other than the color depth (particularly in the reds, almost too much so, though we’re sure you can tweak that). Have no fear: the blacks are black, the brights are bright, and the viewing angle puts DLP to shame. That said, we’re hearing price points are going to be more comparable to plasma and LCD than DLP, so Mitsubishi might have its work cut out for it in convincing consumers that these new “chubby,” 10-inch thick TVs are the way to go. We’re not entirely convinced ourselves, though one aspect can’t be disputed: LaserVue draws under 200 watts, about half that of LCD and a third of plasma.
120Hz, 500 nits of brightness, under 200 watts of power consumed…click the pic for full size.
Jan 8th 2008 : Mitsubishi laserTV unveiled :
Tonight at the Moon Room on the top floor of the The Palms Hotel & Casino overlooking Las Vegas, Mitsubishi unveiled its lasertv HDTV. As expected, Mitsubishi kicked off the event with a few execs expressing their love for lasers — and Mitsubishi in general. They explained that Mitsubishi is a leader in laser technology and owns 75% of the led laser market, so bringing them together with big screen laserTV s made perfect sense.
Then the event went from execs to night club as the curtain was dropped and there were three 65-inch lasertv HDTVs on display. At first glance the colors were sensational and the contrast was extremely intense; and although we were hard pressed to see anything that struck us as groundbreaking, we’ll need to see this side by side with a traditional set to really know what we’re looking at. Unfortunately, the event was short on details, such as price or availability, but during 2008 is the time frame Mitsubishi is aiming for.
In 2006 it was reported that: “Pricing is yet to be confirmed but Novalux estimates a 65-inch model will cost around AU$2,500 ($2,197.00 USD!), significantly less than a similar-sized plasma.” - And they have always touted it as inexpensive over the years. Before CES IGN said: “This year’s show is particularly interesting, as we’ll witness the world reveal of Laser HDTV, a new display technology that some have promised will deliver 60-inch HDTVs priced at less than $1,000 by the end of the year.” But after CES IGN says: “pricing would be equivalent to flat panel displays of the same size, which means around $5k to $7k.
That’s a far cry from previous comments from Novalux (designer of the RGB lasers in the displays) that the technology would cost only half as much as alternate HDTV technologies. Mitsubishi is apparently banking on the high end for the initial launch of Lasertv HDTV, though it’ll be interesting to see what traction the company can gain in a market that is increasingly favoring hang on the wall flat panels.” More pics at : http://www.engadget.com/photos/mitsubishi-laser-tv-unveiled/ November 2007 : There`s a new Lasertv video in the Movies section HD Television near you…LaserTV !
“…Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux unveiled what they claimed to be the world’s first lasertv television in Sydney today, with a pitch that it would be half the price, twice as good, and use a quarter of the electricity of conventional plasma and LCD TVs.”“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…..But for the very first time with a laserTV we’ll be able to see 90 per cent of what the eye can see.”
The tech is basically a projection TV that uses a tunable optoelectronic chip-laser for projection, instead of a standard projection light source. Another recent article on the topic discusses the chip design and specs:
“Novalux’s prototype Necsel devices emit 3 W at 465 nm and 532 nm and 750mW at 620 nm - all from a new package smaller than a matchbox. Necsel lasers’ output is bright, speckle-free, and color-saturated, giving in clear, vibrant images that reach a larger color space than competing lighting technologies.”
One viewer that saw the demo was impressed.
“The laserTV made the plasma look like an old console colour TV. It was so good, the only way i could describe it was that it looked like a wet photo in a developer tray - if you haven’t done photography, that may not mean alot. But the colour depth and contrast, especially the space shuttle shots where space was REALLY black, and you could see the gold foil crinkles in the cargo bay, was amazing.”