The Theater of Billions of Colors
ALMOST BETTER THAN REAL LIFE
In cinema, technology is evolving to new heights, transforming screens into brilliant spectacles. RGB laser projectors now paint pictures with infinite colours, captivating audiences with lifelike hues and immersive visuals. From the cinema to the home, the evolution of entertainment is blurring the boundaries between fantasy and reality, promising unforgettable cinema experiences.
Evolution in Cinemas
Beyond Borders
Audio, color, widescreen format, surround sound, computer-animated 3D monsters: Since the beginning of film history, producers and cinema operators have been trying to offer their audiences more and more technical innovations. As soon as new technology appears, the dream factories are the first to test whether it can be used for their purposes. We are hardly familiar with film reels anymore; “digital cinema” has been widespread for about 10 years.
While in the early days of digital cinema we were surprised not to see any pixels, we overlooked difficulties with the color display of particularly bright or dark colors. Film tears were forgotten just as quickly as the typical image graininess of 35 mm films. Today, standards are being discussed and solutions sought for higher contrasts and better shading. With digital projectors, different technologies vie for attention.
Laser Projection Revolutionizing Cinematic Experience
Beyond Borders
The latest innovation includes RGB laser projectors, in which the monochromatic light of red, green, and blue laser sources produces a sharp image. Reaching 30,000 to 70,000 ANSI Lumen, they are considerably brighter than other light sources, which allows tham to guarantee a “premium movie experience” on even larger screens. They do not seem to know any limits with the resolution either. This depends largely on the control electronics. In autumn of last year, seven movie theaters in Germany were equipped with pure laser projectors. This new technology is also financially attractive in the long term because the power consumption is lower than with conventional xenon lamps. Some suppliers estimate the power savings of the laser sources at 50%.
Cinema projectors have little in common with home entertainment systems or conference room projectors. For example, they require significantly higher luminosity than the versions for the living room: We compare 300 W (UHP lamps) with up to 10 kW (xenon lamps) in cinema projectors.
Nevertheless, laser projectors are also interesting for home entertainment. Color accuracy, brightness, high resolution, and freedom from maintenance delight enthusiastic film fans. State-of-the-art laser projectors are so attractively designed that they disappear inconspicuously into sideboards, cast an image onto the wall during the day, and project films in the evening. Although this is still more of a hobby for millionaires, we are curious to see how optoelectronic components will continue to change our everyday lives.
Power for Colorful Light
Beyond Borders
Our partner NECSEL also offers laser sources for projectors. The maximum power depends on the color. Green lasers (532 nm) emit 3.5 W, blue lasers (445 nm) emit 10 W, and red lasers (640 nm) emit up to 8 W. In addition to projection, such lasers are also used in medical technology, forensics, and lighting.
1 www.cinemeccanica.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/LUX60.pdf
2 pro.sony/de_CH/products/4k-sxrd-projectors/lspx-w1s
