Laser television debuts

Australian company Arasor International and its US partner Novalux have unveiled a laser television, which they say could make plasma screens obsolete.

The companies claim the laser television is a world first and assert that it will be cheaper than conventional plasma LCD TVs, give a better picture and use a quarter of the electricity.

Arasor produces the optoelectronic chip central to the laser projection device built by Novalux, which is in turn being used by a number of television manufacturers.

The launch date for the laser TVs is scheduled for Christmas 2007 through electronics manufacturers including Mitsubishi and Samsung.

‘If you look at any screen today, the colour content is roughly about 30-35 per cent of what the eye can see,’ said Novalux chief executive Jean-Michel Pelaprat. ‘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.’

The optoelectronic chip-laser technology is also being trialled in mobile phones, where it will be used to project images onto any surface, and in home theatres and cinemas.