3D Geek Alert: RED Has A Laser 3D Projector Coming - For Both Theater AND The Home!

Yes, those same crazy guys who have released the 5K Red Epics now have RED Laser Projectors on their roadmap! Now that means it is still might be quite some time from having them ship (Jannard says "sooner rather than later"), but still - judging by the comments that Jim Jannard posted on his RedUser forums - we will be in for a treat when they do hit the market.

I will go on to describe what I know about laser tech later on in the post, but to whet your appetities, here are the quotes:

Stephen Pizzo- Co-Founder of Element Technica and now partner of 3ality Technica: "After watching a demo of RED's laser projector I've been struggling to find a way to describe it. Comparing it to traditional professional systems is completely inadequate. I have never witnessed 3D that was as bright or brighter as the best 2D projections until now. It generated the best color, best dynamic range and best images I have ever seen in 3D or even 2D. When I learned we were watching at 1/4 of its total resolution I was speechless. It was so clean and so vibrant the only thing I can compare it to is Cibachrome. That's it, a giant moving Cibachrome!"

Mark L. Pederson- OffHollywood: "Aldey & I got treated to a sneak peak yesterday and we could not stop watching. You have to see it to believe it. I have NEVER seen better projection - from any projector - at any price point. I can't stop thinking about it. It was beyond stunning."

And Jannard went further to say: "We have a very narrow target.... shoot 5K, post to 4K, deliver with REDray and display with the new RED projector, 2D and 3D. Easy stuff to understand."

Moreover it is as I suspected - these projectors will be PASSIVE. So I am assuming the polarization is being done at the light source. Laser's are perfect for doing that. Laser TVs will use a similar approach to 3D. No heavy glasses any more at home and you can rest assured you will have a full HD experience at a minimum.

Further, when images are projected with conventional systems they also project the color black which actually does not turn out as such of course, more like a dark grey. With this new type of scanning laser system, the blacks ARE black because there is simply no color at all sent to the screen! And to the best of my knowledge there are no lenses in these systems whatsoever so no degradation of the image and amazing contrast.

And finally, a true solution to not projecting 3D bright enough. We can all assume that the pricepoint will be significantly lower than the competition I would wager - especially since we are talking about a home theater version too. Man I hope this all comes to fruition - AND SOON! More when I get it.

To check out all of our 3D Laser technology stories, click here.

Thanks for the heads up Mark!!

HDI Shows Off 100 Inch Laser 3DTV

Michael here. I had the opportunity to visit HDI 3D's offices in Los Gatos, CA this past week to see their recently unveiled 100 inch Laser 3DTV.

I saw a medley of 3D footage that included a reel from PACE, lots of 3D CG animation, and some medical imaging. The polarized 3D glasses were comfortable, the 3D seamless and the colors vibrant. The quality of 3D imagery from HDI's laser rig was at the very least comparable to that of Panasonic's amazing 103 inch plasma 3DTV system.

Interestingly, HDI's display employs a polarization system and glasses rather than the active shutter technology used by Panasonic and Sony. The light is polarized at the source rather than by a screen overlaying the display, so the dual 1080P images maintain full resolution when they reach your eyes instead of being cut in half by the screen (as has occured with other polarized 3DTV's).

The TV displays images at 360 frames per second per color, producing incredibly smooth 3D. In 2D mode, it can create an approximately 3K image by slightly overlaying the two pixel arrays. And if all this is not enough, the TV is very eco-friendly, requiring less than 200 watts to power a 100 -inch image (as opposed to a comparable plasma display, which would require around 1000 watts).

HDI is targeting screen sizes of 80 inches and above, and is seeking business partners to whom it will license its technology. It is also considering producing its own displays. It will be able to sell its rear-projection sets at prices more than three times cheaper than plasmas of similar sizes.

HDI has very impressive tech that produces beautifuly 3D images. I am happy that they are providing a more affordable system for large screen 3D. It will be very interesting to watch how the 3DTV market shapes up in the months ahead.

3D Home Theater - How the heck are we gonna do that? LASER TV.

We are staying on top of not only 3D theaters, but what technology is being developed to bring 3D movies into your home. After all, with these 3D movies coming soon - the industry is going to what to sell you the movie to own too.

Not only do the new Laser TVs have twice the range of colors than what's currently available, and are thinner, lighter and use less electricity - but they also SUPPORT 3D.

While the smaller screens will still use LCD, Plasma is going to be kicked out in favor of the Laser TV for the 40"+ sizes. Its a brand new category of TVs folks.

Unfortunately Mitsubishi is going to miss its planned Christmas 2007 launch - HOWEVER, they are set to make a huge announcement at the CES show in Vegas in January, 2008. Mitsubishi along with Sony and Novalux have already shown 'prototypes' at this year's CES. They have already had very lucrative offers to buy their prototypes for private individual's home theaters - but they have to demo to the various outsourced manufacturing facilities too.

You will still need glasses until such time as Ed Meyer's and/or Steven Spielberg's Glass-less systems are available (see my recent exclusive interview discussing these details).

I will have complete reviews and images of 3D compliant home theaters options whenever they come available. Perhaps we can get a spy shot or concept image of one like we managed for Avatar's Ney'tiri... :-)