IMAX's Laser Projector Plan

According to the Wall Street Journal, IMAX is teaming up with Laser Light Engines, a small start-up company that develops laser light sources. The two companies' partnership would make IMAX an investor in Laser Light Engines. Just how much of an investment was made was not disclosed, however it is known that Laser Light Engines would provide its technology exclusively to IMAX for two years and would not offer it to any other large-format operators for three years.

One reason IMAX is turning to laser is because it should prove to be cost-effective. The company currently uses digital dual-projectors to lower costs, but the larger screens are still film-based and that can be extremely expensive. Another reason the company is hoping to switch to laser is brightness.

Richard Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, told the Wall Street Journal, "What Laser Light brings to us is not only the ability to do larger screens in digital, which we've been unable to do before, but also to create brighter images in our existing theaters."

IMAX movies are known for bright lights and brightness is key for 3D production because 3D glasses "degrade the light and imagery projected on the screen," according to the Wall Street Journal. Gelfond also noted that IMAX looked into several different types of technology before settling on laser.

The company says that if its use of Laser Light is successful, the larger IMAX screens should switch to digital in the next couple of years. The hope is that the entire system will not have to be replaced and instead, they will be able to integrate the new light source into existing projectors.

Doug Darrow, CEO of Laser Light Engines, told the Wall Street Journal that his company's technology is ideal for 3D. He said that while all aspects of cinema have been modernized, light has not because the industry is still dependent on lamps as a light source. Darrow says his company's technology can "put up the best quality digital image in the world."

Check out these related stories:

1. Media Rentals

2. HD Projector Rentals

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Looking for an Affordable LCD Projector Rental then call 800-736-8772 today. Ask about the newest type of projector whose appeal is "all in the mirrors" and see if a DLP Projector Rental is right for you.

Now Shipping: Aaxa's Laser Pico Projector

Check out the picture above. Could that be the "the world's first laser pico projector with an internal media player and storage?" That's what pico projector maker Aaxa Technology says of their latest gadget and let's hope so because it's a little costly. The Aaxa L1, which began shipping this month, will set you back around $600. Most LED-based pico's are anywhere from $250-$350.

The Aaxa L1 uses PCOS technology, which means it combines three-color laser light sources, proprietary despeckling technology, and an LCoS image to deliver a 20-lumen output at 800x600 resolution. According to the company, this eliminates the "pixilation problems" some other laser projectors have.

The projector also has a number of other notable features. It has a 20-lumen laser light source, SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, a USB Memory stick reader with 2GB USB stick included, and anonboard AVI, MP4, MP3, JPEG decoder. It reads Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files and features composite and VGA input support. Its rechargeable battery offers about one and half hours of life.

Size-wise, it's about 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches and weighs about 170 grams with the battery. If you purchase additional accessories, you can connect the Aaxa L1 to your iPhone or iPod, Zune, Sony PlayStation Portable, and any cell phone from Nokia, LG, Samsung and HTC.

Max Hu, Aaxa's director of marketing said the projector is unlike anything it's competitor Microvision has created, "The diffused laser light allows higher brightness and classification as a FCC Class 1 product vs. a focused beam design which has eye safety issues. In that regard, our design has the potential for much brighter designs in the future, which we are currently developing."

The projector is currently available for purchase, but so far, due to the lack of laser diodes, the company only has limited stock.

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Looking for an Affordable LCD Projector Rental then call 800-736-8772 today. Ask about the newest type of projector whose appeal is "all in the mirrors" and see if a DLP Projector Rental is right for you.

MicroVision's SHOWWX Laser Pico Projector

MicroVision's new SHOWWX projector is a full-color laser based pico projector with wide image format, wide color range, and wide always in-focus operation. It is easy to plug and play with no set-up required, it's sleek and small (about the size of a personal media player), and projects image of any size starting from six inches and going beyond 100 inches or more! Wide projection angle allows the image to be closer to the user and it has a high 16:9 format resolution. The laser light source produces lifelike vivid colors with exceptional contrast and features a movie-capable battery that lasts about one and a half hours. It also includes a wall charger for longer viewing.

The projectors, which can project photos, movies, TV shows, music videos, YouTube, podcasts, and presentations, will most likely be selling for between $400-500. It connects to any host device with a TV-Out or VGA connection, including many mobile media players, laptops, cell phones and video/digital cameras and also has a stereo jack for ear buds or external speakers.

The projector's output is measured at 10 lumens. While ultimately, a projector's lighting depends heavily upon ambient lighting and distance to projection surface, the SHOWWX projector is perfect for controlled lighting environments such as homes, offices, cafes and the back seat of airplanes.

Here are few more detailed specs:
- Resolution: WVGA (848 x 480)
- Brightness: 10 Lumens
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Widescreen
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz (nominal)
- Color Gamut: > 200% NTSC
- Contrast Ratio: > 5,000:1
- Throw Ratio: 1:1(projection distance/image diagonal)
- Image size: 150 mm to 2500 mm (6 in to 100 in)
- Projection Distance: 150 mm to2500 mm (6 in to 100 in)
- Focus: No user focus adjustment needed. Image is always in focus, even on curved surfaces
- Regulatory: Class 2 laser product.1 UL listing planned

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Looking for an Affordable LCD Projector Rental then call 800-736-8772 today. Ask about the newest type of projector that's "all in the mirrors" and see if a DLP Projector Rental is right for you.