At CEDIA, I received a private demonstration of Chilin’s new 1080p HD home theater projector with, what they claim is, the world’s first liquid cooling LED light source. Utilizing PhlatLight and TI’s 1080p DMD technology, this projector offers a brightness of 600 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio greater than 100,000:1. According to a spokesman, this proprietary cooling technology uses water to dissipate heat directly from the PhlatLight LEDs, which are operated at a high electric current of 30A. Chilin believes that its liquid cooling technology will help achieve a conservative LED lifetime of 50,000+ hours of use. Chilin claims that the projector delivers an unbelievable 128-percent NTSC color gamut, which is 80-percent greater than what can be achieved through convention UHP lamp-based projectors. Utilizing superior optics and color management performance, picture quality and color performance was quite striking. I was able to view 1080p pictorial content (created by display manufacturers), and the Blu-ray disc trailer from “Click.” It was thrilling!

Luminus and TI have been working together to increase brightness in LED-based DLP projectors by creating brighter and more efficient PhlatLight LEDs, as well as through improvements in the DLP processing algorithms. These improvements are enabling multiple projection manufacturers, such as Chilin, Delta Electronics, for example, in hoping to introduce DLP home theater projectors beginning in late 2008/early 2009.

Other developments in the wings for LED-based illumination will come from LG and Samsung this year. Luminus Devices announced at IFA that its PhlatLight LEDs will be also powering two of the newest portable LED based projectors—the Samsung P400 Pocket Imager and LG Electronics’ HS-102 Ultra-Mobile Projector. Both projectors are lamp-free, weigh less than two pounds and easily fit in the palm of your hand. The PhlatLight PT54 LEDs used in both units enable brightness to reach and exceed 150 lumens, which is seemingly a breakthrough for pocket projectors. The pure RGB color from the PhlatLight LEDs produce a brighter more vivid image than the ANSI brightness specs would suggest, for a picture that’s easily viewable when projected to a 40-inch size even in a well lit office or college dorm room. Other future developments by TI and Luminus will further lead to the introduction of lamp-free projectors for corporate and education markets also in the future.

Conclusions
LEDs for front projectors provide home theater viewers with benefits that are not available from any lamp-based systems; superior color, long operational life, free of mercury and UV/IR. With the advantages of operational reliability and convenience, LED projectors will finally reach the market shortly, and soon evolve from commercial products to consumer and home use. Companies that hope to bring LED-based front projectors to market include Optoma, SIM2, Projectiondesign, and Runco.

From my discussions with projection manufacturers at CEDIA, they are quite bullish on the arrival of LED illumination. According to Jeff Fu, Director for Projection Display at Delta’s Display Solutions Business Unit, “The LED projector is not only a new product; it truly opens a new horizon for the projector industry.” And, Jon Grodem, Director of Product & Marketing at Optoma sums up, “LED projectors have the potential to re-segment the Home Theater marketplace. LED based projectors will be the preferred choice for anyone installing dedicated a theater with light control.”

So, stay tuned to Electronic House for future product announcements from Optoma, Projectiondesign, Runco, and SIM2 among others. The projectors from Chilin and Delta Electronics will be available next year also. Although, they will probably have someone else’s nameplate on them. 2009 will certainly be the year of LED!

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