![]() ![]() Something like the ViewSonic X100-4K home theater projector ($1,699), another Expo 2020 Best of Show winner, won't deliver state-of-the-art performance, but still represents a cutting-edge product. But if we accept that LED is, by nature, the more efficient solution, then it puts today's relatively sparse high-brightness LED efforts by ViewSonic and some other manufacturers in a different perspective. With all of this activity in laser, it's easy to dismiss talk of LED eventually overtaking it and becoming the defacto solid-state projection standard. ViewSonic's X100-4K LED home theater projector ![]() We're even seeing prices starting to drop slowly on some 15,000-20,000 lumen models for auditoriums, lecture halls, and houses of worship-such as NEC's latest 20K-lumen model that we honored with a Projection Expo 2020 Best of Show Award. Nonetheless, it's good enough for most classrooms, conference rooms, retail environments, and other non-entertainment applications, and the consequence has been a near explosion of affordable laser options (starting at around $1,000) in the 3,000- through 6,000-ANSI lumen range. ![]() That solution, typically using a single blue laser combined with a phosphor wheel and a traditional color wheel (for single-chip projectors), gets the job done.though with some limitations on color accuracy and gamut. Much of the activity, especially in the entry-level laser segment, can be attributed to the dropping cost of blue-laser modules, which are now a well-proven and cost-effective technology, and from which (as David's article explains) you can derive all the required primary colors for projection. This is why the sudden aggressive push to solid-state projection in the last two years has been driven by laser and not LED, both in lower-cost/high-volume commercial models and in the most expensive high brightness, large venue models that represent projection's cutting edge. ViewSonic promoted the benefits of LED projection in its booth at this year's ISE trade show in Europe. Of course, the poster conveniently leaves out the brightness factor, where LED still gets completely crushed by lamp and, especially, laser. As you can see, LED as a technology claims the potential for (accent on potential) longer life, wider color gamut, smaller form factor, lower noise/heat levels, and fewer rainbows from single-chip projectors. The sign (shown below) points out the benefits of LED over both lamps and, notably, laser. But I hadn't till then made the connection that ViewSonic was stepping out front as an early LED proponent, and is positioning itself for what it sees as emerging opportunity that goes well beyond today's portables. I had watched the company announce and/or introduce a variety of LED-based projectors in recent months, including three UHD home theater and lifestyle models in its X-series that have generated interest among our readers. So it was with some curiosity that, at last February's pre-pandemic ISE show in Amsterdam, I spied a placard about LED projection in ViewSonic's sprawling booth. Even for serious home theater it's mostly played the role of laser's maligned, weakling sibling. But LED, beyond a thousand ANSI lumens or so (not "LED lumens," as described in this article) can't usually muster much punch. Laser projection-that other solid-state option- inherently has the juice to drive tens of thousands of lumens of brightness-just have a quick look at this 75,000-lumen bad boy, the single brightest projector in our 11,000 model database. Last week, longtime contributor David Stone laid out the basics of projector and light-engine mechanics in his superb Tech Talk article Lamp, Laser, or LED Projection: Which Light is Right? David discussed LED as a solid-state alternative to projection lamps, and rightfully pointed out that LED is still most likely to be found today in compact and pico projectors. ![]()
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