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Barco PGWU-62L Laser Phosphor Projector
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Epson Pro Cinema LS10000
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Sony VPL-FHZ700
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Digital Projection HighLite Laser
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Panasonic PT-RZ670 Series
Maintaining video projectors can be a costly and inconvenient task. OEM lamps are usually expensive, and may need to be replaced every few thousand hours of use. And with the high heat output of the lamp, cooling fans pull lots of dusty air through their filters, requiring the projector filter to be cleaned regularly. In many churches, projectors are mounted in locations without convenient access, requiring scaffolding, lifts or ladders to be brought in to access them—making it less likely that the maintenance happens at all. Not maintaining projectors can result in exploding lamps that damage other components in the projector.
In recent years, however, new technology has become available that is turning these high-maintenance items into low-maintenance ones: laser-hybrid light sources (referred to as laser projectors in this article).
“Traditional video projectors use high-pressure mercury lamps for their light source, while laser projectors use laser light sources,” states Wally Mohri, marketing manager for Sony's New York-based Professional Projectors division. “Lasers require less maintenance, which lowers total cost of ownership, and are more environmentally friendly due to a mercury-free design. And laser projectors like Sony's have a lifespan of up to 20,000 maintenance-free hours.”
“Solid-state illuminated projectors,” says Michael Bridwell, vice president of marketing for Digital Projection International (DPI) with U.S. offices in Kennesaw, Ga., “remove the lamp maintenance cycles, as well as produce a predictable, linear light output over the course of the 20,000-hour illumination lifespan. That results in an immediate cost-savings in maintenance, as well as compelling long-term savings in consumables, for any worship venue employing these projectors.”
Neil Wittering, Barco's director of product marketing for North America, based in Beaverton, Ore., states: “We replace the lamp with a laser/phosphor light source. In a single-chip DLP projector, we still use a color wheel for modulating light in ‘RGB' space; we use essentially the same interface electronics for signal processing, etc., and the same lenses.”
“Our laser projectors can run in an almost unlimited positioning range,” Bridwell adds, “including portrait, straight up at the ceiling, and straight down at the floor—provided the air intake vent on one vertical side is not inhibited. This allows worship venues to create vertically oriented portrait imagery for commentary screens, as well as custom mapping imagery on imaginative surfaces, without shortening the lifespan of the projector or components.”
Wittering notes: “There are also projectors on the market that employ LED illumination, and while the projected life for these systems is rated at two to five times that of laser/phosphor systems, the overall brightness of the LED projector options is in a range of 600-1,000 lumens vs. 6,000 lumens for laser phosphor, and over 11,000 to 20,000lm for multi-lamp projectors using two-, four- or six-lamps.”
THE ADVANTAGES OF LASER-BASED PROJECTORS
In addition to a long lifespan and no replacement of lamps, laser-based video projectors offer these additional benefits:
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Laser projectors have a short power-on cycle
, with Sony stating a six-second power up time, compared to a minute or more for a traditional projector to power on and achieve full brightness.
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Lower weight and smaller size is also an advantage
of using laser-hybrid illumination technology, as cooling requirements are similar to that of lower-brightness, lamp-based projectors. “So not only will they produce captivating imagery for 20,000 hours,” Bridwell reports, “they're remarkably easy to install and maintain.”
Lamp-less design, reduced maintenance and faster power-up time are just a few of the benefits of laser-based projectors.
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The lack of maintenance requirements also provides volunteer and staff safety benefits.
“Lamp-free means no more lamps to buy, as well as fewer numbers of maintenance ‘ladder climbs,' which is a hassle and dangerous for staff and volunteers,” states Mohri. “Laser projection's simple installation is exceptionally beneficial for sanctuaries with high ceilings or other design factors that make projector maintenance challenging.”
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The low maintenance requirement also gives a house of worship more flexibility in installation.
Without the need for quick and easy access to the projector, there are fewer restrictions placed on where the projector is located.
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In addition, installation orientation is far more flexible with a laser-based projector.
“Lamped projectors need to be installed within a certain orientation to maintain stability of the lamp operation,” Mohri reports. “However, laser projectors can be mounted 360 degrees rotated or tilted, which can be helpful in creating unique environmental projection systems.”
THE DISADVANTAGES OF LASER-BASED PROJECTORS
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Laser projectors can't currently compete with the high-brightness options of lamped projectors, but this technology is improving all the time.
Sony currently has laser-based projectors ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 lumens. In contrast, Sony's lamp-based projector models max out at 30,000 lumens. For Digital Projection, its Insight 4K Laser Projector delivers 12,000 lumens, whereas the upper limit on the company's lamp-based projectors is 20,000 lumens. And Barco's current upper limit for its laser-phosphor projectors is 6,000 lumens, vs. 40,000 for its xenon-lamp projectors. However, they also have multi-laser projector designs utilized in high-end digital cinema that achieve 60,000 lumens.
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Per lumen, laser-based projectors have a higher initial cost than a lamp-based projector of comparable performance.
But like LED lighting technology, improvements are expected and one would expect lumens per dollar invested to increase steadily over time.
WHICH IS BEST?
“Every ministry is different,” sums up Mohri, “having different needs, being different sizes, and communicating different messages to their members. Each also has very different ideas about how to make that message more effective and impactful. There really is no one answer or ‘one-size-fits-all' solution to technology decisions for a house of worship. When making a decision on the types of AV solutions to incorporate (and that includes projection) it's important to look at every aspect of a ministry's operation—size, congregation, staffing, and of course, budget—and choose the right technology that meets your needs not only today, but into the future as well.”
Laser Projector Round-up:
Barco
Barco says it offers the perfect blend of image quality, near-silent operation and low total cost of ownership (TCO) in its new PGWU-62L laser phosphor projector. Available in two 6,000-lumen models—with WXGA or WUXGA resolution—the projector is designed to deliver “laser-sharp” images with brilliant, rich colors and foolproof performance thanks to solid-state illumination. Units feature low weight, a compact footprint, and contemporary white color. The laser phosphor light source offers a 20,000-hour lifetime and eliminates maintenance, minimizing total cost of ownership.
Christie
Using laser-phosphor illumination, the Christie GS Series is built to provide 20,000 hours of operation and eliminates the need for lamp and filter replacements. The GS Series features wireless connectivity, and optional lenses reportedly delivers greater installation flexibility. Easy to install and use with input options, including Display Port, HDMI, DVI and HDBaseT, Christie GS Series provides clean, radiant images up to 5,400 ANSI lumens and picture-in-picture functionality.
Digital Projection
Remarkably bright, the HighLite Laser delivers up to 11,000 lumens from a 20,000-hour illumination source. Developed with a “set it and forget it” directive, the HighLite Laser delivers an inspiring imaging solution without lamp replacement cycles. The active 3D functionality supports frame rates up to 144 Hz, and diverse inputs such as HDBaseT, the company reports.
Epson
The Epson Pro Cinema LS10000 combines 3LCD Reflective laser projection and 4K Enhancement technology to deliver what it calls Absolute Black contrast ratio, as well as what the company describes as one of the industry's largest color gamuts for an engaging, immersive cinema experience. The LS10000 offers up to 1,500 lumens of color brightness and 1,500 lumens of white brightness, richer colors and smoother gradations. Full HD 1080p and 4K content reportedly come alive in amazing 2D and 3D with Super Resolution and frame interpolation technologies. ISF calibration tools are designed to ensure color accuracy, that installation is easier and more flexible with 2.1x power zoom, and lens shift and lens position memory.
Panasonic
Panasonic says the PT-RZ670 Series projectors are the next generation in projection technology for the house-of-worship market. These lamp-free 6,500-lumen WUXGA and WXGA single-chip DLP projectors utilize a laser light source and filter-less design for 20,000 hours or more of 24/7/365 continuous and maintenance-free operation. With no lamp to replace, these projectors reportedly maintain a much more stable light output over a greater period of time, reducing the strain on church staff to replace bulbs and filters in difficult-to-reach places, such as sanctuary rafters..
Sony
Sony contends the VPL-FHZ700L is the world's brightest lamp-less projector using three-chip LCD imaging technology to achieve 7,000 lumens of color light output at WUXGA resolutions (1,920 x 1,200). The projector delivers a range of capabilities that eliminate many of the issues associated with conventional lamp-based projection, while still producing vivid color and having a long lifespan. The three-chip LCD technology is designed to achieve high color brightness thanks to the red, green and blue primary colors projected simultaneously, unlike one-chip technologies.
