By Matthew Henry

SYDNEY: The inventors of a new laser light flat panel TV technology unveiled earlier this week in Sydney are predicting the death of plasma and LCD TV.

Developers of the new technology employing coloured laser lights to create an image, Arasor International, showcased a large-screen demonstration panel to the media on Tuesday in a side-by-side comparison with a 50-inch plasma TV.

The company claims its laser panel technology delivers brighter, sharper and more colourful images than plasma or LCD in a slimmer cabinet which could in time cost 30 to 40 per cent less to manufacture.

According to Arasor’s chief spokesman, Larry Marshall, one of the of the major benefits of the technology is its ability to produce up to 90 per cent of colours visible to the human eye compared to 30-35 per cent in other flat panel displays.

“When you look at a plasma or an LCD, you only see half the colours you would see in real life. The laser TV faithfully replicates the colours you see in real life,” Marshall told Channel Ten News earlier this week.

Other advantages are said to be the panel’s light weight and superior energy efficiency, using just a quarter of the power of a plasma.

The laser TV joins a growing list of next-generation flat panel TV technologies which could displace plasma and LCD in the future, including SED and OLED.

AAP claims consumer electronics brands including Mistubishi and Samsung will be launching products employing the technology as early as Christmas 2007. Mitsubishi Electric Australia could not confirm the report today, and Samsung did not respond to requests made by current.com.au for comment.

A Christmas 2007 launch could see the laser TV go head to head with SED, which is expected to launch in Japan in the fourth quarter of 2007 and be rolled out internationally in 2008.

The laser TV’s high-profile media launch earlier this week attracted primetime coverage in national news media including Channel Nine, Channel Ten and ABC news broadcasts as well as major newspaper reports.

The technology could also be applied to small screen products like mobile phones and in-car navigation devices, making it an all-round competitor with LCD.