Mitsubishi confirms Q3 ship date for laser TV, claims 3D capability

By Chris Nicholls

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA: Mitsubishi Digital Electrics America has confirmed it will be shipping its much vaunted laser televisions in the third quarter of this year, and has also released a slew of new HDTVs for the US market.

The new laser televisions, to be called LaserVue, boast they can display double the range of colours than current HDTV technologies allow.

“Today’s HDTVs display less than 40 percent of the colour spectrum that the eye can see. Now, for the first time ever, laser produces twice the colour. Laser beams provide the widest range of rich, complex colours, along with the most clarity and depth of field,” said Mitsubishi in a statement.

In an interesting twist, Mitsubishi also claim the laser televisions can display “a true 3D viewing experience”. However, further details on how they achieve this were not available.

Mitsubishi also boasted of the technology’s ecological credentials, saying the new TVs consumed approximately half the power of today’s LCD TVs, and approximately a third of plasma TV consumption.

"Mitsubishi has created a new category in television with laser technology and now we are creating an exciting new brand, LaserVue, which we believe consumers will come to equate with the industry’s best performing televisions," said marketing vice president, Frank DeMartin.

The company also announced details of its new range of 1080p LCD HDTVs and showed its determination to continue with the now almost extinct DLPR (rear projection) technology.

The 1080p LCD TVs range from 40-52-inch and follows the ‘ultra-thin’ trend with bezels less than an inch thick. They also come with 120hz interpolation and a unique ‘GalleryPlayer’ mode, which allows users to access a range of high quality photographs and art, to turn the television into a picture frame.

The DLP televisions come in sizes up to 73-inch and again claim to be capable of 3D display.

However, a Mitsubishi Electric Australia spokesperson said not even the LaserVue was due to arrive in Australia, due to the company’s exit from the consumer television market.