Bachman
04-30-2007, 06:28 AM
Ok, so why do we actually need to have digital projectors anyway? With current Plasma/LCD technology getting bigger and bigger, wont we eventually have 4k LCD video walls in cinemas???
Jeff Kilgroe
04-30-2007, 07:31 AM
Possibly. But for the time being, a projector is still the most economical way to produce a large image. IMO the best alternative possibility going right now would be OLED technology. OLEDs can be "printed" onto any surface and can be just as bright as conventional LEDs of the same size. I see no reason why huge screens made of OLED fabric can't eventually compete with projection systems, but it's not practical just yet. I don't see LCD moving into 45ft screen venues. Makes little or no sense really... Same with plasma. In fact, plasma screens at the current 60-65" largest for consumer displays is a bit insane. The 100-103" displays created by Samsung, Panasonic and LG are good for trade shows and showing what they could do, but the practicality isn't there. I've worked with the 65" Panasonic 1080p plasma unit on a few occasions and I have a 71" Samsung 1080p DLP in my home. I'll take that DLP display any day... A lot of people think plasma does have a different look for SD content -- just like the CRT images we're all used to and it appears to be sharper, but it's really not. And this effect is greatly reduced as plasma resolutions increase... SD on the panny 1080p panel isn't any better than the Samsung DLP and in fact, I think the Sammy produces a brighter, sharper image with less noise.
I would be scared to think how much a plasma screen would weigh that would be "cinema sized". How would it even be stabilized and not crush itself under its own weight? After all, it's a phosphor grid backed by a bunch of glass tubes with small bubbles of electrically charged gas.