A Video Projector That Fits In Your Pocket

Sven-Erik writes "Video projectors able to project high-quality images will be embedded in your cellphones and laptops within two years. This is the promise of a new technology developed at Cambridge University. These pocket projectors will have no lenses and no light bulbs. Instead, these future battery-powered tiny projectors will rely on holographic technology and special algorithms. In 'Holograms enable pocket projectors,' Technology Research News explains that a 2D hologram will be created on a microdisplay and projected by using a laser beam. This has been possible because the researchers have written special algorithms which generates the holograms a million times faster than standard ones." Update: 07/03 21:21 GMT by T : Note that this text belongs to Roland Piquepaille and comes from his weblog; submitters, please strive to make your sources clear.

Comments

won't the small size also affect image quality?

[adzoox]

My question is:

If the size of the lens makes a difference in CCDs in camcorders (moreso than digital cameras) - won't the small size also affect image quality from these devices?

Also, will these devices be ANOTHER cost INCREASE? - because projectors (affordable units) are JUST now appearing on the market.

Re:Watch for Apple

[Ironclad2]

Didn't the PDA become a market-standard device some after Apple *dropped* the Newton?

Re:Hmm

[The Only Druid]

There are several reasons:

1: Plasmas look perfect in bright light, allowing you to use them without blanketing the room in darkness.
2: Plasmas are rated to last around a decade, give or take. Bulbs in projectors need to be replaced (after a comprarable amount of use) in about 1-2 years.
3: Plasmas are almost without exception higher resolution and clarity than projectors.
4: Plasmas are almost without exception better at displaying pure black and pure white, and thus at displaying all colors in between, than projectors.
5: Plasms dont require an unobstructed path between the projector at the screen, i.e. they're easier to position in a potentially crowded room.

There are more, but I'll leave it at that.

Re:What's the light source?

[sploo22]

This is so revolutionary because it has no optics. No lens, no mirrors, nothing. Plus because it uses a laser instead of a bulb, it will use less power, last longer and won't need a big fan to cool it.

Re:What's the light source?

[Viadd]

For holography you want monochrome light, which means the light source will be lasers. Probably three diode lasers for R,G,B. Lasers are much more efficient than the incandescent bulbs used in projectors, which means that you will be able to put your PDA back in your pocket without second degree burns after using for a while.

The home page of one of the coauthors of the cited paper is here. It shows a hologram that takes a few seconds to generate on a 2 GHz PC. Pretty low quality, and presumably specialized hardware (which could probably be implemented as an FPGA) will be required to get it to video rates. But for static text type presentations, for the Powerpoint warriors who are the main market for projectors, speed is less important.

Can't access the algorithm description

[gokeln]

Primary author's homepage here http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~eb296/research.shtml The algorithm appears only to be available in the Journal of the Optical Society of America. Membership required to access.

Re:New killer teleconference app?

[Sven-Erik]

True, but they did the same thing to Super8 film and VCR's. But maybe that was before your time...

Re:Hmm

[dave420]

I'll see those and raise you these:

1. 160" plasmas are rather more expensive than a projector (which can give you that size, easily)
2. You can't pick a plasma screen up in one hand and move it out on the veranda to watch movies outside
3. Cheap plasma screens have horrific quality, as the built-in processing is limited
4. Projectors cost 1/4 of the price of a plasma 5. Replacement bulbs for projectors cost about $100
6. Sony's new projector screens mean perfect viewing in light environments

I know where you're coming from, but if you have a screen in your lounge as big as your wall, you simply don't care. I got a projector last year, and I've not looked back (and I'm a stickler for image quality, etc.).

Re:Hmm

[AaronLawrence]

Higher resolution and clarity? Where do you get that from? A typicaly widescreen home theater projector such as Panasonic AE-500 is 1024x576. Plasmas are typically that or lower.

Projectors are just as clear if not clearer. In fact they are sometimes TOO clear, ie. the square pixels become visible. So recent projectors soften it slightly to get back to a more natural looking projectors.

But, all this is irrelevant for me. Projectors generally give 2-5x as large a screen at 1/2 to 1/4 the cost. That's a no brainer to me.