Presentation held by Tom Bert, Senior Product Manager Digital Cinema at Barco, on the occasion of the Big Screen Experience Program during the IBC tradeshow and conference in Amsterdam in September 2016. The program allowed for cinema professionals to explore the latest developments in the industry.

1. Demystifying laser projection for cinema
5 Frequently Asked Questions
125+ screens into the rollout
IBC 2016
Tom Bert – Sr. Product Manager Digital Cinema
(Tom.Bert@barco.com)

2. Laser projection in cinema: the train has left the station

3. Q1: What is the correlation between laser and WCG?
WCG:
• Rec.2020 primaries are on the locus
• vs. wider color gamut
Laser (primaries) choice for projection is linked to:
• Luminous efficacy
• Economical viability of components
• Wavelength spread for best despeckling
• Native color balance for DCI white
• Containing and exceeding DCI P3 in both 2D and 3D
Rec.2020 with laser projection
• Only possible with P3 (but then you have speckle)
Unless the Rec.2020 spec becomes relaxed,
it will remain a theoretical spec

4. Q2: What is the correlation between laser and HDR?
HDR
• Is brighter whites and blacker blacks
• Conflicting parameters in a transmissive system like a projector
Brighter whites
• Combination of input power and system efficiency
• Laser can help (étendue)
Blacker blacks (is a matter of extinction)
1. Brute force: 1000x1000
2. Realistic: Barco 5-6000:1 LHC (laser helps via higher F number)
3. Out of the box: light steering (enabled by laser)
Barco’s Laser projectors have >2400:1 out of box + higher uniformity + no
lamp flicker + higher brightness… all pieces of the image quality puzzle

5. Q3: What is the correlation between laser and brighter 3D?
Situation today
• Current industry practice: 2-4fL
• Customer branded PLF: 6-9fL
• Some people’s ambition: 14fL
Laser can enable:
• Higher brightness (with state-of-the-art cooling)
… but not to infinite levels.
• Dimming to 25% prevents lamp swaps
(unavoidable with 14fL 3D and lamp)
System size and complexity need to be manageable

6. Q4: What is meant by 30khrs lifetime of a laser lightsource?
RGB laser: 30khrs to 80% (full power)
40khrs in typical use case

7. Q4: What is meant by 30khrs lifetime of a laser lightsource?
LP: 30khrs to 50%

8. Q5: What is the luminous efficacy of a laser projector?
Single Xenon (e.g. Barco DP4K-32B)
• Average (75% brightness) = 24.750lm
• 7.5kW
Single Barco DP4K-60L (Projection head + chillers)
• Average (90% brightness) = 50.400lm
• 10kW
Xenon
lamp
RGB laser RGB Laser
vs. Xenon saving
lm/W 3.3 5.0 50% more efficient
W/klm 303 200 34% lower power

9. Q5: What is the luminous efficacy of a laser projector?
Laser phosphor
• Available as retrofit
• Same lumen comparison
Xenon
lamp
Laser
Phosphor
Laser Phosphor vs.
Xenon saving
DP2K-20C 5.24kW 2.86 kW 45% lower
DP2K-15C 3.88kW 2.27 kW 42% lower