Small Cap Talk: Laser TVs

Some may say laser TVs have been on the horizon and always will be, but according to recent news, they may be coming out rather soon. Two companies of interest are Novalux and Arasor Interlational (ASRYF.PK ARR.AX). Novalux was privately held and backed by a few venture funds, but was subsequently bought by Arasor.

Why laser TVs?

They offer more colors than traditional displays, so things appear more lifelike. The only technology that may come close in color fidelity is organic light emitting diode displays. They also consume less energy and produce less heat, because lasers are more efficient than light bulbs.

Potential Pitfalls

Your source also needs a lot of color information to feed the display. The main problem in developing this technology is the coherence of the laser, which could cause undesirable inference patterns. There are also other display technologies that may offer cost benefits.

Future

I foresee major inroads in small portable, quiet projectors. Conference room projectors are large, costly and noisy, because the hot bulbs require cooling, take up space, burn off and need replacements, and are less efficient than lasers. These projectors could also make for painless small home movie theaters. A possible competitor is Microvision (MVIS).

Disclosure

I’m crazy enough to own some shares, but I consider the company high risk, because they have yet to post positive earnings.