Laser-powered phosphor display

Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) is a large-format display technology that is similar to cathode ray tube (CRT) technology but uses lasers instead of an electron gun to activate the phosphors that create the images.^[1] LPD was invented and patented by Prysm, Inc. LPD competes with liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), and other large-format display technologies.^[2]

LPD uses a set of movable mirrors to direct light from several ultra-violet lasers onto a screen made of a plastic-glass hybrid material coated with color phosphor stripes. The lasers scan the screen line by line from top to bottom. The energy from the lasers' light activates the phosphors, which emit photons, producing an image.^[3]

The technology was unveiled in January 2010,^[3] and in June 2010, the first embodiment of this technology, the TD1 Tile, was launched.^[4] The TD1 tile is a 25-inch diagonal, bezel-free, tile-based building block. A variable number of TD1 Tiles can be arranged in arbitrary configurations to form videowalls in various sizes and shapes.^[5] Prysm began shipping TD1 tiles in February 2011.^[6]

The first LPD retail installation went on display at American Eagle Outfitters in New York in late 2010.^[7] Other LPD deployments include a 120-foot long videowall at InterActiveCorp (IAC) in New York,^[8] a 40-foot, 180-degree, interactive videowall at General Electric’s (GE) Customer Experience Center in Toronto,^[9] and several videowalls for Dubai TV.^[10]

LPD requires less electricity than competing technologies including LCD and light-emitting diode (LED).^[11] IAC reported a 70% reduction in power by switching to LPD,^[12] and Prysm says LPD uses up to 75 percent less power than most other display technologies on the market.^[4]

According to Prysm, LPD technology has other advantages including great black levels, a wide 180-degree viewing angle, a 65,000-hour panel life with no burn-in issues, completely recyclable components, and their production process is mercury free. One disadvantage of LPD is that the displays are deeper than some competing technologies,^[13] each TD1 Tile including all peripherals measures almost 17 inches deep.^[5] Depending on the frame type, the total installed depth varies between 24 and 30 inches.^[14][15]

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