Laser TV was supposed to debut this Christmas and relegate the humble plasma to the scrap heap, but now it is unlikely that Australians will be able to buy one before at least 2009.
The technology's main proponent, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, has told the television industry to expect a major laser TV announcement at a US trade show in January, but it is not yet clear how long after that they will go on sale there.
Scott Wilkie, vice-president of ASX-listed Arasor, which manufactures the optical chip that is integral to laser TV, said he expected it would take 12-18 months after the overseas launch for models to be sold in Australia.
On the eve of its Australian stock exchange debut in October last year, Arasor and another laser TV chip producer, Novalux, held a press conference for the technology and showed an apparently superior laser TV prototype side-by-side with a plasma.
The pair promised a worldwide launch by Christmas 2007 under known brands such as Mitsubishi and Samsung. Arasor reiterated the promise of an end of 2007 launch in its last annual report.
Novalux's chief executive, Jean-Michel Pelaprat, said at the time that plasma was "now something of the past", as laser TVs could produce twice the range of colours of current flat panel models while being thinner, lighter and less of an electricity hog.
"All of a sudden what you see is a lifelike image on display," Pelaprat said, adding LCDs would continue to dominate for smaller screen sizes but laser would take over from plasma at 40-inch and above.
Wilkie today admitted the Christmas 2007 date would be missed but said Arasor was not to blame, as it only made the optical chips and did not manufacture the TVs. He said Arasor was only quoting Mitsubishi's timetable in its annual report and stood by the bullish quality claims made last year.
"We're ready to scale and have been so for a while but I think it's fair to say that a couple of other key component manufacturers haven't quite ramped up as fast as was expected," Wilkie said.
"Like everyone else we're sitting and waiting."
In a recent presentation to the television industry at the DisplaySearch HDTV Conference in California, Frank DeMartin, vice-president of marketing and product development at Mitsubishi Digital Electronics, said the manufacturer would make a major laser TV announcement in January at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
It is expected DeMartin will unveil new prototypes and a new launch timetable for the technology in the US. Mitsubishi, Sony and Novalux already showed off laser TV prototypes early this year at CES 2007.
Wilkie said he did not expect to see laser TVs on sale in Australia until at least 2009, but Samsung and JVC had shown renewed interest in the technology.
"We actually believe that JVC and Samsung and some of the others are showing more promise at launching in full global distribution volumes than Mitsubishi, but that's just what we're hearing," he said.
DeMartin said in his presentation he expected laser TV would "revolutionise big screen television and create a new TV category".
It would become even more popular once the production of 3D movies, which laser TVs support, ramped up.
There are already more than 700 3D movie theatres in the US and big names such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas have committed to making films in 3D.
Already, Wilkie said "two very wealthy people in Sydney" have offered to buy laser TV prototypes to "stick in their private residences".
He would not give names but said one harbourside resident, who had just built a new $50 million mansion with a $2 million entertainment room, offered a six-figure sum for one.
"An offer was made but we weren't in a position to sell it as we had to take it to China to demo to the Central Committee members," Wilkie said.
It is expected DeMartin will unveil new prototypes and a new launch timetable for the technology in the US. Mitsubishi, Sony and Novalux already showed off laser TV prototypes early this year at CES 2007.
Wilkie said he did not expect to see laser TVs on sale in Australia until at least 2009, but Samsung and JVC had shown renewed interest in the technology.
"We actually believe that JVC and Samsung and some of the others are showing more promise at launching in full global distribution volumes than Mitsubishi, but that's just what we're hearing," he said.
DeMartin said in his presentation he expected laser TV would "revolutionise big screen television and create a new TV category".
It would become even more popular once the production of 3D movies, which laser TVs support, ramped up.
There are already more than 700 3D movie theatres in the US and big names such as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and George Lucas have committed to making films in 3D.
Already, Wilkie said "two very wealthy people in Sydney" have offered to buy laser TV prototypes to "stick in their private residences".
He would not give names but said one harbourside resident, who had just built a new $50 million mansion with a $2 million entertainment room, offered a six-figure sum for one.
"An offer was made but we weren't in a position to sell it as we had to take it to China to demo to the Central Committee members," Wilkie said.
