Illuminating ProAVA how-to guide for choosing the right light for the right projection application

02 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

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The choices can be challenging 03

The state of the market 04The rise of laser phosphor

Where does laser phosphor shine?

What the industry wants 05Truth by numbers

Top 3 takeaways

Lamps and lasers go head to head 06See how they stack up

How bright is bright?

Color volume matters 07Color volume comparison

A whole new way of looking at color

Get the balance right 08Look beyond the sticker price 09 Three critical questions to determine

total cost of ownership

Making the choices add up 10Museum/Higher education

Cinema

Theme park

Events company

Where do you go from here? 11

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03 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Advances in projection have presented a wider range of options to the market. While choice is always a good thing, it can also introduce uncertainty. In a sea of claims around brightness, color, performance and cost, how do you truly know which illumination technology is right for your business?

When it comes to choosing an illumination technology, there is no definitive “best choice” across every application. In fact, deciding based on performance alone can lead to overspending on features you don’t really need. Choosing between lamp or laser means looking at factors like the environment where you will be using it, the type of content you will be projecting, the brightness you need, illumination lifetime, installation form factor and even your budget.

This ebook can help you make an informed decision. On the pages that follow you will learn where the ProAV industry is going with illumination technology and take a closer look at how lamp, laser phosphor and RGB pure laser stack up against one another on the features that matter most. You’ll also get tips on how to calculate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of any ProAV projection solution you’re considering.

Let’s get started!

The choices can be challenging

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04 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

The rise of laser phosphorDespite the prevalence of lamp, laser has a lot to offer, including steady performance over a long lifetime, a wide color gamut and low-maintenance operation. The significance of these benefits varies depending on whether we are talking about laser phosphor or RGB pure laser. However, as manufacturers continue to invest in evolving these technologies, laser will almost certainly gain ground in the fight for marketshare.

10 advantages of laser phosphor:

Where does laser phosphor shine?

The state of the market

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91%In 2016, lamp-based illumination accounted for over 91% of projector sales1.

No lamp changes required

Up to 20,000+ hours operational life

No need for filters, in many designs

Reduces downtime and maintenance

Lower total cost of ownership for some applications

Low energy consumption

24x7 operation

Instant on/off capabilities

Choice of entry-level models to premium projectors

Most designs have similar brightness, contrast and color performance to lamp-based projectors

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Check out this video to get useful tips on selecting the right technology for your needs.

Use the right light for the jobThe increasing popularity of laser-based illumination doesn’t automatically mean that lamp-based solutions won’t continue to meet your projection needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Choosing the right illumination comes down to the application where you will be using it and what you’re trying to achieve.

All of the buzz in the market around laser illumination technology might lead one to assume that lamp-based illumination is already extinct. But lamp-based technology still prevails. This makes sense, when you consider that it was first to market and delivers reliable brightness and color performance across many applications, with a great cost of ownership.

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04 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Where does laser phosphor shine?Laser illumination’s high brightness, high contrast and low maintenance make it an ideal technolology for many applications:

› Auditoriums

› Boardrooms

› Classrooms

› Houses of worship

› Location-based entertainment venues

› Retail locations

The state of the market

The rise of laser phosphor +

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Check out this video to get useful tips on selecting the right technology for your needs.

Use the right light for the jobThe increasing popularity of laser-based illumination doesn’t automatically mean that lamp-based solutions won’t continue to meet your projection needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Choosing the right illumination comes down to the application where you will be using it and what you’re trying to achieve.

All of the buzz in the market around laser illumination technology might lead one to assume that lamp-based illumination is already extinct. But lamp-based technology still prevails. This makes sense, when you consider that it was first to market and delivers reliable brightness and color performance across many applications, with a great cost of ownership.

91%In 2016, lamp-based illumination accounted for over 91% of projector sales1

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05 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Knowing the priorities of industry players when it comes to selecting illumination technology can give you valuable context for framing up your own decisions. The results of two industry surveys clearly show consensus among technicians, consultants, end users and even dealers when it comes to key priorities.

73% 77% 62%

What the industry wants

agreed with the statement, “Laser illumination is likely the future of projection technology.” The majority of dealers surveyed also strongly agreed with this statement.2

already own, or intend to own, laser technology within the next year.2

would pay a premium to avoid lamp changes.2

Truth by numbers

Top 3 takeaways +

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05 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

According to survey participants, the most important purchase factors are illumination type, color fidelity and maintenance costs/total cost of ownership.

According to survey participants, the least important purchase factors are power consumption and heat output.

The industry is anticipating a movement towards laser and feels that laser phosphor, in particular, will be useful in their applications.

What the industry wants

Truth by numbers +Top 3 takeaways —

+ —

Knowing the priorities of industry players when it comes to selecting illumination technology can give you valuable context for framing up your own decisions. The results of two industry surveys clearly show consensus among technicians, consultants, end users and even dealers when it comes to key priorities.

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06 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Lamps and lasers go head to head

Lamp-based Laser phosphor RGB pure laser

Form factor Small, light and quiet Slightly larger and louder than equivalent lamp-based, but smaller and quieter than RGB pure laser

Larger and noisier than LaPh for the time being, but new technologies are quickly shrinking in size and reducing cooling noise

Brightness Get back to full brightness at any time quickly, easily and cost effectively

Typically 500-4000 hours between lamp replacements

Mid-high brightness

Degradation follows a slower decline (50% @ 20,000 hours)

Some designs allow you to boost initial brightness, but sacrifice the 20,000 hours to 50% lifetime

Game-changing brightness and color/contrast performance

Extremely slow and stable degradation than lamp or LaPh (80% @ 30,000 hours)

Cost Lowest purchase price

Great for dual budgets (Purchase/Maintenance)

Demands initial price premium over lamp-based

Cost-effective entry point into high-brightness laser illumination and reduced costs over lifetime of projector

New generation of products are very affordable and the price premium over laser phosphor is small and continues to rapidly drop in price

Maintenance Purchase and install new lamps and filters at a cadence dependent on usage

No lamp maintenance or consumables (some may require filter changes)

Good for hard-to-reach applications

Ultra-low maintenance

Cadence of new filter purchase and installation depends on usage

See how they stack upAfter you have your application well defined, you can assess how the features and benefits of lamps and lasers map back to your needs.

Deciding whether to choose lamp or laser illumination depends on many factors that relate directly to how you will be using your projector.

› What will you be projecting on?

› What is the lowest brightness level you’ll be willing to go down to before refreshing your light source?

› What are the total hours of use for the lifetime of the projector?

› Will you be turning it on and off frequently?

› What amount of ambient light are you dealing with?

› Will the projector be easily accessible for maintenance?

How bright is bright? +

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06 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

How bright is bright?Here’s how the different technology options within the categories of lamp and laser stack up on brightness.

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Confusing technical terminology can make comparisons challenging. For example, the industry reports brightness in three different ways – ANSI, ISO and Center – each based on different criteria with different tolerances. Here’s how the brightness of a single projector would translate into each of these different measurements. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples when it comes to lumens.

Lumens (K)

Mercury lamp 1-30K

Laser phosphor 1-30K

Xenon lamp 10-45K

RGB pure laser 20-60K

10 20 30 40 50 60

Laser phosphor hybrid (Laser and LED) 15K

Market specification Minimum allowed performance

Lumen specifications

35K30K25K20K15K10K

5K0

ANSI ISO Center

Lamps and lasers go head to head

See how they stack up +

Deciding whether to choose lamp or laser illumination depends on many factors that relate directly to how you will be using your projector.

› What will you be projecting on?

› What is the lowest brightness level you’ll be willing to go down to before refreshing your light source?

› What are the total hours of use for the lifetime of the projector?

› Will you be turning it on and off frequently?

› What amount of ambient light are you dealing with?

› Will the projector be easily accessible for maintenance?

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07 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Color volume matters

Achieving proper color balance for accurate reproduction, without sacrificing brightness, is the holy grail of color fidelity. However, not every situation demands the same level of color fidelity. Once again, it comes down to the subtle nuances and requirements of the application.

For example, if you are simply displaying a presentation, spreadsheet or video, then the Rec. 709 delivered by a mercury lamp or laser phosphor projector will likely meet your needs. Alternatively, if you are projection mapping or creating a hyper-realistic experience, then you should be looking at RGB pure laser, because it’s the only technology that can blow open the color palette and give you free reign to replicate extreme visuals in a very powerful way.

Color gamut

Illumination type

Benefits

Rec. 2020 RGB pure laser is the only projection technology to approach full Rec. 2020

Significantly expands the color palette

Provides freedom to create colors on screen previously impossible

Provides intense color saturation making it look significantly brighter than all other light sources

DCI P3 Xenon lamps

Some laser phosphor

More color palette than Rec. 709 means slightly more realistic and lifelike colors

Rec. 709 Mercury lamps

Some laser phosphor

Aligns perfectly with the HDTV standard

78%of respondents indicated color fidelity is one of the most important factors when buying a projector.2

—Color volume comparison

A whole new way of looking at color +

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

620

700

600

580

560

540

520

500

480

490

460

380

470

x

y

Rec. 2020 DCI P3 Rec. 709

Normally, when color spaces are compared a two dimensional plot such as the one to the right is made. Typically the CIE 1931 xy Standard Observer is used to represent colors graphically.

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07 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

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Color is a three dimensional phenomenonThe area of the gamut times the peak brightness gives us the volume of colors the display can provide. While the CIE 1931 xy notation is very useful for understanding many aspects of color science, it does not do a good job representing the concept of Color Volume. In particular, it is not Perceptually Uniform. To address this, many alternatives have been proposed, including Lu’v’ and the newest representation, known as “IPT”, which takes advantage of the latest advances in color science. These more accurately graph the differences between Rec. 709 and Rec. 2020.

Color saturation The most obvious benefit of an expanded color volume is saturation. The first image simulates how the car would look on a traditional Rec. 709 display. The second image simulates how the same car would look if rendered with Rec. 2020.

Color volume comparison +A whole new way of looking at colorRGB pure laser introduces an entirely new dimension of color palette that lamps and laser phosphor simply can’t reproduce. When you look at the CIE 1931 xy Standard Observer graphs, the results appear modest and don't reflect the difference that your eyes see. In order to appreciate the results, we need to compare brightness and color in 3D.

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78%of respondents indicated color fidelity is one of the most important factors when buying a projector.2

Achieving proper color balance for accurate reproduction, without sacrificing brightness, is the holy grail of color fidelity. However, not every situation demands the same level of color fidelity. Once again, it comes down to the subtle nuances and requirements of the application.

For example, if you are simply displaying a presentation, spreadsheet or video, then the Rec. 709 delivered by a mercury lamp or laser phosphor projector will likely meet your needs. Alternatively, if you are projection mapping or creating a hyper-realistic experience, then you should be looking at RGB pure laser, because it’s the only technology that can blow open the color palette and give you free reign to replicate extreme visuals in a very powerful way.

RGB pure laser vs laser phosphor color volume (IPT)

Rec. 709

Rec. 2020

RGB pure laser vs laser phosphor color volume (Lu'v')

Rec. 2020

Rec. 709

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Color volume matters

08 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Ideally, you want your laser phosphor projector to produce the proper color balance to deliver accurate reproduction and full brightness at the same time. Typical laser phosphor illumination starts with blue laser diodes, shining them onto a phosphor wheel and then through dichroic filters to ultimately create the red, green, yellow and blue colors needed to project images onto the screen. Hybrid laser phosphor illumination adds a red LED light source to boost the red color component. Only the industry-first Christie® BoldColor Technology uses blue and red laser diodes, a unique optical chamber, proprietary video processing and specialized software to deliver color fidelity that wins out against typical laser phosphor projectors every time. The colors are stunning with 1DLP® projectors (making it look like 3DLP), and have even better quality and performance with 3DLP projectors.

› Stable and accurate color primaries

› Wider color gamut

› Enhanced saturation

› Full detail in highlights, whites and darks

› More lifelike visuals – content looks like the original

See how it performs in a color fidelity shootout

Typical laser phosphor illumination

Laser phosphor illumination with Christie BoldColor Technology

1 Blue laser diode banks2 Focus lens

5 Red laser diode bank

Accurate colorsFull brightness

21 3 4 5

3 Phosphor wheel4 Color wheel or dichroic filters

Typical laser phosphor illumination

Laser phosphor illumination with Christie BoldColor Technology

1 Blue laser diode banks2 Focus lens

5 Red laser diode bank

Accurate colorsFull brightness

21 3 4 5

3 Phosphor wheel4 Color wheel or dichroic filters

Typical laser phosphor illumination

Laser phosphor illumination with Christie BoldColor Technology

1 Blue laser diode banks2 Focus lens

5 Red laser diode bank

Accurate colorsFull brightness

21 3 4 5

3 Phosphor wheel4 Color wheel or dichroic filters

Get the balance right

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09 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

35K

30K

25K

20K

15K

10K0 5K 10K 15K

Lamp Laser phosphor RGB pure laser

Bri

gh

tnes

s –

lum

ens

Hours

There is a common misconception that laser projectors offer a lower TCO than lamp-based because, although the upfront cost is higher, laser frees you from incurring ongoing costs associated with lamp replacement. Many people believe that if they buy laser phosphor they will never need to replace their light source. Depending on the usage, this may not necessarily be the case.

The true cost of a projector is driven by many factors, including how often you are using it, your brightness goals and, for lamp-based projection, your schedule and labor costs associated with replacing lamps and filters. Will you have to do it on site? Will you need to realign the projector after the replacement? Are there other hidden costs, like renting scaffolding to access a hard-to-reach projector? Adding in all of these factors will reveal the total cost of ownership.

TCO is entirely application dependent

TCO

Application A Application B Application C

Lamp Laser phosphor RGB pure laser

Look beyond the sticker price

Three critical questions to determine total cost of ownership

1 Initial brightness

What is the initial brightness you need? This is your starting point.

2 Brightness floor

What is the brightness floor you’re willing to go down to? In other words, what level of drop-off are you willing to accept before you replace the illumination system?

3 Expected lifetime

What is the expected lifetime of this projector? Calculating how many hours per day, days per week, weeks per year and years you will be running the projector gives you the total consumption of hours on your projector. Once you know this, you can start to plot things out and determine costs.

Lamp Laser phosphor RGB pure laser

Note: Examples only – one possible scenario, not indicative of all cases. Drop off curves will vary by application and, product by product.

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10 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Museum/Higher educationTakeaways

› Lamp and LaPh are close in TCO. Other factors need to be to considered when choosing the best option.

› RGB systems don’t necessarily exist in this range yet, but pricing would likely be too high at this point in time to make it practical.

Medium usage

› 50 weeks/year

› 6 days/week

› 8 hours/day

› 5 year life before budgeted replacement

› 12,000 total lifetime hours

› 7000 lumens minimum brightness

—Compare the costs of 10K lumens illumination

Lamp LaPh RGB pure laser

Projector cost $17,000 $20,000 $ —

Illumination cost

$5,500 (5 lamp replacements)

$7,000 (1 illumination system replacement)

No replacement necessary

Total cost $22,500 $27,000 $ —

Making the choices add upLet’s look at how four different businesses would determine the total cost of ownership for their projection solutions.

Theme park

Cinema +

+Events company +

Note: Numbers are for example purposes only and don't reflect specific products.

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10 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Making the choices add up

Museum/Higher education +

Let’s look at how four different businesses would determine the total cost of ownership for their projection solutions. Note: Numbers are for example purposes only and don't reflect specific products.

Theme park +Events company +

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—Cinema

Medium usage

› 52 weeks/year

› 7 days/week

› 10 hours/day

› 30,000 hours of runtime

› 20,000 lumens brightness

Compare the costs of 20K lumens illumination

Lamp LaPh RGB pure laser

Projector cost $45,000 $65,000 $95,000

Illumination cost

$7,700 (11 lamp replacements)

$10,400 (2 illumination system replacements)

No replacement necessary

Total cost $52,700 $75,400 $ 95,000

Takeaways

› RGB pure laser is the only projection technology to approach full Rec. 2020 and gives you free reign to replicate extreme visuals in a very powerful way.

› The cost of a Xenon lamp projector including all lamps required over the expected lifetime is less than the cost of a laser phosphor projector.

10 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Theme parkTakeaways

› Cost of replacement lamps is 1.5x higher than cost of original projector.

› RGB is most affordable and will provide outstanding color performance to wow and entertain audiences.

High usage

› 52 weeks/year

› 7 days/week

› 16 hours/day

› 7 year attraction life

› 40,768 total lifetime hours

› 20,000 lumens minimum brightness

Making the choices add up

Museum/Higher education +

Let’s look at how four different businesses would determine the total cost of ownership for their projection solutions. Note: Numbers are for example purposes only and don't reflect specific products.

—

Events company +

Cinema +

Compare the costs of 30K lumens illumination

Lamp LaPh RGB pure laser

Projector cost $110,000 $125,000 $160,000

Illumination cost

$96,000 (24 lamp replacements)

$150,000 (3 illumination system replacements)

No replacement necessary

Total cost $206,000 $275,000 $160,000

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10 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

+Theme park

Making the choices add up

Compare the costs of 30K lumens illumination

Lamp LaPh RGB pure laser

Projector cost $110,000 $125,000 $160,000

Illumination cost

$16,000 (4 lamps replacements)

Total cost $126,000 $125,000 $160,000

Let’s look at how four different businesses would determine the total cost of ownership for their projection solutions. Note: Numbers are for example purposes only and don't reflect specific products.

Museum/Higher education +Cinema +

Events companyTakeaways

› Even with cost of replacement lamps, lamp and laser phosphor are neck and neck.

› Business needs to prioritize decision based on what’s more important: ability to quickly and easily get back to full brightness, pure cost or reputation-boosting benefits of bringing the best technologies to the table and producing images incomparable with other technologies.

Low usage

› 32 weeks/year

› 5 days/week

› 10 hours/day

› 5 year life before budgeted replacement

› 8,000 total lifetime hours

› 20,000 lumens minimum brightness

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11 | A how-to guide for choosing the right light for ProAV ›‹

Where do you go from here?

It’s clear that choosing between lamp or laser illumination is a decision with many variables, but the decision will always come back to the application where you need the projector to perform. Although lamp and typical laser phosphor provide very similar color and contrast quality for non-cinema applications, adding Christie BoldColor Technology to laser phosphor produces a marked improvement in color volume and contrast performance, which means improved image quality.

RGB pure laser illumination stands in a class of its own in terms of color, contrast and lifetime. The color volume is unlike anything that lamp or laser phosphor technology offers, contrast is more than double that of standard projectors, and the exceptionally long lifetime of RGB pure lasers makes it suitable for long-life applications or shorter life cycles that require stable output with little drop-off.

Lamp

Highest brightness projection technology• Up to 60K lumens in single projector

Best color perfornance• The only technology that can achieve full Rec. 2020 gamut

Best contrast ratio performance• The only practical way to achieve HDR projection

Rapidly dropping in price• Enabled by advancements in laser technology

Low power consumption vs. other technologies• More efficient in terms of brightness and color

than lamp or laser phosphor technology• Far less light is “wasted” (no yellow notch filter

and no phosphor efficiency loss)

Affordable• Cost-effective option to enter into

high-brightness solid state illumination

Good color perfornance• Rec. 709 or P3 color gamut for accurate

reproduction of HD video formats

Size and noise advantage• Typically larger than lamp, but smaller and quieter than RGB pure laser for now

Familiar• Reliable • High brightness • Rec. 709 or P3 color gamut

Size and noise advantage• Smallest projectors

Illumination evolution

Laser phosphor

If you have more questions or want to understand which illumination technology is best for you, we’re always here to help. Visit christiedigital.com; email getilluminated@christiedigital.com or call 1-866-880-4462 for more information.

Know somebody who needs help deciding between lamp or laser?

Send an email, or share on social:

RGB pure laser is the future

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Resources

1 Futuresource Worldwide marketshares 2006-2016 Q4.2 Alternative Projection Lamp Technology Survey

Copyright 2016: rAVe [Publications]3 Christie Dealer Survey

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For the most current specification information, please visit www.christiedigital.com Copyright 2017 Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. All rights reserved. All brand names and product names are trademarks, registered trademarks or tradenames of their respective holders. Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc.’s management system is registered to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Performance specifications are typical. Due to constant research, specifications are subject to change without notice. Printed in Canada on recycled paper. 4482 Aug 17