Not the real thing.
Konica Minolta (or its subsidiary Konica Minolta Opto, to be more exact) has developed what sounds like it’s one of the smallest projectors around today. Measuring just 20×40x7mm, the projector is reportedly about as small as a USB stick and needs less than 1W of power.
The projector can project 20-inch color images in XGA resolution when positioned 50 to 60cm away from the screen. Red, green and blue lasers are used as light sources. Piezoelectric elements are used to vibrate micro mirrors (2mm in diameter) Konica Minolta used instead of a projector lens at 30KHz. The lasers are being shot on these mirrors, which move both vertically and horizontally.
Konica Minolta apparently aims at commercializing the technology within the next two to three years. I looked around everywhere on the Japanese web (including Konica Minolta’s home page in Nippon) but unfortunately couldn’t find any pictures of the prototype. Once they become available, I will post them here.
Via Nikkei [registration required, paid subscription]
Wow that’s insanely small. And a 20 inch projection isn’t bad at all. Probably could really come in handy for small presentations.
Yes, yes! This is what I’ve been begging companies to do for many years. A front-laser projector!
Now if they’re smart, they’ll:
1. Make it with a very short throw (say, 12-24 inches.) Yes, it will require a serious keystone correction to the image, but with such a short throw, there’s very little chance someone would accidentally look directly into the projector. (And since it’s lasers, there’s no lenses!)
2. Make it project an HD image onto a 6 foot wide screen. 1080p is an absolute must!
3. Make it with enough brightness so that the image can be seen in an moderately-lit room. It’s lasers! It should be very easy to make it really bright!
Who ever manages to create such a device will own the home-theater projector market!
p.s. Serkan: Could you email me when you find more info on this, please? Please, please, please?