ESLP 8K Laser Projector To Debut at InfoComm

• By David Nagel
• 05/21/09

Evans & Sutherland will debut the world's highest-resolution production digital projector at next month's InfoComm 2009 conference in Florida. The ESLP 8K laser projector offers a resolution of 8,192 x 4,096 (or 32 megapixels) with the ability to display 3D at a resolution of 4,096 x 4,096. It's expected to ship in the second half of this year.

Targeted toward education, simulation, planetariums, control rooms, visualization centers, and digital cinemas, the ESLP laser projector uses "NanoPixel technology" to deliver about 33.55 million pixels at 36 bits per pixel (12 bits each per red, green, and blue channel), for 16 times the resolution and twice the color range of 1080p HDTV video. (1080p HD is roughly 2 megapixels.)

The system has been installed in some venues already as part of E&S' Digistar 3 Laser planetarium system (including the Samuel Oschin Planetarium at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, where it's been in place for about two years).

The 550-pound projector uses three nanopixel chips (one for each color channel), each with more than 8,000 reflective elements. Using a "micro electro-mechanical system," the chips display all pixel rows in an image simultaneously, along with a horizontal scan mirror operating at 60 Hz to 120 Hz. It offers a response time (full on to full off) of less than 200 nanoseconds. E&S said the system has zero persistence (i.e., no smearing of moving images) and produces no visible boundaries between pixels. The laser projector does not use lamps; its lasers have a life expectancy of more than 30,000 hours.

There will be two configurations of the projector once it ships, one offering a brightness of 5,000 ANSI lumens and a contrast ratio of 2,500:1 and one offering a brightness of 2,000 ANSI lumens with a contrast ratio of 2,500:1. Lenses are available for flat screens, domes, and panoramic or cylindrical screens. Connectivity options include DVI, HDMI 1.3, HDSDI, and 10/100 Base-T Ethernet for control and diagnostics.

Prices for the ESLP 8K laser projector will range from $500,000 to $750,000. Further information, including a data sheet, can be found here.

About the Author

David Nagel is editorial director, education for 1105 Media's Public Sector Media Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal. A 22-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.

He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at or follow him on Twitter at @THEJournalDave (K-12) or @CampusTechDave (higher education).