Whatever happened to LiFi?

[Hi Ho]

Remember Panasonic LiFi technology that debuted in their last rear projection models to ever come to market? The bulbs supposedly used microwave technology and no filaments and were not supposed to burn out.

What ever happened with this technology? Was it a dud? Did the bulbs not perform as advertised? I can't seem to find much info about them.

I am curious because if the bulbs worked half as well as claimed, it seems like they would be a big plus in front projectors. The biggest drawback to a front projector for me is bulb cost. I was just browsing and looking at the AE4000 and the rated bulb life is only 2000 hours. That seems low. My Mitsubishi projector has a rated bulb life of almost 4000 hours in low lamp mode, which is the only mode I use. 1080p would be nice though...

I'm rambling now but I just looked at the Mitsubishi HC3800 and it has a rated lamp life of 5000 hours in low mode. Why the huge difference? It's also $500 cheaper than the Panasonic and it's DLP (a plus for me).

 

[Seth=L]

They probably couldn't make a enough money off of it. It would be difficult to sell them actually, because they would more than likely cost significantly more than conventional LCD and DLP based projection sets.

If they had come out and had them competitively priced they might have been able to buffer themselves from the blow they've been taking on slumped plasma sales, which they went full forward toward. Companies like Samsung don't put all their eggs in one basket, however it appears that Pioneer and Panasonic have done exactly that and it's hurt them both tremendously. Look at all the stuff that Panasonic used to make 5 years ago, and compare to now, dismal.

 

[Hi Ho]

I was never interested in rear projection TV's. I like the fact that Panasonic has pursued plasma the way they have. They have some of the best looking sets out there and their next generation sets are looking even better. I don't think they're hurting. They saw a 30% rise in plasma sales last year.

Front projection seems to be a perfect application for LiFi though (if it actually works). I don't really need a new projector right now but seeing how the prices for 108p projectors have fallen so much recently it is starting to become tempting.

After reading a bit about the current round of projectors I guess bulbs aren't as big a deal as they used to be. The Epson projectors have a 4000 hour rating and the Mitsubishi has a 5000 hour rating. Considering that I haven't even put 500 hours on my current projector in almost three years, I guess I should be more worried about other aspects.

 

[Seth=L]

http://layofftracker.blogspot.com/2009/02/panasonic-layoffs-15000-worldwide.html

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2009/snapshots/6630.html

 

[jostenmeat]

Remember Panasonic LiFi technology that debuted in their last rear projection models to ever come to market? The bulbs supposedly used microwave technology and no filaments and were not supposed to burn out.

What ever happened with this technology? Was it a dud? Did the bulbs not perform as advertised? I can't seem to find much info about them.

I am curious because if the bulbs worked half as well as claimed, it seems like they would be a big plus in front projectors. The biggest drawback to a front projector for me is bulb cost. I was just browsing and looking at the AE4000 and the rated bulb life is only 2000 hours. That seems low. My Mitsubishi projector has a rated bulb life of almost 4000 hours in low lamp mode, which is the only mode I use. 1080p would be nice though...

I'm rambling now but I just looked at the Mitsubishi HC3800 and it has a rated lamp life of 5000 hours in low mode. Why the huge difference? It's also $500 cheaper than the Panasonic and it's DLP (a plus for me).

Perhaps because Panasonic believes LED will take over. I dunno.

500 hours over three years? Yeah, this is not an issue, whatsoever, for you. Focus on performance.

Bulb warranties are pretty cheap, IMO. The bulbs themselves, even w/o warranty, aren't too expensive, in my subjective opinion.

For instance, my 6 yr PJ warranty for my JVC, with 2 free bulbs, cost $260 I believe. I added that warranty to an "open box" item (kind of special circumstances; JVC/AVS thing). Interestingly, that is right about the same price for a new bulb by itself.