Pico projectors – miniaturised projectors that are the size of a cellphone or can even fit inside a handset -have failed to meet the projections of analysts.
Last year, they predicted 2m-3m units would be shipped in 2009, but it now appears that only around 250,000 units will ship this year.
However, a pickup is expected as the technology improves and consumers are “wowed” by demonstrations of it in more consumer electronics devices.
Attendees at DisplaySearch’s Emerging Display Technologies conference in Silicon Valley on Thursday were told that pico projectors had suffered from low levels of brightness, poor battery life of only 30 – 50 minutes and low resolution.
But speakers from 3M Projection Systems, Micron and Syndiant explained how they were overcoming these difficulties with technologies known as FLCOS (Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal on Silicon) and FSC LCOS (Field Sequential Color Liquid Crystal on Silicon).
3M forecast industry sales of more than 25m units by 2013 while Mark Harward, Syndiant chief executive, said top handset makers had told him projectors could soon be in 30 per cent of all cellphones if price/performance targets could be met.
The concept is one of projectors expanding the limited screenspace of cellphones – desktops, images and video can be projected onto a wall or tabletop, with 720p high-definition already supported by the latest multimedia chips.
But there will likely be many other uses – in laptops, MP3 players, games consoles and other devices, according to Mr Harward.
“More than 100 companies have called us…they are talking about eveything from toys, to automotive, signage, novelty items and robotics,” he said.
Brightness and battery life had doubled over the past year and resolution was also improving, he added. But costs of optical modules needed to halve to around $25 for them to be included in mass-market phones.
Samsung has already launched cellphones with projectors using Texas Instrument’s DLP technology, while Nikon’s Coolpix S1000pj (pictured), the world’s first digital camera with a projector included, goes on sale this month for $430.
