The core technologies behind the popularity of micro and pico projectors

Pico and micro projectors have become extremely popular in the recent months.  This popularity increase has been largely attributed to advances in optical engine technology that allows pico and micro projectors to be produced inexpensively and reliably.

Two technological advances have allowed the cost effective production of the micro projector and the cost effective optical engine.  The first is LED technology.  Once relegated to low output applications such as indicator lights, light-emitting-diodes are rapidly being integrated into general lighting products such as warehouse lighting, street lighting, flashlight use, and of course optical engines for projectors.  While still not as energy efficient as the traditional UHP or HID type bulb LEDs are rapidly catching up in terms of yield per watt.  Furthermore, LEDs due to their longevity and quick on-times are rapidly becoming the light source of choice for many of these applications including optical engines.  These innate characteristics coupled with their compact nature of LEDs makes them a great choice for optical engines for micro projectors.

In pico and micro projector applications, LEDs are employed as the primary light-source.  They can either be employed in a single white LED format, where a color filter then produces the primary RGB colors necessary to produce an image, or they can be employed in an RGB format, where quick on-times allow red, green, and blue LEDs to light-off sequentially, projecting a full color picture.

Coupled with advances in nano-technology, LCOS imagers can now be manufactured cheaply and reliably.

Coupled with LEDs these two technologies allow the creation of small, bright, and high resolution optical engines at low costs.  And it is these small optical engines that are the heart of the pico projector movement.