Detectors & Imaging

NEC launches first cinema projector with replaceable laser module

April 9, 2019

The RB laser technology delivers rich color, bright images, and a sealed optical engine and laser module for low ownership cost.

Gail Overton

NEC has launched what it says is the world's first digital cinema projector that offers the ability to replace the laser module in the projector head.

Digital cinema projector manufacturer NEC Display Solutions of America (Downers Grove, IL) has launched what it says is the world's first digital cinema projector that offers exhibitors the ability to replace the laser module in the projector head for the ultimate in versatility and future-proofing. The NEC NC2402ML is a 3-chip DLP projector that features RB laser (red and blue lasers with a green phosphor source) technology delivering richer colors, brighter images, and a sealed optical engine and laser module for low cost of ownership. The announcement was made at CinemaCon 2019.

The NC2402ML offers exhibitors an affordable and flexible new cinema projection solution, thanks to its interchangeable laser light sources for cinema venues with medium-sized screens. Starting with one (24,000 lumens) of three swappable light modules (24,000, 20,000, and 18,000 lumens), cinema operators can easily adapt the projector for different needs and screen sizes, up to 72 feet. This functionality allows operators to future-proof their investment and ensures they can showcase premieres on various screen sizes, whether 2D features or 3D showpieces.

Rich McPherson, senior product manager at NEC Display, said, "It's the future of laser projection, with an interchangeable laser light source that alleviates the service concerns found in other projectors, thanks to its revolutionary design that enables quick laser replacement that can be done on-site."

The DCI-Certified projector features RB laser and phosphor technology capable of showing 100% of the digital cinema color space (DCI), native 2K (2048 x 1080), and a 30,000-hour lifetime. Thanks to its low cost of ownership because of its dust and smoke-proof sealed optical engine and ease of field maintenance, the NC2402ML is ideal for theaters, museums, higher education lecture halls, corporate auditoriums, and even high-end home theaters where DCI content will be delivered.

The NC2402ML also features an internal liquid chiller that does not need an external cooling system, making placement of the projector more flexible and adaptable to tight quarters. The interchangeable laser modules can be purchased separately or leased for even more flexibility. It is available in August 2019 with the 24,000-lumen brightness module, and the 20,000-lumen and 18,000-lumen modules will be available soon after.

SOURCE: NEC Display Solutions of America; https://www.necdisplay.com/about/press-release/nec-display-solutions-announces-world%E2%80%99s-first-digi/814

About the Author

Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)

Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.