Home cinema projection LEDs from Osram challenge discharge lamps

“With the Ostar Projection Power family, Osram has succeeded for the first time in achieving projector brightness levels beyond the 3,000 ANSI lumen barrier using LEDs instead of conventional lamps, making them accessible to a broad market,” according to the firm.

It is aiming to displace high-pressure discharge lamps previously used in projectors above 2,000 lm(ANSI), doing this by improving both chip and package technology.

The chips have been modified to allow them to be electrically connected in a series on the copper substrate – with series operation cutting current and reducing the step-down ratio of the associated buck converter.

“In addition, direct coupling of the LEDs to a heat sink is possible, without additional isolation costs,” said Osram. “The mechanical design remains largely unchanged compared to previous products enabling an uncomplicated exchange of the products in existing projector systems.”

There are four different colour options:

• deep blue (440nm)
• blue (456nm)
• converted green (520nm)
• amber (614nm)

There are used in 12 new products.

• In the lowest power class, two chips of the same colour per component provide projector brightness of up to 1,500 lm(ANSI).
• In the mid-power class, four chips of the same colour per component can achieve 2,500 lm(ANSI).
• In the highest power class, six chips of the same colour per LED can achieve more than 3,000 lm(ANSI).

“As projectors grow more and more popular in home entertainment systems, so have the expectations of users,” said the firm. “In addition to ever-higher resolutions, the focus is also on richer colours, contrasts and, of course, higher brightness.”