Mitsubishi’s LaserVue HDTV Goes on Sale

Mitsubishi has started selling the world's first laser-powered television, with the 65-inch LaserVue starting at $6,999.

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics demonstrated its laser-based television technology at the beginning of the year at the Las Vegas CES show, but the company is only now making the technology available to consumers, announcing that its 65-inch LaserVue HDTV is on sale now from specialty retailers for $6,999.

“The consumer demand for LaserVue has simply exceeded our expectations and the product is a terrific example of Mitsubishi’s technology leadership within the home entertainment market,” said Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America’s VP of marketing Frank DeMartin, in a statement. “Bringing laser TV to market is a significant industry accomplishment and we’re very proud to be the only TV manufacturer to date that has delivered on the promise of a laser-driven TV.”

Although the LaserVue is kinda chubby by today’s flat-screen standards—it’s 10 inches thick—the unit does offer a color gamut of over 200 percent of the BT.709 range, which is more than twice the range of most other televisions…and far more than the human eye can process. The unit also features x.v.Color, a 120 Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, and 4 HDMI inputs. The unit also operates at 135 Watts, which is a considerably lower power draw than equivalent-sized LCD or plasma displays.

Mitsubishi has also been promising a 73-inch version of the LaserVue display, but there’s no word on when it might reach market.