One goal for this year’s AGM25 will be to remember all the breakthroughs, large and small that provided the foundation for safe, efficient and long-life Laser Illumination. I will be posting various recollections, technical and business breakthroughs (and failures) that contributed to the massive success of this still evolving technology. Please contribute your experiences, thoughts and anecdotes to add to our discussions during the 11/13 Seminar.
The WHY, WHO, WHEN, HOW, (HOW NOT) of Laser’s evolution and ultimate success.
First big roadblock: Trying to raise investment capital for the development of (esoteric) High Power RGB lasers, right after the frenetic completion of a Global Fiberoptic Communications network…for…Movie Projectors? Billions went into high-speed, but low power, NIR lasers for telecom – but High Power RED, GREEN and BLUE lasers were needed to illuminate DIGITAL projectors with their very new DLP-tm, LCD and LCoS Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) chips. So, NO money to develop Lasers for projection.
Meanwhile, the entire Movie industry was preparing to convert from film to “Digital” – cameras, production, storage, encryption, transmission and projection! Massive changes to a huge, traditional, protective and decentralized industry. So, no supply … and no demand – Circa 2003.
Next post: So why do it?