Deciding on a projector can be a difficult decision. For leisure or business, making the right projector choice could not only enhance your experience but also save you money overall. Let's look at the factors that make the difference between laser, LED, and lamp projectors and how each one of them could be suited for home cinema or commercial use.

• Why are laser and LED replacing legacy lamps in projectors? 
• Which is brighter, LED or Laser?
• Which technology has better colour performance?
• Does DLP or LCD matter for laser and LED projector? 
• Which technology is better for:
  • Commercial Projectors
  • Hgh Brightness Projectors

While millions of projectors have been sold in the last 15+ years using mercury lamps, many of the more advanced countries in the world are in the process of phasing them out due to the risk of mercury contamination if a lamp breaks – and the potential risks of disposal. As a result, many of the larger projector manufacturers are transitioning to laser technology more high-end projectors, and LED technology for mainstream commercial projectors.

While the short-term availability and cost of replacement lamps have not been affected, over time the lower demand for lamps could cause the price to go higher – and make it more difficult to find replacement lamps, especially for smaller brands or those that have gone out of business. LED and laser technology lasts the lifetime of a projector, so you do not have to worry about replacement lamps.

The first commercially produced laser projector was the BenQ LX60 laser projector designed for classrooms. It was a 3000-lumen XGA unit with a 20,000-hour laser life. Today, laser projectors cover a wide brightness range, with some models even exceeding 10,000 lumens, such as those used in commercial cinemas.

For LED projectors, the first models were portable projectors that were around 200 Lumens. However, over time the range of projectors using LED has grown significantly. Nowadays, there have been a wide variety of projectors that are 500 lumens or higher. These units are only a little higher priced than similar lamp projectors and have new capabilities that we will discuss below.

LED has the best colour performance of any mainstream projector technology. At CES, the first LED-powered home cinema projector delivers 100% DCI-P3 and 100% Rec.709 accurate colours with 3200 lumens of brightness. The unique element of LED is that it delivers exceedingly high colour saturation compared to lamps or traditional laser projectors – which makes the colours look brighter to the eye. For commercial projectors, LED-powered projectors can deliver 96% of Rec. 709 colour – far beyond many lamp models that had to sacrifice colour accuracy for high brightness.

Close behind LED are laser projectors that use red, blue, and green colour lasers. This technique has been used by commercial cinemas to deliver higher brightness and colour accuracy and is being used in some high-end models of projector televisions. These lasers can produce the widest range of colour, up to 95% BT.2020 to generate brilliant reds and picture-perfect skin tones for home cinema projectors. This promising technology offers a true cinema experience for projectors used in dark rooms but is expensive to produce at higher brightness levels.

This technology uses a blue laser and colour filters to generate up to 1 billion colours. While it is the most common laser technology used today, the colour accuracy can vary significantly from one brand to another. This is especially important in simulation environments where showing the right colour of a cloud can make a difference in a flight simulator.  The most advanced models have specified Rec. 709 specifications, pre-calibrated white points, and specified Delta E (the difference between a specified colour and the actual measured colour) to ensure an accurate colour image. These are industry-accepted colour measurements for all types of displays, including monitors, digital signage, and televisions.

As of 2023, most LED and RGB laser-powered projectors are using single-chip DLP technology instead of older legacy LCD panels. There are several reasons for this, but the easiest way to understand this phenomenon is that the new LED and laser technologies produce colour from the light source itself. This makes it more efficient than having three different imagers that filter, align, and recombine the different colours as is the case in an LCD projector.

1.) LED – For commercial projectors LEDs are phenomenal. They are first rated for 24/7 usage. This makes them great for events and art exhibits. They also deliver the highest colour accuracy, and with LED technology there’s no need for major maintenance or lamp replacements as required by traditional projectors.

2.) Laser – For those looking for a higher brightness, laser–based projectors will be the right fit. The high colour accuracy allows difficult colours like skin tones to stay true and you don’t get the colour fading or yellowing that can happen with long-term wear in non-DLP lamp-based projectors.

1.) Laser – The demand for 4K projector with over 5000 Lumens has increased greatly. Brightness is one of the top priorities when considering a projector because if a projector is not bright enough, you can risk image quality. For example, the BenQ LU9800 gives you both high brightness and colour accuracy. This way you can use your projector even in lit rooms and you’ll be getting more vivid colours for an immersive experience. With colour accuracy and 10000-lumens the LU9800 gives you the best of both worlds. 

Projectors can serve many purposes and choosing the right one is essential for long-term use. Different technologies provide different experiences, colour levels, and brightness. With many options available BenQ has both Laser and LED projectors to suit any need.