New dimension of brightness: Osram heralds a new chapter for LED projection

Thanks to 12 new products in the Osram Ostar Projection Power family, LED technology can now be used to achieve outstanding projector brightness

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

Depending on the ambient light conditions and the distance to the projection surface, requirements differ for the light source. With 12 new products, Osram is now able to offer three different power classes for RGB solutions in deep blue (440 nm), blue (456 nm), converted green (520 nm) and amber (614 nm). In the lowest power class, two chips of the same color per component provide projector brightness of up to 1,500 ANSI lm. In the mid-power class, four chips of the same color per component can achieve 2,500 ANSI lm. While in the highest power class, six chips of the same color per LED can achieve more than 3,000 ANSI lm. As a result, products from the Osram Ostar Projection Power family emerge as a clear alternative to the high-pressure discharge lamps previously used in projectors above 2,000 ANSI lm.

This leap in performance was achieved, among other things, by improved chip and package technology. The developers at Osram have fundamentally modified the individual LED chips allowing them to be electrically connected in a series on the copper board. The system designer benefits not only from a significantly lower operating current (with the same power consumption) and reduced complexity of the LED driver, but also from the much simpler contacting of the component. In addition, direct coupling of the LEDs to a heat sink is possible - without additional isolation costs.

The mechanical design remains largely unchanged compared to previous products enabling a fast and uncomplicated exchange of the products in existing projector systems. 

"With products from the Osram Ostar Projection Power family, we have successfully crossed the 3,000 ANSI lumens barrier using LED technology," explains Wolfgang Schnabel, Product Manager in the Visualization & Laser division at Osram Opto Semiconductors. "Our customers can easily integrate the new components in their desired power class into their system design and replace conventional lamps with state-of-the-art LED systems.”

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