"If the competition between the early laser projection and the projection of the mercury lamp is still a high-end breakthrough point, then with the decline in the cost of laser projection, the mercury lamp is already facing a strangling pattern of all-round encirclement!" Industry experts pointed out that the laser projection on the mercury lamp product "ploughing hole" has begun.
Faced with a new light source, Mercury Lamp does not want to save itself
In 2016-2019, this is the first round of outbreak period for the development of the laser projector market. The main manifestation is the engineering and digital cinematograph market, which has achieved "initial laserization". In the face of the rise of laser projectors, mercury light source products have also launched a "major counterattack":
That is, a large number of Japanese brand products represent the model, the nominal "energy-saving mode 10,000 hours" of the bulb life, in order to alleviate the "laser and LED light source long life advantage". Even, some mercury lamp products shouted out that in the future, through further technical optimization, the energy-saving life can reach the goal of 15,000-20,000 hours. The 20,000 hours is precisely the life of the conventional light source of laser and LED projection, and it is also one of its core competitive advantages.
However, the final pattern of this round of mercury lamp counterattack operations is that "the thunder is not big, and the rain is even smaller." Because of this lack of counterattack, there are two fatal technical flaws:
First, it is not of scientific significance to use the length of life in the energy-saving mode of mercury lamps to compare the life of the normal brightness of the laser light source. The life of the energy-saving state of the laser light source generally exceeds 30,000 hours, and it can ensure that the brightness attenuation of the energy-saving mode in 20,000 hours is almost below 10%, that is, "basic constant brightness". The energy-saving mode of the mercury lamp loses 50% of its brightness at the end of its final life. If the laser with 3000 lumens and the mercury lamp of the 3000 lumen model work in energy-saving mode, the brightness output of the two may have a huge difference of more than 7-80% after 10,000 hours.
At the same time, the so-called long life of the mercury lamp energy saving mode is at the expense of reduced brightness. The core indicator of projector performance is brightness. Sufficient brightness is more important than the life of the light source. Sacrificing more important brightness and making the life of the light source slightly better, such a competitive strategy is only a "word advantage" and is difficult to be recognized by the market.
Second, the so-called energy-saving mode 10,000 hours of brightness products of mercury lamps are mainly commercial and educational projectors, which are generally realized on models with 3000-4500 luminosity. In the high-brightness market of more than 5,000 lumens, the brightness of mercury lamps still cannot be extended to 10,000 hours through energy-saving mode - the characteristics of ultra-high-pressure mercury lamp products are basically that the higher the brightness, the lower the life. Before 2019, the popularity direction of the core of laser light sources is engineering and digital cinema projectors, which generally require brightness of more than 5,000 lumens.
That is to say, the "market counterattack" of the long-life mercury light source in the so-called energy-saving mode is not hit in the main direction of the laser, but more of a "passive defense" of the business education market. And once after 2019, the laser light source with the cost of decline, began to enter the 3000 + brightness, less than 5000 yuan of low price market, in almost the same price point, energy-saving mode of 10,000 lumens mercury lamp and normal brightness of 20,000 lumens laser products, there is still no competitive advantage to speak of.
Mercury Lamp's self-help is a failure! "Because this is the difference in product performance caused by the fundamental technical route. Mercury lamps with high-pressure gas discharges are unlikely to be comparable to laser light sources in semiconductor technology in terms of life.
The laser light source has entered a period of "competitive" advantage of comprehensive crushing
In the history of the development of laser light source projectors, 2020-2021 is a "stage" of extremely important significance. Because in these two years, laser projection has achieved two important breakthroughs:
The first is the advent of a new generation of laser light sources, which have achieved a leap in terms of volume, brightness, and cost. In particular, the new generation of laser chips has achieved a rapid convergence of cost and mercury light sources on the monochrome laser light source, so that the price of 3000+ mainstream business education models can drop below 5000 yuan; at the same time, the new generation of laser light sources have achieved further popularization of costs in three primary color products - the cost of three primary color laser projectors is roughly close to the price of monochrome laser projectors in 2015.
The second is that the laser light source projector has achieved a new breakthrough in the variety of product lines. That is, laser intelligent micro-projection began to emerge in batches, in the 1500-3000 lumens, low brightness home market, laser light source to achieve "low cost, high performance" of the mercury lamp home model of the alternative encirclement and low cost LED light source model "insufficient brightness" disadvantage of great supplement.
Through these changes, the current laser light source has achieved a popular product layout that starts from about 1500 lumens, which is almost the same as the price of mercury light sources; the product line above 5000+ brightness has achieved a comprehensive performance lead; and the three primary color product lines have achieved further revolutionary product performance, especially the innovation of color gamut performance.
If, in the past period of time, mercury lamp models can also rely on low prices, and laser projection in individual market segments are compared; then the future is that mercury lamps are unlikely to find their own niche areas that have some competitive advantages. Industry experts pointed out that since the second half of 2021, laser projection products have embarked on a new round of high growth momentum under the support of innovative performance advantages, more mature cost competitiveness, and more product forms.
The industry expects that on the basis of the growth of laser projectors by more than 40% in 2021, its market increment in 2022 is eager to exceed 70%. In the same period, the size of the mercury lamp projection market has declined at a scale of 30% for two consecutive years, and it is not expected that its decline rate will be significantly slowed down in 2022. The market trend of the two is the best evidence that the laser light source has gained a comprehensive competitive advantage.
Laser projection has entered the era of "all- and all-you-can-eat"
In the context of the laser light source projector establishing a comprehensive and crushing competitive advantage, laser projection is also entering a new era of "all-inclusive" market.
From the history of the development of laser projectors, its first advantage is the two major advantages of "long-life light source" and "high-brightness performance". For example, in the engineering machine market, mercury lamp products not only have a brightness level that is not as good as the laser light source, and the heat generation is also greater than that of the laser light source, but also face the embarrassment of the mercury lamp technology system "the brighter the life is shorter" - for high-intensity application scenarios such as museums, cultural tourism, etc., the disadvantages of mercury lamps in the cost of consumables and maintenance costs are particularly obvious. Even, in the educational projection market, multimedia teaching, especially the application of high-intensity equipment in middle and high schools, and the start time of 5-8 class hours per day make the short life disadvantage of mercury lamp particularly prominent. This has led to the characteristics of high brightness and long-life light sources, allowing laser projection to occupy a huge share of the digital film projection, engineering highlighting and education markets in the first round of rise.
At present, laser projectors are increasing their efforts to promote in the markets of business retail, home investment retail, smart home investment and laser TV new categories. The biggest market characteristic of these application areas is "retail", and the biggest consumption law is "price sensitivity". Since the beginning of 2019, the laser light source system has entered a period of industrial scale, and the cost decline trend is obvious. In 2021, the laser light source has obtained similar cost competitiveness with mercury lamp products, combined with the advantages of laser in long life, high color rendering, brightness, solid-state light source safety, etc., its "retail" market has accelerated its rise: in 2021, the laser projection growth rate of the household market is more than 50%, of which the market growth rate in the second half of the year is more than 60%, and the laser projection growth rate in the business market in 2021 is also increased to 44% and maintains an upward trend.
Unlike the current mercury lamp models, which have been compressed from the main projection light source to the narrow segment of low-price and low-cost retail; LED projection light sources are mainly concentrated in the home investment and low-cost retail markets, laser light sources are showing the ability to eat all from low to high! Industry experts believe that the competitive advantage of laser light sources has "no longer been the structural differentiation of the early market, but has become universal, comprehensive, and even developed in an overwhelming direction."
In summary, with the progress and innovation of the laser display industry chain, the competitive advantage of laser projectors has been increasingly enlarged, and the shortcomings of their early markets, including cost, have also been fundamentally improved. Laser light sources have completely become the main light source choice in the projector market. The industry expects that with the further innovation and development of laser displays within three years, the sales performance of laser light source products will establish an absolute dominance advantage in the non-monolithic LCD projection model market.