LED envelope gets pushed a little further (as in brighter)

July 23, 2008 by Dave Haynes

Silicon Valley semiconductor company OSRAM has managed to push out 500 lumens of brightness from a single LED, albeit in a lab setting, reports Gizmodo.

That’s still not all that bright when thinking in terms of projection technology (the crappiest little desktop projectors push 1,100 and something driving a window display will need a lot more than that). But it’s more evidence LEDs will at some point be an alternative to current, bulb-driven projector systems we’re seeing for things like ad displays in sidewalk retail windows.

The sorts of units now in use are limited by the short life span of the bulbs, the high cost of said bulbs, and energy consumption.

LEDs will mean a much longer lifespan, likely lower cost per unit, and lower energy consumption. All good things, particularly when combined with miniaturization of the projectors that should allow for some very cool projected displays in the reasonably near future.

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