What is LI-Fi television?

Question

What is LI-Fi television?

Answer 1

LiFi HDTV is a form of rear projection high definition television that replaces a conventional High Intensity Discharge lamp with a Light Fidelity lighting unit from Luxim Corporation.

By converting HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps to LIFI, a LIFI HDTV will enjoy considerably longer life span with incredible brightness.

In an HID lamp, light is created with high volatage passes between two electrodes. Over time, the electrodes in HID lamps deteriorate and the tungsten evaporates which causes diminished brightness and damage to the lamp itself. The result is a bulb that can lose 20 to 30% of its brightness in the first half of its 3,000 to 5,000 hour expected lifetime.

In a LIFI HDTV, the light source does not use electrodes, rather it uses radio waves that convert trapped gases into a plasma. The result is lamp life that is five times that of conventional HID lamps, faster start up times, improved colour fidelity and lower prices than new rear projection models using LED lamps.

The first company to announce a LIFI system is Panasonic who have implemented the new lamps into a line of LCD projection televisions that will be available in Fall 2007.

The LIFI lamps offer similar capability and life expectancies as LED-based lamp technologies, but at a reduced cost of entry.

The biggest downside of the technology is that it takes more energy to run. Panasonic has said that a typical 50" HID lamp-based television requires around 240W to run (with volume at maximum) while a similar 50" LIFI-based set requires 360W.