highest resolution, such as in the oil and gas exploration industry. "There is a definite possibility with 4K DLP that will enable 4K for the future," Kolstad said. "This is particularly applicable for 3D data in virtual and augmented reality, but it is considerably expensive. Today driving a 4K projector for a 4K display is actually quite challenging. It has to be driven over PC-based multiple image generators, so it is a more expensive solution when it comes to the projectors on the display itself. But you also need to double up your image generators, which is a significant cost as well. It will be a while before costs come down for 4K to become practical for the simulation market." While Dave Janke, VP of Sales and Marketing for Barco Simulation, agrees that eye-limiting resolution has always been the Holy Grail of simulation to duplicate the real world, and that it is possible to do today with today's technology, it is not always cost-effective to do so. It takes "a lot of pixels to do a 20/20 scene
over a 360 degree dome," Janke pointed out, and the company's flagship projectors can provide a 20/30 to 20/40 resolution at a considerably lower cost, he added. Dermot Quinn, Product Development Manager for Digital Projection, told MS&T that his company is working to provide 4K to be used at higher frame rates over a broader range of applications than just cinema. "4K is applicable to the simulation market," Quinn stated. "This technology enables us to achieve eye-limiting resolution, but it also potentially enables it for fighter simulation. With the increase in resolution with more pixels per square inch on the display, you could reduce the complexity of the projection dome by having a smaller number of projectors to cover the dome surface. Of course, the Holy Grail is to make those projectors employ solid state illumination, and that not only means that there are fewer of them but that they are also vastly more stable than is what is currently available with current lamp technology."
Laser projection and solid-state illumination Both Barco and Christie have demonstrated their new laser projection systems for the cinema market within the past year. Although the concept of employing lasers for projection applications has been researched for at years 20 years, most of it has been in the area of directing a laser beam directly at the display screen. The new systems do not directly project laser light at the screen, and therefore are seen as safer and having
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