German company Leica Camera AG has partnered with Chinese manufacturer Hisense to launch the first laser TV. The partnership announcement appeared on the official Leica website.

Leica Camera AG is known primarily for its cameras for smartphones and other devices, but now it has decided to conquer a new market together with one of the world’s largest TV manufacturers and a developer of advanced laser technologies. The company decided to combine Hisense’s expertise in laser design with its own expertise in projector lenses in hopes of creating a revolutionary device. Leica is set to unveil its first laser TV, the Leica Cine 1, at IFA next September in Berlin.

By “laser TV” is meant a home projector that uses lasers instead of LEDs. Such devices can display an image with good brightness and rich colors on a wall or a special canvas. Hisense invented the term and became one of the industry’s pioneers. Among other things, it offers the short-throw model Hisense 100L9G, which displays a 100-inch screen from a very close distance, which is convenient for placement in living rooms.

“Home theater entertainment is a rapidly growing market and the expansion of Leica’s product range in this segment represents a promising opportunity to delight new customers with Leica’s premium products. As a technology and market leader in laser television systems, Hisense is the ideal partner to showcase 4k high-definition movie production in an unforgettable home cinema experience,” commented Matthias Harsch, CEO of Leica Camera AG, and expressed his hope that the Leica Cine 1 will bring fame to the company.

Leica is not new to projector production, having launched its Leica Pradovit line of analog projectors more than 50 years ago, which later went digital. She helped JMGO create the O1 Pro, a compact ultra-short throw LED projector to be launched in Spring 2021. Leika specialists have reduced the focal length from 25 to 21 centimeters compared to the previous model.

According to PetaPixel, in the projector market, Leica will have to compete with another giant in the field of cameras and objects – Epson. The latter now produces some of the best laser TVs, but these are mostly traditional designs that need to be mounted on the ceiling or placed on stands at a considerable distance from the screen. When it will be possible to buy a laser TV is not yet known.