NEW patents and technologies have helped Chinese firms make a dent in the global laser display industry, a sector long dominated by Western companies, industry observers said.

The impact is already being felt at some U.S. cinemas in Las Vegas and Hollywood that have adopted Shenzhen-developed laser projectors for their giant screens.

The projectors feature the use of advanced laser phosphor display (ALPD) developed by Shenzhen-based Appotronics. Featuring high luminance and low costs, it is leading a new generation of laser display technologies.

Li Yi, founder of the private company in Shenzhen, said they have gobbled up 80 percent of China’s market for cinema projectors. Its expansion into the global market is expected to challenge the long-time dominance of film projecting technologies by global heavyweights like IMAX and Sony.

According to a report on the laser display industry by the Shanghai Institute of Science, China’s patent number in the sector rose to third place in 2016 after the United States and Japan.

“China’s laser display industry has achieved great advances to possess a number of patents and a group of leading enterprises,” said Xu Feng, an engineer with CCID Think Tank under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technologies.

Private firms have played a key part in the boom. Other than Appotronics, prominent players include Dvision, which boasts its world-class RGB laser movie projectors, and Seemile whose SLPL technology solves the potential radiation problem of laser display. (Xinhua)