Existing illumination sources have substantial shortcomings in meeting the needs of these important applications. Specifically, the delivered lumens per electrical watt of power consumption is typically quite low, due to the low efficiency of the source, the low spatial brightness of the source and very low optical efficiency of optical engines. Another key drawback is in the cost per delivered lumen, which, for existing sources, is typically high because of the poor optical efficiency. Another key shortcoming of the existing sources relates to the lack of dynamic functionality, specifically in their limited ability to generate dynamic spatial and color patterns in a compact form factor with high efficiency and low cost.
Therefore, improved systems for displaying images and video, and smart lighting are desired.