The European Union (EU) has announced new regulations that may discontinue the production or import of traditional projectors with replaceable bulbs in EU countries starting from 2026. This regulation is expected to bring about a transformation in the global projector market, as traditional bulb projectors are phased out and laser projection emerges as the mainstream light source technology.
The EU’s decision to implement these new regulations stems from the harmful mercury content found in traditional bulb projectors, which poses environmental and health hazards. Apart from projectors, various mercury-containing devices have also been banned from manufacturing or import/export by the EU.
Facing these new regulations, many traditional projector manufacturers have indicated that they do not intend to switch to mercury-free bulbs in the future. This implies that bulb-type projector products will eventually disappear from the EU region. Moreover, since many manufacturers sell uniform models of projectors globally, if sales are prohibited in the EU, it may also become challenging to continue selling these products in other regions.
Analysts believe that the demise of traditional bulb projectors is inevitable, and the rise of laser projection comes as no surprise.
While the EU regulations are causing a stir in the projector market, a transformation in projection technology is underway globally. Laser projection is poised to accelerate its rise as the preferred choice for projector light sources. In recent years, laser displays have garnered increasing attention due to their significant advantages in brightness, color reproduction, and other aspects. In the race for the next-generation large-size display technologies—OLED, Mini LED, Micro LED, and laser display—laser projection is emerging as one of the most active and rapidly developing technologies.
Dangbei’s laser projectors have shown strong development momentum, with the release of Dangbei Mars Pro and Dangbei Mars in 2023. At the recently concluded CES 2024, Dangbei Projection showcased its latest laser projection products, including Dangbei Atom, Dangbei Mars Pro 2, and Dangbei X5 Ultra, attracting attention from the global consumer electronics market.
According to media reports, Dangbei made breakthrough progress in online and offline channels in North America, Europe, and Japan in 2023. With Dangbei as a representative, many laser projection brands are expected to expand their presence in the European and global markets under the impetus of the new regulations, ushering in broader growth opportunities.