Introducing Tim Ryan, New Chairman of LIPA, the Laser Illuminated Projector Association

Tim Ryan Elected Chairman of the Laser Illuminated Projector Association

Senior Systems Architect
DLP® Performance Imaging & Cinema

Texas Instruments – Founding LIPA Member

Tim Ryan, Senior Systems Architect at Texas Instruments, was elected chairman of the Laser Illuminated Projector Association at the end of 2022. [see: www.LIPAinfo.org] He succeeds Dr. Goran Stojmenovik of Barco, who served as LIPA’s Chairman from 2019 through the end of 2022. Tim and TI were there at the founding of LIPA in May of 2011 and have continued to provide strong support for LIPA’s mission to enable and promote the safe adoption of Laser Illumination Projectors, aka LIPs.

Tim’s long tenure at TI and intimate knowledge of its foundational DLP® spatial light modulation technology provide him with unique perspectives on Laser illuminated projection as LIPA moves into its second decade of industry development.  TI was instrumental in bringing digital projection to Cinema and other important industry segments.  As a chip supplier to numerous projector OEMs and brands, TI was directly involved in the wider adoption of Laser Illumination.

As the early pioneers of Laser projection planned for commercial introduction, they all realized that existing laser light show safety regulations would have to be rationalized for laser illuminated projectors.  This objective was shared by a diverse group of interested parties from chip manufacturers to projector makers, investors, channel partners and end-users and led to the formation of LIPA as a single voice and technical resource for regulatory reform.

LIPA has been very successful in achieving ‘part one’ of its mission with both the US FDA and the IEC.  Global regulations are substantially harmonized, and LIPA has continued to simplify and reduce the cost of compliance for the sale and use of LIPs.

LIPA members have paved the way for the transition from lamp to solid-state Laser illumination for the entire projection industry.  The industry moved from a model of costly lamp replacement to one of Laser light “engines” that can match the longer lifetimes of projectors; save energy and maintenance and eliminate  environmentally unfriendly lamp replacement.  As of 2021, over 50% of projectors sold worldwide (by value) were laser illuminated.

Tim Ryan has built his career seeing the future and building it at TI.  It will be no surprise that he brings this experience to LIPA as well.  His vision for LIPA goes well beyond its original mission of regulatory reform to a much broader approach to future industry and technology development:  He states that “LIPA needs advocates to promote the safe use of Laser projection and a much broader definition of what ‘projection’ itself means.”

This new guiding principal may not seem different from LIPA’s original mission. The “Safe use of LIPs” goal has not changed.  What has and will continue to change is the breadth of technology and application development that now defines “Laser illumination”.  LIPA will extend its efforts to include a much more expansive definition of “projection” including specialized hybrid/adaptive projected lighting; fiber-delivered Laser illumination for remote source lighting; Laser illumination for manufacturing, sensing, remote metrology; even major new applications for location-based Art, Experience and Entertainment. 

This broader vision for LIPA will require the disruptive energy of start-ups, non-traditional partnerships, new Laser technology and the adaptation of Lasers used in other fields.  Consequently, Tim feels that LIPA will also have to recruit new and different types of members from all corners of the industry.  Tim states, “Anyone who is interested in the future of lighting the world around us in an energy efficient and safe manner should consider membership in LIPA essential.”

As Laser illuminated “projection” moves further from the controlled environment of a movie theater, new regulatory cases will arise, continuing the need for the single voice that LIPA helped develop over its first ten years.  Tim Ryan, TI and all of LIPA’s members are well positioned – with the experience, dedication, persistence, and creativity needed for the next decade of application and business development and to continue to promote the safe use of Laser illumination.

BB TR  4/20/23

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