Polygonal scanners for TV and HDTV laser projectors: spatial and temporal tolerances versus resolution

The advances in the technology of high performance polygonal scanners, both for laser beam typesetting and the projection of computer generated images, meet the requirements for laser beam projection of high definition television (HDTV) onto large screens; screen widths in the order of 30 meters (approx. 100 feet). This paper illustrates the interrelationship between the scanned image quality resolution for laser beam projected TV and HDTV, and the scanner design and manufacturing tolerances -- spatial and temporal. It provides a guideline for systems' designers to calculate and trade-off the specification tolerances for a polygonal scanning subsystem.