Bad Idea?: Single pixel DLP and photomultiplier camera

Obvious. Use a cheap single photomultiplier (can find them for $25) and a DLP chip. A lens system would focus and image onto the DLP. Activating single pixels on the DLP would direct the light into the photomultiplier, giving a detector resolution equal to that of the DLP. Gain could be increased, at the expense of resolution, by activating multiple pixels on the DLP. Similar to a DLP television, a color wheel could be used for color images.

Benefit over a CCD? Probably none. One frame per second would require each pixel to switch on for 4.8us at 1920x1080 image. So, 10ns for a shutter speed of 1/400.

Rotating mirrors would probably be better for night vision.

Found someone doing this: http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/03/rice-university-scientists-create-a-revolutionary-single-pixel-c/, although, not with photomultiplier. They’re doing it in an interesting way though…by randomly selecting pixels, then constructing the image after…maybe for noise suppression, or to get the light levels up above the detector threshold?