In addition to the new MovieMate 60 combo projector announced last week, Epson also introduced their latest affordable 3LCD home theater projector – the PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD. With a starting price of $749.99, the 705HD allows consumers to watch movies and TV, play video games, and view photos in 720p high definition resolutions at display sizes up to 120 inches.

Features and specs to the PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD include:

• 720p HD support
• 25 percent brighter with up to 2,500 color and white light output for viewing in dark or light rooms
• HDMI 1.3a interface
• USB thumb drive port for photo slideshows
• Four color modes specifically optimized for home entertainment usage
• Auto Keystone correction and 1.2X optical zoom
• Component Video, S-Video, HDMI, and USB Type A digital connections
• Energy efficient E-TORL lamp lasts up to 4,000 hours
• 3LCD technology
• Measures 11.6” x 9.0” x 3.0” and weighs 5 lbs

The Home Cinema 705HD will be available in October with an estimated price of $749.99.

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Technorati Tags: Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 705HD

The Epson MovieMate 60 is the latest addition to Epson’s lineup of combo projectors featuring a high-quality projector, a built-in CD/DVD player and built-in speakers – all found on a single device. With the MovieMate 60 in your hands, it becomes remarkably easy to take your multimedia content with you no matter where you go. Simply plug the projector into an outlet, connect the video source to the projector (or insert a DVD), and start enjoying a display that’s up to 8 times larger than a 40 inch widescreen display.

Features and specs to the MovieMate 60 include:

• Display a 120-inch image from just 12 feet away
• 16:9 aspect ratio
• 3LCD technology
• 60 percent brighter lamp than previous models with up to 2,000 color and white light output for viewing in dark or light rooms
• HDMI input
• Microphone input for photo slideshow narration, karaoke, etc.
• Lamp life of up to 4,000 hours
• Built-in progressive scan standard DVD player
• Two built-in 10W speakers and 5.1 Dolby Digital DTS support
• Works with Apple iPod, Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii
• Measures 9.3 x 13.4 x 5″ (W x D x H)  and weighs  9.7 lbs
• Included carrying handle and cushioned carrying case

The Epson MovieMate 60 will be available this October for an estimated price of $699.

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1080p capable digital projectors are finally breaking the $1000 dollar barrier (granted by only a dollar mind you). The latest projector to reach the $999 plateau is the Optoma Technology HD20 DLP projector which is available now through various channels and retailers.

The HD20 features the Texas Instruments 1080p DLP chipset, two HDMI inputs, and VGA/component/composite video inputs. The unit is rated at 1700 ANSI lumens, has a 4000:1 contrast ratio, and has a bulb that’s rated at 4000 hours in standard mode and 3000 hours in bright mode.

Other features include rapid shutdown support, a remote control with backlit illumination, and a weight of 6.4 pounds.

Now if they would only break say.. the 500 dollar barrier – then we’ll start talking!

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Knoll Systems are out with two new HD projectors which they claim are ready to use, right out of the box – no need to fuss around with settings or deal with contemplated setup issues before installing. The new projectors are the HDP1100 and the HDP1200 – both models designed from the ground up by Kevin Knoll and the Knoll System’s team.

The projectors have been “pre-tweaked” at the factory to Kevin Knoll’s specifications for “colorimetry, accuracy, grey scale performance, etc” so they’re “out-of-the-box beautiful”.

Features of the HDP1100 and the HDP1200 include:

• Knoll 2-D lens shift makes installation easy as projector does not need to be mounted in just the right spot
• Dynamic Black automatic iris provides over 4 times improvement over mechanical native contrast.
• 2.35:1 aspect ratio ability with built in firmware for anamorphic lenses.
• Digital Light Processing (DLP) 16:9 MaxPlay DMD
• Nikon all-glass lenses give a sharp distortion free image.
• HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color support and Brilliant Color
• Factory calibrated to 6500° (D65) and color balance for a true cinema experience.
• Native resolution of 1920 X 1080
• 950 ANSI lumens
• 4400:1 contrast ratio

The HDP1100 has a short throw lens and has an MSRP of $5999.00 while the HDP1200 has a long-throw lens with an MSRP of $6799.00

Technorati Tags: Knoll Systems, HDP1100, HDP1200, HD Projectors

InFocus announced today that they are entering into a definitive merger agreement with Image Holdings Corporation (IHC) for a price of $0.95 per share or $39 million dollars in total. This represents a 36% premium over the April 9th closing price of $0.70 and a 90% premium over the last 30 day average for the company stock. IHC is an Oregon company controlled by John Hui – the co-founder of eMachines.

John Hui had this to say:

“I am very excited to become involved with InFocus and to assist in further positioning the company for its long term potential. I associate significant value with the InFocus brand and with the company’s extensive network of channel partners. I look forward to working with InFocus management and building on the company’s innovative history and product leadership to return the company to a dominant position in the industry.”

It’s a guessing game whether this sale will ultimately help InFocus’s position in the marketplace. It’s a tough market out there with plenty of competitors all vying for a shrinking pool of buyers.

BTW – anyone else shocked at how low InFocus was worth on paper?? Ouch.

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Technorati Tags: InFocus, IHC, John Hui

Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America introduces their latest high resolution LCD projector – the HL2750U. The unit weighs 10.8 lbs, supports a variety of lens sizes for different installation options, and projects an SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) resolution picture. Other features and specs include:

• 3100 ANSI Lumens
• 600:1 contrast ratio
• Inorganic LCD technology which doubles the typical service life of an organic LCD film projector
• Anti-theft anchor and user-selectable passwords
• 5000 hour lamp life (in low lamp mode)
• Ports include PC, DVI-D with HDCP, RCA, S-Video, RCA etc
• 3 watt speakers
• Measures 13.1″ x 4.4″ x 10.7″

The HL2750U will be available for a price of $3995.

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Technorati Tags: Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, HL2750U projector

Epson’s latest installation projector, the PowerLite G5000, is ideal for executive boardrooms and educational institutions. The network-ready projector features XGA resolution, 4,000 lumens of white light output, and 4,000 lumens color light output. Other features of the G5000 include:

• latest Epson 3LCD technology
• Easy installation with centered lens design, vertical/horizontal lens shift mechanism and Quick Corner adjustment tool for individual corner manipulation
• Epson Easy Management gives sys admins the ability to remote monitor and control the projector via the network
• One-touch filter replacement for convenient maintenance
• Built-in closed captioning decoder
• 1000:1 contrast ratio
• Direct On/Off with a flip of a power switch

The PowerLite G5000 is available now for a price of $2499.

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Technorati Tags: Epson, PowerLite G5000 projector

Pico projectors were certainly all the rage at CES 2009 and you can now add Samsung to the mix. The company introduced their own pico-projector during the trade show called the MBP200. Utilizing a DLP pico chip from Texas Instruments, this compact portable projector connects to mobile phones or laptops and features a built-in 2.2 inch QVGA display, a microSD slot, and built-in viewers for a variety of file formats. That’s all fine and dandy of course but the real question is – how big of a picture can it project? Samsung claims the MBP200 can project up to a size of 50 inches with a resolution of 480 x 320 (ok, so it isn’t high def but that’s ok when it comes to business presentations).

You’ll find the microSD slot particularly useful as it frees the MBP200 from needing a PC to connect to. Simply transfer the files you want to project onto a microSD card and slide it into the projector. The MBP200 supports playback of the following file formats:

• Pictures: JPEG, GIF, Animated GIF, MBP
• Music: MP3, WMA, OGG, ACC, WAV
• Video: DivX, Xvid, WMV9 Simple Profile, MPEG-2, MPEG-4
• Files: PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Text

The pico projector also includes a 3.5 mm standard jack and a built-in external speaker.  Expect the MBP200 later this year. No word on pricing as of yet.

Technorati Tags: Samsung, MBP200 Pico Projector, CES 2009

When you think of WowWee, you probably think of their successful robotic toy lineup. However, the company announced that they would be expanding their product line in 2009 with the announcement of the new Cinemin suite of ultra-portable multimedia micro projectors. Powered by Texas Instruments DLP technology, the Cinemin lineup consist of three products – the Cinemin Swivel, the Cinemin Stick, and the Cinemin Station.

I had the chance to check out these small pico projectors and they’re certainly a sight to behold. The Cinemin Stick even comes with an SD card slot allowing you to place PowerPoint presentations, movies, images on the projector without needing a PC.

Here are the highlights for each of the three products.

Cinemin Swivel:

• Affordable lightweight microprojector
• Roughly the size of a candy bar
• 3 hour battery life
• Full volume control
• Adjustable 90 degree hunge for ceiling projection

Cinemin Stick:

• Compact micro projector
• Internal memory and expandable SD card memory slot

Cinemin Station:

• Alarm clock sized convenient media center
• iPod docking station

Expect the Cinemin products in the Spring of 2009.

Technorati Tags: Cinemin, Cinemin Swivel, Cinemin Stick, Cinemin Station. WowWee

I’ve never truly been wow’d by 3D displays but ViewSonic has something cool up their sleeves with their new FuHzion 120Hz display – the 22 inch VX2265wm. With a 120Hz frame rate and a 3ms video response time, the VX2265wm delivers a great flicker-free experience – whether you’re playing games or watching video in 2D or 3D. Couple the system with the NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit and you’ll certainly be amazed by what this monitor can deliver – even if the game isn’t necessarily 3D enabled.

I usually get slightly nauseous when viewing 3D displays but this new ViewSonic display is certainly something special. Other specs to the VX2265wm include:

• 1680 x 1050 resolution
• Dual link DVI-D and analog VGA inputs
• OnView controls
• SRS WOW HD sound
• High quality stereo speakers
• Windows Vista certified
• 1000:1 contrast ratio
• 300 cd/m2 brightness
• price of around $349

Oh yes – ViewSonic also has a 3D capable projector called the PJD6220-3D. You can use the same 3D glasses with this bad boy too. The projector will go for around $1799.

Technorati Tags: ViewSonic, FuHzion, VX2265wm, PJD6220-3D