Technabob » front projection

Short Throw Projector: 80-Inch Pic From 3-Inches Away

Technabob — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:18:28 +0000

Sanyo’s breakthrough short throw projector design may well revolutionize the front projector market. By radically altering traditional projection optics, they’ve been able to design a projector capable of filling a wall from as little as 3-inches away.

The LX-XL50 can be hung on a wall to project images directly below or above the location of the projector. The unique design prevents shadows from appearing on the picture.

While Sanyo’s initial target market for the LX-XL50 is classrooms and meeting rooms, I don’t think it will be long before we see similar projector designs for home theater installations. Sanyo initially plans to release the projectors in Japan in late 2007, with a worldwide release shortly thereafter.

[via Akihabara News]

Front Projection in Bright Rooms (Once Again)

Technabob — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 20:58:39 +0000

Reception was lukewarm to last year’s release of Sony’s ChromaVue front projection screen that provided the ability for Sony front projectors to work in brightly-lit rooms. The screens did improve image contrast, but exhibited problems with hotspotting and off axis viewing.
Well now, Planar, known mostly for their LCD monitors, has entered the fray with their own solution, the XScreen. The screen is said to eliminate reflection from ambient light sources, improving contrast significantly in bright environments. According to the manufacturer “The secret is the combination of a 4mm layer of hardened glass beneath the screen surface, which provides an absolutely flat screen surface that creates an unsurpassed image experience.”

One unique addition is the integrated video switching system that allow you to plug all of your devices directly into the screen and then run a single cable to your projector. The screen handles all image scaling and deinterlacing using a PixelWorks image processor.

Available in 60″, 70″, 80″ and 100″ sizes, pricing has not yet been announced.

[via GizMag]

Sony “Pearl” Sxrd Projector Details Start to Emerge

Technabob — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 22:11:11 +0000

Details in a Japanese press release give insight into a new SXRD front projector from Sony, codenamed “Pearl”.

The VPL-VW50 projector will be 1080p native (1920×1080) with a contrast ratio of 5,000:1. The projector features a 200-watt mercury lamp, a low noise fan system claimed to run at just 22dB, a 1.8x zoom lens and dual HDMI inputs. No pricing has emerged yet, but we can guess that the price will be significantly lower than the critically-acclaimed VPL-VW100.

[via HD Beat]