NAB: Epson launches new projectors

Epson is launching a new series of projectors at this week’s National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference and exhibition in Las Vegas.

One is its brightest portable/installable projector to date, the EPSON PowerLite 8200i has a brightness rating of 3,500 ANSI lumens, XGA-native resolution (1,024 x 768) and a contrast ratio of 600:1. It weighs in at 18.3 pounds.

An optical 10-degree lens shift and 30-degree digital keystone correction give projector users the ability to adjust the shape of the screen to compensate for the angle in which the projector is positioned for a balanced picture. It also comes with a remote control and USB mouse capability; a hard-wired remote control adapter is available as an option. The projector can also be stacked for added brightness and image-sensitive applications and users can create up to five custom setting presets.

A 3D Y/C digital comb filter is combined with digital noise reduction for enhanced clarity, reduced noise and improved contrast, according to Mark Pickard, group product manager at Epson. An internal motion smoothing processor can also detect and remove undesired artifacts through advanced image interpolation, he added.

Furthermore, the EPSON PowerLite 8200i takes advantage of a 230-watt UHE lamp with a reduced arc for increased energy efficiency and a life of approximately 2,000 hours. It also offers wide array of video interfaces including component video input and DVI (digital video interface) for future connectivity/compatibility, Pickard said. The PowerLite 8200i will be available later this month at an estimated street price of US$7,859.

Epson has also introduced the PowerLite 730c and PowerLite 720c. With brightness rated at 2,000 ANSI lumens, the PowerLite 730c is the industry’s brightest projector in the sub-4.4-pound category, while the new PowerLite 720c offers the same advanced features with 1,500 ANSI lumens of brightness, Pickard said.

Both models feature two all-new Epson-exclusive technologies that include a 15-degree digital auto-keystone correction that automatically engages and corrects trapezoid-shaped images without manual adjustments; and a 10-second cool down time.

Another new feature is the projectors’ completely new card-sized remote control (3.37 x 1.56 x 0.25 inches) that stores inside a slot within the projector. Still other enhancements include an optical zoom for enlarging specific areas within an image and a cable lock feature for security-sensitive environments.

The PowerLite 730c takes advantage of an advanced Micro Lens Array (MLA) to achieve its superior level of brightness, Pickard said. With MLA, a microscopic lens is placed in front of each pixel of each 0.9-inch LCD to increase light throughput for brighter and more vibrant images. With three LCDs inside the projector, there are nearly 2.4 million microscopic lenses in every PowerLite 730c.

The PowerLite 730c and PowerLite 720c are respectively priced at $3,999 and $3,499. Both should be available next month.

The heart of the projectors’ advanced imaging technology lies in Seiko Epson’s three-LCD projection system. These three 1.3-inch Seiko Epson LCDs are engineered and synchronized to achieve high levels of image quality, such as brightness distribution (illumination ratio), color saturation, color accuracy and efficiency. They create varying shades of red, green and blue that blend to produce a projected image with brighter, richer, truer colors and sharp black text.

You can take advantage of true XGA-native resolution in all three projectors, as well as Epson’s SizeWise resizing technology. This feature enables the projectors to accept just about every major notebook resolution on the market, including those of the iBook and PowerBook. For example, SizeWise resizing technology in these projectors allows for compatibility with resolutions ranging from VGA (640 x 480) up to UXGA (1,600 x 1,200). The projectors are also HDTV-ready and support digital video signals such as 480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i.