|
Keeping the audience engaged:
New projectors bring presentations to life
With meetings occurring all the more frequently these days, presenters may be finding it more challenging to keep their audiences engaged. It's little wonder they're often eschewing the time-worn marker and flip chart, in favour of multimedia projectors.
As the technology evolves to make these devices smaller and easier to use--while at the same time increasing the ways presentations can be fed into them--organizations are discovering projectors can be a great investment for the boardroom and lecture hall. They now display crisp images, streaming video, documents, PowerPoint slides, and a range of interactive tools.
Taking a look at some of the latest offerings, InFocus Corp. has just launched the new IN35W. The projector allows the audience to experience bigger pictures and more vivid colours than ever before, the company reports.
It's also marketed as the first to be armed with BrilliantColor technology, as well as true WXGA resolution: a 16:10 image ratio at 1280 x 800 pixels. For users with a widescreen laptop, the IN35W would be a perfect fit, according to InFocus.
The IN35W has 2,500 lumens and millions of DLP mirrors, allowing users to leave it on all day without any adverse effects. The IN35W is wireless-ready with the LiteShow II adaptor. It's also Mac and PC ready. In terms of maintenance, there are no filters to clean or replace.
Smallest compact body
Sanyo Canada (Concord, Ont.) also has new projectors on the market. In the ultra-portable category, it recently presented what it calls the industry's smallest compact body LCD XGA projector.
Called the PLC-XW60, the device weighs just 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs.) and has a minimal footprint (264w x 55hx 188D mm). It offers 2,000 lumens of brightness and enables a 100-inch picture projected at a minimum of 2.7 metres (8.9 feet). MSRP is $1,400.
Sanyo also unveiled the PLC-XU88 and he PLC-ET30L. The former sports 3,000 lumens with 1024 x 768 XGA resolution and a 500:1 contrast ratio. MSRP is $2,800.
The PLC-ET30L was designed to project high-quality, high-definition images from virtually any location. Offering a full 1400 x 1050 resolution and 10-bit digital gamma correction, the PLC-ET30L offers 4,200 lumens.
With its level of brightness, the device is well-suited to delivering a PC-based presentation with high-quality graphics and images, or displaying high-resolution video, according to Sanyo. The ET30L is sold without a lens but options including short fixed, short/standard/
long/ultra long zooms. MSRP is $7,400.
In the portable multimedia projector category, the PLC-XT35/L boasts 5,000 lumens of brightness, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 1024 x 768 XGA resolution. Lenses are optional for this model. MSRP is $6,300.
In terms of DLP (digital light processing) Sanyo has the new PDG-DWT50L, which offers full WXGA resolution of 1280 x 768, 4,500 lumens of brightness, 2100:1 contrast ratio, with a 15:9 aspect ratio, at an MSRP of $15,000. A six-segment colour wheel to enhance colour performance is available as an option.
Epson Corp. has been busy as well. The company, which bills itself as the number-one selling projector brand, recently unveiled the PowerLite 1825 projector, which offers XGA resolution and 3,500 lumens of brightness. It features Epson's three-chip 3LCD high aperture panels for more intense and sharper images.
The PowerLite 1825 projector (MSRP $2,499) includes wireless and PC-free capabilities. With the included 802.11/a/b/g module, users can project video wirelessly via Microsoft Windows Vista, or achieve faster performance using the included EasyMP software, Epson reports.
Using NS Connection, users can wirelesly send video and audio. The projector is lightweight, and can display most image and movie files without a computer via CompactFlash or USB memory devices.
The PowerLite 1825 projector has a two-year limited warranty and includes two elite technical support services: Epson PrivateLine phone support where projector owners can directly access an expedited support line; and a Road Service projector replacement program.
Web sites:
www.infocus.com
www.sanyo.com
www.epson.ca InFocus's new IN35W
|
