projector

THX, born out of the George Lucas/Star Wars legacy, has stayed true to its roots while developing new audio technologies to improve the home entertainment experience.

Last week I spoke with Laurie Fincham, senior vice president of THX to discuss the company's Steerable Line Array technology. He told me THX wanted to create a new type of speaker that could focus sound beams to specific areas in a room. I've heard those sorts of claims before, but Mr. Fincham assured me that this system was designed to a very high standard. The Steerable Line Array speaker prototype … Read more

Pico projectors haven't really taken off like some people thought they would, but Optoma has an interesting new take on the compact projector genre: it's called the Neo-i, and it combines an iPod/iPhone speaker dock with a "tabletop" projector.

Though the Neo-i isn't cheap at $449, its specs are better than your typical pico projector. The Neo-i is a 50 ANSI lumen DLP projector that offers WVGA (854x480 pixels) resolution in 16:9 format, with a "full-bodied" 16-watt stereo system (yes, it's built right into the dock). The Neo-i can also … Read more

LAS VEGAS--In one of the more interesting camcorder announcements at the show, Sony rolled out a line of prosumer AVCHD camcorder models with projectors built into the body. Coupled with an enhanced speaker system, the new Handycam HDR-PJ series sounds like it might offer some appealing capabilities for users who want a better way to share their videos without huddling around a smallish LCD. The projector can throw an image up to 60 inches.

With prices ranging from $700 to $1,000, they do seem a bit expensive for the potential audience, but that's unsurprising for a new technology. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--The early class of "pocket" pico projectors hasn't taken off as quickly as some people expected, largely because the image quality hasn't been good. Texas Instruments hopes to kick-start the category with a new DLP Pico HD chipset that will make its way into products shipping later this year.

The company says the new chip delivers "stunning" HD (WXGA) video and images on "nearly any surface, with more brightness and greater energy efficiency than ever before," and that it will usher in "a new era for portable high-definition entertainment." … Read more

Pico projectors haven't really taken off like some people thought they would, but this new one from Optoma looks interesting. That's because Optoma has combined an iPod/iPhone sound dock with a "tabletop" projector, which seems like the way to go with these sort of projectors.

Though the Neo-i, which was supposed to ship in mid-December, isn't cheap at $449, its specs are better than your typical pico projector. The company says the Neo-i is a 50 ANSI lumen DLP projector that offers WVGA (854x480 pixels) resolution in 16:9 format, with a "full-bodied&… Read more

Mainly because of mediocre image quality, the Pico projector market just hasn't taken off as some thought it might. But we're seeing a new trend in mini projectors: go a little bigger and offer improved performance.

That's the idea anyway behind the Aaxa M2, which the company is calling the "world's first" XGA micro projector. It weighs in at a pound, produces a "vivid" 110-lumen image, and has some built-in memory and a media player (you can play files right off the projector). Here are the specs that Aaxa is highlighting (the … Read more

Pico projectors haven't really taken off like some people thought they would, but this new one from Optoma looks interesting. That's because Optoma has combined an iPod/iPhone sound dock with a "tabletop" projector, which seems like the way to go with these sort of projectors.

Though the Neo-i, which ships in mid-December, isn't cheap at $449, its specs are better than your typical pico projector. The company says the Neo-i is 50 ANSI Lumen DLP projector that offers WVGA (854x480 pixels) resolution in 16:9 format, with a "full-bodied" 16-watt stereo system. … Read more

Today JVC and Sony announced new 3D-compatible front projectors at the CEDIA show in Atlanta, while LG showed its 3D model that's been available since June. Here's a quick comparison of their specs and technologies, with some of my thoughts after the break.

JVC: Its three new 3D models, ranging in price from $5,000 to $12,000, all employ active shutter glasses technology to achieve the 3D effect--the same technology used by current 3D TVs. That means they'll work with standard projection screens and require external IR emitters to send the 3D sync signal to the glasses, which are quite expensive ($179 list) and proprietary to JVC. The most-expensive version includes the glasses and the emitter for free.

LG: The CF3D ($14,999) was announced at CES in January and started shipping in June. It's the only one in our comparison to employ passive glasses technology, similar to what's found in most commercial 3D theaters in the U.S. It actually has two separate light engines--requiring six total LCoS panels and two bulbs--that are combined inside the unit to shoot through a single lens.

It requires a special silver screen to handle the polarized light correctly, but one big advantage is that the glasses are cheap. LG includes six pairs with the unit, and compatible circular polarized versions are plentiful, selling for as little as $4/pair online.

Sony: The VPLVW90ES ($10,000) was first announced at the IFA show in Berlin, and seems largely unchanged for the U.S. market. It's similar to the JVC units in many ways, chiefly in its use of active glasses technology; it requires the same $150 glasses used by Sony's 3D LCD TVs, such as the HX909 series, and includes two pairs. Unlike on those TVs or the JVC projectors, the required IR emitter is built into the unit.

… Read more

BERLIN--Gadgets such as cameras, portable game consoles, and mobile phones that have tiny digital projectors are still a relative rarity, but Texas Instruments hopes a new chip will help change that.

The company unveiled a new DLP Pico chip for such devices here at the IFA electronics show, a model called the nHD that's about the size of a raisin. It can be used to project images with a resolution of 640x360 pixels, TI said.

The new model features a better contrast ratio of 1000:1 for darker blacks, a richer color gamut, and lower power consumption, according to … Read more