Hitachi put out a few new XGA (1024 x 768) projectors for the business-side of the projector world. First up would be the highly-portable Hitachi CPX2. Weighing in at only 3.8 lbs and measuring 2.3 in. thick, this little powerhouse puts out a bright 2000 lumens, 500:1 contrast and throws in both wired and wireless network connectivity. But the real powerhouse is the new Hitachi CP-X608. While definitely not portable weighing in at over 15 lbs, this large venue projector’s 4000 lumens is twice the brightness than that of the CPX2 and twice the contrast as well at a ratio of 1000:1. Though, like the CPX2, the CP-X608 also has 802.11g and RJ-45 network connectivity. If you aren’t into networking Hitachi also released models without LAN connectivity, the CPX1 and the CP-X605. The CPX2 will be available in Europe for 699 GBP, or about $1300 USD, while the CP-X608 will be closer to $4000 USD when it arrives in North America sometime in October.

[via Hitachi]

Back in June, Marantz released their first 1080p DLP projector for the home cinema, the VP-11S1. The major problem with the VP-11S1 was that it only had one lens with a short throw. So, Marantz decided to improve upon it and introduced a new long throw version, the VP-11S1L. The VP-11S1L allows for a new throw distance of 15.4 ~ 22.9 feet; which is a pretty big increase over the VP-11S1’s 10.5 ~ 15.4 feet. Other than that, they keep nearly all the specifications the same: 2 HDMI inputs, 2 Component inputs, 2 S-video inputs, 1 Composite, 700 ANSI lumens, 6500:1 contrast, and so on.

[via impress]

BenQ released two new SVGA (800 x 600) DLP projectors today, the MP611 and MP611c. While SVGA projectors are becoming less and less common as the resolution fades into time, these projectors are still fairly interesting as far as office projectors go. On the surface, they appear to be a boosted MP610. The MP611 offers up 2400 ANSI Lumens and the MP611c gives out 2100 ANSI Lumens and both share a 2000:1 contrast ratio and a quiet 24 dB noise level. While a price hasn’t been announced yet, you can expect that they’ll be very inexpensive as far as projectors go, making them excellent choices for an office with a small budget.
[via BenQ]

A little over 6 months ago, Epson produced their 30 millionth LCD panel, making them the largest producer of LCD panels, and just last week, Epson started mass producing their D6 1080p LCD panels with Crystal Clear Fine Technology (C2Fine) for use in the Mitsubishi HC5000BL and Panasonic PT-AE1000U. That’s right, Epson makes 1080p LCD panels for everyone but themselves, it seems. So that raises the question: where is Epson’s own 1080p projector? Well, it’s coming they say. The PowerLite Cinema Pro 1080 was announced at CEDIA with very few details being released about it. However, they did have a non-operating European model on display that passerbys could look at. It uses the same chassis as just about every other Epson home cinema projector, except with a further protruding lens. As far as connectivity goes, it’s what you would expect: HDMI, Component and Composite RCA, S-Video, and so on. One connector that won’t be making it to North America will be the SCART connector displayed at the show, which hopefully be replaced by something a little more useful like another HDMI or a DVI connector. You can expect the PowerLite Cinema Pro 1080 to have similar specifications to the Panasonic PT-AE1000 and Mitsubishi HC5000 since they all share the same core technology, and probably share about the same price as well. No word yet if it will enjoy the same HQV (Hollywood Quality Video) processing that it’s all of it’s siblings enjoy, but if Epson wants to compete — well, against themselves, they’ll probably add it. The PowerLite Cinema Pro 1080 won’t be out until November, but they’ll have more details released shortly.
[via Epson]

Researchers at Fraunhofer Institute in Germany managed to invent a tiny projector consisting of one mirror that has potential for use in cell-phones, PDAs, and laptops. Far different from a DLP chip which uses millions of mirrors, this new single mirror projector uses a red and blue laser reflected off of a tilting mirror to create an image. While missing the neccessary green color to create a full range of colors, researchers expect that they’ll be adding the color as laser technology improves.
[via engadget] 

Optoma introduced a new 720p DLP projector at CEDIA the other day: the HD73. The HD73 looks to be another mid-range home cinema projector with its WXGA (1280 x 720) resolution, 1300 lumens, and 6000:1 contrast. However, Optoma does offer some improvements over its predecessor, the HD72, by using the new Texas Instruments DarkChip3 DLP chip which should create a much better picture. Other than that, its connectivity is pretty much the same: HDMI, DVI, and component RCA just to name a few. It will be available in November with a price of $1,999 USD.

[via Optoma]

NEC announced three new 3-chip DLP projectors recently, which you may find in an auditorium or cinema in your area sometime soon. The HD16000HD, HL16000Dsx+, and HL10000Dsx+ offer some extreme power as far as digital projectors go. The HD16000HD offers a High-Definition resolution of (2048 x 1080), and a little piece of the sun at 14,000 lumens as well as a contrast of 1400:1. While the other two projectors, the HL16000Dsx+ and HL10000Dsx+, are more business-oriented with their SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) resolution. They also aren’t as bright as their High-Definition cousin, but still pack enormous power. The price tags are pretty hefty as well, going upwards of $85,000 USD.

[via engadget]

It’s not exactly the latest-and-greatest high definition home cinema projector, and it’s not something to build an entire home cinema in your house around, but despite it’s comical look, it is a serious LCD projector. Digislide’s MantaRay LCD projector is an Australian exclusive with 900 ANSI lumens, 300:1 contrast, a built-in television tuner, and a $99 AU replacement lamp. While the design is eccentric and somewhat bizarre, the base of the projector does tilt back and forth for screen adjustment adding a unique functionality. Just as unique are the LCD panels, offering a rather weak resolution of (789 x 230), which equates to a widescreen 17:5 aspect ratio. The projector itself costs $1199 AU ($900 USD), but those cheap lamps are supposed to make up for the initial investment.

[via MantaRay]

Sharp’s new projector naming strategy involves adding more zeroes to each new generation of projector it seems, as shown by their newly announced XV-Z20000 DLP projector. Not to be confused with the XV-Z2000, the XV-Z20000 is aiming at the high-end market, which seems to be growing daily, offering 1080p projection from a single DLP display chip. Known right now to have at least two HDMI inputs and a DVI input, it has the required connectivity for years to come. Typical of high-end home cinema projectors is the 1,000 lumens brightness, but fairly unusual is the extremely high 12,000:1 contrast ratio. Coincidentally, the contrast is the same as the price: $12,000 USD. It will be available sometime before the end of the year.

[via Sharp]

Panasonic announced their first 1080p LCD projector at CEDIA today, the PT-AE1000. Unfortunately they aren’t releasing any solid numbers on it yet, but we do know that it will be using Epson’s new 0.7″ D6 1080p LCD chips with Crystal Clear Fine (C2Fine) technology. These are the same chips used in the Mitsubishi HC5000BL, so you can expect these projectors to perform and be priced similarly. Other than that, we know that the PT-AE1000 will have 1100 lumens brightness, a 2x optical zoom and a lens shift. The lens itself will provide a throw ratio of about 100″ at 3 ~ 6 meters, all of which is very impressive. Since Epson has started mass production of the most expensive component, the D6 LCD panels, we can expect the cost of this LCD powerhouse to be in direct competition against the other 1080p giants, specifically, the Mitsubishi HC5000 and the Sony VPL-VW50. This beast won’t be out until November, which is still plenty of time before Christmas.

[via corporatemedianews]