Optoma Introduces Three DLP Projectors and New Cinemascope Lens
Starting off with the first of many CES 2007 projector updates, Optoma has introduced three new DLP projectors for business and home cinema purposes. First up is their new 1080p HD81-LV, which annihilates its predecessor, the HD81, in terms of brightness and contrast. Clocking in at 2500 ANSI lumens and a 12,000:1 contrast, Optoma is delivering to the consumers demanding brighter home cinema projectors for well-lit environments - 2500 ANSI lumens is definitely bright enough for daytime use in any room in the home. Like the HD81, the HD81-LV will have HDMI connectivity, but beyond that little is known - not even the price. Most likely, Optoma will bundle an external video processor with all the connectivity you need like they have for their other high-end projectors. One more added interest to the HD81-LV and HD81 is Optoma’s new BX-AL133 Cinemascope lens they’ve also announced at CES which converts Hollywood movies into their native 2.35:1 aspect ratio for ultra-widescreen viewing. Watching movies the way they were meant to be seen comes at a price, however, with the BX-AL133 running $3,999.
Next on the newly announced list is another home cinema projector which integrates all the bells and whistles with convenience and user-friendliness in mind. Optoma’s new MovieTime DV11 integrates a DVD player into the projector as well as two five watt stereo speakers, giving consumers a portable and easy to use home cinema projector. While not for the home cinema enthusiast with its 1300 lumens and non-widescreen (800 x 600) resolution, for viewing photo-CDs and full-screen DVD movies, the MovieTime DV11 definitely has a welcome place in the projector market and is completely affordable at $999.
Lastly, Optoma can’t leave the business community out of CES, and delivers the new TX773 office projector. At 3500 lumens, it’ll fit into any medium-large conference room and display those ever-important PowerPoint slides at a crisp (1024 x 768) resolution on up to a 300 inch screen. Throw in some DVI and other random connectivity most notably VGA inputs and outputs and the TX773 will prove to be a bright and functional office projector. For the kind of power the TX773 has, $2,499 isn’t too bad of an asking price.
