The Epson EH-TW3800 is one of their latest models. This projector features 1800 ANSI lumens, an 18000:1 contrast ratio, and full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. Recently, the writers at Pocket Lint got the pleasure of seeing this model in action. While the image of the projector was excellent, the TW3800 did have a few problems. One of the major problems was that the projector was loud, especially while using settings that increased the brightness of the image. Another problem the projector had was that the images looked incredibly washed out during the day when there was a lot of ambient light. Even with these problems, the writer did mention that the TW3800 was really quick and easy to setup. They also stated that the on screen menu was very helpful and was a welcomed bonus. In the end, the writers stated, “Another novel extra that fits in with the EH-TW3800 ambitions of total versatility is its easy installation credentials. Manual horizontal and vertical lens shift levers make positioning the projector off-center possible, while the EH-TW3800 can also be mounted on a ceiling. Also fitted with Composite video and a VGA port for hooking-up a PC, the EH-TW3800 is versatility defined from almost all angles. Its huge size might put some off, but if you’re looking for a projector that can be permanently installed and used across a number of high-def sources, the jack-of-all-trades EH-TW3800 makes for a good value option.”

[via Pocket Lint]

If you had to pick the perfect home theater projector which one would you choose? How about the Mitsubishi HC5500? This model was selected by the writers at Home Theater and High Fidelity for its amazing picture quality and low retail price. The HC5500 is capable of displaying full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution as well as 1200 ANSI lumens and a 14000:1 contrast ratio for incredible detail. The projector comes with a motorized zoom and focus control, which allows the user to mount the projector on the ceiling and not have to climb up to it every time to adjust it. The only problem is that this projector does not have a horizontal lens shift, which means you need to plan where your projector will be before installation. The connection panel includes two HDMI inputs, a RGB, composite, and an s-video input. This model even includes a low wattage lamp that can last for up to 5000 hours. The retail price for the HC5500 is just under $5000, but you can find this model for a street price of around $2495.

[via Home Theater and High Fidelity]

http://www.vimeo.com/2673637

Texas Instruments is the proud father of DLP display technology. They are also one of the first manufacturers to create the tinny Pico projector technology. Before TI gave their technology to companies like Optoma and Toshiba. they were displaying their Pico projector at conventions and trade shows worldwide. Here is a look back as to what Texas Instruments help create. The Pico projector featured in the video features HVGA (640 x 240) resolution and could project about 7 ANSI lumens. The display section is connected to a Beagleboard that uses an ARM-derived 600Mhz Texas Instruments OMAP3530 processor, which is capable of 1200 MIPS. The board also comes with a graphics accelerator and a digital signal processor. The projector uses a USB connection for power and an RGB port to receive content. This little device is what helped pave the way for projectors like the incredibly popular Optoma Pico projector and the model from Toshiba that is expected to be released sometime in 2009.

[via ZDNet]

Are you looking to create your own home theater, but you’re budget is limited? Electronic House has recently released a list of their top 8 products for do it yourself (DIY) home theaters. All of these products are top of the line but won’t cost you your first born. On the list is the Mitsubishi HC5500 projector, which features full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 1200 ANSI lumens, and a 14000:1 contrast ratio. This projector made the list due to its superior image quality and low price, $1995. Also on the list is the Elite Screens CineTension2 AcousticPro screen for $789. This screen costs a third of the cost of a 60 inch HDTV and can be made for displays between 84 and 100 inches, diagonally. Also this screen is acoustically transparent, which mean you can hide your speaker system behind the screen and it will not muffle the sound quality. But if you want an entire home theater for a low cost then you need to look at the Ensemble from Epson, which is the last product on the list. This kit comes with everything you could want for a home theater including, a 100 inch motorized screen, speaker system, ceiling mount, sub woofer, DVD player, and the PowerLite Home Cinema 1080 UB projector. The Home Cinema 1080 UB projector can display full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 1600 ANSI lumens, and a 50000:1 contrast. The Ensemble retails for $7000, which is a little high, but it’s worth it to get everything in one package.

[via Electronic House]

Most people would love the thought of having their own Irish pub in their basement. Marc McManus decided to do one better and turn his basement into a pub and a home theater. The remarkable part is that he did it all himself, with some help from his wife Jody. The project was literally designed from the ground up because the couple designed their house as it was being built and they designed the basement specifically for a home theater. McManus wanted the basement to take his guests away from their mundane life and take them someplace special, and because of his Irish background, the pub setting seemed to fit the couple nicely. The basement has four main sections to it including a pool table, a fully stocked bar with a working kegerator, a lobby for lounging and the theater room, which features two levels with three leather recliner chairs in each row. The projector used for the theater was the Panasonic PT-AE2000U projector, which features 1500 ANSI lumens, a 16000:1 contrast ratio, and full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution. The projector shines on a 100 inch screen, measured diagonally. McManus and his wife worked together for an entire year to get this theater complex ready in time for a new baby. The entire theater complex cost about $60000, but Marc mentioned that it would of cost at least double if he didn’t do it himself.

[via Electronic House]

Earlier this month CineVERSUM released their BlackWing One projector that is the fourth generation of the original BlackWing projector. The BlackWing One features 1400 ANSI lumens, a HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, and a 15000:1 contrast ratio. Recently, CINEversum announced the release of two new lens kits that can come with the BlackWing One. The Theater Concept Kit and Cinemax Kit both come with anamorphic lenses that allow the projector to truly fill the screen with out displaying black lines above and below the picture. An anamorphic lens expands the image to its full potential and transforms a 4:3 aspect ratio into a 16:9 aspect ratio, or a 16:9 into a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, which is what the two lens kits provide. In addition to the lens, the Theater Concept Kit comes with a motorized theater slider, remote control, and a 12V trigger which will allow the user to slide the lens in front of the existing lens and away again, when not in use. The Cinemax Kit gives you the lens and a fixing plate that positions the lens in front of the projector’s lens. The Cinemax Kit doesn’t have any motorized part like the Theater Concept Kit has, but you can still adjust the aspect ratio through the projector. The Blackwing One base model retails for about $6500, where if you get the projector with the Cinemax Kit, the retail price will rise to $6725. Even higher still, purchasing the BlackWing One with the Theater Concept Kit will cost you a staggering $12840.

[via Electronic House]

One of the new projectors coming from Sony is the VPL-VW70. This model was recently released from the popular BRAVIA collection and features 800 ANSI lumens, full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, and a 60000:1 contrast ratio, which is one of the highest contrasts possible for a home theater projector. This projector is designed to recreate the theater experience by using three SXRD display panels that you can only find in Sony projectors. The VW70 comes with a variety of adjustment features like a motorized lens, individual RGB color adjustments, an adjustable lens shift, and many other adjustments, which allow you to fine tune and position the projector to your specifications. Also, the model only weighs 26 lbs, so you can mount it to a ceiling mount with little trouble. In addition, the VW70 comes with dual HDMI inputs, as well as a composite, component, an s-video, and a RGB connection for all your connection needs. The VPL-VW70 comes with a 2 year warranty for parts and labor and retails for just under $8000. This projector is available through the Sony website.

[via CyberTheater]

If you ever wanted to see the insides of a pocket projector then you need to take a look at what the Nikkei Electronics Teardown Squad did to the 3M MPro110 and Optoma Pico projectors. Both models display images in very different ways, however, both projectors share a similar light weight design. With some tweezers and a screwdriver, the squad methodically dissects each model to show some of the main components, like the DLP display panel from the Pico and the LEDs from the MPro101. One of the things they discovered was the Fly-eye lens from the Pico, which was actually an array of mini lenses designed to efficiently introduce light into the Micron mirrors in the DMD. The Optoma Pico projector features DLP display technology as well as 9 ANSI lumens, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and 480 x 320 resolution. The 3M MPro110 features VGA (640 x 480) resolution, an 80:1 contrast ratio, and use LCoS display technology.

[via Engadget]

The Sony VPL-HW10 is the latest projector to join the BRAVIA series. It comes with Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 1000 ANSI lumens, and an amazing 30000:1 contrast ratio. The major feature about this model is the incredible retail price of just under $3500. This retail price is so low that the Michael T. Smith had to buy it and write his review of the VPL-HW10 for his website, Diffusion. Smith compared the HW10 to his older projector, the VPL-HS51, which features 1200 ANSI lumens, HD (1280 x 720) resolution, and a 6000:1 contrast ratio. The only major complaint that Smith had with the HW10 was that there was not enough lens shift. The projector was placed on a rack that is right against a wall, and the projector had to shift the image to the right. Unfortunately for the HW10, its 25% horizontal lens shift could not display the picture completely onto the screen. Smith commented that he liked the display and was happy to see the extreme contrast difference between light and dark images. He also pointed out that even though you can see the individual pixels when you get close to the display, they disappear into the picture when you move back to a respectable distance. The final conclusion for the VPL-HW10 was, “I really can’t say enough good things about this amazing projector. I didn’t even cover some of the main features, like the x.v.Color, Deep Color, or the 24p True Cinema. But honestly the true test is just watching it. And from a bluray source it’s stunning. I will say that after watching Dark Knight we switched to regular TV and I couldn’t believe how bad it looked. I’m almost positive that it was because of having just seen the best possible image. Then to switch to highly compressed NTSC was a shock. I have watched television on it, during the day, and it looks fine considering the source. But seeing a movie played off of Bluray has ruined me. From now on I won’t be satisfied with anything less.”

[via Michael T. Smith - Diffusion]

The Optoma GT-7000 is the newest projector designed for the gaming community. Featuring 1600 ANSI lumens, a 4000:1 contrast ratio, and HD (1280 x 720) resolution, Trusted Reviews wanted to see if it was better than the GT-3000 that they reviewed earlier. The first thing the writer was excited to see was the HD resolution. This was good because most of the gaming consoles available today play in HD (1280 x 720) resolution or higher and just about every gamer wants a display that will match what their console can provide. The writer also was happy to see the black chassis color instead of the ice-white chassis the GT-3000 has. The default display settings provided an excellent image, but those who want to adjust the image have the option to with the use of a variety of image adjustment features. Another good quality about the display was the deep black levels. According to the writer, the black levels allow the projector to give gamers the sense of actually being in the game. One of the major downfalls the GT-7000 has is the low brightness, when compared to the GT-3000. However, the writers did mention that even though the image was considerably darker, the GT-7000 displays a more dynamic image. The final verdict for the GT-7000 was, “Although the GT-7000’s audio system is a let down, the projector more than makes up for it by producing startlingly good pictures for such an astonishingly affordable unit. In fact, it’s good enough to perform credibly with HD movies as well as games, giving it an all-round appeal that makes its £480 price tag look so cheap it’s almost obscene. But in a nice way.”

[via Trusted Reviews]