Earlier this week, Apple released patents describing plans for projectors to be integrated into their devices. Today, more information has surfaced in regards to the design. It turns out that one idea they have in mind is not necessarily to integrate pico projectors into all their products, but instead integrate projectors and apple devices with sensors that allow them to talk to each other. This means that a person who walks into the boardroom with an iPad could walk up to the projector, make the connection, and then stream their presentation instantly with out a cable connection. The idea is taken a little further with the possibility of integrating an iPhone with a pico projector. This would allow the phone to display content that it streams from other apple products like MacBooks, iPads, iPods, and more. For now it is just a patent, but hopefully sometime soon we might be seeing prototypes at conventions.

[via Engadget]

Most of the announcements you hear about cinemas getting digital upgrades have been about big chains. To help make sure that the smaller theaters can benefit from the 3D revolution, Technicolor recently announced that they will be offering a low-cost alternative to smaller theater owners. As part of the announcement, the company also stated that they have already been contracted to install 3D systems in over 150 screens through out North America. Their system will only cost the theaters $2000 per 3D film, which is a big improvement over the typical $75000 price tag for a typical 3D digital projector. “Technicolor 3-D offers exhibitors a high-quality solution at a low cost of entry, and helps get the industry past the current shortage of 3-D screens,” Joe Berchtold, president of the company’s creative services business, said in a statement.

[via Los Angeles Times]

One of the first things that this home owner did with his new house was to finish the basement. He installed a bar, bathroom, and even a spare bedroom for his college-age son. However the basement was not complete until he installed a home theater. The problem though was that he recently purchased the house and didn’t have enough money left to build one. So with a really tight budget and a few months of saving, he was able to finally get a theater that his family could enjoy. The biggest expense was the projection screen, which measured 106” diagonally. This piece alone cost $1000. The projector selected for the theater was the Optoma HD65, which features 1600 ANSI lumens, HD (1280 x 720) resolution, and a 4000:1 contrast ratio. The theater was completed with a 5.1 surround sound speaker system, comfortable seating, and curtains lining the screen, in order to give the room a more theater-like look. When completed, the total cost of the theater was less than $6000.

[via Electronic House]

One of Optoma’s micro projectors is the EW330. This device features 2200 ANSI lumens, a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution. Today, the writers from My Laptop released their review of this projector. The first thing they commented about was the sixe. The EW330 weighs only 2.6 lbs and measures 8.1” x 2.5” x 6.1” (W x H x D). The small size makes it idea for people who need to travel a lot or a company who wants to use one projector for several different rooms. Other compliments include the projector’s high brightness and contrast ratio. This allows the display to be seen in almost normal room light settings, but of course darker is always better. The only aspect that the writers didn’t like was the 16:10 aspect ratio. While this is good for many laptops, it isn’t a true widescreen, which come with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The final verdict that they made was, “The Optoma EW330 delivers a stunning image from what is a remarkably compact and portable projector. Sure, it’s designed for life on the move but with a price of around £799 (inc. VAT), it’s certainly worth considering for smaller homes.”

[via My Laptop]

When it first hit the tech show floor, the Microsoft Surface was a hit. It was one of the first devices that would allow a user to interact with a computer system, just like they would their touch-screen phone. The more important aspect is that it was the first device to feature multi-touch technology. Unfortunately though, it looks like the Surface has fallen to the wayside and might never make it to homes everywhere. Recently, Entelligence, which is a column by author Michael Gartenberg, wrote their thoughts about the Microsoft Surface. The device is a coffee table sized table that has a built in 30” screen. The screen is projected using a rear projection system that is connected to a PC. Users could interact with the PC by touching the screen. By using IR cameras, the Surface could recognize hand gestures and relate them to the items on the display. However for advanced as it was, it looks like it will never leave the demonstration tables. Michael has noted that he has seen the Surface less and less at tech shows and he is sad to see such a technological advancement fade away. He described the Surface as something that came off the Starship Enterprise and still looks forward to hopefully one day using it instead of a typical computer setup. But his hopes are high, he realizes that this big idea will probably never come true.

[via Engadget]

Knoll Systems hasn’t released a new projector since August last year. Today, the company is pleased to announce the first projector for 2010, the Kameleon HDP6000. This projector is designed for home theaters and comes with 1080p HD (1920 x 1080) resolution, 1300 ANSI lumens, and a 30000:1 contrast ratio. This model is stylish and designed to blend in with its surroundings. The top panel is removable and can either by painted a specific color or replaced for a wooden one in order to match the room. Knoll has included a wide array of connection options like dual HDMI ports, an s-video, component, VGA, and a composite connection. There is also a 12V trigger port to connect a motorized screen, curtains or anything else you want to activate with the projector. The Kameleon is available now through Knoll’s website and certified retailers, but they have not released the retail price.

[via Knoll Systems]

Barco is a global leader in digital cinema. Yesterday, the company announced that their Series 2 digital cinema projectors have successfully passed the procedural test for DCI compliance. The DCI standard was designed to ensure a consistent and extremely high image quality for the cinema audiences. They also guarantee content security and optical performance with color, uniformity, and contrast. “We are thrilled to be the industry’s first digital projector manufacturer that has successfully passed the stringent assessment procedures carried out by the DCI approved testing agency, CineCert,” commented Wim Buyens, Vice-President of Barco’s Digital Cinema division. “It is a reward for the rigorous quality and security standards applied in our labs during the development of this new DP2K projector series. For our customers, this will result in the most secure, high-quality and low-risk projector solution available today.”

[via Barco]

One of the many projectors that were released last year is the ViewSonic PJD6381. This model features 2500 ANSI lumens, a 2400:1 contrast ratio, and XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. Recently, a reviewer from CNET got the see for themselves what this projector is capable of. One of the biggest features about this projector is that it is 3D capable. The writer got to test the 3D system and found that while it performed nicely, clearly this projector was originally designed for 2D viewing. However, the problem with having a 3D capable device right now is a lack of 3D content to watch. Also, the PJD6381 is only able to accept 3D content through a computer, because there are no digital inputs. The final comment the writer made was, “As we mentioned earlier, the ViewSonic has a “short throw” and it was able to fill a space several meters across while still very close to the screen. The problem is that if you want to move it at all you will end up with poor image quality. While there is a keystone adjustment on the projector it’s next to useless — introducing jagged lines on edges and black triangular sections where the rest of the image used to be. And the menu doesn’t keystone, meaning you’ll end up with a trapezoidal picture menu or other strange shape. Not only that, but text was blurry and the picture would default back to the original shape when you turn it off. We found the only way to overcome these fairly serious problems was to plonk the projector dead in front of the projector screen roughly a meter away.”

[via CNET]

Ballantyne Strong is a provider of digital cinema projection equipment and services. Today, the company announced that they will be providing 66 NEC digital projectors to the National Amusement Incorporated and Marcus Theaters Corporation. Every projector will include RealD 3D technology and a silver screen to complete the installation. The theaters will be used to display 3D content using the polarized projection method that requires each set of images to be polarized a certain way. John P. Wilmers, Ballantyne’s CEO, commented, “We are pleased to again team with RealD to expand the digital and 3D footprints of these important, long-term customers. It is particularly gratifying given these exhibitors’ satisfaction with systems we have previously provided to them. The patron appeal and box office benefits of digital cinema and RealD 3D technology have been well demonstrated throughout the exhibition industry, driving demand for additional systems to take advantage of the growing slate of 3D releases.”

[via Business Wire]

JVC announced today the release of their latest digital cinema projector, the DLA-SH7NLG. This model is designed for high-quality imaging and comes with 5000 ANSI lumens, a 10000:1 contrast ratio, and a very large 4K HD (4096 x 2400) resolution. The extra large resolution comes with a widescreen 17:10 aspect ratio and equates to a 10 megapixel resolution. JVC has included a standard lens, but they have also several optional lenses available. To ensure that the SH7NLG is displaying the best quality images, JVC has also included six test patterns and three gamma tables to help the operator tweak the display. JVC is shipping this projector now through their website. It retails for just under $150000.

[via JVC]